Best for flat-rate cash rewards
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

Best for flat-rate cash rewards
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
- 2% Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases
Intro offer
Annual fee
Regular APR
Recommended credit
Rewards credit cards are a great way to make the most of your everyday expenses, allowing you to earn bonus miles, points or cash back on your purchases. While cash back is one of the simplest forms of rewards, miles or points may offer even more value for frequent travelers and shoppers.
These card offers from our partners carry some of the best rewards value and perks out there, with each issuer offering a variety of programs to suit your unique spending habits. Whether you need a flat-rate card to cover any purchase, a bonus or rotating category card for specialized spending or even a choice category card for ultimate flexibility, we’ll help you find the credit card that helps you reach your rewards goals.
Intro offer
Annual fee
Regular APR
Recommended credit
Intro offer
Annual fee
Regular APR
Recommended credit
Intro offer
Annual fee
Regular APR
Recommended credit
Intro offer
Annual fee
Regular APR
Recommended credit
Intro offer
Annual fee
Regular APR
Recommended credit
Intro offer
Annual fee
Regular APR
Recommended credit
Intro offer
Annual fee
Regular APR
Recommended credit
Intro offer
Annual fee
Regular APR
Recommended credit
Intro offer
Annual fee
Regular APR
Recommended credit
Intro offer
Annual fee
Regular APR
Recommended credit
Intro offer
Annual fee
Regular APR
Recommended credit
Intro offer
Annual fee
Regular APR
Recommended credit
Intro offer
Annual fee
Regular APR
Recommended credit
Intro offer
Annual fee
Regular APR
Recommended credit
Intro offer
Annual fee
Regular APR
Recommended credit
Intro offer
Annual fee
Regular APR
Recommended credit
Intro offer
Annual fee
Regular APR
Recommended credit
Intro offer
Annual fee
Regular APR
Recommended credit
Card name | Our pick for | Rewards highlights | Annual fee | Bankrate review score |
---|---|---|---|---|
Wells Fargo Active Cash Card | Flat-rate cash rewards |
|
$0 | 4.3 / 5 (Read full card review) |
Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card | Food and entertainment |
|
$0 | 4.9 / 5 (Read full card review) |
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card | Starter travel card |
Bankrate’s rewards value: 2 cents per point*
|
$95 | 5.0 / 5 (Read full card review) |
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | Flat-rate travel rewards |
Bankrate’s rewards value: 2 cents per mile*
|
$95 | 4.9 / 5 (Read full card review) |
The Platinum Card from American Express | Luxury travel |
Bankrate’s rewards value: 2.1 cents per point* |
$695 | 4.8 / 5 (Read full card review) |
American Express Gold Card |
Foodies
|
Bankrate’s rewards value: 2.1 cents per point* |
$250 | 5.0 / 5 (Read full card review) |
Discover it Cash Back | Deal hunters |
|
$0 | 4.4 / 5 (Read full card review) |
Wells Fargo Autograph Card | Everyday travel |
Bankrate’s rewards value: 1 cent per point*
|
$0 | 4.0 / 5 (Read full card review) |
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card | Starter rewards |
|
$0 | 3.8 / 5 (Read full card review) |
Citi Premier Card | Occasional travel |
Bankrate’s rewards value: 1.9 cents per point* |
$95 | 4.7 / 5 (Read full card review) |
Bilt Mastercard | Paying rent |
(Bilt Rent Day doubles all rewards rates on the first day of each month for 2X points to 6X points on non-rent purchases, up to 10,000 points.) |
$0 | 4.0 / 5 (Read full card review) |
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card | No annual fee travel card |
Bankrate’s rewards value: 2 cents per mile* |
$0 | 4.5 / 5 (Read full card review) |
My GM Rewards Card | GM payments and leases |
Baseline rewards value: 1 cent per point (toward eligible GM purchases) |
$0 | 3.9 / 5 (Read full card review) |
Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express | Groceries |
|
$95 ($0 intro annual fee for the first year) | 4.4 / 5 (Read full card review) |
Citi Custom Cash Card | Gas |
|
$0 | 4.4 / 5 (Read full card review) |
Bank of America Premium Rewards credit card | Savers |
Bankrate’s rewards value: 1 cent per point* (Bank of America Preferred Rewards members can receive boosted rates of up to 3.5X points on travel and dining, and 2.62X points on all other purchases) |
$95 | 4.1 / 5 (Read full card review) |
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card |
Affordable travel perks
|
Bankrate’s rewards value: 2 cents per mile* |
$395 | 5.0 / 5 (Read full card review) |
Chase Sapphire Reserve |
Rewards value
|
Bankrate’s rewards value: 2 cents per point* (Points on travel purchases only earned after the first $300, which is covered by the annual travel credit) |
$550 | 5.0 / 5 (Read full card review) |
*Bankrate’s points and miles valuations are based on an average of the issuer’s five highest-value transfer partners (if available).
Learn more: Is the Wells Fargo Active Cash worth it?
Read our Wells Fargo Active Cash Card review or jump back to offer details.
Learn more: Why expert Ana Cvetkovic loves the Capital One SavorOne
Read our Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards card review or jump back to offer details.
Learn more: Why expert Jordan Bishop loves the Chase Sapphire Preferred
Read our Chase Sapphire Preferred Card review or jump back to offer details.
Learn more: Why expert Jacqueline DeMarco loves the Capital One Venture
Read our Capital One Venture Rewards card review or jump back to offer details.
Learn more: Why expert Holly Johnson loves the Amex Platinum Card
Read our Platinum Card from American Express review or jump back to offer details.
