Thursday, March 28, 2024

Looking for a new credit card? Here are the best ones for 2019

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Another year of credit card launches and updates are wrapping up, so we’ve spent some time combing through all of them to find the best that the industry has to offer in a range of categories. From making your travel experience at the airport and on your flight as comfortable and rewarding as possible, to earn as much as possible while you sleep, these cards have your back through all of it. If you want to keep things simple or earn the most on the purchases you make every day, there are cards for that too. No matter what you are looking for, these cards bring some of the best rewards and perks you can find today.

Best Overall: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

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The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is a card that is at its best when it rewards you for the everyday purchases. Grab a $250 statement credit after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 3 months. Then, earn 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations, 3% Cash Back on transit including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more, and 1% Cash Back on all other purchases.

This card also has a low intro APR: 0% for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable rate, currently 14.49% to 25.49%. The only downside is the $95 annual fee, but if you do the math, you’ll earn more than enough to justify it.

Pros:

  • Newly added cash back on streaming
  • Recently added cash back on ridesharing
  • The best cash back on groceries
  • Solid cash back for gas

Cons:

  • Annual fee
  • Some places don’t accept Amex

Best Overall

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

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A card built for the everyday

Apply at The Points Guy

From its stellar rewards on groceries and gas to new additions like streaming services and ridesharing, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is hard to beat when it comes to everyday use.

Simple Cash Back: Citi® Double Cash Card

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For keeping your rewards easy, the Citi® Double Cash Card has one of the most simple rewards programs out there today: earn cash back twice. Grab 2% cash back 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, you have to pay at least the minimum due on time).

This card also has a nice balance transfer offer, so you can enjoy 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 15.49% – 25.49%, based on your creditworthiness.

Pros:

  • Simple rewards program
  • High cash back on all purchases
  • Balance transfer offer’
  • No annual fee

Cons:

  • Lack of welcome bonus
  • No additional perks

Simple Cash Back

Citi® Double Cash Card

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The easiest rewards program out there.

Apply at The Points Guy

For those looking for a ridiculously easy rewards program that actually earns you a good amount of cash back, the Citi® Double Cash Card is a perfect fit. It seconds that.

The Travel Card: The Platinum Card® from American Express

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The Platinum Card® from American Express is always somewhere near or at the top of the best travel cards. New cardholders earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases in your first 3 months, 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel, and 5X Membership Rewards points on prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com.

This card also has a ton of additional perks. Enjoy Uber VIP status and free rides in the U.S. up to $15 each month, and access to the Global Lounge Collection, the only credit card airport lounge access program that includes proprietary lounge locations around the world. You’ll also receive complimentary benefits with an average total value of $550 with Fine Hotels & Resorts, as well as a $200 Airline Fee Credit, up to $200 per calendar year in baggage fees and more at one qualifying airline.

Pros:

  • High rewards on flights and hotels
  • Free Uber rides
  • Yearly flying credits

Cons:

  • High annual fee
  • Amex isn’t accepted as many places as others

The Travel Card

The Platinum Card® from American Express

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The classic travel card.

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This card has been a long-standing icon for travel with its stellar rewards on flights and hotels as well as its newer additions like access to the Global Lounge Collection.

For Staying Over: Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card

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If you are a fan of Hotels.com, Capital One has a credit card that is made just for you. Grab a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles once you spend $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $500 in travel. After that, earn 2X miles on every purchase, every day.

This card also offers up to $100 of the application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®. You can fly any airline, stay at any hotel, anytime; there are no blackout dates with the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. Plus, transfer your miles to over 12 leading travel loyalty programs. This card has no foreign transaction fees and a $0 intro annual fee for the first year ($95 after that).

Pros:

  • The most standard points on hotels
  • Solid welcome bonus
  • No blackout dates

Cons:

  • Have to book through Hotels.com
  • Annual fee

For Staying Over

Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card

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Custom-built for hotels.

Apply at The Points Guy

The Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card is a fantastic hotel-focused credit card with an easy to understand earning and rewards program.

Bottom line

While there isn’t one card that’ll fit the bill for everyone, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is the best all-rounder we’ve seen. Earning big on the things you buy every day, like groceries and gas, is an easy win. Plus, the additions of earning on streaming services and ridesharing, two growing industries that continue to play bigger roles in our lives, is a solid move that will benefit almost anyone with this card.

That aside, there are also much better cards out there if you are looking to earn the most on specific categories like flights, hotels, or just looking to keep your overall rewards program as simple as possible. Find the card that works for how you spend and want to manage your rewards.

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