Rewards credit cards can come in hand whether it comes from to travel to groceries to gas because it can help you earn cash, points or miles from simply spending on those things. This is especially useful if you take advantage of the extra rewards you can earn in each spending category. Using this post, you will find the best, top-earning card that can reward you on all your transactions. For a more comprehensive list, see our best credit card bonuses here.
Best Rewards Cards By Spending Category
| Category | Points & Miles | Cash Back | Business |
| Dining | Citi Prestige® Credit Card | Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card | American Express® Business Gold Card |
| Entertainment | Citi Premier® Card | Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card | N/A |
| Hotels | Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card | N/A | The Business Platinum Card® from American Express |
| Airfare | Citi Prestige® Credit Card | N/A | The Business Platinum Card® from American Express |
| General Travel | Chase Sapphire Reserve® | N/A | Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card |
| Groceries | American Express EveryDay Preferred | Blue Cash Preferred® Card From American Express | N/A |
| Gas | Citi Premier® Card | Costco Anywhere Visa Card | American Express® Business Gold Card |
| Office Supplies | N/A | N/A | Ink Business Cash Card |
| Non-Bonus Spending | Chase Freedom Unlimited® | Citi® Double Cash Card | The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express |
| Rotating Categories | N/A | Chase Freedom Flex? | N/A |
Points & Miles Cards
The kind of rewards you earn varies from card to card, but the main types are:
 The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards. You'll earn • 10X total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. • 5X total points on flights • 3X points on other travel and dining • 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases When redeeming your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards, you'll get 50% more value. This card does carry a $550 annual fee and there are no foreign transaction fees. However, you're able to earn a $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year & up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre?®. Member FDIC |
 The Chase Freedom Unlimited® Card offers 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! Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% - 29.24%. Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year). In addition, you can earn (after your first year or $20,000 spent): • 5% cash back on Chase travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards • 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, • Unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases. There is no minimum to redeem for cash back & your cash back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open. This card comes with no annual fee and you'll get a free credit score that is updated weekly with Credit JourneySM. Member FDIC |
The Citi Prestige® Card is a great card that can get you a great deal of value out of your points. To get the most value, try to redeem for flights through Citi, where your bonus will be worth 1.33 cents per point. This card competes in the premium travel category of credit cards because it has a significant annual fee of $495.
The Citi Premier® Card offers 3 points for every $1 spent on travel including gas stations, 2 points for every $1 spent at restaurants and on entertainment, and 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases. This card has an annual fee of $95, which is generally average, but can be waived for the first 12 months.
The Citi Prestige® Card is a great card that can get you a great deal of value out of your points. To get the most value, try to redeem for flights through Citi, where your bonus will be worth 1.33 cents per point. This card competes in the premium travel category of credit cards because it has a significant annual fee of $495.
The American Express EveryDay Preferred card allows you to earn even higher rewards at supermakets and gas stations. With this card, you can get 3x Amex Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 a year, then 1x points. Plus, a 50% points bonus each statement period that you make 30+ transactions. That’s a total of up to 4.5x points, with a points value of $0.02 each. This card has an annual fee of $95.
The Citi Premier® Card offers 3 points for every $1 spent on travel including gas stations, 2 points for every $1 spent at restaurants and on entertainment, and 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases. This card has an annual fee of $95, which is generally average, but can be waived for the first 12 months.
Cash Back Cards
It is a common truth that cash back cards do not offer nearly as a big of sign-up bonuses as ones that earns points and miles. However, we still like our cash back cards for their relatively low annual fees, and some offer great returns in certain categories.
NON-BONUS SPENDING - CITI® DOUBLE CASH CARDROTATING CATEGORIES - CHASE FREEDOM FLEX?