Learn more: Why expert Matt Bundrick loves the Amex Gold
Read our American Express Gold Card review or jump back to offer details.
Learn more: Why expert Nicole Dieker loves the Discover it Cash Back
Read our Discover it Cash Back review or jump back to offer details.
Learn more: Is the Wells Fargo Autograph worth it?
Read our Wells Fargo Autograph card review or jump back to offer details.
Learn more: Why expert Nicole Dieker loves the Capital One Quicksilver
Read our Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards card review or jump back to offer details.
Learn more: Why expert Erin Gobler loves the Citi Premier
Read our Citi Premier Card review or jump back to offer details.
Learn more: 7 reasons to get the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Card
Read our Capital One VentureOne Rewards card review or jump back to offer details.
Learn more: How to buy a car with a credit card
Read our full My GM Rewards Card review or jump back to offer details.
Learn more: Why expert Ted Rossman loves the Blue Cash Preferred
Read our Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express review or jump back to offer details.
Learn more: Is the Citi Custom Cash worth it?
Read our Citi Custom Cash Card review or jump back to offer details.
Learn more: Why expert Sara Coleman loves the Bank of America Premium Rewards
Read our Bank of America Premium Rewards card review or jump back to offer details.
Learn more: Why expert Ana Staples wants the Capital One Venture X
Read our Capital One Venture X Rewards card review or jump back to offer details.
Learn more: Why expert Holly Johnson loves the Chase Sapphire Reserve
Read our Chase Sapphire Reserve card review or jump back to offer details.
Rewards credit cards accumulate points, miles or cash back for purchases. As the name implies, for every dollar spent, issuers credit your account with rewards. These rewards can be earned at a flat rate — like unlimited 1 percent cash back on all purchases — or offer a higher rate for certain categories, like earning 5 points for every dollar spent on travel-related purchases.
Depending on the issuer, some of the best credit cards for rewards offer distinct rewards programs and redemption rules. However, understanding the issuer’s credit card rewards program can help you take advantage of all the perks and benefits it offers.
In the News: How the credit card rewards game will change in 2023
Navigating all the rewards card options available to you can be difficult. That’s why we broke out some of the most common types of rewards credit cards, along with more detailed recommendations from our team on the best cards in each category.
A rewards card can be a great way to earn lucrative points, miles or cash back for the purchases you're already making. However, there are some downsides to be aware of before applying. If you're wondering whether rewards credit cards are worth it, here are a few pros and cons to keep in mind when shopping for your next rewards card:
Rewards: We know it’s a given, but the main pro of these cards is the value of getting rewards on your everyday purchases.
Sign-up bonuses: Rewards cards often come with generous sign-on bonuses (extra points or miles for spending a certain amount of money in a set time period, usually your first three months), especially when compared to other types of credit cards.
Additional benefits: Depending on the card and issuer, you could unlock access to additional bonuses and benefits, like airport lounge access, hotel upgrades, and certain travel or shopping protections.
Rewards caps: Some cards carry earning caps, which limit the amount of points or miles you can earn. This factor can reduce the value of the card, especially if there’s an annual fee.
Higher APRs: Rewards credit cards tend to carry higher interest rates. As such, they’re not a great fit for people who tend to carry a balance from time to time.
Higher annual fees: The more generous the rewards system, the higher the annual fee. Unless you maximize your rewards earnings, it can be hard to outweigh the cost of the annual fee.
The world of rewards credit cards can be confusing to newcomers. If you’re deciding when to take the plunge and acquire a rewards card, aligning your new card with some of your goals is a great way to determine if the card is right for you. Here are a few people who can benefit the most from rewards credit cards:
Still unsure if a rewards credit card is right for you? Check out our Credit Card Spender Type Tool for personalized recommendations based on your credit score, spending habits and daily needs.
To find out if a rewards card is worth it for you, you’ll need to do some quick math. The easiest way to calculate the value of your rewards points is to divide the cash value of what you’re redeeming your points for by the number of points required to redeem it. For example if you redeem your points for a plane ticket that would normally cost $700 and you need 70,000 points, your credit card rewards are worth 1 cent apiece.
$700 (cost of ticket) / 70,000 (points needed) = 1 cent (value of reward point)
With some rewards credit cards, the value of your points change based on what you redeem them for. For instance, some points redeemed for cash back are worth less than if you redeemed them for travel.
To make it easier to gauge the right rewards card for the job, we’ve already crunched the numbers for you. Our up-to-date list of point and mile values gives you a sense of how much the most popular airline and hotel rewards are worth on average. For general travel rewards programs, such as those offered by Chase and Capital One, we’ve also estimated how much your rewards are worth when you redeem through the issuer or transfer to a high-value airline or hotel travel partner.
For example, if you have a Capital One Venture card and want to book a flight with Air Canada, you can use our valuations to determine whether you should redeem your Capital One miles through the issuer’s portal or transfer them to the Air Canada rewards program.
Capital One miles can be transferred to Air Canada at a 1:1 ratio and we estimate you can get an average value of 1.2 cents per point with Air Canada Aeroplan points. That’s more than the 1-cent-per-point value you’d get by redeeming through Capital One, so a transfer would make sense in this scenario.
Reward option | Estimate point/mile value | Estimated value of 50,000 points/miles |
---|---|---|
Air Canada Aeroplan points | 1.2 cents | $600 |
Capital One Miles (via Capital One Travel) |
1 cent | $500 |
Cases like this are common, so it always pays to research how much your hard-earned rewards will be worth before you redeem them.