Best Credit Cards of 2024: Repeat Winners That Keep Winning
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Each year, credit card issuers introduce new cards touting niche perks and unique ways to earn rewards. But time and again, a number of cards prove they can't simply be replaced.
Here are the repeat credit card winners for NerdWallet's Best-Of Awards, 2024.
Best credit card for simple cash back: Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
Card details
Annual fee: $0.
Sign-up bonus: Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
Rewards:
Unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases.
Why it keeps winning
Since it hit the market in 2021, the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card has been a favorite for people who want to earn simple, no-frills rewards on all their purchases. Cardholders receive an unlimited 2% cash back on qualifying purchases, with no rotating categories or spending caps to manage. You'll also receive a sign-up bonus and benefits like cell phone protection, adding value to an already valuable card.
Best credit card for bonus cash back: Chase Freedom Flex®
Card details
Annual fee: $0.
Sign-up bonus: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
Rewards:
5% cash back in quarterly bonus categories on up to $1,500 in combined spending each quarter, 1% thereafter. (Activation required.)
5% back on travel booked through Chase.
5% back on qualifying Lyft services purchased through the Lyft app through March 31, 2025.
3% back on dining, including takeout and delivery services.
3% back on drugstore purchases.
1% on all other purchases.
Why it keeps winning
For the fourth year running, the Chase Freedom Flex® proves that outsized rewards don’t always require an annual fee. Cardholders earn 5% back in quarterly rotating categories on up to $1,500 in purchases per quarter. You’ll also earn an unlimited 3% cash back on dining and drugstore purchases, giving the card a leg up over other cards with rotating categories. Plus, you can supercharge the value of your rewards by pairing the card with a premium Chase travel card.
Best all-purpose travel rewards credit card: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Card details
Annual fee: $95.
Sign-up bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Rewards:
5 points per $1 spent on all travel booked through Chase.
5 points per $1 spent on eligible Peloton purchases (with a maximum earning of 25,000 points) and on Lyft through March 2025.
3 points per $1 spent on dining (including eligible delivery services and takeout).
3 points per $1 spent on select streaming services.
3 points per $1 spent on online grocery purchases (not including Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs).
2 points per $1 spent on travel not purchased through Chase.
1 point per $1 spent on other purchases.
Why it keeps winning
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card won the best all-purpose travel rewards card for the second year in a row. Cardholders can earn valuable Chase Ultimate Rewards® in useful bonus categories and gain access to travel transfer partners like Hyatt, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. You’ll get a 10% point bonus each cardholder anniversary based on your total purchases, plus receive travel and shopping protections that can let you rest easy when things go wrong.
Best premium travel credit card: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Card details
Annual fee: $550.
Sign-up bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Rewards:
10 points per dollar spent on Chase Dining.
10 points per dollar spent on hotel stays and car rentals booked through Chase.
5 points per dollar spent on air travel booked through Chase.
3 points per dollar spent on travel and dining not booked with Chase.
1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
10 points per $1 spent on Lyft (7 points per dollar spent on Lyft plus 3 points per dollar spent on travel) through March 2025.
Why it keeps winning
With an annual, no-hassle $300 travel credit, bonus rewards on travel and dining purchases and access to travel partners, it’s not surprising that the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is the back-to-back winner for best premium travel credit card. The card drips in luxury travel perks like airport lounge access, a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit and premium travel protections. Plus you’ll receive a 50% bonus on the value of your points when you redeem them for travel through the Chase portal. You'll pay a premium annual fee, but that’s easy to make up with the additional perks for frequent travelers.
Best hotel credit card: World of Hyatt Credit Card
Card details
Annual fee: $95.
Sign-up bonus: Earn up to 60,000 Bonus Points. Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 More Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent.
Rewards:
4 points per $1 spent with your card at Hyatt hotels, including participating restaurants and spas. Properties under the Hyatt umbrella include the Park Hyatt, Miraval, Andaz and Hyatt Place.
2 points per $1 spent on dining at restaurants, airline tickets purchased through the airline, fitness club and gym memberships, local transit and commuting.
