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Whether you’re interested in playing the AA Loyalty Point Pursuit game or you want to pay your mortgage with a credit card, it’s helpful to have at least one highly rewarding Mastercard in your wallet. For the former, you need a Mastercard in order to earn American Airlines miles through SimplyMiles. And for the latter, you can use a Mastercard, but not an Amex or Visa, to pay your mortgage through Plastiq. So, which Mastercard should you get?
Welcome bonus vs ongoing rewards
Cards with the best initial signup bonuses are not always the best for ongoing rewards. For example, one of the best ongoing earning cards is the fee-free Citi Double Cash, which offers 2% cash back everywhere along with the ability to convert rewards to ThankYou points which can then be transferred to loyalty partners if you also have a Citi Premier or Prestige card. But the Double Cash card has no welcome bonus. That’s why I often recommend that people sign up for a personal credit card from Citibank that has a big welcome bonus and then later product change that card to the Double Cash. That way you can get the best of both worlds.
In the following sections, we’ll look at the best Mastercard signup bonuses, followed by the most rewarding Mastercards for everyday spend. We end with a discussion about best overall options.
Best Mastercard welcome bonuses
The following display shows the ten best current signup bonuses for Mastercard credit cards. Cards are sorted by our calculated “first year value”. This is the estimated value of first year rewards minus the “cost” to meet the minimum spend requirement (assuming that the alternative would be 3% cash back, as with the Discover It Miles first year).
If you’re interested in seeing more than the top 10 offers, simply click “Next” at the bottom of the page, or use the drop down selector at the top to show more than 10 items.
| Card Offer |
|---|
Up to 125K points ⓘ Non-Affiliate Up to 125K points: 120K points after $2K spend in 90 days plus 5K points for adding an authorized user within first 90 days$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $75 Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
75K Miles ⓘ Affiliate 75k miles after $4k spend within first 3 months. (Rates & Fees)$95 Annual Fee Alternate Offer: Airport Kiosk offer of 80K miles after $4K spend in the first 3 months See this post for details. Recent better offer: Expired 9/9/24: 75K after $4K spend in 3 months + $250 Capital One Travel credit in first cardholder year |
75K Points ⓘ Non-Affiliate 75,000 points after $4,000 spend in 3 months$95 Annual Fee |
80K Miles ⓘ Non-Affiliate 80K Miles after $3K spend in 90 days + payment of the annual fee$89 Annual Fee Recent better offer: Expired 1/1/23: 100K Miles after $3K spend in 90 days |
75K miles ⓘ Non-Affiliate 75K miles after $5K spend in first 5 months$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99 Alternate Offer: There is an alternative offer of 30K + $400 credit that can be found when doing a dummy booking on aa.com. Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
Up to 100K Points ⓘ Affiliate 75K points after $4K spend in the first 3 months and an additional 25K after spending a total fo $20K within first 12 months$95 Annual Fee This card is likely subject to Chase's 5/24 rule (click here for details). |
70K Miles ⓘ Non-Affiliate 70K miles after one purchase within first 90 days. Use code 000150 for this offer$99 Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
70K Miles ⓘ Non-Affiliate 70K miles after 1st purchase and paying the annual fee within 90 days $99 Annual Fee Recent better offer: Up to 75K: 60K miles after first purchase and 15K after adding an authorized user and making one purchase on that card [Expired 2/24/24] |
70K miles + 40XP + 60XP ⓘ Non-Affiliate 70K miles + 40 XP after $3K in the first 90 days + 60 XP upon approval$89 Annual Fee Alternate Offer: Going through the steps to make a dummy booking at the Air France website may result in an offer that only gives 60K miles but also includes a $150 statement credit. Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
35K points ⓘ Non-Affiliate 35K points after $2K spend in the first 3 billing cycles (Offer Expires 12/4/2024)$99 Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. Recent better offer: 30K points after $1K spend in the first 3 billing cycles + 2 companion certificates, 2 upgrade certificates and 2 lounge passes |
60K Points + $100 Voucher ⓘ Non-Affiliate 60K points plus $100 companion voucher after $1K spend in 90 days (enter any random five-digit number as "employee code")$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $79 Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
