Gifts, travel, decorations, meals . . . all those holiday expenses add up fast. Luckily, the right credit card can make all the difference for your holiday budget (and your holiday spirit!) so you can celebrate a stress-free season.
We’ve rounded up our top picks to help you make the most of your holiday spending, with handy features such as:
Find your new credit card from our favorites below, then let the holiday countdown begin!
Cash back credit cards are the gift that keeps on giving. Choose everyday rewards to earn cash back on all purchases, or choose rewards categories to earn higher cash back for certain merchants (like Amazon) and industries (like travel). Wrap that up with a bow.
Cash Rewards: The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is an absolute game-changer in the rewards space with the most impressive unlimited cash rewards rate we’ve ever seen on a no-annual-fee card.
Welcome Offer: If you’re a new cardholder, you’ll earn a $100 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
Rewards: Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases..
Annual Fee: $0.
Cash Back: With Citi Double Cash® Card, there aren't any caps on the cash back you can earn and no categories to worry about, making maximizing your cash back simple.
Welcome Offer: Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
Rewards: Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked with Citi Travel.
Annual Fee: $0.
Cash Back: The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card is a simple and easy-to-use card with a powerful ongoing rewards rate - a great pick for just about any wallet.
Welcome Offer: Earn $200 Cash Back after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.
Rewards: 1.5% Cash Back on every purchase, every day; 5% Cash Back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel – it’s as simple as that.
Annual Fee: $0.
If your holiday plans include holiday travel, it might be time to tap into a travel credit card to make the most of your mileage. Many cards offer impressive welcome offers, plus you’ll earn points on every purchase that you can use to cover future travel expenses – or maybe a post-holiday vacation?
Travel Rewards: This fantastic mid-tier card offers major point multipliers in most travel-related categories alongside one of the best welcome offers you’ll find on a rewards card with a sub-$100 annual fee.
Welcome Offer: Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com..
Annual Fee: $95, but don’t forget about the amazing welcome offer and exceptional ongoing rewards rate.
Travel Rewards: This card one of the simplest – but most impactful – travel rewards programs out there: earn 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day; 5 Miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
Welcome Offer: Earn more than $1000 in Travel Bonuses with a limited-time $300 Capital One Travel stays credit, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening—that's more than $1,000 in travel value.
Annual Fee: All the rewards above come with a $95 annual fee, but this can easily be offset in your first year with this card’s solid welcome offer.
Travel Rewards: Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on everyday purchases. 3 points per $1 spent on travel purchases booked through BofA Travel. . Those points can be redeemed for nearly any travel purchase in the form of statement credit, so you’ll always get the most out of your rewards.
Welcome Offer: 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases.
Annual Fee: $0—and since this card also doesn’t have any foreign transaction fees, you’ll be earning rewards without having to worry about costs adding up abroad.
Intro APR: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases and then 17.49% - 27.49% Variable APR
Travel Rewards: If you like to travel, take note: cardholders enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, 3x on vacation homes, 3x on gas & EV charging, 3x on top streaming services and 3x online groceries (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs), 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.
Welcome Offer: This is where this card really moves into the top-tier. Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee: This card comes with a $95 annual fee, but as with some other cards on this list, the astonishing welcome offer more than outweighs this in your first year.
Methodology
Our editors take a comprehensive, data-driven approach to identify the best credit cards in various categories. We use an objective rating and ranking system that evaluates over 100 credit cards from more than 50 issuers. While this site receives compensation from companies listed here, this does not influence our ratings or reviews. Learn more here.
Editorial Note: This content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuer. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and may not have been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuer. This site may be compensated through a credit card issuer partnership.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply
Credit scores ranges may vary. Your individual chance at approval may vary due to factors such as creditors using a particular variation at their discretion.
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