 The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express offers a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months. Buy Now, Pay Later: Enjoy $0 intro plan fees when you use Plan It(R) to split up large purchases into monthly installments. Pay $0 intro plan fees on plans created during the first 12 months from the date of account opening. Plans created after that will have a monthly plan fee up to 1.33% of each eligible purchase amount moved into a plan based on the plan duration, the APR that would otherwise apply to the purchase, and other factors. Low Intro APR: 0% on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months from the date of account opening. After that, your APR will be a variable APR of 19.24% - 29.99%. Variable APRs will not exceed 29.99%. You'll earn • 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%). • 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions. • 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more). • 1% Cash Back on other purchases. Get $7 back each month after using your Blue Cash Preferred Card to spend $12.99 or more each month on an eligible subscription to The Disney Bundle, which includes Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. Enrollment required. The card does come with a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95. (See Rates & Fees) Terms Apply. |
 The Chase Freedom FlexSM offers a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.24% - 27.99%. You'll earn: • Earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter! • 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more • 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service • Unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases You cash back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open and there is no minimum to redeem for cash back. This card has no annual fee. |
Business Cards
Business rewards cards actually offer even more bonus categories than their personal travel rewards card siblings. The trick is to find the card that aligns with your business spending.
Click here for the best business cards of 2020.
 The American Express® Business Gold Card offers 70,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. You'll earn more rewards: Get 4X Membership Rewards® points on the 2 select categories where your business spent the most each month** (**4X points apply to the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these 2 categories each calendar year.*). In addition, you'll get an airline bonus; 25% points back after you use points for all or part of an eligible flight booked with Amex Travel, up to 250,000 points back per calendar year.* This card does carry a $295 annual fee, but no foreign transaction fees. (See Rates & Fees) Terms Apply. |
 The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has a welcome offer of 120,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with your Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. You'll earn: • 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com. • 1.5X Membership Rewards points on eligible purchases at US construction material, hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year. • 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases • Unlock over $1,000 in value per year for statement credits on select purchases, including tech, recruiting and wireless with the Business Platinum Card. • $200 Airline Fee Credit: Get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year for incidental fees charged by your one selected, qualifying airline to your Card. • $189 CLEAR Plus Credit: Use your card and get up to $189 in statement credits per calendar year on your CLEAR Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Business Platinum Card. This card does come with a $695 annual fee. (See Rates & Fees) Terms Apply. |
 The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card offers 100k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,250 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. You'll earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year; 1 point per $1 on all other purchases - with no limit to the amount you can earn. Furthermore, points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. This card does come with a $95 annual fee but does not have any foreign transaction fees. |
The American Express® Business Gold Card offers 70,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. You'll earn more rewards: Get 4X Membership Rewards® points on the 2 select categories where your business spent the most each month** (**4X points apply to the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these 2 categories each calendar year.*). In addition, you'll get an airline bonus; 25% points back after you use points for all or part of an eligible flight booked with Amex Travel, up to 250,000 points back per calendar year.* This card does carry a $295 annual fee, but no foreign transaction fees. (See Rates & Fees) Terms Apply. |
 The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card offers $900 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You'll earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year, 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year, & 1% cash back on all other card purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn. This card comes with no annual fee. You'll be able to take advantage of employee cards at no additional cost. |
 With the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express: 0.0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 18.49% - 26.49%, based on your creditworthiness and other factors at account opening. APR will not exceed 29.99% Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. You'll earn 2X applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter. You’ve got the power to use your Card beyond its credit limit* with Expanded Buying Power. More buying power allows for your business means more opportunities to earn points. That’s everyday business with the Blue Business Plus Card. *The amount you can spend above your credit limit is not unlimited. It adjusts with your use of the Card, your payment history, credit record, financial resources known to American Express, and other factors. There card comes with no annual fee (See Rates & Fees). Terms Apply. |
Bottom Line
With a rewards card, you want to get the most value possible, whether it in points, miles or cash, from every purchase you make. Doing this will make sure you quickly gain a balance big enough for your next dream award vacation. Keep a list on deck of which cards to use for which spending category, so that you can ensure that you get the most return out of every dollar that you spend. For more post like this, check out our list of the best credit card bonuses.
