The right card for every purchase
Dining, groceries, gas, flights, hotels, rent and more: which card returns the most per dollar, with the working shown.
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Which card to use, category by category. Each pick shows what a dollar of spending is worth once the points are valued, so cards that earn different currencies can be compared directly.
How the value is worked out. Points earned per dollar, multiplied by what each point is worth. Point values come from The Points Guy's valuations, credited below. Cash back counts at face value. A value of 8¢ means a dollar spent returns about eight cents of travel. These values assume points are transferred to airline or hotel partners; cashing points out is usually closer to 1¢ each.
The short version
| Category | Top pick | Value per $1 |
|---|---|---|
| Dining | American Express Gold | 8.0¢ |
| U.S. supermarkets | American Express Gold | 8.0¢ |
| Gas and EV charging | Chase Sapphire Preferred | 6.2¢ |
| Flights booked directly | American Express Platinum | 10.0¢ |
| Hotels booked directly | Chase Sapphire Reserve | 8.2¢ |
| Rent and mortgage | Bilt Mastercard (any) | 2.8¢ |
| Streaming | Chase Sapphire Preferred | 6.2¢ |
| Transit and rideshare | Bilt Palladium | 4.4¢ |
| Amazon and online shopping | Prime Visa | 5.0¢ |
| Everything else | Bilt Palladium | 4.4¢ |
Dining
Restaurants, including takeout.
| # | Card | Earns | Value per $1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Express Gold up to $50,000 a year | 4x Amex points | 8.0¢ |
| 2 | Bilt Obsidian if dining is the chosen 3x category; up to $25,000 a year | 3x Bilt points | 6.6¢ |
| 3 | Chase Sapphire Preferred | 3x Chase points | 6.2¢ |
U.S. supermarkets
Grocery stores; superstores and warehouse clubs usually excluded.
| # | Card | Earns | Value per $1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Express Gold up to $25,000 a year | 4x Amex points | 8.0¢ |
| 2 | Bilt Obsidian if groceries are the chosen 3x category; up to $25,000 a year | 3x Bilt points | 6.6¢ |
| 3 | American Express Blue Cash Preferred up to $6,000 a year | 6% | 6.0¢ |
Gas and EV charging
| # | Card | Earns | Value per $1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chase Sapphire Preferred | 3x Chase points | 6.2¢ |
| 2 | Citi Strata Premier | 3x Citi points | 5.7¢ |
| 3 | Bilt Palladium $495 fee; flat 2x on everyday purchases | 2x Bilt points | 4.4¢ |
Flights booked directly
Tickets bought from the airline.
| # | Card | Earns | Value per $1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Express Platinum up to $500,000 a year | 5x Amex points | 10.0¢ |
| 2 | Chase Sapphire Reserve | 4x Chase points | 8.2¢ |
| 3 | American Express Gold | 3x Amex points | 6.0¢ |
Hotels booked directly
Booked with the hotel, so elite benefits still apply.
| # | Card | Earns | Value per $1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chase Sapphire Reserve | 4x Chase points | 8.2¢ |
| 2 | World of Hyatt Credit Card Hyatt hotels only, card points; Hyatt membership adds more | 4x Hyatt points | 6.6¢ |
| 3 | IHG One Rewards Premier IHG hotels only, card points; IHG membership adds more | 10x IHG points | 6.0¢ |
Rent and mortgage
Most cards charge about 3% to pay rent; Bilt charges nothing.
| # | Card | Earns | Value per $1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bilt Mastercard (any) maximum rate; needs card spend equal to the housing payment, scales down below that | 1.25x Bilt points | 2.8¢ |
Streaming
Select U.S. services.
| # | Card | Earns | Value per $1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chase Sapphire Preferred top streaming services | 3x Chase points | 6.2¢ |
| 2 | American Express Blue Cash Preferred select U.S. streaming | 6% | 6.0¢ |
| 3 | Bilt Palladium $495 fee; flat 2x on everyday purchases | 2x Bilt points | 4.4¢ |
Transit and rideshare
Trains, buses, taxis, rideshare, parking and tolls.
| # | Card | Earns | Value per $1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bilt Palladium $495 fee; flat 2x, and 4x on Lyft rides once Bilt and Lyft accounts are linked | 2x Bilt points | 4.4¢ |
| 2 | Chase Sapphire Preferred counted as travel | 2x Chase points | 4.1¢ |
| 3 | Capital One Venture X flat rate | 2x Capital One miles | 3.7¢ |
Amazon and online shopping
| # | Card | Earns | Value per $1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prime Visa Amazon and Whole Foods, with Prime | 5% | 5.0¢ |
| 2 | Bilt Palladium $495 fee; flat 2x on everyday purchases | 2x Bilt points | 4.4¢ |
| 3 | Capital One Venture X flat rate | 2x Capital One miles | 3.7¢ |
Everything else
Purchases outside any bonus category.
| # | Card | Earns | Value per $1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bilt Palladium $495 fee | 2x Bilt points | 4.4¢ |
| 2 | Capital One Venture X | 2x Capital One miles | 3.7¢ |
| 3 | Capital One Venture Rewards | 2x Capital One miles | 3.7¢ |
Point values used
| Program | Value per point |
|---|---|
| Bilt Points | 2.2¢ |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards | 2.05¢ |
| Amex Membership Rewards | 2¢ |
| Citi ThankYou | 1.9¢ |
| Capital One Miles | 1.85¢ |
| World of Hyatt | 1.65¢ |
| American AAdvantage | 1.45¢ |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards | 1.25¢ |
| Delta SkyMiles | 1.2¢ |
| United MileagePlus | 1.2¢ |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 0.75¢ |
| IHG One Rewards | 0.6¢ |
| Hilton Honors | 0.4¢ |
Point values: The Points Guy's valuations (thepointsguy.com). Earning rates checked on each issuer's card page. Chase Freedom cards are left out because their points only become transferable when paired with a Sapphire card.