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In the world of points, we’re always trying to get as many of the best points possible. And trying to figure out the best card to use for each bonus category can drive you crazy. In an ideal world, you’d just have 1 credit card that covers every type of expense you’ll ever have.
But it rarely ever works like that. Sure, you might have a go-to card like the American Express® Gold Card if you tend to eat out or go grocery shopping a lot, but what about all the other purchases in life?
Importantly, there is plenty of day-to-day spending and expenses that don’t fit into a specific bonus category. That’s why you need to have a credit card for everyday purchases, also known as miscellaneous purchases.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the aspects of a rewarding credit card for everyday purchases, and then we’ll split up our favorite picks into a section for personal cards and a section for business cards.
Let’s get started!
You may already know that the Amex Gold card is one of the best credit cards for dining or that the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is one of the best business credit cards out there, especially for advertising purchases. But when you look for a credit card for your everyday purchases, you’re specifically looking for a rewarding credit card for the non-categorized purchases out there.
You’re looking for the most rewarding credit card for other transactions like car maintenance, retail stores, clothes, medical bills, gyms, utilities, online shopping, movie theaters, and events. These types of purchases don’t fit perfectly into any single bonus category out there, and collectively, these purchases can really add up in the long run.
That’s why it’s so important to have the best credit card possible for everyday purchases. A rewarding credit card for everyday purchases will provide the highest return on spend (ideally 2 points per dollar), low annual fees, a great credit card bonus offer, and the most miscellaneous perks.
So with all that being said, let’s talk about our favorite credit card picks for everyday purchases. We’ll start with personal cards, then we’ll move into the best business credit cards for everyday purchases.
| Card | Welcome Bonus and Annual Fee | Benefits for Everyday Purchases |
| Chase Freedom Unlimited® |
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| Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card |
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| Citi® Double Cash Card |
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| Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express |
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| Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card |
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| Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express |
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The Freedom Unlimited card is our top recommended personal credit card for everyday purchases.
This credit card earns you at least 1.5% cash-back on all purchases. You will also earn 3% cash-back on dining and drugstore purchases, as well as 5% cash-back on travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal.
By itself, earning 1.5% cash-back is great — however, if you also have an Ultimate Rewards credit card, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, or Ink Business Preferred card, you can convert your cash-back into Ultimate Rewards points.
That means your 1.5%, 3%, and 5% cash-back would be equivalent to 1.5x, 3x, and 5x Ultimate Rewards points respectively. You would earn a minimum of 3% back on your spending, according to our points and miles valuations!
Furthermore, this card has no annual fee and comes with a 0% introductory APR period as shown in the table above, which is an awesome perk.
Other benefits of the Freedom Unlimited card include purchase protection, extended warranty coverage, zero liability protection, secondary auto rental collision damage coverage, travel coverage, fraud protection, and more.
If you only have the Freedom Unlimited card, your points are redeemable at a 1 cent per point value for cash-back, Shop at Amazon, gift cards, and travel through the Chase travel portal.
However, with an Ultimate Rewards credit card, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you can dramatically increase the value of your points.
That’s because your cash-back is convertible to Ultimate Rewards points at a 1% to 1x ratio. You can transfer your points to numerous great Chase airline and hotel partners and then redeem them for incredible travel experiences like business and first class flights.
The Capital One Venture card is our next favorite card option for everyday purchases.
In the past, Capital One was more focused on offering cash-back rewards and products for those with lower credit scores, but in recent years, Capital One unveiled a new rewards program, Capital One Miles, with transferable partnerships that have added yet another awesome rewards ecosystem to the mix.
Today, the Capital One Venture card is our runner-up for the best personal credit card for everyday purchases, and you’ll enjoy a generous welcome bonus. Earn 5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
You’ll also earn an unlimited 2x Capital One miles on all non-bonus purchases you make with no caps! In addition, you’ll get a $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit, as well as no foreign transaction fees and a low annual fee. You can even visit Capital One Lounges or Plaza Premium Lounges twice per year using your card.
Uniquely, this credit card offers great travel protections and benefits, including lost luggage insurance, roadside dispatch, and travel assistance services.
You can also shop with peace of mind with the purchase security and extended warranty perks. Lastly, you’ll enjoy zero fraud liability and a fabulous rewards program.
