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Rewards, sign-up bonuses, balance transfers, fees, protections, and card reviews. Pick the right card and collect more from it than it costs you.
Get the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card if one category, like gas or dining, takes a steady share of your spending. It pays 3% there until your category, grocery, and wholesale club purchases reach $2,500 for the quarter. Bank of America checking customers who join BofA Rewards earn 10% to 75% more, depending on their balances.
Get the Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Credit Card if you’re already a Fidelity customer. Its 2% back comes only as a deposit to an eligible Fidelity account, such as a brokerage account or IRA, and it can make those deposits automatically each month. Without a Fidelity account, choose a 2% card that pays cash.
Southwest’s Companion Pass lets one person fly with you for taxes and fees. From 2027 it takes 140,000 tier qualifying points from paid flights and card spending, or 100 one-way flights, and card sign-up bonuses won’t count. Apply for a Southwest card by December 2, 2026, and once approved, its bonus can still count toward a pass good through 2027.
Take the SoFi Unlimited 2% Credit Card if SoFi invites you. It pays 2% back on purchases with no annual fee or foreign transaction fee, whether you take a statement credit or move rewards into SoFi. Without an invitation you can’t apply, so pick a 2% card that takes open applications.
Get the Robinhood Gold Visa® Card if you’ll keep paying for Robinhood Gold’s $50 annual plan and charge more than $5,000 a year to the card. Past that point, its 3% back beats a free 2% card even after the fee. Skip it if you spend less or travel abroad, where new cardholders pay a 3% foreign transaction fee.
Get the Wells Fargo Autograph® Card if more than half of your card spending goes to restaurants, gas, travel, transit, streaming, and phone plans. In that case, it earns more than a flat 2% card, since those categories pay 3 points per dollar, worth 3% as cash. It charges no annual fee and no foreign transaction fee.
Choose a hotel credit card from the chain you already stay with most, since the free nights and elite status it brings work only at that chain’s hotels. Take a no-fee card if you stay a few nights a year, and pay an annual fee only for a yearly free night, anniversary points, or status you’ll use.
Get the airline credit card of the carrier you fly most, since its free bags and boarding perks work only on that airline. If you check a bag a few times a year, its card for $150 or less is enough. Pay more only for a perk you’ll use every year, like a companion fare or lounge visits.
Your credit card is interest-free only for purchases you pay off in full by each due date. Leave part of a bill unpaid, take cash from it, or accept store financing, and the card becomes a loan, often at over 20% a year. Before you do any of those, check when interest starts and what fees apply.
Every Southwest credit card waives your first checked bag, so pick by the seat you want. Take the $99 Plus if the bag is enough, or the $149 Premier for a seat near the front and twice the anniversary points. Pay $229 for the Priority only to pick your seat at booking.
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