The best credit cards for holiday shopping

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You have your holiday gift list, you’ve checked it twice, and now you’re ready to shop.

If you plan to use a credit card to pay for your purchases, keep in mind that rewards credit cards can reward you for your holiday shopping in the form of cash back, discounts or perks such as free shipping. But it’s important to pick a card that aligns with your habits. Here’s our take on the best credit cards for holiday shopping to help you narrow down your list of options.

Best for flat-rate rewards: Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
Best for rotating bonus categories: Chase Freedom Flex℠
Best for a variety of online shopping: Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card
Best for Amazon: Amazon Prime Visa
Best for Target: Target RedCard™
Best for Walmart: Capital One Walmart Rewards® Mastercard

Best for flat-rate rewards: Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

Here’s why: This card offers a flat 2% cash back on every purchase you make — and it has no annual fee. That means you’ll be able to get solid value no matter where you shop.

The card also offers a $200 cash rewards bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months after account opening. If you’re already planning to spend a fair amount on holiday gifts, you might be able to earn the bonus more easily.

If you’re looking to make a big gift purchase (or several), the card also provides new cardholders an introductory 0% APR on purchases for 15 months from the time you open your account — and on balance transfers made within the first 120 days. After that, your variable APR for both will be 20.24%, 25.24%, 29.99%. There’s a balance transfer fee of 3% for 120 days from account opening, then up to 5% (minimum $5).

Read our member reviews of the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card to get more details.

Best for rotating bonus categories: Chase Freedom Flex℠

Here’s why: You’ll earn an impressive 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent in bonus categories that rotate every three months. After reaching the spending cap, you’ll earn 1% back on bonus category purchases. You must activate your categories every quarter to earn that bonus rate.

In 2023, the card’s bonus categories have included wholesale clubs, home improvement stores, fitness clubs and gym memberships, gas stations, grocery shopping and purchases made through PayPal.

What’s more, new cardholders will earn a $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first three months after you open your account.

Other bonus rewards rates include 5% back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3% on dining, including takeout and eligible delivery services, and 3% on drugstore purchases. All other purchases will net you 1% back.

In addition to a cash bonus, new cardholders will also get an intro 0% APR for 15 months after account opening on purchases and balance transfers. After that, the variable APR for each is 20.49%-29.24%. The balance transfer fee will run you 3% ($5 minimum) in the first 60 days after your account opens, and 5% (minimum $5) after that.

That’s not bad for a card with a $0 annual fee.

Read our member reviews of the Chase Freedom Flex℠ to learn more.

Best for a variety of online holiday shopping: Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card

From our partner

Annual Fee

$0
Intro Purchase APR

0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases*
Intro Balance Transfer APR

See Terms*
Regular Purchase APR

18.24% – 28.24%* Variable
Regular Balance Transfer APR

18.24% – 28.24%* Variable

Additional Rates and Fees

Cash Advance Rate	See Terms*
Cash Advance Fee	See Terms*
Late Fee	See Terms*
Penalty APR	Up to 29.99% APR
Balance Transfer Fee	3% for 60 days from account opening, then 4%
Foreign Transaction Fee	3%
Return Payment Fee	See Terms*

$200 online cash rewards bonus after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.
Earn 3% cash back in the category of your choice, automatic 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (up to $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club quarterly purchases) and unlimited 1% on all other purchases.
Choose 3% cash back on gas and EV charging station, online shopping/cable/internet/phone plan/streaming, dining, travel, drug store/pharmacy or home improvement/furnishing purchases.
If you’re a Bank of America Preferred Rewards® member, you can earn 25%-75% more cash back on every purchase. That means you could earn 3.75%-5.25% cash back on purchases in your choice category.
No annual fee and cash rewards don’t expire as long as your account remains open.
0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases, and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the Intro APR offer ends, a Variable APR that’s currently 18.24% – 28.24% will apply. A 3% Intro balance transfer fee will apply for the first 60 days your account is open. After the Intro balance transfer fee offer ends, the fee for future balance transfers is 4%.
Contactless Cards – The security of a chip card, with the convenience of a tap.
This online only offer may not be available if you leave this page or if you visit a Bank of America financial center. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.

^*See the online provider's credit card application for details about terms and conditions. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. However, all credit card information is presented without warranty. When you click on the "Apply Now" button, you can review the credit card terms and conditions on the provider's website.

See details, rates & fees

Here’s why: With this card, you’ll earn 3% cash back in a category of your choice — and the list of categories includes online shopping purchases, so you can maximize your rewards at a variety of retailers.

Cardholders will also earn 2% back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs. But the bonus earning rate stops once you hit a cap of $2,500 in combined spending in all three bonus categories each quarter, so spending a lot at grocery stores and wholesale clubs could limit the rewards you see from your online shopping. All other purchases, including what you spend after hitting the cap, will net you just 1% back.

