Getting Started with Rewards Credit Cards
Many credit cards today offer some type of reward for using them in the form of points.
Points can be redeemed for cash back, free gifts, and travel rewards (hotels, airfare).
After having analyzed this space extensively, BestCashCow believes that travel reward programs offer the best sign‐up rewards, with some worth well over $1,000 if you meet promotional spend requirements; and the best return, with some programs easily offering up to 3% of the regular spend.
For certain categories that offer 2, 3 or even 5x, for every dollar spent on a credit card, as much as fifteen cents of a certain part of your spend can come back in the form of a reward, that's up to 15% of your spend.
| Card | Welcome Offer / How To Accrue Points | Redemptions for Maximum Point Value | Why BestCashCow Likes |
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Chase Ink Business Preferred Card 
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Bonus: Get 100,000 points after spending $15,000 in the first three months. BestCashCow values these points as high as 2.00 cents each, making the value of this bonus as high as $2,000. $95 annual fee. Points: Receive 3x points on travel, shipping, online advertising (Google, Facebook) and internet/cable/phone expenditures to a total of $150,000 per year. No foreign transaction fees. Also, if you use the card to purchase your cell phone, it provides $600 in damage protection. (This is a business card, but you do not need to have a business to apply for the card. It is a sister product to the Sapphire Cards and can be used interchangably with them although it will not provide the same car rental protection and purchase protection).
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The complete list of Chase transfer partners is here. Some of the more attractive transfer opportunities are:
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Those seeking to separate business spend from personal spend and those seeking flexibility in the way they can redeem travel rewards points. You may apply even if you don't have a business by entering your social security number when prompted to enter an EIN.
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Bonus: N/A Points: Earn 4% cash back - 2% cash back when you have the card, plus an additional 2% by having an eligible account with US Bank with over $100,000 in assets. |
Card only makes sense for those willing to place $100,000 in assets with US Bank. |
Those willing to place $100,000 in assets with US Bank. |
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Bonus: Receive 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 within three months. $550 annual fee. The card includes Priority Pass membership, a $300 travel statement credit that renews on each card membership anniversary date, time-limited Lyft Pink status, and a virtually worthless $5 monthly Doordash credit. Points: Earn 3x at restaurants and on travel. Use in conjunction with the Chase Freedom to earn 5x at quarterly rotating categories, including gas, groceries, restaurants, Costco and Amazon, up to a $1,500 quarterly limit. Also use in conjunction with the Chase Ink Cash card to earn 5x at office supply stores and on telecommunications spend up to a $25,000 annual limit (detailed here).
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The complete list of Chase transfer partners is here. Some of the more attractive transfer opportunities are:
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Those seeking flexibility in the way they can redeem travel rewards points.
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Bonus: Earn 75,000 points after spending $4,000 within 3 months of card opening. Points: Earn 2x Capital One rewards points per dollar spent. Card also offers Priority Pass, Global entry, a $300 travel statement credit, and a $200 AirBNB credit (first year only). $395 annual fee. |
Air France, Singapore Krisflyer and British Airways are all now 1-for-1 transfer partners. In spite of recent devaluations, most will be able to find redemptions better than 1.25 cents per point at all of these airlines, which leads to a return on spend over 2.50 cents. |
Those seeking points on Singapore, Air France or British Airways. |
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Review: JeffY | Mar 21, 2023 The problem with Capital One is that they assume that their customers are idiots. And, maybe that makes sense if you watch the ads and go by the branches as it appears that most of them are. I got this card a couple of years ago. It was my first and only interaction with Capital One. They've stripped out all of the benefits, including most recently the Priority Pass restaurant privilege. The $300 annual travel credit never was like Chase's. You need to book a plane through Capital One's interface and in the current environment with cancellations and all, it is ill advised as it means hours on hold if you need change or rebook. Then, you are earning points that you can transfer to less desirable travel partners (no anchor US carrier) if you can (their system was "unavailable" without any recourse for 2 months at the end of 2022. Finally, if you need to call, you are dealing with people who are poorly trained in Tampa (I would rather interact with well trained people in the Philippines). Bottom line: This is a poor man's version (or less sophisticated man's) of Chase Sapphire Preferred, and no match for Sapphire Reserve or Amex Platinum. |
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The Blue Business® Card from American Express® 
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Bonus: No sign-up bonus. $0 annual fee. Link your Business Blue account to your Membership Rewards account with a Gold or Platinum card and all sign-on and earned points will be directly transferred into one common account. Points: 2x points for every dollar you spend up to $50,000 each year. The complete list of Amex's transfer partners is here.
