The best credit cards for online shopping let you buy whatever you need from the comfort of your home, allowing you to avoid crowds and save time. These cards can offer substantial bonuses for shopping online or through portals, providing maximum returns on your spending. To find the best card for your needs, consider where and how you shop to see which card will give you the most in return.
Comparing the best credit cards for online shopping
The best credit cards for shopping online let you earn rewards on your spending while providing additional perks. Here are some of our top choices for your online shopping needs.
5% cash back on Instacart purchases (excluding powered by Uber Eats) and Chase Travel
$50 Instacart credit automatically upon approval
4.1
The Prime Visa is ideal for Amazon.com purchases but also earns top rates at Whole Foods Market and Chase Travel portal bookings with an eligible Prime membership. Upon card approval, you’ll also get a $150 Amazon.com gift card instantly. Amazon.com sells practically everything, making the return from this card even stronger. You’ll also access even higher reward rates on select items during Prime shopping events. While this card doesn’t have an annual fee, you will need an Amazon Prime member to qualify (annual Prime membership costs $139).
Pros
The card earns excellent rewards rates on Amazon.com, Whole Foods and Chase Travel purchases.
You can save over 10 percent during Amazon’s featured online shopping events.
Cons
Although it’s a no-fee card, the required Prime membership can be costly if you don’t shop regularly at Amazon.
You can earn much more valuable welcome bonuses with other cards.
The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards card lets you pick your top-earning category (up to $2,500 in combined spending each quarter between the 3 percent and 2 percent categories, 1 percent back after). You can choose online shopping, which covers plenty of purchases. You’ll also get a decent welcome bonus and a lengthy intro APR offer to provide additional initial value. If you have status in the Bank of America Preferred Rewards program, you can earn a boost of up to 75 percent on purchases, giving you the potential to earn as high as 5.25 percent cash back on your online purchases.
Pros
Having Preferred Rewards status can substantially boost this card’s earning rates.
The list of categories to choose from each quarter is extensive.
Cons
The $2,500 quarterly cap limits the card’s earning potential.
Redemption options are limited to cash back and statement credits.
The no-annual-fee Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express is one of the best for everyday spending, both in-person and online. The card offers top earning rates in numerous categories, including a rare bonus category for U.S. online retailers (up to $6,000 annually, then 1 percent). Combining these features with a lengthy intro APR offer and an easy-to-earn welcome bonus, the Blue Cash Everyday is an excellent choice for a standalone card.
Pros
The U.S. online retail category covers just about any online purchase.
You can get substantial initial and ongoing value using this card for most of your everyday spending.
Cons
Bigger spenders may run into spending caps later in the year when online shopping tends to be more popular.
Redemption options are limited compared to other Membership Rewards-earning cards.
The Discover it® Cash Back earns 5 percent cash back on rotating categories when activated, each quarter (up to $1,500 in purchases, then 1 percent). During the holidays, online shopping merchants are often a common category option. For example, during this holiday quarter, the Discover Cashback Calendar features Amazon and Target purchases as its bonus categories.
Additionally, Discover will match all cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year and offers an excellent intro APR on purchases and balance transfers, providing outstanding initial value for a no-annual-fee card.
Pros
Rotating categories provide top rewards that often align with seasonal spending needs.
Holiday categories often feature prominent online shopping options.
Cons
The quarterly spending cap may be fairly low for some spenders.
You may have quarterly categories that you won’t spend much in.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card currently offers solid incentives for online travel purchases, earning 5X points on travel booked through Chase Travel™ and 2X points on general travel purchases. You’ll also get an excellent welcome offer and $300 in statement credits toward Chase Travel purchases in your first year.
Chase Ultimate Rewards has various redemption options, including transfers to Chase airline and hotel partners. You’ll also get a 25 percent points boost when booking through Chase Travel and a 10 percent anniversary bonus boost.
Pros
The card offers excellent value and incentives to book travel through Chase Travel.
You can pool Ultimate Rewards from multiple cards for added value and flexibility.
Cons
The $95 annual fee may not work for infrequent travelers.
