Choosing the right Reward Credit Cards can be a challenging decision. Depending on the amount of money charged to a card in a given year, a rewards card can be worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars in added value for the cardholder.
Before choosing a reward credit card, you’ll want to make sure you use the card in an intelligent way. It’s important to remember that the even the best rewards card is not worth it if you carry balances from month to month, as interest charges will more than counter any rewards you would earn.
Identifying your spending habits
Choosing a rewards credit card requires more than simply picking the overall “best” card. Instead, it is important to understand your spending habits. This is because the best rewards cards tend to offer the biggest rewards multipliers for
Now, with all of that out of the way, here are the four best rewards credit cards.
Chase Sapphire Reserve
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card is one of the most popular and highly-regarded rewards cards on the market. It is, without a doubt, a “premium” card, indicated in large part by its $450 annual fee.
Despite the fee, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is arguably the best rewards card on the market, provided you have sufficient spend in the right categories.
Best benefits
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers several benefits which have come to be expected by premium travel rewards cards. These include:
- Travel protection
- Global Entry or TSA Precheck application reimbursement
- Access to airport lounges, in CSR’s case, this includes the “Priority Pass” lounge network
- Priority customer service
In addition, the card offers a $300 annual “travel credit”, which is actually quite easy to use. “Travel” has a broad definition, with everything from fast food, Uber/Lyft rides, and of course airfare, hotels, and car rentals qualifying as well. This also reduces the effective cost of the card to $150.
In addition, the CSR offers triple-point accumulation on that broad travel category. This means that everyday purchases, which certainly would not be considered “travel” by regular standards, will earn triple points.
What makes the CSR stand out as an even more exceptional value is the fact that booking hotel rooms, flights, and several other travel-related items through the Chase portal gives card holders an additional 50% on their points This means that you can get up to 4.5x points (3x for travel expenses and a 1.5x multiplier when spending through the Chase portal).
Who should (and shouldn’t) get the Chase Sapphire Reserve card
The CSR is ideal for customers who travel at least a moderate amount each year, and who can take advantage of the $300 travel credit, the 3x travel spend multiplier, and especially the 1.5x Chase portal multiplier.
However, the $450 annual fee is a steep one, particularly if you don’t travel much. If that’s the case, another card might make more sense for you.
Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi
The Costco Anywhere Citi card is a great option for people who spend a significant amount at Costco each year. It is also great for people who prefer cash back instead of “rewards points”, which can sometimes be limited in where they can be redeemed.
Perhaps the most significant benefit is the 4% cash back that you get on gas purchases (at Costco or anywhere else), which makes the already-low price of Costco gas even more appealing. However, the 4% cash back applies at virtually every gas station, so this benefit is worthwhile even if you don’t go to Costco for gas all that often.
The card also offers 2% cash back on Costco purchases, as well as 3% on restaurants and various travel-related expenses.
Who should get the Costco Anywhere Card
As you might expect, the Costco Anywhere Card is best for people who do a significant amount of their spending at Costco. Otherwise, you probably won’t be able to maximize the benefits.
The other nice thing about this card is that there is no annual fee, which means it can serve as a complimentary card.
The downside, however, is that the credit is given once a year, which means you won’t get your rewards until the January of the following year.
Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card
The Wells Fargo-branded AMEX card is a fairly
straightforward rewards card that is useful for people who want big points
multipliers on a wide range of categories.
Currently, the Propel card offers 3x points in the following categories:
- Eating out in restaurants and ordering food into your home
- All gas station purchases
- Rideshare and other transit fares
- A range of travel-related expenses, including car rentals, hotels, Airbnb, flights, and a few other categories
This is in addition to the 1x points on all other purchase categories.
As an added bonus, the Propel card currently offers 0% APR on all purchases and balance transfers in the first year of owning the card.
Who should get the Wells Fargo Propel Card
The Propel card is a solid value for most people looking for a rewards card, thanks to the variety of points multipliers. Of course, this is more beneficial if you have significant spend in the categories with the greatest multipliers.