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While it is very difficult to find valuable redemptions with many of partners, we value Amex points as being worth as much as 1.80 cents per point when redeemed on ANA or Singapore airlines (both part of the Star Alliance and partners with United). The complete list of Amex's transfer partners is here.
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Those who want to segregate business expenses and earn double points on their first $50,000 in spend annually. You may apply even if you don't have a business by entering your social security number when prompted to enter an EIN.
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Review: HMilbrook | Aug 17, 2020 Earning 2x points on everything is the best way to run your business. Amex still has Delta, JetBlue and Singapore as partners and while the partner roster isn't as good as Chase, Chase doesn't have a card that gives you 2x points on everything. The point earning is so good and I also know people who run this one as a personal card which Amex will basically let you do, but I don't recommend that because you lose purchase protection, charge contesting abilities, etc. (things built into personal cards and not business cards). |
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Bonus: Up to 60,000 Hyatt points. Earn 30,000 Hyatt points after a $3,000 spend within 3 months, and earn an additional 30,000 by earning 2 extra points per dollar on up to $15,000 in spend over your first 6 months as a card member. Also, receive automatic Hyatt Discoverist status and 10 qualifying stays towards the next status just for being a card member. Each $5,000 spend in a calendar year earns 2 qualifying nights towards the next status and each $15,000 spend in an anniversary year earns and additional 1 night in a Hyatt category 1-4 hotel. $95 annual fee. Points: 4x at Hyatt, 2x at restaurants, gym membership, ride sharing services, and air travel purchased directly from an airline, 1x everywhere else. No foreign transaction fees. After payment of your annual fee upon renewal, you will receive 1 night in a Hyatt category 1-4 hotel.
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During standard periods (not off-peak or peak), you can redeem 12,000 WOH points for a night at the Hyatt Centric Montreal or the Park Hyatt Mendoza, 25,000 points for a night at the Churchill in London, or 30,000 points for a night at the Park Hyatt New York or Park Hyatt Paris.
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Customers of Hyatt seeking to earn status through their credit card spend. Those seeking to redeem value for their credit card spend at Hyatt, which remains the most valuable hotel programs even after recent program devaluations.
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Review: JB | Feb 26, 2017 This is the best card here. Became my go-to card recently. I'll pay $75 all day for a free cat 4 night every day of the year. |
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Bonus: Earn 75,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months (if you have not received a bonus for a personal United card in the last 24 months). $525 annual fee. Points: Earn 4 miles per dollar spent on United, earn 2 miles per dollar spent on dining and other travel, and earn 1 mile on all other spend. |
As few as 80,000 United miles can be redeemed on any of its Star Alliance® partners for a one-way business class ticket from anywhere in the US to anywhere in Europe. Star Alliance® partners include Lufthansa, TAP Portugal and Austrian Air. You could have also redeemed 180,000 points for a business class ticket from the US to Narita, or redeem 30,000 points for an intra-Europe round-trip coach class ticket on a Star Alliance® partner. |
Receive United Club membership, 2 free checked bags on United, up to $100 global entry or TSA Precheck reimbursement, no foreign transaction fees. |
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The Platinum Card® from American Express 
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Bonus: Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 within 3 months (Targeted offers may offer more Membership Rewards points). The Welcome Offer is not available if you have ever had the exact same product before (if you have had the card before, consider the Business version, the Morgan Stanley version or the Mercedes Benz version.) $695 annual fee. Points: Earn 10X points for up to $25,000 spend in the first six months on restaurants globally or through Shop Small in the US. 5x points airline purchases or hotels reserved directly through Amex. One point on everything else.
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The complete list of travel partners to which Amex points may be transferred is here. The most attractive transfer partners are currently Delta, British Airways, Iberia and Singapore Airlines. Singapore's KrisFlyer program is the partner that ordinarily provides the most valuable use of your Amex points provided you can redeem there for one of the rewards outlined this article. |
Those who enjoyed coupon books when they were the rage 30 years ago.
