The best rewards credit cards of 2019

Chase Sapphire Reserve

Why you'll love it: Chase Sapphire Reserve makes it easy to earn rewards for travel and more, with a great sign-up bonus and 3x points on travel and dining.

Sign-up bonus: 50,000 points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months

Annual fee: $450

With 3 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on dining and any travel and 1 point per dollar on everything else, the Sapphire Reserve makes it easy to maximize your everyday spending, and it comes with a slew of perks.

While there are a few different ways to use Chase points, there are usually two options to get the best value. First, points are worth 1.5 cents each toward travel booked through Chase. Second, you can transfer points to a number of frequent flyer and hotel loyalty programs — typically, this gets you the most value for your points.

Benefits include access to airport lounges through the Priority Pass network, trip delay coverage, purchase protection, a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, and primary car rental insurance.

However, while the airport lounge access can be great, most Priority Pass lounges are in international terminals, which isn't helpful when you're flying domestically. If you find lounge access crucial, you should consider the Amex Platinum, which offers superior lounge access within the US.

Read more: Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Amex Platinum — which premium card is right for you?

The Sapphire Reserve's annual fee is a hefty $450, but that's offset by a $300 travel credit each year, good for things like taxis, subway fare, parking, tolls, and flights.

There aren't many downsides to this card besides the upfront annual fee. Chase has invested heavily in making the Ultimate Rewards program competitive. Booking flights by transferring points to frequent flyer partners is generally more lucrative — that's usually how people use points to fly in first and business class — but it can be complicated because you have to decipher award charts, find availability, and work around complicated airline rules.

Pros: Solid sign-up bonus, easy to earn points, points work with frequent flyer and hotel loyalty programs, good airport benefits

Cons: High annual fee, Priority Pass lounges are typically in international terminals

• Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card review
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Platinum Card from American Express

Why you'll love it: The Platinum Card from American Express has a big welcome offer and lots of perks for travelers.

Welcome offer: 60,000 points after you spend $5,000 in the first three months

Annual fee: $550

The Amex Platinum has a higher annual fee than the Sapphire Reserve, but also a longer list of benefits. The Platinum card is also one of the best options for paying for flights, because you'll earn 5x Membership Rewards points on airfare purchased directly with airlines.

Like Chase Ultimate Rewards points, American Express Membership Rewards points can be used to purchase travel, gift cards, or products directly through from the issuer, or they can be transferred to certain airline and hotel loyalty programs. The best value comes from that latter use. If you redeem points by using them to book travel through Amex, you'll get around 1 cent per point.

The Platinum Card includes access to the same lounges as the Sapphire Reserve, plus Delta Sky Clubs and the proprietary American Express Centurion Lounges — the additions make the card more useful overall.

It carries a number of perks similar to its rival from Chase, including purchase protections and up to a $200 annual credit on incidental airline fees — think checked bags, drinks, and upgrades. Cardholders also earn Gold elite status with Hilton and Marriott before staying a single night. That can help you stomach the $550 annual fee.

Amex Platinum cardholders also get exclusive access to major events and experiences, including once-in-a-lifetime "By Invitation Only" events.

Of course, $550 is a lot to pay out each year.Up to $200 in annual airline fee credits and up to $200 in annual Uber credits certainly help, but the airline credit can be difficult to use if you aren't checking bags or buying drinks on flights. Some people have found that buying gift cards from the airline of your choice counts as a qualifying purchase.

The bonus spending categories on this card are less generous than on the Sapphire Reserve or the Amex Gold, meaning it can take longer to earn points unless you book a lot of flights. The spending requirement in the first three months is higher than most other cards, and Membership Reward points are worth less than Chase's Ultimate Rewards points when used to book travel through the card issuer — only 1 cent per point.

Even so, the card remains extremely valuable if you can make good use of the benefits. For example, in my first year with the card, I got more than $2,000 in value, which is more than enough to make up for the fee.

