Best credit cards for shopping

Our writers and editors used an in-house natural language generation platform to assist with portions of this article, allowing them to focus on adding information that is uniquely helpful. The article was reviewed, fact-checked and edited by our editorial staff prior to publication.

A credit card that earns rewards for shopping can lighten the load of your spending and even give you money back. Plus, shopping rewards credit cards often offer great shopping perks like purchase protection for eligible items that get lost, damaged or stolen. They’re a must-have for accessing the best savings and rewards on all routine or holiday spending, which can be one of the most financially stressful times of the year for spenders.

We analyzed the best credit cards for all types of shopping to help you decide on the best card to complement the way you spend.

Compare the best cards for shopping

Best for online shopping

Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card

Rating: 4.3 stars out of 5

4.3

• Bankrate’s view

  The Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards credit card is one of our top picks for the best online shopping credit cards. It offers a comprehensive selection of retailers in its online shopping category, so instead of just the usual Amazon.com, Walmart.com and Target.com rewards, you can earn rewards on a wide range of websites. The card also lets you choose your highest earning categories and switch them monthly while continuing to earn 3 percent back (up to $2,500 in combined spending between your 3 percent and 2 percent categories).

  The information about the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card was last updated on Oct. 1, 2024.

• Pros and cons

  

  Pros

  • Swap your highest-earning category once per calendar month to match your spending.
  • Bank of America Preferred Rewards® members can boost rewards rates by up to 75 percent.

  

  Cons

  • Earnings could be limited by the quarterly spending cap if you spend a lot.
  • Other cards have potentially higher welcome offers with lower spending requirements.

Best for seasonal spending

Discover it® Cash Back

Rating: 4.4 stars out of 5

4.4

• Bankrate’s view

  If your shopping is heavier during certain seasons (like around the holidays), the Discover it Cash Back is a useful card with plenty of advantages. Its categories rotate every quarter, but typically the categories can help boost your spending for that quarter or season. For example, Q4’s categories for 2024 are Amazon and Target, popular categories for the holiday season. Discover releases its rotating calendar close to the start of each quarter, so it will be hard to plan your purchases throughout the year, but it can be a great card to supplement a routine strategy on another card.

• Pros and cons

  

  Pros

  • Rotating categories can offer some of the highest rewards on a no-annual-fee card.
  • If you spend a lot in your first year, the Cashback Match program could be the highest welcome offer among no-annual-fee cash back cards.

  

  Cons

  • Rotating bonus categories may not match your spending.
  • Bonus category spending is capped at $1,500 per quarter, which can be restrictive if you spend more than that each quarter.

Best for grocery and online shopping

Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express

Rating: 4.6 stars out of 5

4.6

• Bankrate’s view

  If earning rewards on grocery store purchases is your biggest goal for your shopping credit card, an everyday cash back card like the Blue Cash Everyday can complement your spending with boosted rewards rates for no annual fee. You can earn a generous sum of rewards at U.S. supermarkets, and on top of that, you can earn more rewards at U.S. gas stations as well as for U.S. online retail purchases. It’s one of the very few cards to offer boosted rewards for both groceries and online retail purchases, making it a top choice for online shoppers who also spend a lot at the grocery store.

• Pros and cons

  

  Pros

  • Earn generous rewards across multiple categories for no annual fee.
  • It’s a terrific combination of everyday categories, especially since the U.S. online retail shopping reward category is a unique offering compared to other rewards cards.

  

  Cons

  • Wholesale clubs and superstores like Target and Walmart aren’t considered U.S. supermarkets, so you won’t earn boosted rewards there.
  • If you are willing to pay an annual fee, you could earn more rewards if you spend upwards of $6,000 at U.S. supermarkets with the American Express Blue Cash Preferred® card.

Best for foodies on a budget

Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card

Rating: 4.9 stars out of 5

4.9

• Bankrate’s view

  The Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is a great no-annual-fee shopping card for those who want to earn boosted cash back rewards at grocery stores and restaurants. This card also features a great price protection benefit for shoppers: If you make a purchase using your card and find the item advertised for a lower price within 120 days, you can get a refund of the difference.

