The holiday season can take a serious toll on your wallet, but with the right credit card, it can also be one of the most rewarding times of the year. By choosing a card that aligns with your spending habits, you can turn gift purchases and end-of-year expenses into valuable points, miles and cash back.
Whether you’re shopping online or in-store, these cards stand out for their strong earning potential, flexible redemption options and valuable perks that make them ideal for holiday spending.
Here are our top picks for the best credit cards for holiday shopping in 2025.
The best credit cards for holiday shopping
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One Venture Rewards is a great option for those who want to earn flexible rewards without worrying about different spending category bonuses. The Venture Rewards earns 2 miles per dollar spent on all purchases — ensuring that you earn bonus miles no matter if you’re buying stocking stuffers or perusing Cyber Monday deals.
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There’s also flexibility in how you redeem those miles you earn. You can use your miles to “pay” yourself back for travel booked in the past 90 days. Or, you can transfer your miles to 15-plus airline and hotel loyalty programs to book new travel. You can also redeem miles for gift cards or statement credits for eligible purchases.
Learn more: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card review: A great beginner travel card
Chase Freedom Flex
Whether you’re more of a traditional brick-and-mortar shopper or prefer buying online, you’ll enjoy 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in eligible bonus categories each quarter you activate with the Chase Freedom Flex. Its categories for bonus cash back for Q4 typically include PayPal — and 2025 is no different.
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For the last quarter of 2025, cardholders can activate and earn 5% cash back on Old Navy, Chase Travelâ„ and department store purchases. As a bonus birthday category, cardholders can also earn 5% cash back on PayPal purchases.
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While 5% cash back sounds great, experienced points and miles hobbyists know that the Chase Freedom Flex is not just a cash-back card. When it’s paired with a premium Chase card that earns full Ultimate Rewards points — such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) or the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) — that cash back can be converted to much more valuable Ultimate Rewards points, which you can transfer to partners including United Airlines MileagePlus and World of Hyatt.
TPG’s November 2025 valuations peg Ultimate Rewards points at 2.05 cents apiece, so combining the Freedom Flex (or Chase Freedom Unlimited®; see rates and fees) with the Sapphire Reserve and the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card creates a formidable points-earning machine.
If you don’t already have this card, Chase Freedom Flex offers new cardholders a $200 cash-back bonus after they spend $500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
The information for the Ink Business Preferred has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Learn more: Chase Freedom Flex card review: Incredible earning with no annual fee
Prime Visa
If you’re a regular Amazon shopper, the Prime Visa is the card for you, with no annual fee (though it requires an Amazon Prime membership).
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With Black Friday and Cyber Monday coming, you want a card that gives you the biggest bang for your holiday shopping buck. The Prime Visa offers unlimited 5% on Amazon, Whole Foods and Chase Travel, 2% on restaurants, gas stations and local transit and commuting and 1% on all other purchases. Additionally, earn 10% or more on a rotating selection of items and categories on Amazon.com.
If you don’t have the card already, new applicants will instantly get a $150 Amazon gift card upon approval, exclusively for Prime members.
Learn more: Prime Visa card review: A good choice for regular Amazon shoppers
American Express Gold Card
Without question, the Amex Gold is one of the best cards for foodies. The card offers an impressive 4 points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 spent per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar) and restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar).
In addition, cardmembers earn 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with an airline or through AmexTravel.com, 2 points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com and 1 point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
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While the earning rate for nonbonus purchases yields 1 point per dollar spent, you may want to consider paying with the Amex Gold this holiday season for its strong purchase protection policy. Eligible items are covered for up to $10,000 in theft, damage, or loss within the first 90 days of purchase.*
That’s considerable, especially if you buy big-ticket items like electronics or furniture this holiday season.
The Amex Gold also comes with an extended warranty, which prolongs a U.S. manufacturer’s warranty by an additional year on eligible warranties of five years or less.*
You’ll never know when you need to rely on these protections, but they can be quite valuable and may be worth sacrificing the bonus points you’d earn from the other cards on this list, even after factoring in the $325 annual fee (see rates and fees).
*Eligibility and benefit levels vary by card. Terms, conditions, and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
Learn more: American Express Gold Card review: Best for foodies
Bank of America Premium Rewards credit card
If you have the ability to park a significant amount of your investments and savings at Bank of America or Merrill, the Bank of America Premium Rewards credit card is a great option for holiday purchases.
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While the card comes with reasonable (though not earth-shattering) earning rates of 2 points per dollar spent on travel and dining and 1.5 points per dollar spent on all purchases (which can be redeemed at the rate of 1 cent per point), the real value of this card comes when you can make it to either the Platinum, Platinum Honors or Diamond award tiers in Bank of America’s separate Preferred Rewards® banking program. By doing so, the everyday earning rate on this card can jump all the way up to 2.625 points for every dollar spent, making it a terrific choice for holiday gifts.
Related: 5 reasons to get the Bank of America Premium Rewards credit card
The Bank of America Premium Rewards card currently offers a welcome bonus of 60,000 online bonus points after spending at least $4,000 on purchases in the first 90 days from account opening. Additionally, the card comes with an up to $100 statement credit toward TSA PreCheck/Global Entry and an annual up to $100 statement credit toward airline incidentals — all for a reasonable $95 annual fee.
Learn more: Bank of America Premium Rewards credit card review: Not to be underestimated
Citi Double Cash Card
The final card on our list earns a spot in part for its simplicity. The Citi Double Cash Card offers a flat 1% back on every purchase plus another 1% back as you pay your bill (up to a 2% total return).
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While this return rate on everyday purchases doesn’t compare to the potential returns highlighted above, this is automatic; it results in cold, hard cash in your account. For many shoppers, a no-annual-fee card like this fits the bill.
Learn more: Citi Double Cash Card review: Simple rewards and 2% cash back on everything
How to maximize rewards on your holiday shopping
Holiday spending can do more than check gifts off your list — it can also help you reach big credit card goals. If you’ve recently opened a new card, consider putting your holiday purchases toward the minimum spending requirement to earn a valuable welcome bonus. Just be sure to budget responsibly and pay off your balance in full.
Related: The best credit card welcome bonuses of November 2025
If you already have multiple cards, check whether any offer calendar-year spending bonuses or perks that reset soon. Concentrating your purchases on one card could help you unlock statement credits, free nights, or elite status before the year ends.
ALEKSANDARNAKIC/GETTY IMAGES
Another easy way to earn extra rewards is through online shopping portals. These portals let you earn additional points, miles or cash back just by clicking through before you buy (no special credit card required).
To find the best offer, use CashBack Monitor, which compares earning rates across dozens of portals for the same retailer. You can also install your preferred portal’s browser extension, so you’ll never miss out on bonus rewards during checkout.
Bottom line
The holiday season doesn’t have to drain your wallet, and with the right credit card strategy, your spending can actually pay you back. Focus on cards that match your shopping habits, whether that means flat-rate cash back, bonus rewards on popular retailers or flexible travel points you can redeem later.
Pair your card with online shopping portals and seasonal category bonuses to earn even more rewards on every purchase. And if you’re opening a new card, use your holiday spending to hit minimum spend requirements and unlock valuable welcome offers.
With a little planning, your holiday shopping can turn into a rewards windfall, from extra points and cash back to future flights, hotel stays or statement credits, making this season both festive and rewarding.
Learn more: Capital One Venture Rewards
Apply here: Chase Freedom Flex
Apply here: Prime Visa
Apply here: American Express Gold
Apply here: Bank of America Premium Rewards Card
Apply here: Citi Double Cash Card
For rates and fees of Amex Gold, click here.
