Best Credit Cards NOW, September 2023 Happy Money! Here are some of the best credit cards on the market right now, with a focus on cashback and trip rewards cards:
Why We Like the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express: With no yearly fee and a rare 3% reward for all online purchases, this may be the best rewards credit card for buying groceries. EARN 3% cash back on groceries at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), 3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), 3% cash back on gas at U.S. gas stations on up to $6,000 per year in investments (then 1%), and 1% cash back on all other purchases. Cash back comes as Reward Dollars, which can be turned in for a credit on your bill. NEW TICKET HOLDER OPPORTUNITY FOR A WELCOME BONUS: Spend $2,000 on your new Card in the first 6 months, and you’ll get a $200 bill credit. See the Rates and Fees page for details. American Express is one of those companies.
The best cards that give cash back
Why We Like the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express: With no yearly fee and a rare 3% reward for all online purchases, this may be the best rewards credit card for buying groceries. Earn 3% cash back on groceries at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), 3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), 3% cash back on gas at U.S. gas stations on up to $6,000 per year in investments (then 1%), and 1% cash back on all other purchases. Cash back comes as Reward Dollars, which can be turned in for a credit on your bill. NEW TICKET HOLDER OPPORTUNITY FOR A WELCOME BONUS: Spend $2,000 on your new Card in the first 6 months, and you’ll get a $200 bill credit. See the Rates and Fees page for details. Advertiser American Express
Why We Like the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card: Offers a lot of cashback in areas where you’re likely to spend real money daily, and there’s no annual fee. You can get 3% cash back on eating, entertainment, popular streaming services, and groceries (but not at superstores like Walmart® and Target®), and 1% cash back on everything else. Early Spend Bonus: Get $200 back in cash if you spend $500 on items in the first three months after starting your account.
The best credit cards for travel
It’s hard to rank travel credit cards because travellers have different needs in terms of income, how often they travel, what kind of perks they want, etc. As you look at these cards, think about your needs and wants:
Why We Like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: HUGE bonus for new cardholders, good everyday benefits, a 10% points bonus every year, and a vital part of the “Chase Trifecta.”
EARN: 5 points per dollar on travel purchases made through Chase Ultimate Rewards (except for hotel purchases that qualify for the card’s $50 Annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit); 2 points per dollar on other travel purchases; 3 points per dollar on dining (including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out); 3 points per dollar on certain streaming services; 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.
Chase Trifecta: Use the Chase Sapphire Preferred as the base of a bigger plan to get multiple Chase cards and combine points to get a 25% discount on travel bookings through Chase’s site or access to Chase’s travel transfer partners, such as United, Southwest, Hyatt, Marriott, and more.
NEW CARDHOLDER BONUS: Spend $4,000 on purchases in your first three months as a cardholder to get 60,000 bonus points. That’s $750 when you use Chase Ultimate Rewards® to cash it in.
(Also, every time your account’s birthday comes around, you’ll get extra points equal to 10% of everything you bought the year before. If you spend $20,000 on purchases, for example, you’ll get 2,000 extra points.) Cost per year: $95.
Why We Like the Capital One Venture X Reward Credit Card: Offers the good things that more expensive travel cards do but leaves out the extras to keep the yearly fee low. The annual fee is $395, but if you book your trip through Capital One Travel, you can get up to $300 in travel credits. There is also an Early Spend Bonus: When you open an account and spend $4,000 in the first three months, you’ll get 75,000 extra points. The Anniversary Miles extra starts on your first anniversary and gives you 10,000 extra miles worth $100 in travel.
Regarding points for daily purchases, you can earn 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5 miles per dollar on flights booked through Capital One Travel, and 2 miles per dollar on all other purchases. And don’t forget that the Priority Pass network and the new Capital One Lounges, among other things, give you entry to airport lounges.
The American Express® Gold Card is a bit of a hybrid card. Its daily benefits aren’t very focused on travel, but it gives points in the Membership Benefits® program, which most people use to get travel rewards—lots of ways to earn points and benefits/credits. You’ll have to do the math to see if it works with how you spend money. $250 per year. You can get 60,000 Membership Rewards® points as a new cardholder bonus if you spend $4,000 on qualifying purchases with your new card in the first six months. See the Rates and Fees page for details. American Express is one of those companies.
The American Express Platinum CardTM – There are many rewards and benefits, such as 5X points on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel (up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year), 5X points on prepaid hotels booked on AmexTravel.com, likely the best and most extensive airport lounge network of all the luxury travel cards, vital travel insurances and protections, and many possible credits on specific airline and hotel purchases as well as certain assets from Uber, Clear, and others. Charge of $695 per year. See Rates and Fees for the rules. American Express is one of the advertisers.
The best credit cards for business
The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card is a good choice because There is no annual fee, a big bonus for new cardholders, and big prize chances (up to 5%) on popular small business categories.
Get 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent on office supply shops, internet, cable, and phone services in your account’s anniversary year. You could get 2% cash back on the first $25,000 you spend at gas stations and restaurants combined every year on your account’s anniversary. Get 1% cash back on everything else.
A new user reward lets you get $750 in bonus cash if you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months after you open your account.
Why We Like the American Express Blue Business CashTM Card: Generous, easy-to-understand cash-back returns with no annual fee. Choose this if you want great benefits but don’t want to think too hard about them while working.
Your business gets 2% Cash Back on qualified purchases up to $50,000 per calendar year. This is immediately added to your statement. (Purchases of goods and services, fewer returns and other credits count as eligible purchases.) After the first $50,000 is spent on your Card, your business will automatically get 1% cash back on other qualifying purchases. This will be added to your bill.
Chance for a welcome bonus for new cardholders: N/A. See the Rates and Fees page for details. American Express is one of those companies.
Why We Like the American Express Blue Business® Plus Credit Card: Generous benefits that are easy to understand and have no yearly fee. It is a great choice if you already have other American Express credit cards that let you earn Membership Rewards® points.
Your business gets double points on all qualified company purchases up to $50,000 annually. (Purchases of goods and services, fewer returns and other credits count as eligible purchases.) After the first $50,000 your business spends with the card, it gets 1X Points on all other qualifying purchases. In the popular Membership Rewards program, you can use points to get a range of trip rewards.