As a new cardholder, you’ll earn a $200 bonus after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days after account opening. You’ll also get an introductory 0% APR on purchases for 15 billing cycles and balance transfers made within the first 60 days after account opening. The ongoing variable APR ranges from 18.24% - 28.24%. The balance transfer fee will run you 3% for 60 days from account opening, then 4%. There’s also a $0 annual fee.

Get more details about the card in our Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card review.

Best for Amazon: Amazon Prime Visa

From our partner

Annual Fee

$0
Intro Purchase APR

N/A
Intro Balance Transfer APR

N/A
Regular Purchase APR

19.49% – 27.49%* Variable
Regular Balance Transfer APR

19.49% – 27.49%* Variable

Additional Rates and Fees

Cash Advance Rate	29.99%* Variable
Cash Advance Fee	4%, Min: $5
Late Fee	See Terms*
Penalty APR	Up to 29.99%
Balance Transfer Fee	Either $5 or 4% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Foreign Transaction Fee	$0
Return Payment Fee	See Terms*

Get a $100 Amazon Gift Card instantly upon approval exclusively for Prime members
Earn unlimited 5% back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, and Whole Foods Market with an eligible Prime membership
Earn unlimited 5% back on Chase Travel purchases with an eligible Prime membership
Earn unlimited 2% back at gas stations, restaurants, and on local transit and commuting (including rideshare)
Earn unlimited 1% back on all other purchases
No annual credit card fee
No more waiting. Redeem daily rewards at Amazon.com as soon as the next day
Member FDIC

See details, rates & fees

Here’s why: As an Amazon Prime member, you’ll earn 5% cash back on every purchase you make on Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market and Chase Travel.

Cardholders also get 2% back at restaurants, gas stations and on local transit and commuting, and 1% back on everything else.

As a new cardholder, you’ll get a $100 Amazon gift card upon approval if you’re an Amazon Prime member.

There’s no annual fee, but keep in mind that it’ll cost you to get an Amazon Prime membership if you don’t already have one.

If you’re interested in applying, read our review of the Amazon Prime Visa to learn more.

Best for Target: Target RedCard™

Here’s why: You’ll get a 5% discount on all eligible purchases you make at Target stores and on Target.com. There are no rewards to track — you’ll get a simple discount on your purchases when you check out.

The card also offers free shipping on most items, access to exclusive offers and 30 more days for returns and exchanges. The 5% discount also applies to Starbucks purchases inside Target locations, so you can recharge while you shop.

Just keep in mind that you can only use the Target RedCard™ at Target. But if you shop there often enough, it can still be worth it. If you’re concerned about the hard inquiry on your credit reports, you might prefer the Target RedCard™ debit card. Both cards have no annual fee.

Get more details about the Target RedCard™ in our full review.

Best for Walmart: Capital One Walmart Rewards® Mastercard

Here’s why: You’ll earn 5% cash back on Walmart.com, including pickup and delivery, plus 2% back in Walmart stores.

And during the first 12 months, you’ll get the 5% rewards rate in Walmart stores when you use Walmart Pay, too. Cardholders also earn 2% back at restaurants and on travel, and 1% back on everything else. Plus, there’s no annual fee.

If you’re not approved for this card, you’ll be automatically considered for the Walmart Rewards® Card, which is a store credit card that you can only use at Walmart. This card offers the same rewards on Walmart and Walmart.com purchases.

If you’re a regular Walmart shopper, read our review of the Capital One Walmart Rewards® Mastercard to find out if it’s right for you.

How we picked these cards

We chose our top credit cards for holiday shopping with a variety of shopping habits and preferences in mind.

First, we considered the type of rewards program. While some shoppers prefer a flat rewards rate on everything, others might want the chance to maximize their rewards on certain everyday spending categories.

We also wanted to include a few retail credit cards from large stores that offer a wide range of gift items because they offer some of the best rewards for their regular shoppers.

Which type of credit card is best for online holiday shopping?

There’s no one type of credit card that’s best for every kind of online shopping. When choosing a particular credit card for your shopping, you’ll want to pick one that aligns with your habits.

For instance, if you do most of your online holiday shopping at a large retailer like Amazon or Target.com, you might want to pick one of their co-branded cards to maximize your rewards or savings. Similarly, if you do a variety of online shopping, you might want to choose a card that rewards you for all online shopping. The same idea holds for the shopping you might do in physical stores.

When you think you’ve settled on a card, though, make sure to read the fine print on your rewards categories. For example, if a card says it offers bonus rewards on grocery shopping, groceries at superstores like Walmart and Target and wholesale clubs might be excluded. You’ll also want to double-check if online orders or delivery services are included in the bonus category.

About the author: Ben Luthi is a personal finance freelance writer and credit cards expert. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management and finance from Brigham Young University. In addition to Credit Karma, you can find his wo… Read more.