The best credit cards for online shopping let you buy whatever you want, at any time, while avoiding crowds and saving time and energy along the way. You can even order groceries and household essentials to show up on your doorstep. With all of these benefits, it’s no wonder online stores like Amazon.com continue to gain market share.

If you’re trying to find the right rewards credit card for online shopping, you’ll be happy to know there are plenty of options that’ll let you take your online shopping up a notch, mostly by offering additional rewards for each dollar you spend. If you shop online anyway, you might as well pay with a card that allows you to get something more in return.

But which cards for online shopping should you consider? Below, we’ll explore some of the best rewards credit cards for a variety of online purchases.

Comparison table for best credit cards for online shopping

Card name Rewards rate Annual fee Best for
Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card
  • 5% back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market
  • 2% back at restaurants, gas stations
  • 1% back on all other purchases
 $0 with paid Amazon Prime membership ($139) Amazon.com purchases
Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi
  • 4% back on eligible gas and EV charging purchases (for the first $7,000 per year, then 1%)
  • 3% back at restaurants and on eligible travel purchases
  • 2% back on all Costco and Costco.com purchases
  • 1% back on all other purchases
 $0 with paid Costco membership ($60) Costco purchases
Discover it® Cash Back
  • 5% back on rotating categories each quarter (on up to $1,500 in purchases, then 1%; category activation required)
  • 1% back on all other purchases
 $0 Rotating categories
Target REDcard
  • 5% off all Target and Target.com purchases
 $0 Target purchases
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
  • 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
  • 5X points on Lyft rides (through March 31, 2025)
  • 3X points on dining, select streaming services and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs)
  • 2X points on general travel purchases
  • 1X points on all other purchases
 $95 Online travel purchases
Capital One Walmart Rewards® Mastercard®
  • 5% back at Walmart.com (including pickup and delivery)
  • 2% back at Walmart stores and fuel stations
  • 2% back at restaurants and on travel
  • 1% back on all other purchases
 $0 Walmart purchases
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card
  • 3% back on category purchases of your choice (including gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drugstores or home improvement)
  • 2% back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs
  • Purchase limit of $2,500 in combined 3% and 2% category purchases each quarter, then 1%
  • 1% back on all other purchases
 $0 Flexibility
Instacart Mastercard®
  • 5% cash back on Instacart.com and Instacart app purchases with retail brands partnered with Instacart and Chase Travel Center purchases
  • 2% back at gas stations, restaurants and on select streaming services
  • 1% back on all other purchases
 $0 Online grocery purchases

Best credit cards for online shopping

The best credit cards for shopping online let you earn rewards on your spending while you score other important perks. Read on to learn why the cards we chose are the best for all of your virtual shopping needs.

Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card: Best for Amazon.com purchases

It’s obvious why the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card is ideal for Amazon.com purchases, but you should note that the 5 percent back also applies to purchases made at Whole Foods Market. If you want to use this card as your everyday card, you’ll also be happy to know you can earn 2 percent back on dining and gas stations, as well as 1 percent back on everything else. The rewards you’ll earn can be redeemed for more purchases on Amazon.com or else for gift cards, travel and cash back (as a direct deposit or statement credit).

Additionally, you’ll receive an Amazon.com gift card worth up to $150 instantly upon card approval. And for a limited time, Prime cardmembers can receive 10 percent back or more on select products. While this card doesn’t have an annual fee, you do have to be an Amazon Prime member to qualify (currently, an annual Prime membership costs $139).

Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi: Best for Costco purchases

The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi is a solid option for shopping on Costco.com since you’ll earn 2 percent back in this category. However, you’ll also earn 3 percent back on eligible travel purchases, which includes online travel bookings made with Costco Travel. Additionally, you’ll earn 4 percent back on eligible gas and EV charging purchases on up to $7,000 in purchases each year (then 1 percent), which is a major plus. Plus, this card doesn’t charge an annual fee with your paid Costco membership ($60 to $120).