140k points ⓘ Affiliate Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening$99 Annual Fee This card is subject to Chase's 5/24 rule (click here for details). Recent better offer: Five 60K free night certificates after $4K spend in 3 months (expired 9/4/24) |
140K points ⓘ Affiliate Earn 1400K points after $4K spend within the first 3 months.$99 Annual Fee This card is expected to be subject to Chase's 5/24 rule (click here for details). Recent better offer: 200K after $9k spend in 6 months (expired 11/9/24) |
50K Miles ⓘ Affiliate Earn a one-time 50K miles bonus when you spend $4,500 in the first 3 months. (Rates & Fees)$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95 |
50K Miles ⓘ Friend-Referral 50K after $4,500 spend in 3 months from account openingNo Annual Fee Note: Most Capital One Business credit cards (including this one) DO count against Chase's 5/24 Rule Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
Up to 60K Miles ⓘ Non-Affiliate Up to 60K miles: 50K bonus miles after spending $4K in first 90 days + additional 10K miles after a purchase is made on an employee card in the first 90 days$99 Annual Fee |
50K Miles ⓘ Non-Affiliate 50K miles after $2,500 spend in first 3 months $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99 Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. Recent better offer: 75K miles after $3,500 spend in 3 months (ended 10/14/24) |
100K Points ⓘ Affiliate Limited time offer - 100K points after $2K spend in 3 monthsNo Annual Fee Recent better offer: 120K after $2K spend (expired 7/4/22) |
50K Miles ⓘ Non-Affiliate 50K miles after $1K in spend in 90 days and payment of annual fee. $99 Annual Fee Note that the landing page prompts you to enter a mobile phone number to continue the application, but you can click "no thanks" to continue the application on your desktop device. |
100K Points ⓘ Non-Affiliate 100K after $3K spend in first 3 months$95 Annual Fee Alternate Offer: Choice members may be targeted for a higher offer |
50k Miles ⓘ Non-Affiliate 50k miles after spending $4,000 within the first 90 days$99 Annual Fee Recent better offer: Expired 9/11/22: 80K + $99 statement credit after $2K spend in first 90 days |
50k miles ⓘ Non-Affiliate 50K miles after $500 in purchases in the first 90 days + instant Gold status with account opening & first purchae; maintain Gold status for 12 months with $3,000 in purchases within first 90 days$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99 |
75K points ⓘ Non-Affiliate 75K after $10K spend in 120 days$195 Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
$500 Cash Back ⓘ Non-Affiliate $500 after $5,000 spend in first 3 months.No Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
70K Points ⓘ Non-Affiliate 70K after $1K spend in first 3 monthsNo Annual Fee Alternate Offer: Choice members may be targeted for a higher offer |
| Earn a $750 bonus after you spend $6K in 3 months from account opening. (Rates & Fees) |
$500 statement credit ⓘ Non-Affiliate $500 statement credit after $5K spend in 90 daysNo Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
50K points ⓘ Non-Affiliate 50K points after $4K in 3 months$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95 Note that the ongoing annual fee is $0 if you maintain an HSBC Premier checking account (which requires $5K per month in direct deposits to remain fee-free) |
$600 OneKeyCash ⓘ Non-Affiliate $600 OneKeyCash after $3K spend in first 3 months$99 Annual Fee |
40K Points ⓘ Non-Affiliate 40K after $3K spend in 90 days + 2.5k for adding an authorised user (up to 4)$99 Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
$400 OneKeyCash ⓘ Non-Affiliate $400 OneKeyCash after $1K spend in first 3 monthsNo Annual Fee |
12K points ⓘ Non-Affiliate 12K points after $1K spend in the first 3 billing cyclesNo Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
20K points ⓘ Non-Affiliate Earn 20,000 points (worth $200 cash back) after spending $500 in the first 3 monthNo Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
20K points ⓘ Non-Affiliate $200 cash back after spending $1.5K in first six months. Note: $200 is awarded as 20,000 ThankYou® Points.No Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
20K miles ⓘ Affiliate Earn 20,000 bonus miles once you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. (Rates & Fees)No Annual Fee |
20K points ⓘ Non-Affiliate 20K points after $1.5K spend in 3 months No Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
20K Points ⓘ Non-Affiliate 20K points after $1500 spend in the first 6 monthsNo Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. Recent better offer: Expired 9/13/22 - 20,000 points after $750 spend in first 3 months |
30K points ⓘ Non-Affiliate 30K after $3K spend in 90 daysNo Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
