Best Credit Cards for Black Friday and also the Holidays, 2017

This page has run out of date

The 2017 holidays have passed, and thus have some from the offers described in this post. Use our cards comparison tool to locate the best offers in your case, and we'll watch you back in time for your 2018 holidays!

Whether you rush over to the mall for your doorbusters on Black Friday or need replacing your keyboard chasing deals online, you will want to use the right charge card for your holiday shopping. Smart deployment of the plastic can help you save as much as 5% on purchases. The Nerds are here to assist you to choose which card to utilize when.

TABLE of contents

5% cash rebates at stores, walmart and Target

The Chase Freedom® is paying 5% cashback on purchases at malls and Walmart from October through December of 2017. Eligible department shops include JCPenney, Kohl's, Macy's, Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack, Sears, Bloomingdale's, Dillard's and more You'll get the 5% back on around $1,500 in whole combined spending at Walmart and malls in the quarter, and 1% back on all the spending.

Target doesn't count being a department store for that 5% rewards for the Chase Freedom®. But guess what happens: The Discover it® - Cashback Match can give 5% cash return at Target plus the fourth quarter of 2017. If you're a new cardholder, you are able to effectively double that rate to 10% with Discover's unique bonus offer: Discover will match ALL the cash return earned on the end of one's first year, automatically. As together with the Chase card, you cash in on 5% cash return on around $1,500 in spending per quarter, and 1% from then on.

With both cards, you could have to activate the bonus categories each quarter, techniques that so if you haven't already.

3% or 2% CASH BACK AT Select U.S. DEPARTMENT STORES

American Express has two cards that offer bonus rewards at select U.S. stores:

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express earns 3% cashback at select U.S. department shops. ( See which stores are eligible here. ) It also will give you 6% cash return at U.S. supermarkets on approximately $6,000 in spending 12 months (then 1%), 3% at U.S. service stations and 1% on other purchases. Terms apply.

The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express earns 2% cash rebates at select U.S. department shops. It also offers you 3% cash return at U.S. supermarkets on as much as $6,000 in spending annually (then 1%), 2% at U.S. filling stations and 1% on all purchases. Terms apply.

The higher cash-back rates for the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express come with a cost — a once a year fee of $95. The annual fee for the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express is $0. With either card, it's not necessary to worry about which spending category was in season. These bonus rewards rates apply year-round.

Credit cards for Amazon shopping

Amazon is among the most valuable retailer from the U.S. It has reported selling an astounding 500 items per second during peak holiday shopping times. So it's hardly surprising that some charge cards go out of their approach to encourage you make use of them with Amazon.

PAY WITH Credit card REWARDS points

You pays for Amazon purchases directly with your rewards points from major card issuers' programs: American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards and Discover Cashback Bonus. You must register your card on Amazon to pay for with points.

5% CASH BACK AT AMAZON

The Discover it® - Cashback Match provides you with 5% cash rebates on as much as $1,500 in combined purchases at and Target in the fourth quarter of 2017. (Once you hit the $1,500 mark, you cash in on the same 1% cash rebates that applies to all the purchases.) To get the 5% cash return, you should activate the bonus category online. New cardholders can effectively double their cash rebates to 10% (and 2% after $1,500) with Discover's bonus offer: Discover will match ALL the cash rebates earned on the end of your respective first year, automatically.

AMAZON-BRANDED CREDIT CARDS

Of course, if you do a lot of shopping on , consider getting one with the company's branded charge cards:

The Amazon Prime Store Card earns an unlimited 5% back on all purchases. Rewards could be redeemed for credit against Amazon purchases. The card does not have any annual fee, but you have to be an Amazon Prime member, which costs $99 annually. Since it's a store card, it can basically be used at Amazon.

The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card was introduced this season Since it's really a Visa, you may use it almost anyplace. It provides 5% back at Amazon, 2% back at gasoline stations, restaurants and drugstores, and 1% back on the rest. It, too, doesn't have annual fee, but you will need to be an Amazon Prime member, which costs $99 each year. Cardholders are able to use their rewards to repay for purchases on Amazon or redeem them for cash, gift cards or travel.