Pros: High welcome bonus, perks at airlines including extensive lounge access, points can go toward purchases, points are transferable to airline and hotel rewards programs, valuable benefits

Cons: High $550 annual fee, only 1 cent per point when booking through Amex, high spending requirement, less generous earning rates than Chase Sapphire Reserve

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• Pros and cons of the Amex Platinum
• The Amex Platinum is available to active duty servicemembers at no annual fee — but even with the fee, the credit card is a great value

Chase Sapphire Preferred

Why you'll love it: Chase Sapphire Preferred has a higher sign-up bonus and lower annual fee than the Sapphire Reserve, and it's easy to rack up points.

Sign-up bonus: 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months

Annual fee: $95

The Reserve's older sibling, the Sapphire Preferred, offers a number of similar features and a higher sign-up bonus for a lower annual fee. The card earns 2x Ultimate Rewards points instead of the Reserve's 3x points on dining and travel, and 1 point per dollar on everything else.

Points are worth a lower 1.25 cents apiece on travel booked through Chase, but can still be transferred to frequent flyer and hotel loyalty programs. There's no annual travel credit, but there's still car rental primary coverage, as well as slightly less-generous trip delay coverage and purchase protection.

While the Sapphire Preferred was the all-around best card for a long time, the Sapphire Reserve has made it a harder choice. Although the Preferred has a lower annual fee and higher initial bonus, it earns fewer points on bonus spending categories than the Reserve, and the value of the points on travel booked through Chase is less.

Read more: Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Reserve — which credit card is best for you?

The no-hassle travel credit on the Sapphire Reserve makes the annual fee on that card effectively $150 (accounting for the $300 you get back through the credit), so — depending on your spending habits — it can be worth paying more up front for the Sapphire Reserve.

Pros: Good sign-up bonus, transferable points, travel perks, lower annual fee than the Sapphire Reserve card (and it's waived the first year)

Cons: Lower point value when purchasing travel through Chase, no annual travel credit, earns points more slowly than the Sapphire Reserve

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Capital One Venture Rewards

Why you'll love it: The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a low annual fee and makes it easy to earn miles for travel.

Sign-up bonus: 50,000 miles after you spend $3,000 in the first three months

Annual fee: $0 the first year; then $95

Capital One's travel rewards program isn't necessarily as lucrative as what other banks offer. However, Capital One recently expanded the card's benefits, adding airline transfer partners, and launching transfer bonuses — such as a 20% bonus to Air France/KLM. While the transfer value isn't quite as good as with Chase or Amex, the flip side is that Capital One miles are easy to earn and easy to use — and thanks to a new partnership, you can earn them quickly.

The Venture Rewards card earns 2x miles per dollar on all purchases. The card also earns a stunning 10x miles when you book prepaid hotel stays with Hotels.com (you just need to go through a special landing page: hotels.com/venture). Plus, you can earn through Hotels.com's own rewards program at the same time.

Miles can be redeemed as a statement credit to "erase" travel purchases. For example, if you buy a $500 plane ticket, you can apply 50,000 miles to cancel out that charge. The annual fee of $95 is waived the first year.

Capital One added airline transfer partners in late 2018 — most are at a 2:1.5 ratio, and a few are 2:1 — meaning it's now possible to get outsized value from the card. This is especially the case when you consider that you can earn 10x Capital One miles on hotels, which translates to 5–7.5 airline miles per dollar, based on the transfer ratios.

Pros: Low annual fee, easy to earn miles, massive earning potential on hotel stays, decent sign-up bonus

Cons: Points transfer at a lower ratio than 1:1, partners aren't quite as strong as Chase's

• Capital One Venture credit card review
• Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Capital One Venture — which card is better for you?
• Capital One Venture vs. Capital One Savor

American Express Gold Card

Why you'll love it: The American Express Gold Card offers generous rewards on dining and groceries.

Welcome offer: 35,000 points after you spend $2,000 in the first three months

Annual fee: $250

The Gold Card earns a massive 4x points at restaurants worldwide and on up to $25,000 per year at US supermarkets (and 1x point after that), 3x points on flights booked directly through the airline, 2x points on hotels booked and prepaid through Amex Travel, and 1 point per dollar on everything else.