75K miles ⓘ Non-Affiliate 75K miles after $7,500 spend in first 3 months$595 Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
25K FunPoints ⓘ Non-Affiliate 25K FunPoints after spending $500 within the first 90 days of account opening.No Annual Fee |
$300 statement credit ⓘ Non-Affiliate $300 statement credit after $3K spend in 90 daysNo Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
$250 Cash Back ⓘ Affiliate One time bonus: $250 after $500 spend in 3 months from account opening. (Rates & Fees)No Annual Fee |
15K miles ⓘ Non-Affiliate Earn 15K AA miles after $500 spend in 3 monthsNo Annual Fee |
$300 Cash Back ⓘ Non-Affiliate $300 after $3000 spend in 90 daysNo Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
$225 Cash Back ⓘ Non-Affiliate $75 statement credit for every $500 spent within the first 90 days, up to $225No Annual Fee |
$200 Cash Back ⓘ Affiliate One time bonus: $200 after $500 spend in 3 months from account opening. (Rates & Fees)No Annual Fee |
$200 Back ⓘ Non-Affiliate $200 back after $1K spend in 3 monthsNo Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
$200 statement credit ⓘ Non-Affiliate $200 statement credit after $1K Spend in 3 MonthsNo Annual Fee |
$200 Cash Back ⓘ Non-Affiliate $200 after $1000 spend in 3 monthsNo Annual Fee |
$200 Cash Back ⓘ Non-Affiliate $200 after $1000 spend in 3 monthsNo Annual Fee |
20K Points ⓘ Non-Affiliate 20K after $1K spend in the first 90 daysNo Annual Fee |
30K Miles + 1 Year Silver status ⓘ Non-Affiliate 30K after $3K spend in 90 days$99 Annual Fee |
25K miles ⓘ Non-Affiliate 25K after $1K in first 90 days$59 Annual Fee Alternate Offer: You may be targeted for an offer including a $100 statement credit during a dummy booking. Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
$200 cash back ⓘ Non-Affiliate 20K points (worth $200) after $3K spend in the first 60 daysNo Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
60K points ⓘ Non-Affiliate 60K after $4K spend in 3 months$395 Annual Fee |
10K miles ⓘ Non-Affiliate 10K points after $1K spend in 90 days. No Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
10K Points ⓘ Non-Affiliate 10K after $500 spend in 90 daysNo Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
$100 Cash Back ⓘ Non-Affiliate $100 statement credit after $500 spend in first 90 daysNo Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
$100 Cash back ⓘ Non-Affiliate $100 cash back after $500 spend in the first 90 daysNo Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. Recent better offer: Expired 10/31/22: $150 after $500 in spend |
$100 Cash Back ⓘ Non-Affiliate $100 after $500 spend in first 3 months.No Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
10K points + 10K Tier Credits ⓘ Non-Affiliate 10K points + 10K Tier Credits after $1,500K spend in the first 3 billing cyclesNo Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
Free DashPass ⓘ Non-Affiliate Receive 12 months of DashPass for free upon approvalNo Annual Fee This card is subject to Chase's 5/24 rule. Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
None ⓘ Non-Affiliate No Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
None ⓘ Non-Affiliate No Annual Fee Alternate Offer: Earn a $250 Amazon gift card after $1k spend with our referral link |
0% APR ⓘ Non-Affiliate 0% introductory APR for the first 12 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers after account is opened. After that, a variable rate will apply.No Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
3% back for 12 months ⓘ Non-Affiliate 3% cash back for 12 months on up to $20K in purchasesNo Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
None ⓘ Non-Affiliate There is currently no welcome bonus offered.No Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
No Welcome Bonus ⓘ Non-Affiliate No Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
No Welcome Bonus ⓘ Non-Affiliate No Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
None ⓘ Affiliate There is no official welcome bonus, but this card offers the opportunity to earn 1x points on rent when you make at least 5 transactions per billing cycle. Terms apply.No Annual Fee Note that some people see a targeted offer in the Bilt Rewards app to earn 5x points for the first 5 days after being approved and receiving and activating the card. This is not guaranteed, but rather is targeted. Select 'Click Here to Apply' to learn more about the product features, terms and conditions. |
40K Miles + 1 Year Gold status ⓘ Non-Affiliate 40K after $3K spend in 90 days$499 Annual Fee |
Most rewarding Mastercards for everyday spend
The following display shows the ten most rewarding Mastercard credit cards for everyday spend (meaning: spend not within a bonus category). Cards are limited to those that one can sign up for today and are sorted by the estimated value of each card’s base spend.
