The 5 Best Credit Card Rewards Programs

Everyone wants a reward, right? Well, you can reward yourself regularly when you enroll in the rewards program of our five favorite credit cards that offer the best points for perks.
Whether you prefer your reward be in the form of free travel miles or cash, we have at least one card that will convince you that this credit card is for you.
We even found a few of the best credit card rewards that won’t charge you an annual membership fee.
Best Credit Card Rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
All those years of building an excellent credit history can result in qualifying for our all-around favorite credit card—the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
We especially appreciate Capital One not putting a cap on how many miles you can earn and how long you can save those miles before redeeming them.
What You Should Know:
- Annual fee: $0 for the first year; $95 afterwards
- APR: Variable; 17.99% -25.24%
- Balance Transfer fee: $0
- Cash Advance Fee: $10 or 3%, whichever is higher
- Foreign Transaction Fee: No
- Miles don’t expire.
- There’s no limit on the number of miles you can earn.
- No blackout dates
- Choose any airline or hotel.
- Each purchase earns two points per mile.
- If you spend at least $3,000 during the first three months after you’ve opened your account, you’ll earn 50,000 miles.
Second Best Travel Rewards: Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
If you bank with Chase, you may prefer to use their Sapphire Preferred Card.
In our opinion, it’s a close second to Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card when it comes to travel rewards.
What You Should Know:
- Annual fee: $95
- APR: Variable rate of 18.24%-25.24%.
- Balance Transfer Fee: $5 or 5% of the transaction amount, whichever is higher
- Cash Advance Fee: $10 or 3% of the transaction amount, whichever is higher
- Foreign Transfer Fee: No
- Receive two points per dollar for travel and restaurants.
- Receive a point for each dollar you spend on purchases other than travel and restaurants.
- You can transfer your points to partners of Chase and keep their full value.
- If you spend at least $4,000 during the first three months after you’ve opened your account, you’ll earn 60,000 miles.
Read also: How This Former Financial Planner Traveled The World for 12 Years and Saved $100K on Accommodation
Best Low-Cost Travel Rewards: Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

One reason we like this card from Capital One is that it eliminates an annual fee.
With the money you save, plus the travel rewards you earn, you could do something special for your next trip. For example, you could request an airline upgrade.
What You Should Know:
- Annual fee: $0
- APR: 0% for 12 months on a purchase and then a variable rate of 14.24%-24.24%.
- Balance Transfer Fee: $0
- Cash Advance Fee: $10 or 3%, whichever is higher
- Foreign Transfer Fee: No
- Miles don’t expire.
- There’s no limit on the number of miles you can earn.
- No blackout dates.
- Choose any airline or hotel.
- If you spend at least $1,000 during the first three months after you’ve opened your account, you’ll earn 20,000 miles.
Best Cash Rewards: Discover it Cash Back
Manage your purchases carefully and with the Discover it Cash Back card you can soon find yourself with more cash back at the end of one year than other people without Discover see in several years.
What You Should Know:
- Annual fee: $0
- APR: 0% for 14 months then variable 14.24% – 25.24%
- Foreign Transaction Fee: No
- Rewards don’t expire.
- Redeem your cashback whenever you want, regardless of the amount.
- Receive 5% cashback up to the quarterly limit when you purchase at designated locations.
- Receive an unlimited, automatic 1% cashback from all your other purchases.
- At the end of your first year, Discover will automatically match your cashback amount regardless of the amount.
Best for Entertainment and Dining: Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
Not everyone is interested in rewards primarily for travel. If you enjoy the social scene no matter where in the world you happen to be, you’ll benefit from a card that emphasizes cash rewards for dining and entertainment.
Until May 2020, the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card offers a huge 8% cashback program on purchases made at Vivid Seats the online ticket marketplace for concerts and sporting events.
What You Should Know:
- Annual fee: $0 for the first year; then $95
- APR: Variable rate of 16.74%-25.74%
- Balance Transfer Fee: $0
- Cash Advance Fee: $10 or 3%, whichever is higher
- Foreign Transfer Fee: No
- Your cashback doesn’t expire.
- Earn unlimited cashback.
- If you spend at least $3,000 during the first three months after you’ve opened your account, you’ll earn a bonus of $300.
- Receive 4% cashback on money spent at restaurants and entertainment venues.
- Receive 2% cashback on grocery store purchases.
- Receive 1% cashback on all other purchases.
Points for Perks and Good Food
One of the advantages of a good rewards card is the money you receive for eating at the tastiest restaurants in town. So, you can enjoy a few meals then turn around and redeem those points for perks.
Now that you know the best credit card rewards, you can make the right choice.