• Pros and cons

  

  Pros

  • There’s no spending limit on this card’s bonus categories, so you can earn unlimited rewards throughout the year.
  • This card does not have an annual fee so there’s no cost to offset.

  

  Cons

  • This card lacks commonly found credit card perks available on competing cards, such as roadside dispatch and auto rental collision damage waivers.
  • The card’s best cash back rates are reserved for bookings through Capital One Entertainment and Capital One Travel.

Best for customizable categories

U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card

Rating: 3.2 stars out of 5

3.2

• Bankrate’s view

  The U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature Card is a good choice to help you earn cash back rewards without the limitations of a store-specific credit card. It allows you to select two 5 percent bonus categories and one 2 percent bonus category each quarter for boosted rewards. Since one of the 5 percent categories includes department stores, you can earn at well-known retailers like Nordstrom, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and more.

• Pros and cons

  

  Pros

  • You can take advantage of an introductory APR on purchases with this card.
  • Tailor cash back rewards to the products and services you spend the most on.

  

  Cons

  • The card requires you to re-select from rotating bonus categories every quarter, or it defaults to the base rate of earning 1 percent on all purchases.
  • This card does have a spending cap on its bonus categories, so your earnings will be limited.

Best for Amazon and Whole Foods

Prime Visa

Rating: 4.2 stars out of 5

4.2

• Bankrate’s view

  The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card can help you earn big rewards on Amazon and Whole Foods purchases without spending caps. It’s the best card for Amazon and can earn a lot of cash back if you spend hundreds of dollars with the online retailer every year. It’s also a fair stand in for other categories like restaurants, gas stations and local transit/commuting. Plus, you can redeem rewards for cash back, Amazon purchases or Chase Travel.

• Pros and cons

  

  Pros

  • Its high earning rate makes every day and grocery store purchases exceptionally rewarding when you shop on Amazon or at Whole Foods.
  • Redeem rewards for cash back, travel and Amazon purchases, without reducing the value of your rewards.

  

  Cons

  • To access top rewards rates, it requires a $139 Amazon Prime membership which is a steep fee for a card, but the Prime savings can be worth it.
  • There is no option to transfer reward points to Chase travel partners, so you can’t increase the value of your rewards with strategic transfers.

How to choose the best credit card for shopping

When you’re looking for a good shopping credit card, you’ll want to look for a card that will pay you back in cash, credit card points or even airline miles for the purchases you make. The best credit card for you will be the one that aligns with the way you shop and where you shop, whether you shop most often online or in person, in superstores, brand-name retail stores, department stores or at your local grocery store.

Some cards will offer rewards for specific types of shopping, while other cards let you choose the categories that would benefit you the most. Comparing all these different factors will help you determine which card fits your shopping style best.

Frequently asked questions

• Should you get a credit card for shopping?

  Getting a credit card for shopping can be beneficial if used responsibly because they offer perks like cash back, rewards points and frequent-flyer miles. Additionally, credit cards typically provide fraud protection, a grace period for payments and can help build your credit score. However, it’s crucial to pay your balance in full and on time to avoid debt and interest charges.

• Are credit cards better than debit cards for shopping?

  Credit cards have several advantages over debit cards for shopping. Credit cards offer better consumer protections against fraud compared to debit cards. They also help build your credit history, which can be beneficial for future financial endeavors. However, it’s important to use credit cards responsibly to avoid debt and interest charges. 

• What is the difference between debit and credit cards when shopping?

  Debit and credit cards can both be used to pay for goods or services, but they differ in where the money comes from. When you use a debit card, the funds are taken directly from your checking account almost instantly. In contrast, a credit card charges the amount to your line of credit, which means you pay the bill at a later date, giving you more time to make the payment. Debit cards help you avoid debt and manage spending since you can only use the money available in your account. Credit cards, on the other hand, offer benefits like building credit history, better fraud protections and rewards but may lead to debt if not managed carefully.

The bottom line

No matter if you mostly shop online, at the grocery store or at department stores, it’s smart to use a credit card that helps you earn rewards or cash back to help offset some of your spending each year. Choosing the right credit card for your shopping needs can help you maximize rewards and save money, while also helping you to better protect your purchases.

*All information about the U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com and has not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.