If you’re interested in seeing more than the top 10 offers, simply click “Next” at the bottom of the page, or use the drop down selector at the top to show more than 10 items.
| Card Info Name and Earning Rate (no offer) |
|---|
Earning rate: 2X miles everywhere ✦ 5X miles on hotels, vacations rentals and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel |
Earning rate: 2X Miles everywhere ✦ Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacations rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel Base: 2X (2.9%) |
Earning rate: 2% cash back everywhere (1% cash back for each purchase + 1% when paying your credit card bill for that purchase). ✦ For a limited time: Earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi TravelSM Portal through 12/31/24. Base: 2X (2.9%) |
Earning rate: 2X Amtrak ✦ 2X dining ✦ 1X elsewhere |
Earning rate: ✦ 3X Amtrak ✦ 2X qualifying travel, dining, transit, and rideshare ✦ 1X elsewhere |
Earning rate: 1.5X miles everywhere ✦ Earn 5X miles on hotel and rental car bookings through Capital One Travel Base: 1.5X (2.18%) |
Earning rate: 6x prepaid hotel & car rental through Altitude Rewards Center ✦ 2.5X mobile wallet payments (on up to $5,000 spend per quarter) |
Earning rate: 3% cash back when you check out with PayPal ✦ 1.5% cash back everywhere else Base: 2% Brand: 3% |
Earning rate: 3% cash back when you check out with PayPal ✦ 2% cash back everywhere else Base: 2% Brand: 3% |
Earning rate: 3X on Air France, KLM, and SkyTeam purchases ✦ 1.5X everywhere else |
Earning rate: 10X IHG ✦ 5X travel, dining, and gas stations ✦ 3X on all other purchases |
Earning rate: 10X IHG ✦ 5X travel, gas stations, restaurants and dining, social media and search engine advertising, office supply stores ✦ 3X on all other purchases |
Earning rate: 1.25X miles everywhere ✦ 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel |
Earning rate: 3% at Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo and at gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, food delivery ✦ 2X everywhere else |
Earning rate: 1.8% back everywhere (1.9% back if you have a Citizens Quest checking account) Base: 1.8% Dine: 1.8% Gas: 1.8% Other: 1.8% |
Earning rate: Must use your card for 5 purchases per month, then: 3x Dining ✦ 3x Lyft ✦ 2x Travel ✦ 1x rent (one payment per month, up to 100,000 points per year) ✦ 1x on other purchases |
Earning rate: 5x travel booked through Chase Travel℠ ✦ 5X Lyft through March 2025 ✦ 3x dining ✦ 3x drugstores ✦ 5X in rotating categories on up to $1,500 spend per quarter (Q4 2024: McDonalds, PayPal, Pet Stores & Selectr Charities) |
Earning rate: 1.5% everywhere; Earn up to 2.625% back everywhere with Bank of America Platinum Honors status. Note that you'll need Preferred Rewards on the business side ("Preferred Rewards for Business") to earn a greater return. Base: 1.5X (1.5%) |
Earning rate: 1.5X everywhere; 3X for travel booked through BOA's travel center |
Earning rate: 1.5% everywhere ✦ 5% on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel Base: 1.5% Other: 5% |
Earning rate: 1.5% everywhere ✦ 5% on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel Base: 1.5% |
Earning rate: 3X grocery ✦ 3X dining ✦ 3X gas stations & EV charging ✦ 3X flights, hotels, travel agencies ✦ 10X hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through Citi Travel℠ |
Earning rate: 5x on travel booked through Citi Travel℠ Portal through December 31, 2025 (excludes air travel) ✦ 2X at supermarkets and gas stations on up to $6,000 per year ✦ Round up to nearest 10 TY points on all purchases |
