Best rewards credit cards of October 2026

Navigating the wide range of rewards card options can be difficult. How do you narrow down your search?

The key is to look at spending habits and find cards that give you the biggest rewards in those categories. You also want to make sure you’re earning the type of rewards you’ll actually use.

Let's go over this in more detail. To kick off your search for the right card, ask yourself the following three questions:

The first thing you need to decide is what kind of rewards you want to earn. Cash back is a simple and flexible rewards currency that tends to offer consistent value. Travel rewards, on the other hand, can provide higher value — but you’ll need to put in some work and strategy to get it.

Here’s a look at the different types of rewards, which cards earn them and the pros and cons of each.

Once you know the type of rewards you want to earn, the next step is to figure out how you will earn them. To do that, you should look at where you spend your money. For example, if groceries make up a large part of your budget, first look for a card that earns bonus rewards for groceries, then decide whether you want to earn cash back or points.

Consider also the effort you’ll need to put in earning rewards. A card might offer outstanding rewards rates, but the rewards structure might make them challenging to earn. Overall, there are three types of rewards structures:

• Flat rewards rates: The easiest to manage since you earn rewards at the same rate on almost all purchases (usually 1.5% or 2% back). This structure is a great fit if you value simplicity but cards with tiered rates can be more rewarding.

• Tiered bonus categories: You can earn anywhere from 2% to 6% back in popular bonus categories like groceries, dining and travel, but often just 1% in less common spending categories.

• Rotating categories: You can earn chart-topping 5% rewards on categories that change each quarter, but maximizing your rewards requires a lot of effort. This structure may be better suited as a supplement to flat rewards rates and tiered bonus categories.

Rewards credit cards can be quite appealing, and for good reason. But that doesn’t mean this kind of card is a perfect choice for everyone. Here are some advantages and drawbacks you should be aware of.

A rewards credit card is only a financial tool. Whether it will benefit you depends on how you’ll use it. Here are a few good practices to keep in mind:

• Use a rewards credit card for your everyday purchases. That way, you’ll regularly earn cash back, points or miles on your regular spending.
• Avoid carrying a balance. The average credit card interest is around 20%, according to Bankrate’s data. No rewards rate can beat that.
• If your rewards card has an annual fee, it’s a good idea to reevaluate whether the rewards and benefits offset the fee every year. If not, look into downgrading the card.
• Don’t spend more than you normally would just to earn more rewards. Unless you’re trying to earn a generous welcome bonus, such a habit can quickly become harmful to your budget.

We select cards for the “Best rewards credit cards” page based primarily on how they score in our proprietary card rating system, our editors’ subjective assessment of card quality, card approval odds and credit requirements and unique card features. 

Cards typically must score a minimum of 3.0 stars to be included on this list. However, we may include cards with scores below 3.0 if they have low credit requirements or unique features — despite their scores, these cards may still be among the “best” in certain categories. Card ratings are not influenced by advertisers or issuer relationships in any way. 

Card selection and ordering may also vary based on business considerations, including Bankrate visitor interest, site interactions and card application volume. Affiliate commissions (see how we make money), limited-time offers and a card’s general popularity in the product landscape may also influence which cards we feature on our pages and the order in which they appear. Bankrate’s editorial and business teams also strive to feature a variety of card types from various issuers.

When evaluating the best rewards cards, we consider a mix of factors, including how cards score in our proprietary card rating system and whether cards offer features that fit the priorities of a diverse group of cardholders, from earning rewards in popular categories to scoring a large sign-up bonus or high-value perks. Whenever possible, we also feature cards that are available at various credit levels and price points. 

We analyzed over 150 of the most popular cards and scored each based on its rewards rate, estimated annual earnings, welcome bonus value, APR, fees, perks and more to determine whether it belonged in this month’s roundup of the best rewards cards.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the key factors in our rewards card scoring methodology and details we considered when putting together our list of the best rewards cards.  

Have more questions for our credit card editors? Feel free to send us an email, find us on Facebook, or Tweet us @Bankrate.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.