One downside is that you’ll only receive your rewards once per year — as an annual credit certificate — when your February account statement closes. Also, rewards can only be redeemed for cash or purchases at Costco or Costco.com and rewards must be redeemed before the end of that year.

Discover it Cash Back: Best for rotating categories

The Discover it® Cash Back lets you earn 5 percent cash back on rotating categories each quarter (on up to $1,500 in purchases, then 1 percent; category activation required), and online shopping is a common category option at least once per year. For example, the Discover Cashback Calendar for 2022  included Amazon.com and purchases made with digital wallets during the final quarter (October through December) of 2022.

Additionally, Discover will match all of the rewards you’ve earned at the end of your first year of card membership. You won’t pay an annual fee or a fee for your first late payment, either (then up to a $41 penalty fee). You’ll also earn 1 percent back on all other purchases you make, which can add up over time.

Target REDcard: Best for Target purchases

If you frequently shop at Target or Target.com, you should consider the Target REDcard. With this card, you’ll earn 5 percent cash back on all Target and Target.com purchases, plus 5 percent back on purchases at in-store Starbucks locations. You’ll also qualify for special benefits like exclusive deals, more free shipping opportunities and an additional 30 days for exchanges and returns.

With the Target REDcard, remember that you won’t earn typical rewards — the 5 percent cash back is applied as a discount on each Target transaction. Additionally, note that the 5 percent discount doesn’t apply to prescriptions, Target Optical, Target gift cards and previous purchases, among others.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: Best for online travel purchases

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a solid option for online travel purchases since you’ll earn 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards and on Lyft rides through March 2025. Plus, you’ll earn 3X points on dining, select streaming services and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs); 2X points on general travel purchases; and 1X points on all other purchases.

The bonus rewards you’ll earn on travel are unlimited, and you can earn these points with any purchase that codes as travel on your credit card statement. Plus, the points you’ll earn fall within the popular Chase Ultimate Rewards program, which lets you redeem points for gift cards, statement credits, cash back, merchandise, travel through the Chase portal or 1:1 transfers to Chase airline and hotel partners. And when redeemed for travel through Chase, your points will be worth 25 percent more.

A $95 annual fee applies when you sign up, but the sign-up bonus alone can help offset this cost — new cardmembers can earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months from account opening. That’s worth $750 in travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Capital One Walmart Rewards Mastercard: Best for Walmart purchases

With the Capital One Walmart Rewards® Mastercard®, you have the potential to earn a lot of rewards if you spend a lot at Walmart. As a new cardholder, you can earn 5 percent cash back in Walmart stores for the first 12 months when you use your card with Walmart Pay. You’ll also earn 5 percent back on Walmart.com purchases (including grocery pickup and delivery services), 2 percent back in Walmart stores and fuel stations, 2 percent back on restaurants and travel and 1 percent back on all other purchases.

Additionally, this card doesn’t charge an annual fee, and you can redeem your rewards for cash back, statement credits, gift cards, travel and more.

Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards credit card: Best for flexibility

The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card is more unique among rewards credit cards because you can pick the category you’ll earn 3 percent back in. Options include gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drugstores or home improvement. It’s simple to choose the online shopping category and earn 3 percent back as you shop with online retailers throughout the year.

You’ll also earn 2 percent back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs, but keep in mind that the 3 percent and 2 percent categories this card offers are limited to $2,500 in combined spending each quarter. This cap restricts how much you can earn in rewards, but at least you’ll rack up 1 percent back for all purchases over that limit, as well as 1 percent back on all non-bonus spending.

You won’t pay an annual fee to carry this card, and you can redeem your rewards for statement credits or direct deposits to an eligible Bank of America or Merrill account. This card also comes with a welcome bonus of $200 after spending $1,000 in purchases within 90 days of account opening. And you can earn 25 percent to 75 percent more rewards as a member of the Bank of America Preferred Rewards program.