Earning rate: ✦ 3 points per $1 at gas stations ✦ 2 points per $1 at grocery stores ✦ 1 point per $1 on all other purchases |
Earning rate: 5x on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1x thereafter. Eligible categories: Restaurants, Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, Select Travel, Select Transit, Select Streaming Services, Drugstores, Home Improvement Stores, Fitness Clubs and Live Entertainment. ✦ 1x on all other purchases |
Earning rate: 8x Rideshare ✦ 5x Brex Travel ✦ 4x Restaurants ✦ 3x on recurring software like Salesforce, Zendesk, Twilio, and more ✦ 1x everywhere else |
Earning rate: 3% at Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo and at gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, food delivery ✦ 1.5X everywhere else |
Earning rate: 2X restaurants and grocery ✦ 6X JetBlue ✦ 1X everywhere else |
Earning rate: ✦ 2X restaurants and office supply stores ✦ 6X JetBlue ✦ 1X everywhere else |
Earning rate: ✦ 2X restaurants and grocery ✦ 3X JetBlue ✦ 1X everywhere else✦ |
Earning rate: 3X Hawaiian Airlines ✦ 2x gas, dining, and office supply stores ✦ 1x everywhere else |
Earning rate: 3X Hawaiian Airlines ✦ 2x gas, dining, and grocery stores ✦ 1x everywhere else |
Earning rate: 2X AA ✦ 1X everywhere else |
Earning rate: 2X Miles & More |
Earning rate: 3X Air Canada ✦ 3X grocery stores ✦ 3X dining ✦ 500 bonus points with each $2K calendar month spend, up to $6K spend per month (1,500 points max) ✦ 1X everywhere else |
Earning rate: 2X restaurants ✦ 2X gas ✦ 2X AA |
Earning rate: 2X grocery ✦ 2X AA ✦ 1X everywhere else |
Earning rate: ✦ 2X AA ✦ 2X certain telecommunications merchants ✦ 2X car rental merchants ✦ 2X gas |
Earning rate: 4X AA ✦ 10X hotels booked through AA.com/Hotels ✦ 10X car rentals booked through AA.com/Cars ✦ 1X everywhere else |
Earning rate: 3X Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Hotels and Virgin Voyages ✦ 2X dining, at grocery stores, on select streaming services and for EV charging ✦ 1X everywhere else |
Earning rate: Earn 1.529% back on your purchases when your Upromise Program account is linked to an eligible College Savings Plan or 1.25% if it is not ✦ Up to $250 cashback rewards per calendar year on gift card purchases at MyGiftCardsPlus Base: 1.25% |
Earning rate: ✦ 5X IHG ✦ 3x dining, gas stations utilities, cable, Internet, phone, and select streaming services ✦ 2X everywhere else |
Earning rate: 3X Spirit ✦ 2X dining & grocery ✦ 1X everywhere else |
Earning rate: 3X Emirates ✦ 2X airfare, hotel, and car rentals ✦ 1X everywhere else |
Earning rate: 3X Emirates ✦ 2X airfare, hotel, and car rentals ✦ 1X everywhere else |
Earning rate: 3X Sonesta ✦ 2X airfare, car rental and dining |
Earning rate: 2X Carnival ✦ 1X everywhere else |
Earning rate: 2% on dining plus 3% on 1 choice from: gas stations and EV charging stations (default), office supply stores, travel, TV/telecom & wireless, computer services or business consulting services (for the first $50,000 in combined choice/dining purchases each calendar year, 1% thereafter) and 1% everywhere else. |
Earning rate: 3x Norwegian cruise line purchases ✦ 2x air and hotel |
Earning rate: 3x Allegiant ✦ 2x dining |
Earning rate: 5X gas ✦ 3X grocery and dining ✦ 2X Sears and KMart |
Earning rate: ✦ 3X Travel, Dining and Gas ✦ 1X everywhere else |
Earning rate: 3X MGM ✦ 2X Gas and Grocery ✦ 1X everywhere else |
Earning rate: 2x travel (includes airlines, hotels, and car rentals) |
Earning rate: 3x travel (includes airlines, hotels, and car rentals) ✦ 2x dining |
