Best credit card for holiday shopping
Black Friday, Cyber Monday and December gifts mostly go on online stores, department stores and warehouse clubs. This ranks the rates personal cards print for those places, at our conservative point values.
No card clearly leads: Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express and AAA Daily Advantage Visa Signature both land on exactly 3.0¢ per dollar.
Updated 2026-09-16. Personal cards only. No store deals: our database holds card terms, not promotions.
Rates that pay anywhere in the category
| # | Card | Where | Rate | Value | Cap | Annual fee | Purchase protection or extended warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express American Express |
Online retail | 3% | 3.0¢/$ | first $6,000 per year | $0 | listed in its benefits |
| 2 | AAA Daily Advantage Visa Signature Comenity Capital Bank (AAA) |
Wholesale clubs | 3% | 3.0¢/$ | uncapped | $0 | not in our data |
| 3 | Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card American Express |
Online retail | 4x | 2.0¢/$ | uncapped | $150 | listed in its benefits |
Value is the printed rate times our conservative value for the points or cash it pays. "Not in our data" means our database doesn't list the protection, not that the card lacks it; coverage limits vary, so check the card's benefit guide. Merchants code themselves, and a store you think of as a department store may not code as one.
Rotating 5% categories, October to December
These pay only in the listed categories, only after you activate for the quarter, and only up to the quarterly cap. Exclusions in each card's terms apply.
- Chase Freedom Flex: 5% on dining, groceries, activation required, first $1,500 per quarter
- Discover it Balance Transfer: 5x on dining, entertainment, utilities, internet and cable, cell phone plans, activation required, first $1,500 per quarter
- Discover it Cash Back: 5x on dining, entertainment, utilities, internet and cable, cell phone plans, activation required, first $1,500 per quarter
- Discover it Student Cash Back: 5x on dining, entertainment, utilities, internet and cable, cell phone plans, activation required, first $1,500 per quarter
- NHL Discover it: 5x on dining, entertainment, utilities, internet and cable, cell phone plans, activation required, first $1,500 per quarter
Cards where you choose the category
- Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards: 3% in a category you choose, and its terms list online shopping among the choices; first $2,500 per quarter
- Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards Secured: 3% in a category you choose, and its terms list online shopping among the choices; first $2,500 per quarter
- U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature Card: 5% in a category you choose, and its terms list department stores among the choices; first $2,000 per quarter
Only at one store or portal
These rates are real, but only where named. Anywhere else the card earns the rate after "elsewhere", so they are not ranked above.
- Capital One Kohl's Rewards Visa: 7.5% at Kohl's only (7.5¢/$); elsewhere 1.0¢/$
- Prime Visa: 5% at Amazon only (5.0¢/$); elsewhere 1.0¢/$
- Samsung Galaxy Card: 5% at Samsung only (5.0¢/$); elsewhere 1.0¢/$
- Capital One BJ's One+ Mastercard: 5% at BJ's only (5.0¢/$); elsewhere 2.0¢/$
- Rakuten American Express Card: 4% at the Rakuten portal only (4.0¢/$); elsewhere 1.0¢/$; first $7,000 per year
- Amazon Visa: 3% at Amazon only (3.0¢/$); elsewhere 1.0¢/$
- PayPal Cashback Mastercard: 3% at PayPal checkout only (3.0¢/$); elsewhere 1.5¢/$
- Bloomingdale's Credit Card: 3x at Bloomingdale's only (3.0¢/$); elsewhere 0.0¢/$
- Capital One BJ's One Mastercard: 3% at BJ's only (3.0¢/$); elsewhere 1.5¢/$
- Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi: 2% at Costco only (2.0¢/$); elsewhere 1.0¢/$
- Macy's American Express® Card: 2x at Macy's only (2.0¢/$); elsewhere 1.0¢/$
- Macy's Credit Card: 2x at Macy's only (2.0¢/$); elsewhere 0.0¢/$
Before you shop
- For stores none of these rates cover, your best flat-rate card is the fallback: best flat-rate cash-back cards.
- Gift cards bought at a store often earn only the base rate, and some issuers exclude them from bonuses entirely.
- Pay the balance in full. Card interest costs more than any rate on this page earns.
Common questions
Which card is best for holiday shopping?
There isn't a clear one. Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express and AAA Daily Advantage Visa Signature both land on exactly 3.0¢ per dollar, inside the error bar on any point valuation, so decide on the fee, the cap and where you actually shop.
Does this page list Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals?
No. It lists the earn rates printed in each card's terms. Store promotions are not in our database, so none are listed or implied here.
Do caps and activation apply?
Yes, often. 1 of the 3 ranked rates is capped, and past a cap the card earns its base rate. The rotating categories need activation every quarter and are capped each quarter, and exclusions in each card's terms apply. A chosen category has to be selected before you spend, and those rates are capped too.
What about Amazon, store and portal cards?
Their higher rates pay only at one store or through one portal: Capital One Kohl's Rewards Visa at Kohl's, Prime Visa at Amazon, Samsung Galaxy Card at Samsung and others. Anywhere else they earn their base rate, so they are listed separately rather than ranked.
Which card should this spending actually be on? The demo re-scores a year of realistic spending against every card in a wallet — free, no signup. See it on sample data →
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