The Amazon Credit Card, also referred to as the Amazon Rewards Visa, is perfect for non-Prime members. It earns 3% back on Amazon spending; 2% back at gasoline stations, restaurants and drugstores; and 1% back on any devices. The $0.

Credit cards for wholesale clubs

Wholesale clubs like Costco, Sam's Club and BJ's make one-stop shopping easy, selling electronics, home goods, clothes, food and drugs in one discounted megastore. Need more incentive to go at wholesale clubs, Credit card issuers have cards that pay cash return on your whole haul. These include:

WHOLESALE CLUB STORE-BRANDED CARDS

Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi : Issued by Citi, this card pays 4% cash return on gas on as much as $7,000 annually in spending (then 1%); 3% on restaurants and eligible travel; 2% cashback on all shopping at Costco and ; and 1% cash return on all the spending. The annual fee is $0, but you will need to be a Costco member — $60 per annum for basic membership. Rewards are redeemable at Costco for credit against purchases or cash.

Sam's Club MasterCard : Issued by Synchrony Bank, this card pays 5% cashback on gas on as much as $6,000 a year in spending (then 1%); 3% cash return on dining and travel; and 1% on all the other spending. Cash back is capped at $5,000 annually. The annual fee is Sam's Club MasterCard, but you will need to be a Sam's Club member — $45 per year for basic membership.

WHOLESALE CLUB BONUS Rewards

The Bank of America® Cash Rewards plastic card : You earn 2% cashback at wholesale clubs and grocers and 3% on gas, on as much as a combined $2,500 per quarter on gas/grocery/wholesale club spending. All other spending earns 1%. You don't have to sign up for that bonus categories, as well as the annual fee is $0. Bank of America® checking or savings customers also earn a 10% bonus if they redeem their cashback as a deposit in their account. This is really a Visa card, which means you may use it at Costco, which takes plastic cards only if they're for the Visa network.

Credit cards for general shopping

Are the vacations too hectic for you personally to make a record of which categories pay extra money at which stores, A flat-rate rewards card could be right available for you. Flat-rate cards give you exactly the same rewards on every purchase. Great cash-back picks include:

The Citi® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer pays 1% money back when you buy and another 1% once you pay it off. This may motivate you to cover off your holiday bills as soon as it is possible to. The annual fee is $0.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® offers 1.5% cash rebates on all you buy. It has a fee of $0 and also a sign-up bonus which may be fairly easy to get, especially with extra year-end expenses: Earn a $150 Bonus once you spend $500 on purchases in a 3 months from account opening.

If you are preparing a winter getaway or possibly a spring fling, you could prefer travel rewards to cash. The Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card offers 2 miles per dollar invested on everything. Miles is usually redeemed for credit against any travel purchase. The card has a yearly fee of $0 to the first year, then $95.

Credit cards for supermarkets

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express earns 6% money back at U.S. supermarkets on nearly $6,000 in spending each year (then 1%). You also earn 3% at U.S. service stations and select U.S. department shops, and 1% on other purchases. The card has a yearly fee of $95, however, if you spend greater than $31 every week, you'll counterbalance the fee with rewards. The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express boasts a sign-up bonus for first time cardholders: $200 statement credit when you finally spend $1,000 in purchases in your new Card inside first three months. Terms Apply.

If that annual fee is simply too rich for ones blood, think about the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express For once a year fee of $0, it provides you with 3% cashback at U.S. supermarkets on nearly $6,000 in spending per year (then 1%), 2% at U.S. service stations and select U.S. department shops and 1% on all purchases. It, too, includes a sign-up bonus: $150 statement credit when you finally spend $1,000 in purchases on the new Card inside first three months. Terms Apply.

Torn bewteen barefoot and shoes, If you make payment for more than $61 every week at the supermarket, you'll learn better with the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express. Less than that, go with all the no-fee option.