Earning rate: 4X self-care (gym memberships, at spas / massage parlors, and barber shops / salons) ✦ 4X sports, recreation, and entertainment ✦ 4X "planet-friendly purchases" like EV charging stations, riding public transportation, and purchasing select second hand and vintage ✦ 1X everywhere else |
Earning rate: 3% drugstores and gas stations ✦ 2% medical expenses ✦ 1% everywhere else Base: 1% Gas: 3% Other: 3% |
Earning rate: 3% airfare, hotel stays, and car rentals ✦ 2% restaurants ✦ 1% everywhere else Base: 1% Travel: 3% Dine: 2% |
Earning rate: 3% on dining, entertainment, select streaming services, and purchases at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®) ✦ 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases ✦ 5% on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel (terms apply) ✦ 1% everywhere else Base: 1% Dine: 3% Grocery: 3% Other: 3% |
Earning rate: ✦ 4% back on DoorDash and Caviar orders ✦ 3% back on dining ✦ 2% back at grocery stores ✦ 1% everywhere else Base: 1% Dine: 3% Grocery: 2% Brand: 4% |
Earning rate: 2X Gas ✦ 2X Grocery ✦ 2X Travel ✦ 1X elsewhere Base: 1% Travel: 2% Gas: 2% Grocery: 2% Brand: 2% |
Earning rate: 5X at FlyFrontier.com ✦ 3X restaurants |
Earning rate: 5X at Choice Hotels ✦ 3X at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores, and phone plans ✦ 1X everywhere else |
Earning rate: 10X at Choice Hotels ✦ 5X at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores, and phone plans ✦ 1X everywhere else |
Cards shown above are sorted by the value of the “Base” rebate in descending order based on our Reasonable Redemption Values (RRVs), or by their fixed redemption value with cash back cards. It’s worth noting that transferable points are assigned higher Reasonable Redemption Values since they make it possible to cherry pick the best value awards. In some cases this will be unintuitive: For example, the Double Cash card is advertised as a cash back card offering 2% cash back. However, if you have a Premier or Prestige card, you can convert Double Cash rewards to ThankYou points and then transfer those points to airline or hotel programs in order to get even better value.
Note that two excellent earners are not shown above because they require Bank of America’s “elite status:” Platinum Honors Preferred Rewards for Business. To get this status, you need to have $100,000 invested in business accounts with Bank of America and/or Merrill. With that status, these cards offer great return on everyday spend:
| Card Info Name and Earning Rate (no offer) |
|---|
Earning rate: 1.5% everywhere; Earn up to 2.625% back everywhere with Bank of America Platinum Honors status Base: 2.625X (2.63%) |
Earning rate: With Platinum Honors status with Bank of America's Business Advantage Relationship Rewards program, this card earns: 2.625X points for all spend (and 5.25X for travel purchased through BOA's travel center) Base: 2.625X (2.63%) |
Recommendations
If you simply want to earn as many rewards as possible while paying your mortgage, then I’d recommend simply starting at the top of the list of best welcome bonuses and pick the first one you can qualify for (and which you’d be able to meet minimum spend). Once the card comes, you can use Plastiq to pay your mortgage with the Mastercard for a 2.85% fee in order to meet the offer’s spend requirements. Once you’ve met the minimum spend requirements for a new card, sign up for another card and use that to pay your mortgage. It doesn’t usually make sense to keep paying your mortgage on a card after you earn the initial bonus because the rewards won’t outweigh Plastiq’s fee (2.85% as I write this). Once a card’s annual fee comes due for the second year, then either downgrade it to a fee-free card or cancel it.