Based on the fact that you can easily redeem Membership Rewards points for more than 1 cent of value each when you transfer them to frequent flyer partners, this is one of the highest-earning available cards for everything food-related.

The Gold Card offers up to $120 of dining credits per year, broken into chunks of $10 each month. Credits are good for purchases through food delivery services Seamless and GrubHub, and at The Cheesecake Factory, Ruth's Chris Steak House, or participating Shake Shack locations.

Additionally, the card offers up to a $100 airline fee credit each calendar year, which is good for things like checked bags, onboard food and drinks, seat reservations, seat upgrades, lounge day passes, and more.

The two credits — together worth $220 — are almost enough to offset the card's $250 annual fee even before factoring in the value of the rewards you'll earn.

While it's difficult to assign an exact value to Membership Rewards points, since the value can vary significantly based on how you redeem them, travel website The Points Guy subjectively estimates each point as worth 2 cents. That makes the welcome bonus worth $700.

Pros: Fantastic rewards on dining and groceries at US supermarkets, statement credits and benefits to offset the annual fee

Cons: You'll have to pay the $250 annual fee before you get the value back from the credits, smaller welcome bonus, only 1 cent per point of value unless you transfer points to an airline

• Amex Gold card review
• The American Express Gold Card has a $250 annual fee, but two benefits alone can get you $220 in value each year
• Amex Platinum vs. Amex Gold card

Amex Blue Cash Preferred

Why you'll love it: The Blue Cash Preferred earns cash back quickly at a great rate.

Welcome offer: $250 statement credit after you spend $1,000 in the first three months

Annual fee: $95

If you're less excited about earning rewards points — which can be valuable, but also tricky to redeem — and want to stick with cash back, the Blue Cash Preferred is the best option, despite its $95 annual fee.

Read more: The best cash-back credit cards of 2019

Amex recently added 6% cash back on select US streaming services and 3% back on all transit. That's in addition to the existing categories of 6% cash back at US supermarkets on up to $6,000 in purchases per year (and 1% after that), 3% back at US gas stations, and 1% cash back on everything else.

As a bonus, the Blue Cash Preferred offers a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 months, before switching to a variable 14.99-25.99% APR.

The Blue Cash Preferred comes with a handful of travel and purchase protections as well. Cash back comes in the form of a statement credit, so effectively you can use it to "erase" purchases.

Pros: Bonus cash back on useful categories, easy to earn enough cash back to offset the annual fee, introductory APR

Cons: High annual fee for a cash-back card

• Amex Blue Cash Preferred card review
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Chase Freedom Unlimited

Why you'll love it: Chase Freedom Unlimited helps you earn points for normal purchases and get cash back with no annual fee.

Sign-up bonus: Double rewards for your first year: 3% cash back (or 3x points) for your first year with the card on up to $20,000 of spend, then 1.5% back (or 1.5x points)

Annual fee: $0

If you already have the Sapphire Reserve or Preferred and are saving your points for something, the Freedom Unlimited can give your balance a nice boost. While Chase markets the card as "cash back," it actually earns Ultimate Rewards points that you can redeem for cash (1 point = 1 cent).

When you have a premium card like one of the Sapphires or an Ink Business card, you can pool your points from the two cards.

The Freedom Unlimited earns 1.5 points per dollar spent, so paired with a Sapphire Reserve, it's a great card to use for purchases that aren't made on travel expenses or dining.

The card used to offer a 15,000-point (or $150) sign-up bonus, but Chase recently replaced that with something new. Now, for your first year, you'll earn double rewards on up to $20,000 of spend. If you spend more than $10,000 in those first 12 months, you'll come out on top compared to the old bonus.

Best of all, the card has no annual fee and often has an introductory 0% APR for the first 15 months on purchases and balance transfers. After that, there's a 16.99%-25.74% variable APR. If you have a major purchase ahead of you, that introductory offer can be useful.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited is a fantastic all-around card. However, to get the most value when it's time to spend your points, you need the Sapphire Reserve or Preferred card, too, so you can pool your points. Otherwise, points are only worth 1¢ each no matter how you use them and they can't be transferred to airline or hotel partners.