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Bonus: Earn 75,000 points after you spend $4,000 within three months of opening the card. $95 fee. Points: 3x on travel, restaurants, supermarkets and charging/gas. 1x everywhere else. No foreign transaction fees.
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Points may be transferred to any of Citi's transfer partners listed here. May alternatively be redeemed directly for travel at 1.25 cents per point.
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Those who charge a lot on travel, restaurants and supermarkets and who can take advantage of the points by transferring to Air France. Points may become transferrable to American Airlines at some point in the future. Card replaces the old Thankyou card, and must not have held that card for the last 48 months in order to receive new member bonus.
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Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Credit Card 
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Bonus: Earn 70,000 Alaska miles after spending $3,000 within 90 days of opening account. Points: Earn 1 point per dollar. |
Alaska Airlines points currently have real value when used to redeem on OneWorld partner airlines. For example, a one-way business class ticket to Europe on its partners can be found for 45,000 points, which is less than you will find directly on American, Iberia or British Airways. We'd therefore value this miles at no less that 1.40 each, which is more than any other US domestic airline at the moment. |
Those seeking to fly on One World Partners. |
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The American Express® Gold Card 
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Bonus: Earn 25,000 Amex Membership Rewards points after spending $2,000 in your first 3 months. $250 annual fee. Points: Earn 4x points at restaurants (U.S. only). Earn 4x points at supermarkets up to $25,000 annually (U.S. only). Earn 3x points on airline travel when booked directly through the airline. Earn 1x on everything else. |
Transfer Amex Membership Rewards® points to:
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Those who spend a lot of money at U.S. restaurants and U.S. supermarkets and can take advantage of the generous 4x points per dollar spend that this card offers. |
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Review: tavonne payne | Mar 20, 2022 that wouldbe great to a credit card by next week |
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United Mileage Plus Explorer Card 
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Bonus: Earn 60,000 United Mileage Plus points after spending $3,000 within your first three months of card membership, plus an additional 10,000 points if you spend $6,000 total win your first six months. Since the pandemic, United has been devaluing its program and we cannot value United miles any greater than 1.20 cents now. Therefore, we value this Welcome Bonus around $720. No annual fee for the first year, $95 thereafter. Points: Earn 2x on United purchases, at restaurants and on purchases directly from hotels. Earn 1 mile everywhere else.
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As few as 80,000 United miles can still redeemed on any of its Star Alliance® partners for a one-way business class ticket from anywhere in the US to anywhere in Europe. Star Alliance® partners include Lufthansa, TAP Portugal or Austrian. You may also still be able to redeem 180,000 points for a round-trip business class ticket from the US to Narita, or redeem 30,000 points for an intra-Europe round-trip coach class ticket on a Star Alliance® partner.
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Those who fly United and those who can take advantage of the extensive 2x point categories. The card includes 2 United Club passes, free first checked bag and a 25% discount on purchases onboard United or from United at the gate. No foreign transaction fees.
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British Airways Visa Signature Card 
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Bonus: Receive 100,000 British Airways Avios points after spending $5,000 within 3 months. If you spend a total of $30,000 in a calendar year, you will receive a "Travel Together voucher" valid for 2 years which can be redeemed for a companion ticket in the same class of service as a fully fare round-trip ticket on British Airways. Similar versions of this card are also offered by BA's partners Aer Lingus and Iberia and points can be freely transferred between the three. $95 annual fee. Points: 3 Avios points per Dollar Spent on British Airways. 2 points per dollar spent in booking directly with hotels. 1 point per dollar spent everywhere else.
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Short haul redemption opportunities can be outstanding, including Chicago and the East Coast (on American), between Hong Kong and most destinations in Southeast Asia (on Cathay Pacific), or between London and Madrid (on Iberia). Note that redemptions directly on British Airways are often subject to excessive fees. $95 annual fee.
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Those seeking great value for their credit card spend by redeeming on short haul flights through British Airways' partners.
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Bonus: Earn a $200 bonus (20,000 points) after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. $0 annual fee. Points:
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Points only have the value ascribed when they are transferred to a Chase Sapphire or a Chase Ink card as explained in this article.
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Those who have a Chase Sapphire or a Chase Ink Business Preferred card.
