15 Best Rewards Credit Cards of December 2024

Aside from the excellent flat cash-back rewards rate, new cardholders also are eligible for a generous sign-up bonus: Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. There's also an intro APR period.

There's a foreign transaction fee, common among cash-back credit cards. And you can find cards with richer rates on popular spending categories, if you're willing to put up with their more complex reward structures.

This card offers industry-leading rewards at U.S. supermarkets — 6% cash back on up to $6,000 in spending per year (then 1%) — supplemented by 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on transit (including such things as taxis, rideshares, buses, trains, tolls and parking). You also get 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions. All other purchases earn 1% back. A welcome offer adds to the appeal.

This card has a high annual fee, although if you spend at least $31 a week at U.S. supermarkets, the cash back will offset it. Because it’s from American Express, you might have trouble using it in some places.

You earn 5 points per dollar spent on hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel and 2 miles per dollar spent on all other purchases. Miles can be redeemed for credit on your statement against most travel expenses. You’re not restricted to any particular airline or hotel, and there’s no minimum amount required to redeem. Just book your own travel, then pay for it with rewards. The great sign-up bonus starts you off right, too.

If you're loyal to a particular airline or hotel chain, you may get more value from one of that brand's own cards. This card allows you to transfer miles to several airline frequent-flyer programs, but the options aren't very strong.

This card earns 5% cash back on travel booked through Chase; 3% cash back at restaurants and drugstores; and 1.5% on other purchases. There's a great intro APR offer, and new cardholders who apply through NerdWallet can snag this bonus offer: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!. If you're a maximizer, you can transfer your rewards to one of Chase's Sapphire cards to boost their value by 25% or 50%.

While you can earn big rewards on travel bookings with this card, it also charges a 3% foreign transaction fee, so it's not a good companion abroad.

The card earns 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases and 3% cash back on dining, grocery stores, eligible streaming services and entertainment. (1% back on other purchases.) That's an impressive and hard-to-find combination of rewards categories. Plus, there's a rich sign-up bonus and an intro APR offer.

If your spending is more focused specifically on either dining OR groceries, then other cards with higher rewards rates in one of those categories may be a better fit.

The value in this card is pretty much all in its stellar rewards rate: 2% cash back on purchases — 1% when you buy something, and 1% when you pay it off.

Other cards offer higher cash back percentages in specific categories.

This card earns 5% cash back in bonus categories that change every three months (on up to $1,500 per quarter in spending, then 1%); 5% on travel booked through Chase; 3% cash back at restaurants and drugstores; and 1% on other purchases. New cardholders can snag a strong sign-up bonus, too. Finally, if you have one of Chase's Sapphire cards, you can transfer your rewards to it for greater value and flexibility.

Activating and tracking the bonus categories can be a hassle. For an option that does away with the 5% categories in exchange for a higher ongoing rate on "everything else," check the Chase Freedom Unlimited®. And it charges a foreign transaction fee, so it's not the best choice for international travel.

This card earns 1 point per dollar spent on rent (up to 100,000 points annually). That might not seem like a jaw-dropping rate, but consider that in most cases, you either can't use a credit card for rent at all, or you can't do so without paying an extra fee that more than wipes out the value of your rewards. The card also earns 3X points at restaurants, 2X on travel, 5X on Lyft (when you link your accounts) and 1X elsewhere. Those rewards rates, except for rent, are doubled for purchases on the first day of every month ("rent day"). Among redemption options: credit toward rent or a home down payment, and travel, including options to transfer them to airline and hotel partners.

You must use the card at least five times during a statement period to earn most rewards, though you'll still earn 250 points on rent. There's no sign-up bonus. If the manager of your property requires that you pay rent by check rather than through an online portal, you can still earn rewards, but Bilt needs to send a check on your behalf.

You earn 5 points per $1 spent on all travel purchased through Chase; 3 points per $1 spent on dining (including eligible delivery services and takeout), select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (not including Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs); 2 points per $1 spent on travel not booked through Chase; and 1 point per $1 spent on other purchases. Points are worth 1.25 cents apiece when you redeem them for travel booked through Chase, or you can transfer them to several other loyalty programs, including United, Southwest, Marriott and Hyatt. The card also comes with a superb sign-up bonus.

The rewards you earn on your spending are valuable in themselves, but if it's perks you're looking for — for example, free checked bags on flights, free hotel upgrades or automatic travel credits — look to a branded airline or hotel card or this card's premium sibling, the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

This card earns 5% cash back on up to $500 spent in your highest-spend category per billing cycle (from a list of eligible options). And those options happen to be popular spending categories like restaurants, grocery stores, streaming services, select travel expenses and more. There's also a sign-up bonus and an intro APR period, all for an annual fee of $0.

The monthly spending cap on your 5% rate will limit the amount of cash back you can accrue. And other spending beyond your one eligible bonus category will earn just 1% back.

You earn 2 miles per dollar on United purchases, at restaurants and on hotel stays; other purchases earn 1 mile per dollar. The first checked bag is free for you and a companion, and you get priority boarding. Each year, you receive two one-time passes to United Club airport lounges, and the card reimburses your application fee for TSA Precheck or Global Entry. You even get primary rental car insurance and a great sign-up bonus.

Other cards provide a free checked bag for more people traveling on your reservation. As with any branded airline card, you're limited in how you can redeem your rewards.

You earn 2% cash back at restaurants and gas stations, on up to $1,000 in combined purchases per quarter, and 1% cash back on all other purchases. (Unlike with Discover's other student card, you don't have to "activate" your bonus rewards.) The annual fee is $0. There's also Discover's signature bonus for new cardholders.

Although there's no foreign transaction fee, Discover isn’t as widely accepted abroad as other cards. If you plan to travel internationally, make sure you have a backup plan.