There aren’t a lot of downsides to the card, especially since there is no annual fee. However, it is an American Express card, which is accepted in fewer places than Visa or MasterCard, so this is something to consider.
Discover it Cash Back
The Discover it Cash Back card is great for people who like to get the maximum percentage of cash back rewards. With 5% cash back in select (and rotating) categories, the Discover it card can add up to significant value for card holders.
The obvious downside, of course, is that you will need to keep track of the rotating categories. In addition, if a category doesn’t match your spending habits, you might not get much value out of the card.
For that reason, the Discover it card is perhaps the best complimentary card on this list
Which Rewards card should you pick?
When choosing a card, the most important thing to determine is which one will provide the greatest value based on your specific spending habits. However, it is also important to think about value beyond simply maximizing the value in terms of dollars.
For example, for some people, getting cash back every month or every quarter is the best type of reward. If reducing the effective price you spend on products is most important, this might make sense for you.
For others, however, their rewards balance is more of a “bonus” or “vacation fund”. In these cases, it might make more sense to go with a card that offers larger reward value that is also limited to specific categories. For example, the 50% bonus on points spent on travel
[offerpromo]
BOOST Platinum Card
- Bad Credit, No Credit? No Problem!
- Fast and Easy Application
- No Employment or Credit Check
- Credit Recommended
- Damaged credit to Fair credit
- Credit Line
- $750 Limit (Usable only at TheHorizonOutlet.com)
- Regular APR
- None
- Monthly Fee
- $177.24 annually ($14.77 per month)
Net First Platinum
- No Employment or Credit Check
- Bad Credit, No Credit - OK
- Always 0.0% APR
- Fast Online Applications
- Credit Recommended
- Damaged credit to Fair credit
- Credit Line
- $750 Limit (Usable only at TheHorizonOutlet.com)
- Regular APR
- 0% APR
- Monthly Fee
- See website for Details*
The Net First Platinum card could be the perfect card for you.
Have you been denied credit in the past? Net First Platinum is available to help people meet their financial needs. Our fast and easy application could be just what you need. A $750 credit line (Usable only at TheHorizonOutlet.com) could be available to you faster than you ever thought possible.
*See Card for Details
Bad Credit Cards
- Credit Recommended
- Fair/Bad/Poor/Damaged/Limited/No Credit/
- Intro (Purchases)
- See website for Details*
- Intro (Transfers)
- See website for Details*
- Regular APR
- See website for Details*
- Annual Fee
- See website for Details*
FIT™ Platinum Mastercard®
- $400 Initial Credit Limit
- Less than perfect credit? We understand. The FIT Mastercard is ideal for people looking to rebuild their credit.
- Unsecured credit card requires No Security Deposit
- Perfect card for everyday purchases and unexpected expenses
- Monthly reporting to the three major credit bureaus
- Access to your Vantage 3.0 Score from Experian (when you sign up for e-statements)
- Use your card everywhere Mastercard is accepted at millions of locations
- Enjoy peace of mind with Mastercard Zero Liability Protection for unauthorized purchases (subject to Mastercard guidelines)
- Credit Recommended
- Fair/Poor/Bad
- Regular APR
- 35.90% Fixed
- Annual Fee
- See terms
- Return Payment Fee
- Up to $41.00
- Late Payment Fee
- Up to $41.00
First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card
- Earn 1% Cash Back Rewards with First Progress Prestige!
- Apply now and fund your security deposit over 90 days with the option to make partial payments.
- You Can’t Rebuild credit with a Debit Card. Try First Progress Today! ¹
- Build your credit history across 3 major credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.¹
- All credit types welcome to apply!
- ¹Cardholders who keep their balance low and pay their credit card bill on time every month typically do see an increase in their credit score.