Before you jump at either of such options, though, be aware that a supermarket” to AmEx is really a store that primarily sells groceries. Costco, Sam's Club, Target and Walmart don't qualify as supermarkets.

0% plastic cards for paying off holiday bills

No one likes the christmas hangover, particularly when it's a bank card bill that will not be repaid until the crocuses are blooming. You can ease the duty by putting your purchases on the new card through an introductory 0% APR period, or by transferring your balances with a 0% card afterward. Some of those cards also earn rewards. Our favorites include (click through for full card details):

Citi Simplicity® Card - No Late Fees Ever : 0% on Purchases and Balance Transfers for eighteen months, so the ongoing APR of 15.24% - 25.24% Variable APR.

Chase Freedom Unlimited® : 0% on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months, so the ongoing APR of 16.24% - 24.99% Variable APR.

Bank of America® Cash Rewards bank card : 0% on Purchases for 12 billing cycles and 0% on Balance Transfers for 12 billing cycles for balance transfer promotions made within the first sixty days, therefore the ongoing APR of 14.24% - 24.24% Variable APR.

The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express : 0% on Purchases and Balance Transfers for twelve months, and so the ongoing APR of 14.24% - 24.24% Variable APR.

Capital One® Quicksilver® Cash Rewards Credit Card : 0% on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 9 months, and therefore the ongoing APR of 14.24% - 24.24% Variable APR.

Credit cards for price protection

Price protection can be a handy plastic card feature after you're carrying out a flurry of shopping. Here's the ins and outs: When you purchase an item with your charge card, register it on your charge card website. If you find for less money within a certain period of time, you can be refunded the gap.

Price protection is accessible on cards from American Express, Citi, Chase and Discover, in addition to other eligible MasterCards (look at the benefits). The best-in-class Citi Price Rewind program goes the extra mile and looks for a better price to suit your needs. All Citi charge cards have this benefit.

Credit cards to buy protection

Another useful feature on many cards is purchase protection If merchandise you've bought with your charge card is stolen or damaged inside of a set period of time — usually 3 months — you may be reimbursed to the cost. If you could have insurance, this protection kicks in when you've filed an insurance coverage claim.

Purchase protection is often available through your plastic card's payment network — American Express, Discover, MasterCard or Visa. But not all cards offer it. Be sure to check your bank card's benefits to see whether your gifts are covered.

Credit cards for choosing gift cards

Gift cards include the most popular gift to present and to get, based on the National Retail Federation. In 2015, 59% of clients surveyed said they'd want to receive something special card.

BUYING gift cards with bank card points

If you're buying gift cards as holiday gifts, consider using rewards points. You can get a gift card using rewards points from most issuers. The downside is that the redemption value might be less than 1 cent per point. Citi ThankYou Points are worth 1 cent per point when redeemed for gift cards, but with all the other popular rewards programs — Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards and Discover Cashback Bonus — the value from the points varies based on which gift card you ultimately choose. For instance, about the American Express website, you are able to cash in 10,000 rewards points to get a $50 American Express gift card, whereas precisely the same number of points will get a $100 gift card for The Home Depot.

Think there is something wrong with employing your points to invest in a gift, Nope. You've earned those points, and you will think of them as cash.

EARNING SUPERMARKET REWARDS FOR GIFT CARDS

Don't forget that supermarkets sell gift cards for many people retailers. If you use a card that earns bonus rewards in the supermarket, you'll be able to buy gift cards for the favorite stores and effectively expand the scope of these rewards.

Information in connection with the Amazon Credit Card and also the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature may be collected by NerdWallet and hasn't been reviewed or supplied by the issuer of these cards card.

Updated Nov. 9, 2017.

Beginner

Intermediate

Disclaimer: NerdWallet strives and keep its information accurate and as much as date. This information might be different than what you see once you visit a traditional bank, supplier or specific product's site. All financial loans, shopping product or service are presented without warranty. When evaluating offers, please review the standard bank's Terms and Conditions. Pre-qualified offers are certainly not binding. If you find discrepancies with the credit score or information through your credit report, please contact TransUnion® directly.