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Review: Alex Feuerstein | Dec 6, 2020 This is my go-to card and has been for years. I transfer my points to a Sapphire Preferred card that I keep for $95 a year so that the points are more valuable, but most of the spend goes on here. It ordinarily earns 1.5x and that is great. The drugstore and restaurant 3x is now better than the Preferred's 2x so I use it at those places now. If I ever use Lyft again, I will use it there now too. Too bad the grocery benefit is only for new cardholders. |
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Bonus: 45,000 points after spending $2,000 within 3 months of account opening. $150 annual fee. Points: Earn 3x Membership Rewards for spend at restaurants and on travel. 1x everywhere else. Receive $100 annual credits at Clear and Lounge Buddy. |
Amex Membership Rewards points may be transferred to any of the partners listed here. Delta is the most commonly selected partner for Amex transfers. |
Those who spend a lot on travel and restaurants. Can be used as a complement to the Amex Platinum card and other Amex cards that do not deliver 3x in those categories. May not make sense as an alternative to other cards from Chase and Citibank that deliver 3x in these categories as the travel protections are not as strong and card carries a currency conversion fee when used outside the U.S. |
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Review: Jason Ryers | Jul 13, 2020 This is just a terribly stupid and worthless card. Might be worthwhile if you are a flipper and want to get 30,000 Amex points for the first year annual fee, but otherwise it is a nothing of a card. The high annual fee brings no benefits. It doesn't compete with Chase Sapphire Reserve even remotely when you factor in their annual "travel" credits. It doesn't compete with Citi Preferred. It doesn't compete with Amex's own Platinum which has a larger sign up bonus and better benefits. Just a waste of space. |
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American Express® Business Gold Card 
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Bonus: 80,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $10,000 within 3 months of account opening. (Targeted offers may offer as many as 200,000 Membership Rewards points). $395 annual fee. Points: Designate 2 of the following categories for 4x Amex Membership Rewards® points on a combined total of $150,000 spend annually:
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Transfer Amex Membership Rewards® points to:
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Those seeking to segregate business expenses and earn flexible points that can be redeemed on several solid partner airlines, including British Airways and Singapore Airlines.
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Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card 
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Bonus: Earn 125,000 Hilton points after spending $2,000 within your first three months. $95 annual fee. (The Hilton Honors American Express card, a separate card, offers 75,000 points after spending $1,000 within your first three months and has no annual fee). Points: Earn 12 Hilton Honors points per $1 spent at Hilton, 6 points per dollar spent at restaurants, US supermarkets and gas stations, 3 points everywhere else.
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Most Conrads are 95,000 points per night.
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Those who stay at Hilton family hotels.
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Review: Raj | Dec 22, 2016 Had no problem using the 2 free nights at the Conrad in NY and that made it worthwhile and then I cancelled. |
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Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card 
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Bonus: Earn 60,000 Delta miles after spending $2,000 in your first 3 months. Earn an additional 10,000 Delta miles on your first anniversary of cardmembership when you renew your card. Get a $100 Delta credit when you spend $10,000 in a calendar year. $0 annual fee for first year, $99 thereafter. Points: Earn 1 mile per dollar spent on the card and 1 extra mile for Delta purchases.
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Delta has removed its award chart and valuable redemptions are just tougher and tougher to find. The most valuable redemptions we find are in Business Class seats for long haul flights from New York to Latin America when they are on "sale".
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People who live in Atlanta or Salt Lake City or who want to redeem for international travel from JFK.
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The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card 
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Bonus: 100,000 Marriott points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months of receiving the card. We value each Marriott point as high as 0.90 cents ordinarily. $95 annual fee. Points: Card earns 2 points per $1 of spend, but 6 points at Starwood or Marriott properties.
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Even after past devaluations, some bloggers had succeeded in finding redemptions where Marriott points were worth over 3 cents a point at the Westin Snowmass Resort in Colorado and at the Wailea Beach Resort in Hawaii. However, after category changes and program devaluations in March 2020, we think it will be hard to find redemptions better than 9/10 cent a point.
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Those who stay at Marriott hotels, and who want to take advantage of their higher end hotel properties (St. Regis, Ritz Carlton, Luxury Collection, Edition, Autograph).