Instacart Mastercard: Best for online grocery purchases

The Instacart Mastercard® from Chase offers a high rate of cash back (5 percent) on Instacart purchases — both online and in the Instacart app. Further, as a welcome offer, new cardholders get one year free of Instacart+ (a $99 value) and automatically earn a $100 Instacart credit.

If you do a majority of your grocery shopping online — and specifically with the ever-popular Instacart — the Chase Instacart Mastercard can certainly be worth it. The app offers delivery from 800+ retailers across the U.S., from groceries to electronics to home goods.

Besides rewards on specific online grocery purchases, you’ll get 5 percent back on Chase Travel Center purchases, 2 percent back at gas stations, restaurants and on select streaming services as well as 1 percent back on all other purchases.

Is a rewards credit card for online shopping right for you?

All of the credit cards we highlighted in this guide are rewards credit cards, a type of credit card that lets you earn cash back, points or miles for each dollar you spend. Credit cards in this niche can be beneficial since they give you something back as you use them for regular spending and bills.

That said, there are some pitfalls to be aware of before you sign up. Rewards credit cards tend to come with a higher APR than other types of credit cards. This means that carrying a balance on these cards can be costly, and the interest you pay can easily erase the value of all the rewards you have earned and then some.

For the most part, rewards credit cards (and all other credit cards, really) are best for consumers who are disciplined with their spending and able to pay their bill in full each month. If you already know you’ll need to carry a balance from time to time, you’ll probably be better off with a low interest credit card or a credit card that offers 0 percent APR on purchases for a limited time.

How to choose the best credit card for online shopping

Before you choose any of the credit cards on this list, you should know that rewards credit cards are typically geared toward consumers with good credit, which means having a FICO score of 670 or above. If you believe you have the credit score and income to qualify, there are several additional steps you can take to find the right credit card for your online shopping needs.

  • Figure out where you shop the most. First off, you should figure out which store (or stores) you spend the most at when you shop online. This will help you determine which card offers the most points or cash back based on your spending habits.
  • Choose a card with the type of rewards you want to earn. Second, make sure that the cards you’re considering offer the type of rewards you want to earn, whether that’s cash back or credit for more merchandise at a specific store.
  • Compare cardholder perks and features. You’ll also want to compare cardholder features and benefits, including travel insurance perks, consumer protections, sign-up bonuses and more.
  • Decide if paying an annual fee is worth it. Finally, decide if you are willing to pay an annual fee for your rewards card. You’ll usually get a better rewards rate if you are OK with annual fees, but this isn’t always the case.

FAQs about credit cards for online shopping

  • The best credit card for shopping online varies from person to person. Make sure to think about where you shop the most and compare cards based on rewards rates, welcome offers and perks before you decide.
  • The safest credit cards for online purchases all come with zero liability policies for fraud.
  • It’s always better to use a credit card for online purchases due to their enhanced protections against fraud. In fact, most credit cards come with zero liability for fraud off the bat, and $50 is the maximum amount you can legally be held liable for per the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). That said, fraud works totally differently with a debit card. If you report fraudulent purchases made with your debit card within two business days after learning of a loss or theft, your maximum liability is $50. If you report more than two days after learning of a theft, but within 60 calendar days after your statement is sent to you, your maximum liability is $500. If you don’t notice fraud for more than 60 calendar days after your statement is sent to you, the FTC says you could lose “all the money taken from your ATM/debit card account, and possibly more — for example, money in accounts linked to your debit account.”

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The bottom line

The best credit cards for online shopping reward you with points or cash back each time you make a purchase. Some also offer generous sign-up bonuses when you can meet a minimum spending requirement. Plus, you’ll get maximum protection against fraudulent purchases when you shop online with a credit card instead of a debit card.

That said, you’ll need to do some research before you select any of the cards in this guide. Some offer more rewards at specific stores or different types of stores, so keep your regular spending habits in mind as you make your pick.