- Credit Recommended
- Poor/Limited/No Credit
- Regular APR
- 14.49% (V)
- Annual Fee
- $49
- Credit Line
- $2,000
- Cash Advance APR
- 23.49% (V)
Freedom Gold Card
- $750 Unsecured Credit Limit (Usable only at TheHorizonOutlet.com)
- Instant Approval*
- No Credit Check
- No Employment Check
- Fast online application
- Bad Credit - OK
- Credit Line
- $750 Limit (Usable only at TheHorizonOutlet.com)
- Monthly Fee
- See website for Details*
- Regular APR
- 0% APR
You are pre-approved for a $750 unsecured credit line (Usable only at TheHorizonOutlet.com) with the Freedom Gold Card! Sign up now, our application process is fast and easy.
*See site for details
Surge® Platinum Mastercard®
- Up to $1,000 Initial Credit Limit
- See if you Pre-Qualify with No Impact to your Credit Score
- Less than perfect credit? We understand. The Surge Mastercard is ideal for people looking to rebuild their credit.
- Unsecured credit card requires No Security Deposit
- Perfect card for everyday purchases and unexpected expenses
- Monthly reporting to the three major credit bureaus
- Access to your Vantage 3.0 Score from Experian (when you sign up for e-statements)
- Use your card everywhere Mastercard is accepted at millions of locations
- Enjoy peace of mind with Mastercard Zero Liability Protection for unauthorized purchases (subject to Mastercard guidelines)
- Regular APR
- 35.90% Fixed
- Late Payment Fee
- Up to $41.00
- Return Payment Fee
- Up to $41.00
- Intro Rate
- See website for Details*
Reflex® Platinum Mastercard®
- Up to $1,000 Initial Credit Limit
- See if you Pre-Qualify with No Impact to your Credit Score
- Less than perfect credit? We understand. The Reflex Mastercard is ideal for people looking to rebuild their credit.
- Unsecured credit card requires No Security Deposit
- Perfect card for everyday purchases and unexpected expenses
- Monthly reporting to the three major credit bureaus
- Access to your Vantage 3.0 Score from Experian (when you sign up for e-statements)
- Use your card everywhere Mastercard is accepted at millions of locations
- Enjoy peace of mind with Mastercard Zero Liability Protection for unauthorized purchases (subject to Mastercard guidelines)
- Regular APR
- 35.90% Fixed
- Credit Limit
- up to $1,000
- Annual Fee
- $75 - $125
- Late Payment Fee
- Up to $41.00
Milestone® Mastercard®
- Greater access to credit than before - $700 credit limit
- Get a Mastercard accepted online, in store and in app
- Account history is reported to the three major credit bureaus in the U.S.
- $0 liability* for unauthorized use
- Access your account online or from your mobile device 24/7
- *Fraud protection provided by Mastercard Zero Liability Protection. If approved, you'll receive the Mastercard Guide to Benefits that details the complete terms with your card.
- Credit Recommended
- Fair/Good
- Credit Limit
- $700
- Cash Advance Fee
- See terms
- Regular APR
- See terms
First Progress Platinum Select Mastercard® Secured Credit Card
- Get a First Progress Select Card and Earn 1% Cash Back Rewards!
- Secure your credit line with your refundable security deposit – choose from $200- $2,000 - with the ability to increase up to $5,000 over time!
- Choose the First Progress Select Card for a lower annual fee!
- All credit types welcome to apply!
- Build your credit history across 3 major credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.¹
- ¹Cardholders who keep their balance low and pay their credit card bill on time every month typically do see an increase in their credit score.