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Review: A Terkowitz | Dec 3, 2024 It is a solid card if you can get it, but because of the new rules related to Chase and Amex both issuing Marriott cards, I'd forgo this in order to get an Amex Marriott card where the sign up bonuses are usually better (sometimes 5x 50,000 point certificates). |
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Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard® 
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Bonus: Earn 70,000 Air France Flying Blue Miles when you spend $2,000 on the card within the first 90 days o f account opening. Points: Each 1 point per dollar spent on the card. |
Flying Air France in business class to Europe for as few as 55,000 miles each way with a free unlimited stopovers in Paris (on Air France), Amsterdam (on KLM) or Madrid (on Air Europa). |
Those seeking to accumulate miles to use for business class travel to Europe with free stopovers in Paris, Amsterdam or Madrid. Those seeking to redeem tickets to Europe for children under the age of 18 which Air France prices at least 25% below standard redemption pricing. |
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Bonus: 100,000 United Mileage Plus points. Earn 80,000 points after spending $5,000 within your first 3 months and an additional 20,000 points if you spend an additional $5,000 with your first 6 months. $250 annual fee. Points: Earn 3x on United, 2x on other travel and streaming services and dining and 1x everywhere else. |
As few as 70,000 United miles can still redeemed on any of its Star Alliance® partners for a one-way business class ticket from anywhere in the US to anywhere in Europe. Star Alliance® partners include Lufthansa, TAP Portugal, Austrian Air and SAS Airlines. You can also redeemed 140,000 points for a business class ticket from JFK to Narita, or redeem 30,000 points for an intra-Europe round-trup coach class ticket on a Star Alliance® partner. |
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Capital One® Venture® Rewards Card 
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Bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus miles when you spend $3,000 within 3 months of account opening, or 100,000 bonus miles if you spend $20,000 within 12 months of account opening. $95 annual fee. Points: Earn 2x miles for every dollar spent. Earn 10x miles at hotels.com.
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Redeem miles against a statement credit at 1 mile per penny against travel charges to your card.
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Those who like flexibility and want to redeem their rewards without worry about airline redemption blackout dates.
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Review: Welsey | Aug 13, 2019 This is a shit card from a shit company. Stick with Chase, American Express, Citibank and Barclays. Those companies may annoy you by sending you transfer checks. They won't compromise your personal identity, harass you to get you to take out all sorts of loans or provide you with lousy service. All for what? 50,000 worthless points. |
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Citi American Airlines® Advantage Platinum Select World Mastercard® 
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Bonus: 50,000 points after spending $2,500 within 3 months. $99 annual fee, waived the first year. Points: 2x points on American, 2x at gas stations, 2x at restaurants, 1x everywhere else.
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45,000 miles gets a round trip ticket between the US and Europe during low season.
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Those who fly American Airlines or who seek to redeem points on American.
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Barclays Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® 
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Bonus: 60,000 American AAdvantage Points after making your first purchase within 90 days of receiving the card. $95 annual fee. Points: Earn 2x for every dollar spent on American, 1x everywhere else. Also receive 3,000 American Elite Qualifying Dollars after spending $25,000 in a calendar year. |
45,000 miles gets a round trip ticket between the US and Europe during low season. |
Those who fly American Airlines or who seek to redeem points on American. Also may have value for those seeking a faster path towards status on American through their spend. |
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Review: joshua kramer | May 16, 2023 Barclays is a terrible issuer, but this card - in both the personal and business versions - can be flipped until the cows come home. Great way to rack up scores and scores of American Airlines miles. |
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Also see our list of the 10 best credit cards based on the value of the welcome offer!
This table lists the best travel and rewards credit cards based on value received through ordinary use of the card for purchases. The value that you receive from any card may differ, based on your particular usage patterns and whether you redeem points you earn for the most valuable rewards. Use BestCashCow's Credit Card Maximizer to see the cards that may be most valuable for you based on your spending patterns.
But to get this level of reward takes some knowledge of how these credit cards work and also the various deals offered by the cards. Earning valuable travel rewards points is easy with the right credit card and a little bit of research and planning. It can also be exciting, even exhilarating. Most importantly, it can enable you to travel the world in a class of service that you might not otherwise be able to afford, or to see places that might otherwise be prohibitively expensive to get to.
It is important to note that rewards cards do not make sense for those who plan to carry a balance. For those looking to finance purchases on their card, a low interest credit card is the better choice. But, if you pay off your balances monthly, flexible rewards points or travel rewards in the form of hotel points and air miles will provide you with the most value for your credit card spend.