If you want a Mastercard for playing the AA Loyalty Point Pursuit game (since SimplyMiles only works with Mastercards), then the Citi Double Cash is your best bet. It’s a great card to have for everyday spend, it has no annual fee, and it can qualify for Citi Merchant Offers which are similar to Amex Offers and Chase Offers. As I wrote earlier in the post, though, you may be better off starting with a Citi Mastercard that offers a nice welcome bonus. The best current Citi offer is for the Premier card, but you wouldn’t want to product change that one to the Double Cash because you would then lose any ThankYou points you’ve earned. A better bet is the AAdvantage Platinum Select card. Since rewards from that card are stored with American Airlines rather than Citibank, you can product change that card to the Double Cash without risking losing rewards. As an aside, I still think that the Premier card is a great option, in general, but don’t get it with the intent to change it to the Double Cash.
Another consideration for those playing the AA Loyalty Point Pursuit game is that various deals may stack with both SimplyMiles and card-linked offers from Chase, Citi, Bank of America, etc. and so it would be great to have at least one Mastercard from each. Chase currently has great welcome offers for a number of Mastercards: the Aeroplan card, IHG Premier card, and Freedom Flex. Bank of America has decent offers (but not spectacular) for Mastercards such as: Air France KLM, Free Spirit Travel More, Sonesta, as well as a few business cards.
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What card do you recommend opening and then downgrading to the double cash back Citi card?
Does the Aadvantage Platinum Select Card itself come with access to Citi Merchant Offers?
Given comments here I gather the AA card cannot access Merchant Offers https://www.reddit.com/r/CreditCards/comments/l80heu/citi_merchant_offers/. In light of the issues others are reporting here with product changes to Double Cash, I will likely try to product change an existing card I have and, if the change is not possible, will apply directly for a new card.
Thanks for this – I was lamenting my complete lack of MasterCards. Ended up going with the CitiBusiness AAdvantage. Easy approval and keeps me under 5/24 for now. Let the games begin. (In 7-10 business days.)
Please, no more of the silly photos of Greg mugging and musing. It just cheapens the fine work you all do.
I like the photos, lol.
Is there a way to pay your ongoing mortgage thru Plastiq at a bonused credit card earnings rate > than the Plastiq fee? Alternatively, does Plastiq have any lower promotional rates that might be competitive with a non-bonused Citi 2% card?
Great article! One thing I would challenge (for some people) is the recommendation of the Citi Double Cash for people focused on playing the AA Loyalty Points game. I assume some/most of the stuff on SimplyMiles would code as online shopping in which case, those that have BofA’s Platinum Honors can get 5.25% back with their Customized Cash Rewards card if you select online shopping as your category. (It’s listed in your Best Offers section as a Visa Signature, but they also have a Mastercard version)
Great suggestion! I forget: is there a predictable way to sign up for the MasterCard version?
Not to my knowledge. I got it in 2017, and it was Visa.
JFYI I tried to PC from Premier to Double Cash last week and was told Citi has restricted that card from product changes until Q2 2022 as they “rethink certain benefits.”
Well that’s concerning. I hope this is one of those very common situations where a rep is mistaken.
I PC’d to the Rewards+ in the meantime but have a reminder on 4/1/2022 to try and PC from that to the Double Cash. Maybe we’ll have more info by then, but if not I’ll let you know how that goes!
I tried to PC an old Expedia card to the Double Cash earlier this week as well and they didn’t let me do that either… instead forcing me to get the Custom Cash for a year, then saying I could change that to the Double Cash after a year is up on the Custom (she made it sound like that was there were no direct PC’s from Expedia to Double Cash, but you had to have an intermediary year with the Custom Cash)