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CK Editors’ Tips††: The right rewards credit card can help you get cash back on purchases, book a trip and gain crucial perks. Consider which rewards and perks match up with your habits, not just which card offers the most features overall.

What to consider when choosing a rewards credit card
When shopping for a rewards credit card, keep in mind that rewards and perks only have value when you use them. While cards may promise plenty of points on purchases or high estimated values for their perks, you’re ultimately only going to benefit from them if they match up with your habits and needs. Think about where you spend your money, how much effort you’d like to put into maximizing a rewards program, and whether you want a cash back or travel rewards card.

How we picked the best rewards credit cards
We selected the best rewards credit cards with a focus on cards that offer the chance to earn lots of rewards for spending in specific categories — like dining and groceries — and in straightforward ways, with cards that offer the same rewards rate on all purchases. Also, while many of the best rewards credit cards require good or excellent credit, we wanted to include a few options for those who are still building credit because rewards are available to people at many different levels of credit. Read more about our methodology for picking the best credit cards.

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Great for high flat-rate travel rewards††

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Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Great for high flat-rate travel rewards††

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

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Rewards rate
2x - 5x
Miles per dollar
Annual fee
$95
Welcome bonus
75,000
Miles
Editors' bonus estimate
$915

Rewards rate

2x - 5x Miles per dollar

Annual fee

$95

Welcome bonus

75,000 Miles

Editors' bonus estimate

$915

Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day

Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs

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This offer is no longer available on our site: Chase Freedom Flex℠

Hear from our editors: The best rewards credit cards of May 2025

Updated May 1, 2025

This date may not reflect recent changes in individual terms.

Editorial Note: Intuit Credit Karma receives compensation from third-party advertisers, but that doesn’t affect our editors’ opinions. Our third-party advertisers don’t review, approve or endorse our editorial content. Information about financial products not offered on Credit Karma is collected independently. Our content is accurate to the best of our knowledge when posted.

Written by: Ben Luthi

Finding the right rewards credit card can make it easier to maximize your points, miles or cash back. But the best rewards credit card can help you make the most of your everyday purchases. Here’s our take on the best rewards credit cards to help you narrow down your options.

Best cash back credit card: Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Best travel rewards credit card: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Best for rotating categories: Chase Freedom Flex^SM
Best for grocery shopping: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
Best for flat-rate cash back rewards: Citi Double Cash® Card
Best for bad credit: Discover it® Secured Credit Card

Best cash back credit card: Chase Freedom Unlimited®

Here’s why: The card offers a high base rewards rate of 1.5%.

Cardholders will also earn …

5% back on travel booked through the Chase Travel℠
3% cash back on dining, including takeout and eligible delivery services
3% cash back at drugstores

And the card doesn’t charge an annual fee.

Check out more about the Chase Freedom Unlimited®.

Best travel rewards credit card: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Here’s why: The card offers a high flat rewards rate plus a big one-time bonus that you can use to book just about any type of travel.

You’ll earn two miles per $1 spent on every purchase you make, plus five miles per $1 spent on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Also, when you first get the card, you get $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first year as a card holder, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles (worth $750 in travel) when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

When you’re ready to redeem your rewards, you can book travel through Capital One, book travel elsewhere and use your points to get a statement credit, or transfer your miles to one of the bank’s airline and hotel partners.

As a benefit, the card offers an application fee credit of up to $120 for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, which can help you get through airport security and customs faster. Just keep in mind that the card charges a $95 annual fee.

Learn more about the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.

Best for rotating categories: Chase Freedom Flex℠

Here’s why: The Chase Freedom Flex℠ offers a super high cash back rate on rotating everyday spending categories each quarter you activate, plus bonus rewards on travel, dining and drugstores.

Similar to the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, this card offers 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel; 3% back at drugstores; and 3% on dining, including takeout and eligible delivery services. The Chase Freedom Flex℠ offers just 1% back on all other purchases.

But what makes the card stand out is its 5% rotating bonus. Each quarter you activate, you’ll earn that rate on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories. In the past, the Chase Freedom bonus categories have included gas stations, select streaming services, major retailers like Amazon.com and Walmart, and more.

The card has no annual fee. Read more about the Chase Freedom Flex℠.

Best for grocery shopping: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

Here’s why: You’ll be hard-pressed to find a higher cash back rate on purchases made at U.S. supermarkets.

The card offers 6% back on up to $6,000 spent each year at U.S. supermarkets (then 1%), 6% back on select U.S. streaming services, 3% back on transit and at U.S. gas stations, and 1% back on everything else.

The card also has a $250 welcome bonus (which you’ll receive as a statement credit) when you spend $3,000 on eligible purchases in the first 6 months after opening your account.

The card has an annual fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 after that. Though an annual fee is uncommon for a cash back card, you could easily make up for that cost if you spend about $1,600 a year on groceries.

Check out more about the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express.