Pros: Decent sign-up bonus, earn points on regular purchases, no annual fee, zero percent APR for first 15 months (and a 16.99%-25.74% variable APR after that)

Cons: One point only equals 1 cent for cash back, to get a better value you'll need to pair it with a Sapphire card

• Chase Freedom Unlimited card review
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• Chase Freedom vs. Chase Freedom Unlimited — which cash-back card is best for you?

Airline credit cards

Why you'll love them: Airline credit cards often come with decent rewards that will help you travel more.

Sign-up bonus: Varies (check out our airline credit card comparison for the latest)

If you often travel with the same airline or live in a major hub city, you might want to consider signing up for a co-branded airline credit card.

American Express issues Delta's credit cards, Citibank offers American's, and Chase partners with United.

Sign-up bonuses often vary through the year, but they generally fall between 30,000 and 60,000 miles after you spend around $3,000 in the first three months. Occasionally, limited-time deals offer higher bonuses than normal.

Perks vary by card and are often valuable even if you only fly a few times a year, generally including a form of early boarding, free checked bags, and extra miles earned on purchases from that airline.

While each airline offers a few cards, the most popular ones tend to come with annual fees of $95, which are waived the first year.

However, with these cards, there's no option to redeem your miles for cash or book travel hassle-free. Nor is there an option to choose which frequent flyer program offers the most value and flexibility for the trip you're planning.

Instead, you're stuck booking travel with one airline and dealing with whatever restrictions it might impose. If the airline chooses to devalue their frequent flyer program or raise costs for a particular type of award flight, you're stuck.

The upside comes mainly with the perks like the free checked bag, and the fact that with a little bit of work, it can be possible to get an incredible value for your miles by booking an unforgettable trip in first or business class.

Pros: Airlines offer good deals, travel perks, low annual fees

Cons: There's still an annual fee, you're stuck with that airline and have less flexibility

This content is not provided by the card issuers. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed here are those of the authors' alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any issuer.

Hotel credit cards

Why you'll love them: Hotel credit cards earn you points that you can use toward free hotel stays, and some offer complimentary hotel elite status.

Sign-up bonus: Varies (check out our post on the best hotel credit cards for details)

If you often travel with the same airline or live in a major hub city, you might want to consider signing up for a co-branded airline credit card.

American Express issues Hilton's credit cards, while Chase offers IHG's and Hyatt's. Marriott has credit card options through both Amex and Chase

Sign-up bonuses on hotel credit cards vary greatly depending on the particular hotel chain, but it's not rare to find an offer for more than 100,000 hotel points. Keep an eye on limited-time welcome offers to score the best deal.

All hotel credit cards will earn you points that can be used to book hotel stays, and some go beyond that with perks like an annual free night or complimentary hotel elite status.

Major hotel chains like Hilton and Marriott offer credit cards with low, moderate, and high annual fees. The more you're willing to pay, the more you'll generally get in return. For example, the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express has a $450 annual fee, but offers the highest level of Hilton elite status to cardholders, and annual credits such as up to $250 toward Hilton charges. Other cards like the World of Hyatt Credit Card offer complimentary elite status with the ability to spend your way to the highest status tier.

You don't have as much flexibility in using your points with hotel credit cards compared to cards that earn Amex, Chase, or Citi points. That's because you're generally locked into redeeming your points with the given hotel brand. But if you frequently stay at the chain anyway, this could make sense for you.

However, with these cards, there's no option to redeem your miles for cash or book travel hassle-free. Nor is there an option to choose which frequent flyer program offers the most value and flexibility for the trip you're planning.

Pros: Good welcome offers, variety of options with different annual fees, some cards offer very generous benefits

Cons: Less flexibility in using your points

This content is not provided by the card issuers. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed here are those of the authors' alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any issuer.

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