Other online shopping purchases outside of travel and groceries only earn 1X points.
The Instacart Mastercard offers a high cash back rate on Instacart purchases. The card can offer solid rewards if you do most of your grocery shopping online with Instacart or its mobile app. After all, the app offers delivery from more than 1,400 retailers across the U.S. You’ll get a $50 Instacart credit upon approval and many of Chase’s solid travel protections, a rare find for a no-annual-fee card.
Pros
The card’s earning rates can easily offset potential markups or delivery fees.
You’ll get many of Chase’s top-level travel protections with this card. Cons
Cons
You’ll need to pay attention to additional fees and product upcharges.
Online grocery shopping may not be ideal for you if you’re picky about items like produce.
How to choose the best credit cards for online shopping
Shopping online can cover many categories and rewards, meaning many rewards credit cards can provide different benefits. When searching for the ideal credit card for your online shopping needs, consider these points to help you choose.
Examine your shopping habits. Figure out which stores or websites you spend the most when shopping online. You can narrow your search to cards offering the most rewards to the merchants and categories you shop most.
Choose a card with the type of rewards you want to earn. You’ll need to decide whether you want cash back, travel rewards points or benefits and discounts related to specific stores.
Compare perks and features. See what other benefits the cards you’re considering offer. The welcome offer is a good place to start. Then, examine whether there are any recurring benefits like statement credits, additional perks like trip insurance or high-value transfer partners.
Decide if paying an annual fee is worth the cost. Evaluate how much the benefits and reward rates of a card with an annual fee are worth and determine whether you can justify the cost. If you use the benefits offered or shop frequently in the elevated bonus categories, you can come out ahead. But you’ll want to revisit this formula regularly to determine whether the ongoing value remains.
Maximizing rewards when shopping online
In addition to choosing the right credit card for online shopping, there are many other ways to maximize your rewards. Consider these options to stack additional points or savings onto your online purchases.
Shopping portals: Before you shop online, consider going through a shopping portal. You’ll find portals that will earn cash back, airline miles or other rewards that will stack onto your purchase based on your spending. You can earn these rewards in addition to any rewards earned on your credit card. Every website offers different bonuses for shopping through a portal. For example, you might find a site that offers 3 points per dollar spent at a specific site. Sites like Cashback Monitor can help you search and compare which sites offer the highest rewards.
Card-linked offers: Many credit card issuers have card-linked offers you can activate before shopping at a site or in-store. They usually come with terms like “spend $50, get $10 back” or “earn an extra 3X points per dollar up to $100 spent.” You can utilize these savings or extra points on top of any rewards earned or shopping portals you shop through.
Loyalty programs: If you frequently shop with a retailer that offers a loyalty program, you should join it. You’ll often get an email coupon for a decent discount when signing up. It’s almost always free to join, and you can get extra incentives like bonus rewards and discounts, milestone rewards or birthday gifts.
Frequently asked questions
It’s always better to use a credit card for online purchases due to their enhanced protection against fraud. Most credit cards come with zero fraud liability, and $50 is the maximum amount you can legally be held liable for per the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Store credit cards can often be worth it if you shop frequently at that particular retailer and it offers the same rewards or better for shopping through its website. Evaluate your spending habits and compare the rewards offered to what you could earn with cards that provide more flexibility to see if they deserve a spot in your wallet.
Not every purchase will qualify as online shopping, although issuers classify it differently. Usually, paying bills and utilities online won’t earn online shopping bonuses. You may also want to check streaming purchases, as those often fall into a separate category.
What’s next?
Check out these Bankrate tools to match your next card.
The bottom line
The best credit cards for online shopping provide elevated rewards for your online purchases. Some also offer generous welcome bonuses, intro APR offers and other valuable perks and benefits. You can often find additional ways to stack extra rewards on top of these bonus earnings. Plus, you’ll get maximum protection against fraudulent purchases when you shop online with a credit card instead of a debit card. However, it’s essential to remember your spending habits as you look for the card that works best for you.
*The information about the Instacart Mastercard® and Prime Visa have been collected independently by Bankrate. These cards’ details have not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.
