Reward Credit Cards

Reward credit cards that offer the best rewards programs provide cardholders with the opportunity to earn cash back, gasoline rebates, frequent flyer points and entertainment and store discounts based on their purchase activities with these cards. When deciding amongst the best reward credit card offers available, you first need to properly qualify yourself for these type of credit cards.
 
It is usually recommended that a reward credit card is most suitable for individuals who pay off their monthly card balances every month. If you typically carry a monthly credit card balance, the interest charges that you'll likely incur on that balance will, more than likely, offset the rewards that you can earn with the credit card, negating any net benefit. These type of credit cards can actually be very costly for those carrying monthly card balances, depending on the size of the balance that you carry. This is the "house bet" that the card issuers are typically making with credit cards of this sort. So if you're planning on carrying a monthly balance, you'll probably be better off financially finding a low interest credit card instead.

Cardholders that do pay off their monthly card balances can really benefit from these type of credit cards though. Rewards cards can provide cash rebates, frequent flyer points, rebates on automobiles, groceries, movie tickets, video rentals, home appliances, theme parks or just about anything else you can think of.

Some examples of really solid cards in this category include the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express and Discover® Open Road Card (be sure to see the card issuer's application page below for details about each of the cards offered.)

There are numerous affinity credit cards with similar rewards programs, such as the Hilton HHonors® Platinum Rewards card and the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Card, to name just a few. But these credit card rewards programs tend to be pretty costly for the credit card issuers. Some of these rewards cards might require an annual fee, varying roughly $50 to $100. Be sure to check the credit card grid on the page below for any annual fees that might be required.