- Credit Recommended
- Poor/Limited/No Credit
- Regular APR
- 18.49% (V)
- Annual Fee
- $39
- Credit Line
- $2,000
- Cash Advance APR
- 24.49% (V)
Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa®
- $200 bonus after opening a Rewards Checking Plus account and making 3 debit card transactions*
- 1.5% unlimited cash back on every purchase
- No annual fee
- See if you qualify in seconds with no impact to your credit score
- Combine the flexibility of a card with the predictability of a personal loan
- Enjoy Visa Signature benefits, like Roadside Dispatch, Price Protection, Extended Warranty Protection, and more
- Up to 10% cash back from your favorite brands with Upgrade Shopping
- Contactless payments with Apple Pay® and Google Wallet™
- Mobile app to access your account anytime, anywhere
- Use your card anywhere Visa is accepted
- Relax knowing that you are protected in case of unauthorized transactions with Visa’s Zero Liability Policy
- Credit Line
- $500 - $25,000
- Regular APR
- 14.99% - 29.99% APR
- Regular Transfer APR
- 14.99% - 29.99% APR
- Annual Fee
- $0
*To qualify for the welcome bonus, you must open and fund a new Rewards Checking Plus account through Upgrade and make 3 qualifying debit card transactions from your Rewards Checking Plus account within 60 days of the date the Rewards Checking Plus account is opened. If you have previously opened a checking account through Upgrade or do not open a Rewards Checking Plus account as part of this application process, you are not eligible for this welcome bonus offer. Your Upgrade Card and Rewards Checking Plus account must be open and in good standing to receive a bonus. To qualify, debit card transactions must have settled and exclude ATM transactions. Please refer to the applicable Upgrade Visa® Debit Card Agreement and Disclosures for more information. Welcome bonus offers cannot be combined, substituted, or applied retroactively. The bonus will be applied to your Rewards Checking Plus account as a one-time payout credit within 60 days after meeting the conditions.
Reflex® Platinum Mastercard®
- Up to $1,000 Initial Credit Limit
- See if you Pre-Qualify with No Impact to your Credit Score
- Less than perfect credit? We understand. The Reflex Mastercard is ideal for people looking to rebuild their credit.
- Unsecured credit card requires No Security Deposit
- Perfect card for everyday purchases and unexpected expenses
- Monthly reporting to the three major credit bureaus
- Access to your Vantage 3.0 Score from Experian (when you sign up for e-statements)
- Use your card everywhere Mastercard is accepted at millions of locations
- Enjoy peace of mind with Mastercard Zero Liability Protection for unauthorized purchases (subject to Mastercard guidelines)
- Regular APR
- 35.90% Fixed
- Credit Limit
- up to $1,000
- Annual Fee
- $75 - $125
- Late Payment Fee
- Up to $41.00
Merrick Bank Secured Credit Card
- Choose your own credit line based on how much money you want to put down as a security deposit.
- Initial deposits can be from $200 to $3,000. You can increase your credit line at any time by adding additional money to your security deposit, up to $3,000.
- After 9 months, we review your account for a credit line increase. No additional deposit required!
- Secured Credit Cards are great for people looking to build or rebuild credit and are available to people with all kinds of credit backgrounds.
- Unlike a debit card or a pre-paid card, it helps build your credit history. We report your payment history to all three major credit-reporting agencies.
- Get your FICO® Credit Score for free each month.
- Fraud coverage if your card is lost or stolen. Access your account 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Get help staying on track with available Auto Pay and account alerts.
- Card issued by Merrick Bank, Member FDIC.
- Credit Recommended
- See website for Details*
- Regular APR
- 22.95% Variable
- Annual Fee
- $36 for first year. Billed $3 per month thereafter
- Credit Line
- $200-$3,000, depending on deposit amount
- Cash Advance APR
- 27.95%
Destiny Mastercard®
- All the benefits of a Mastercard, without a security deposit
- 24/7 access to your account, even on mobile!
- Reports to all three major credit bureaus
- Less than perfect credit is okay, even with a prior bankruptcy!
- Credit Recommended
- Poor to Good
- Credit Limit
- $700
- Regular APR
- See terms
- Annual Fee
- See terms
OpenSky® Plus Secured Visa® Credit Card
- New feature! Earn up to 10% cash back* on everyday purchases
- No annual fee
- No credit check to apply. Find out instantly if you are approved- Zero credit risk to apply!
- Looking to build or rebuild your credit? 2 out of 3 OpenSky cardholders increase their credit score by an average of 41 points in just 3 months
- Monitor your credit progress with free access to your FICO Credit Score.