We love Capital One miles because they’re one of the major flexible rewards currencies. You can redeem your Capital One miles for statement credits for travel purchases, experience, gift cards, and more. We value Capital One miles at 1.8 cents each.
But our favorite way to redeem Capital One miles is to transfer them to airline partners for some awesome flights like Lufthansa first class and Etihad first class.
One of the most misunderstood credit cards is the Double Cash card. This card offers some of the best rewards in the world with no caps. And as you become busier and busier, this card will be one of the best companions you can have for unfussy rewards.
The Double Cash card earns 2% cash-back (1% when you purchase and 1% when you pay it off, earned as ThankYou Points) which can be redeemed in many ways.
Other unique features include flexible pay dates, access to Citi Private Pass for event tickets, fraud protection, zero liability for unauthorized purchases, and a late fee pass.
We love earning Citi ThankYou Points because these points are one of the largest transferable currencies out there.
Normally, your rewards from the Double Cash card can be redeemed for cash-back, gift cards, travel through the Citi Travel Portal, or transferred to Choice, Wyndham, or JetBlue.
However, if you have a premium ThankYou Rewards credit card such as the Citi Premier® Card or the Citi Prestige® Card, you can access all of Citi’s transfer partners to redeem for jaw-dropping flights like Emirates first class and ANA first class.
The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card is yet another excellent choice for those interested in great rewards and who want to maximize cash-back.
This card earns:
Getting the ability to earn 6% cash-back on any card is an achievement by itself, but this card offers that and much more.
Hot Tip: Despite being a card with an annual fee, the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card even has a 0% introductory APR perk (rates and fees)!
In addition to a hefty statement credit welcome bonus, you’ll find that this card also offers several benefits like a $10 monthly Equinox credit, $7 monthly credit after spending $12.99 per month or more on The Disney Bundle, return protection, fraud protection, and secondary car rental coverage.
The Bank of America Premium Rewards card has the potential to be a lucrative credit card if you have large banking relationships with Bank of America.
This card earns 2x points on travel and dining and 1.5x points everywhere else. However, if you are an elite member of Bank of America’s Preferred Rewards program, you’d earn up to 75% in bonus points, which could elevate your earnings to 3.5x points on travel and dining and 2.625x points everywhere else.
You’ll also get up to $100 as an airline incidental credit, up to $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit, and travel protections like trip delay, trip cancellation, trip interruption, baggage delay, baggage loss, emergency evacuation, transportation, and travel, emergency assistance, and rental car coverage.
The Amex Blue Cash Everyday card is unique because it has a special bonus category — online shopping! This card earns 3% cash-back at U.S. online retailers (up to $6,000 in purchases each year). This is a broad category that includes the following types of online stores:
Additionally, this card earns 3% cash-back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 in purchases each year) and 3% cash-back at U.S. gas stations (up to $6,000 in purchases each year). All other purchases earn 1% cash-back.
The Amex Blue Cash Everyday card comes with additional perks like:
Now that we’ve combed through our favorite personal credit cards for everyday purchases, let’s take a deep dive into the best business cards for everyday purchases.
| Card | Welcome Bonus | Benefits for Everyday Purchases |
| The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express |
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| Ink Business Premier℠ Credit Card |
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| Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card |
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| Capital One Spark Miles for Business |
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| The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card |
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| Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card |
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The Amex Blue Business Plus card is our favorite business card for everyday purchases. You’ll seamlessly maximize your everyday purchases without having to pay an annual fee.
Specifically, you’ll earn 2x points on everyday business transactions, up to $50,000 per calendar year. You’ll also be able to utilize an introductory APR, as mentioned in the table above, on purchases. If you max out the 2x points, your earnings will drop to 1x points. With this card, you’ll also enjoy additional employee cards with no additional cost (rates and fees), purchase protection, extended warranty coverage, and access to Membership Rewards.
The Amex Blue Business Plus card is one of the only credit cards out there that allows you to access transferable points without paying an annual fee.
Amex points are among the easiest to redeem, but they are, according to our valuations, the most valuable transferable points there are.
You can redeem your Amex points for statement credits, gift cards, Amazon purchases, and travel bookings through Amex Travel, but these options don’t yield the most value.