1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
Why it keeps winning
The World of Hyatt Credit Card has remained atop the ranks of our best hotel cards for half a decade. Cardholders earn high-value points usable for free stays, room upgrades and on-property services like spas and fitness classes, in addition to Discoverist elite status, a free night certificate every anniversary year and an additional free night certificate when you spend $15,000 on the card in the calendar year. For Hyatt loyalists, the value received from the World of Hyatt Credit Card should easily exceed the annual fee.
Best credit card for building credit: Discover it® Secured Credit Card
Card details
Annual fee: $0.
Sign-up bonus: INTRO OFFER: Unlimited Cashback Match – only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a dollar-for-dollar match.
Rewards:
2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter (1% thereafter).
1% cash back on all other purchases.
Why it keeps winning
The Discover it® Secured Credit Card has reigned supreme as our best credit card for building credit for an astounding seven years — and for good reason. People with no or poor credit history can qualify for the card and earn rewards while they build or rebuild their credit. Even better, rewards are doubled at the end of your first cardholder year, which could help with the required $200 security deposit. Discover will also automatically review your account after seven months to determine if you’re eligible to upgrade to a non-secured card and receive back your deposit.
Best small-business credit card: The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
Card details
Annual fee: $0.
IIntroductory offer: Earn a $250 statement credit after you make $3,000 in purchases on your Card in your first 3 months. Terms Apply.
Rewards:
Earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. Cash back earned is automatically credited to your statement. Terms Apply.
Why it keeps winning
The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card returns as the three-time consecutive winner of the best small-business credit card. Cardholders earn a no-hassle 2% cash back on eligible purchases up to $50,000 per year; after that, you get 1%. Rewards are automatically redeemed each month for a statement credit, so you can focus on your business and less on managing your card. Terms apply.
Best credit card for dining: U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card
Card details
Annual fee: $0.
Sign-up bonus: Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in eligible purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.
Rewards:
4 points per $1 spent on dining, including takeout and delivery.
2 points per $1 spent at grocery stores (including grocery delivery), gas stations, EV charging stations and on eligible streaming services (discount stores/supercenters and wholesale clubs excluded, effective Sept. 9, 2024).
1 point per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases.
Why it keeps winning
Whether you eat at a restaurant or order delivery, the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card has been your best option for dining for four years in a row. The card offers a best-in-class unlimited 4 points per $1 spent on dining, which even tops many cards with an annual fee. Cardholders will also receive a healthy sign-up bonus and an annual $15 streaming credit.
Best credit card for groceries: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
Card details
Annual fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
Introductory offer: Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months. Terms Apply.
Rewards:
6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 in spending per year.
6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
3% cash back at U.S. gas stations.
3% cash back on transit.
1% cash back on other purchases.*
Terms apply.
Why it keeps winning
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is a consecutive four-time winner of the best card for groceries. If you spend $6,000 per year at U.S. supermarkets, you’ll end up with $360 cash back – enough to make up for the annual fee while also putting a dent in your grocery budget. Terms apply.
Best credit card for entertainment: Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
NOTE: When this card was selected as a 2024 award winner, it was known as the "SavorOne" card. Capital One has since rebranded this card as simply "Savor."
Card details
Annual fee: $0.
Sign-up bonus: Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus once you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
Rewards:
8% back on Capital One Entertainment purchases.
5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
3% back on dining, eligible streaming services, grocery stores and entertainment.
1% cash back on all other purchases.
Why it keeps winning
You’ll get rewarded for both the dinner and the movie when you pay with your Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card, two-time winner of our best card for entertainment award. The card earns 3% cash back on a broad list of entertainment purchases, in addition to dining, eligible streaming services and grocery stores. You can also check the Capital One Entertainment portal for tickets that qualify for an even bigger 8% cash back.
Best credit card for gas: Citi Custom Cash® Card
Card details
Annual fee: $0.
Sign-up bonus: Earn $200 in 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:
5% cash back on up to $500 spent in your highest spend category per billing cycle (from a list of eligible options, see list here).
1% back on all other purchases.
Why it keeps winning
The Citi Custom Cash® Card has been NerdWallet’s best card for gas for the past two years. The card gives you 5% cash back on up to $500 spent in your highest spend category per billing cycle (1% back thereafter). Gas is one of the eligible categories, so if you dedicate the card to use only when you fill up, you’ll always lock in that 5% back when you’re at the pump.
To view rates and fees of The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, see this page.
To view rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, see this page.
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