- Build your credit history across 3 major credit reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion
- Add to your mobile wallet and make purchases using Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Google Pay
- Secure your credit line with a refundable security deposit - as low as $300.
- Easy application, apply in less than 5 minutes right from your mobile device
- Offers flexible payment due dates which allow you to choose any available due date that fits your payment schedule
- Now you can make smaller partial payments towards funding your security deposit over 60 days
- Over 1.4 Million Cardholders Have Used OpenSky Secured Credit Card To Improve Their Credit
- *See Rewards Terms and Conditions for more information
- Credit Recommended
- No credit, Poor, Fair
- Regular APR
- 29.24% (variable)
- Annual Fee
- $0
- Credit Line
- $300-$3000 at time of application
Fair Credit Cards
- Time for a new Credit Card
- Improve your credit with responsible use
- Credit Cards for Fair Credit
- Credit Recommended
- Average/Fair/Good/Poor/Bad/Limited/
- Intro (Purchases)
- See website for Details*
- Intro (Transfers)
- See website for Details*
- Regular APR
- See website for Details*
- Annual Fee
- See website for Details*
Good Credit Cards
- Take advantage of your good credit to get competitive APRs and rewards
- Enjoy low rates and rewards for everyday spending
- Earn cash back, points or miles to redeem for travel, gift cards or cash rewards
- Bonus offers – up to 50,000 points or miles
- Good credit can lead to excellent credit – some cards provide free credit score monitoring
- Terms vary by partner. Please see individual application for product terms and conditions.
- Clicking Apply Now will take you to CreditSoup.com to compare Credit Cards for Good Credit from participating partners
- Credit Recommended
- Fair/Good/Limited/No Credit/Excellent
- Intro (Purchases)
- See website for Details*
- Intro (Transfers)
- See website for Details*
- Regular APR
- See website for Details*
- Annual Fee
- See website for Details*
*See Card for Terms and Conditions
OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card
- New feature! Earn up to 10% cash back* on everyday purchases
- No credit check to apply. Zero credit risk to apply!
- Looking to build or rebuild your credit? 2 out of 3 OpenSky cardholders increase their credit score by an average of 41 points in just 3 months
- Get free monthly access to your FICO score in our mobile application
- Build your credit history across 3 major credit reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion
- Add to your mobile wallet and make purchases using Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Google Pay
- Fund your card with a low $200 refundable security deposit to get a $200 credit line
- Apply in less than 5 minutes with our mobile first application
- Choose the due date that fits your schedule with flexible payment dates
- Fund your security deposit over 60 days with the option to make partial payments
- Over 1.4 Million Cardholders Have Used OpenSky Secured Credit Card To Improve Their Credit
- *See Rewards Terms and Conditions for more information
- Credit Recommended
- No credit, Poor, Fair
- Regular APR
- 24.89% (variable)
- Annual Fee
- $35
- Credit Line
- $200-$3000 at time of application
Poor Credit Cards
- A better way to get a Card Offer!
- For those with less that perfect credit.
- Response in as fast as 60 seconds
- Search, Compare, Apply!
- Credit Recommended
- Fair/Poor/Bad/Damaged/Limited/No Credit
- Intro (Purchases)
- See website for Details*
- Intro (Transfers)
- See website for Details*
- Regular APR
- See website for Details*
- Annual Fee
- See website for Details*
Search, Compare and Apply! Creditsoup.com offers you a better way to get a card offer.
*See Card for Terms and Conditions
Surge® Platinum Mastercard®
- Up to $1,000 Initial Credit Limit
- See if you Pre-Qualify with No Impact to your Credit Score
- Less than perfect credit? We understand. The Surge Mastercard is ideal for people looking to rebuild their credit.