Instead, the best way to redeem your Amex Membership Rewards points is to transfer them to one of the Amex travel partners.
Remember, you don’t need any other credit cards to access transfer partners — this no-annual-fee business credit card is all you need!
One of Chase’s newest cards is the Ink Business Premier card, and it currently has a welcome bonus, plus almost unbeatable cash-back rewards for high-spending businesses.
Your purchases will earn according to 2 rewards structures:
These cash-back rewards cannot be converted to Ultimate Rewards points, so just keep that in mind.
The Ink Business Premier card is a Pay In Full card that has no preset spending limit but also cannot carry a balance. But even then, some purchases are eligible to be carried over time with interest through the card’s Flex for Business feature.
You can use your cash-back for statement credits, online shopping, Chase travel purchases, gift cards, and more.
This card also has fantastic travel insurance, purchase protection, extended warranty, cell phone protection, no foreign transaction fees, and fee-free employee cards.
The Ink Business Unlimited card is our runner-up business credit card because it will earn you simple rewards with no bonus categories.
Similar to the Freedom Unlimited card mentioned above, earn 1.5% cash-back on all your purchases with no caps.
In addition, you’ll get a 0% introductory APR as detailed in the table above, which should help you with avoiding interest fees during the intro period.
This card has no annual fee and allows you to add unlimited employee cards with no fees. Also, you’ll get zero liability fraud protection, purchase protection, extended warranty coverage, primary rental car coverage, and other benefits!
Remember, if you have an Ultimate Rewards card like the Ink Business Preferred card, you can convert your 1.5% cash-back to 1.5x Ultimate Rewards points, effectively doubling the value of your rewards.
Our next business credit card is an excellent choice for everyday purchases. Specifically, the Capital One Spark Miles card is great for business owners looking to earn unlimited 2x Capital One miles on every purchase with no blackouts or seat restrictions and no minimum to redeem.
You’ll first get a 1-time welcome bonus. You’ll also enjoy 5x miles on hotel and rental car bookings through Capital One Travel, in addition to your 2x miles elsewhere.
This card offers up to $100 credit for Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fees, no-additional-cost employee cards, no foreign transaction fees, roadside assistance, zero fraud liability, extended warranty, purchase protection, and much more.
The Amex Blue Business Cash card earns great cash-back rewards without needing to worry about bonus categories. If you’re looking for an organized way to manage business expenses while earning cash-back rewards, this card is an excellent choice.
Earn 2% cash-back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1% thereafter. Also, any cash-back earned is automatically credited to your statement so you don’t have to worry about redeeming your rewards — they’re redeemed automatically for you!
This card also comes with a 0% introductory APR (rates and fees), as detailed in the table above, to help you grow your business and defer interest accrual.
Other worthwhile benefits include purchase protection and extended warranty coverage.
The Capital One Spark Cash Plus card is the last business credit card for everyday purchases that we’ll review — and it’s one worth considering because you can earn an unlimited 2% cash-back on all purchases. It also has no preset spending limit!
You’ll earn a 1-time new cardmember offer to start, and you’ll also get zero fraud liability, free employee cards, roadside assistance, no foreign transaction fees, extended warranty, and purchase protection.
When you’re making everyday purchases that don’t fit neatly into a bonus category, it’s unreasonable to expect to earn 4x or 5x points like you could on dining, groceries, and airfare.
However, with the right personal or business credit cards, you can still make the most out of these purchases, earning up to 2x points per dollar spent!
Be sure to do your homework and choose the cards that best fit your needs, whether it be low annual fees, transfer partnerships, or card benefits.
We hope that you’ve found this guide useful to help you figure out the best credit cards for everyday purchases.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
Enrollment required through Capital One website or mobile app. Upon enrollment, eligible cardholders will remain at upgraded status level through December 31, 2024. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply.
For the return protection benefit of the Blue Cash Preferred® from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/
For the purchase protection and extended warranty benefits of the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, and The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
The information regarding the Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Chase Freedom Unlimited® was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information for the Citi Prestige® Card has been collected independently by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
Information regarding the Capital One Spark Miles for Business was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, click here.
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Stephen is an established voice in the credit card space, with over 70 to his name. His work has been in publications like The Washington Post, and his Au Points and Awards Consulting Services is used by hundreds of clients.
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