Best for flat-rate cash back rewards: Citi Double Cash® Card

Here’s why: You’ll earn a solid 2% cash back on every purchase — 1% back when you make a purchase and another 1% back as you pay it off.

If you’re looking for a great rewards card for the long haul, there aren’t many that can beat 2% back on everything, with a $0 annual fee.

Keep reading about the Citi Double Cash® Card to learn more.

Best for bad credit: Discover it® Secured Credit Card

Here’s why: It’s one of the few secured credit cards on the market that offers rewards.

You’ll earn 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants (on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, then 1%) and 1% back on everything else. What’s more, the Discover it Cashback Match means Discover will match all the cash back that new cardholders earn after their first year with the card.

You’ll have to make a security deposit of at least $200. Starting at seven months, Discover will review your account to determine if you can get your deposit back. The card doesn’t charge an annual fee, which is another huge plus for someone hoping to build credit.

Get more information about Discover it® Secured Credit Card.

How do rewards cards work?

Credit card rewards allow you to get some form of value back on every purchase you make with your cards. When you buy something, you’ll receive a certain amount of rewards based on the card’s rewards program and the type of purchase you made.

Depending on the card, you may have a number of redemption options. Also, some cards require you to have a certain amount of cash back, points or miles before you can redeem, but that’s not the case with all of them.

As a result, it’s crucial that you take the time to find the card that’s best suited for your spending habits and other preferences. Then use the card as often as possible — with the goals to avoid overspending and to pay your bill on time and in full every month — to make sure you’re not leaving value on the table.

How we picked these cards

We considered a lot of factors to determine the best rewards credit cards. First, we looked at the cards that offer the chance to earn a lot of cash back, points or miles. Second, we considered that most rewards credit cards require good or excellent credit, which can make things tough for someone trying to build a credit history. So we made sure to add a couple of options for folks with less-than-stellar credit.

Finally, we understand that readers may prefer cash back, travel rewards or general points, including some with or without annual fees, so we added a mix of each to make it easier for you to find the right card for your needs.

About the author: Ben Luthi is a personal finance freelance writer and credit cards expert. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management and finance from Brigham Young University. In addition to Credit Karma, you can find his wo… Read more.

FAQ: Editors’ answers

Editorial Note: Credit Karma receives compensation from third-party advertisers, but that doesn’t affect our editors' opinions. Our marketing partners don’t review, approve or endorse our editorial content. It’s accurate to the best of our knowledge when posted. Read our Editorial Guidelines to learn more about our team.

Credit card rewards can be worth it if you get enough value from them to outweigh an annual fee, interest charges or any other cost associated with maintaining your account. That extra value could come from a variety of sources, such as a welcome bonus, cash back earned on purchases or travel rewards points you then redeem to help cover the cost of airfare. In each case, the most important thing to remember is that rewards on their own aren’t worth much — you have to be able to use and redeem them to get value out of the card.

Neither cash back nor travel rewards points are always better than the other — it all depends on what best fits your habits and what you want out of a card. For instance, a travel rewards card with plenty of bonus categories and a high standard earning rate could offer more potential value than a cash back card that earns 1.5% back on all purchases, but the cash back card might still be better for you if you’re only likely to travel once every year or two. Similarly, someone who travels often and doesn’t mind searching for the best deals might want to go for a travel rewards card because they’re more likely to be able to stretch their points.

Ultimately, it comes down to how easily you’re able take advantage of your card’s rewards program when it comes to both earning and redeeming.

Your options for redeeming your credit card rewards will depend on your particular card and rewards program. In general, though, rewards cards will allow you to redeem for things like travel (like airfare and hotel stays), cash back, gift cards or merchandise. But how these redemptions are applied get even more specific. For example, travel redemptions may be applied as statement credits, or maybe you could use your points and miles directly for bookings. And the quality of a cash back card can even depend on how you’re able to receive that cash back, especially if there are limits on how often you can redeem or how many steps you have to take to get it.

If you’re not sure how you might want to redeem your rewards, try to choose a card that provides the best mix of flexibility and simplicity.

There’s a decent chance your credit card rewards have the potential to expire, although the exact rules depend on the card and the rewards program. Some rewards will expire on a specific timeline, like a certain number of months after they’re earned or after a long period of card inactivity. But others may only expire after your account falls out of good standing, like if you miss a payment or have your account closed. On the other hand, some rewards programs will actually allow you to keep and use your rewards for a set period of time after you close the credit card you used to earn them.

This means it’s probably a good idea to check your expiration rules even if a card is advertised as earning rewards that never expire. In some cases, the terms and conditions for these cards explain that you’ll lose your rewards if your account falls out of good standing.

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†† The opinions you read here come from our editorial team. Intuit Credit Karma receives compensation from third-party advertisers, but that doesn’t affect our editors' opinions. Our marketing partners don’t review, approve or endorse our editorial content. It’s accurate to the best of our knowledge when it’s posted.