- Unsecured credit card requires No Security Deposit
- Perfect card for everyday purchases and unexpected expenses
- Monthly reporting to the three major credit bureaus
- Access to your Vantage 3.0 Score from Experian (when you sign up for e-statements)
- Use your card everywhere Mastercard is accepted at millions of locations
- Enjoy peace of mind with Mastercard Zero Liability Protection for unauthorized purchases (subject to Mastercard guidelines)
- Regular APR
- 35.90% Fixed
- Late Payment Fee
- Up to $41.00
- Return Payment Fee
- Up to $41.00
- Intro Rate
- See website for Details*
FIT™ Platinum Mastercard®
- $400 Initial Credit Limit
- Less than perfect credit? We understand. The FIT Mastercard is ideal for people looking to rebuild their credit.
- Unsecured credit card requires No Security Deposit
- Perfect card for everyday purchases and unexpected expenses
- Monthly reporting to the three major credit bureaus
- Access to your Vantage 3.0 Score from Experian (when you sign up for e-statements)
- Use your card everywhere Mastercard is accepted at millions of locations
- Enjoy peace of mind with Mastercard Zero Liability Protection for unauthorized purchases (subject to Mastercard guidelines)
- Credit Recommended
- Fair/Poor/Bad
- Regular APR
- 35.90% Fixed
- Annual Fee
- See terms
- Return Payment Fee
- Up to $41.00
- Late Payment Fee
- Up to $41.00
Applied Bank® Unsecured Classic Visa® Card
- Get Pre-Qualified in Less Than a Minute
- A $300 Unsecured Credit Line which can be used at Grocery Stores, Gas Stations, Discount Stores, ATM's and Online!
- A REAL Visa® Credit Card with Automatic Reporting to all Three National Credit Bureaus
- No Penalty Rate. Your Rate Won't Go Up Even If You are Late
- Access Additional Credit With On-Time Payments and Responsible Usage
- A True Unsecured EMV enabled (chip) Visa Credit card
- Does not require perfect credit for approval
- Fixed APR and Manageable Monthly Payments
- Credit Recommended
- Poor/Damaged Credit
- Regular APR
- 29.99%
- Late Payment Fee
- Up to $38
- Return Payment Fee
- Up to $38
- Card Brand
- Visa®
OpenSky Launch Secured Visa® Credit Card
- Excellent option for a low fully refundable security deposit, get started with just $100
- Earn up to 10% cash back on everyday purchases
- Minimum payment as low as $10
- Annual fee billed in monthly installments of $2 per month in year 1 and $3 per month thereafter
- No credit check to apply. Find out instantly if you are approved- Zero credit risk to apply!
- Looking to build or rebuild your credit? 2 out of 3 OpenSky cardholders increase their credit score by an average of 41 points in just 3 months
- Monitor your credit progress with free access to your FICO Credit Score.
- Build your credit history across 3 major credit reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion
- Add to your mobile wallet and make purchases using Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Google Pay
- Easy application, apply in less than 5 minutes right from your mobile device
- Offers flexible payment due dates which allow you to choose any available due date that fits your payment schedule
- Now you can make smaller partial payments towards funding your security deposit over 60 days
- Over 1.4 million cardholders have used OpenSky Secured Credit Card to improve their credit
- Credit Recommended
- No credit, Poor, Fair
- Regular APR
- 29.24% (variable)
- Annual Fee
- $24 during the first year, paid in installments of $2 per month. $36 after the first year, paid in installments of $3 per month.
- Credit Line
- $100- $1,000
Excellent Credit Cards
- Take advantage of your excellent credit to get the best rates and rewards
- Enjoy low rates and rewards for everyday spending
- Excellent credit can lead to higher credit lines
- Earn cash back, points or miles to redeem for travel, gift cards or cash rewards
- Bonus offers – up to 50,000 points or miles
- Terms vary by partner. Please see individual application for product terms and conditions.
- Clicking Apply Now will take you to CreditSoup.com to compare Credit Cards for Excellent Credit from participating partners
- Credit Recommended
- Good/Excellent
- Intro (Purchases)
- See website for Details*
- Intro (Transfers)
- See website for Details*
- Regular APR
- See website for Details*
- Annual Fee
- See website for Details*
