The Best Credit Cards for Large Purchases [2024]: Big Rewards and Benefits

For upcoming large purchases, we recommend a card that earns rewards, has an intro APR offer on purchases, and provides useful card protections, such as purchase and extended warranty coverage.

Our top recommendations include the Citi Custom Cash^® Card, Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card, and Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express.

Let’s explore the best credit cards for large purchases so you can find the right credit card for you.

Key takeaways

5 of the best credit cards for large purchases

1. Citi Custom Cash^® Card
2. Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
3. Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express
4. Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card
5. Ink Business Premier^® Credit Card

Compare the best credit cards for large purchases

Citi Custom Cash^® Card

The Citi Custom Cash is an excellent card for earning an elevated cashback rate on everyday expenses.

Welcome offer: Earn $200 in cash back after you spend $1500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back

Why we like the Citi Custom Cash

We recommend the Citi Custom Cash because it has a $0 annual fee and helps you:

• Earn a welcome offer: Earn $200 in cash back after you spend $1500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
• Earn rewards: Earn 5% cash back in your top eligible spending category each billing cycle (up to the first $500 spent, then 1% cash back), plus unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases; plus, as a special travel offer, earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2025.

This type of rewards rate makes it easy to earn elevated cash back on your highest eligible spending category each billing cycle.

If you’re planning to make a large purchase, you can also take advantage of the Citi Custom Cash intro APR offer.

• Intro APR on purchases: Receive 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases (then 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable))

What we don’t like about the Citi Custom Cash

Cardholders have to pay 3% foreign transaction fees on applicable purchases. This fee might apply to transactions from retailers outside the United States, depending on how your purchase is processed.

Learn more in our Citi Custom Cash Card review.

Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Quicksilver makes it easy to earn cashback rewards with its simple earning rate.

Why we like the Capital One Quicksilver

We like that the Capital One Quicksilver has a $0 annual fee, yet it helps you:

• Earn a welcome offer: Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.
• Earn rewards: Earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day; and 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply).

With this type of rewards rate, you don’t have to worry about loads of different spending categories. The Quicksilver also doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees on applicable purchases.

For upcoming large purchases, we recommend taking advantage of the Capital One Quicksilver intro APR offer.

• Intro APR on purchases: Receive 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases (then 19.99% - 29.99% (Variable))

What we don’t like about the Capital One Quicksilver

The Capital One Quicksilver provides low earning potential on certain purchases compared to other rewards cards that offer elevated rates on specific categories. However, it’s a straightforward card that’s easy to use.

Learn more in our Capital One Quicksilver review.

Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express

The Amex Blue Cash Everyday provides excellent earning potential on everyday expenses.

Why we like the Amex Blue Cash Everyday

The Amex Blue Cash Everyday has a $0 annual fee and provides great earning potential. We recommend this credit card because you can:

• Earn a welcome offer: Earn a $200 statement credit after spending $2,000 in purchases in the first 6 months.
• Earn rewards: 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. online retail purchases (up to $6,000 per year on purchases in each category, then 1%); and 1% cash back on other eligible purchases.

Having this type of cashback rate makes it easy to earn elevated rewards on common types of purchases.

You can also take advantage of an intro APR offer.

• Intro APR on purchases: Receive 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases (then 19.24% - 29.99% Variable)

Additionally, the Amex Blue Cash comes with other benefits. You can:

• Earn a $7 monthly statement credit after using your enrolled card to spend $9.99 or more each month on a subscription to the Disney Bundle in the U.S.
• Earn up to $15 in statement credits back per month after you use your enrolled card to purchase a Home Chef subscription.
• Receive purchase protection¹ on qualified purchases.

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Select benefits require enrollment.

What we don’t like about the Amex Blue Cash Everyday

Cardmembers have to pay 2.7% foreign transaction fees on applicable purchases, making this a poor choice for international transactions.

Learn more in our Amex Blue Cash Everyday Card review.

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is an excellent card for earning travel rewards points and taking advantage of travel perks.

Why we like the Chase Sapphire Preferred

The Chase Sapphire Preferred doesn’t have any foreign transaction fees and helps you:

• Earn a welcome offer: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Earn rewards: Earn 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries; 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases.

This type of rewards rate makes sense if you’re interested in earning points that you can redeem for travel.

We often recommend the Chase Sapphire Preferred as one of the best travel credit cards. That’s because you can:

• Get 25% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠.
• Earn up to $50 statement credits each account anniversary for hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel℠.
• Receive purchase protection on qualified purchases.
• Receive extended warranty protection on qualified purchases.

What we don’t like about the Chase Sapphire Preferred

You have to pay a $95 annual fee as a cardholder. There aren’t any introductory APR offers either.

Learn more in our Chase Sapphire Preferred review.

Ink Business Premier^® Credit Card

The Ink Business Premier business credit card makes sense if you’re a small business owner who makes a lot of large purchases.

Why we like the Ink Business Premier

We like that the Ink Business Premier doesn’t have foreign transaction fees, which can help business owners who make purchases abroad. Additionally, we recommend this card because it can help you:

• Earn a welcome offer: Earn $1,000 bonus cash back after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Earn rewards: Earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; unlimited 2.5% cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more; unlimited 2% cash back on all other business purchases.

This type of cashback rate is extra rewarding if you frequently make large purchases for your small business.

You can also receive several protections, including:

• Purchase protection
• Extended warranty protection
• Cell phone protection

What we don’t like about the Ink Business Premier

Cardholders have to pay a $195 annual fee. Also, the Ink Business Premier doesn’t have any intro APR offers for purchases or balance transfers.

Learn more in our Ink Business Premier review.

How to choose the best credit card for large purchases

Consider these factors to help you choose the best credit card for large purchases.

1. Credit requirements

The best rewards credit cards often require a good credit score to qualify, which is at least a 670 FICO score. If you have an excellent credit score, you could be eligible for even more options.

Keep in mind that credit scores are only one factor used to determine whether you might be approved to open a credit card. Credit card companies tend to also check your credit history and total annual income.

2. Earning potential

If you plan to make a large purchase, you might as well earn some rewards for the expense.

With rewards cards, you can typically earn points, miles, or cash back. Points and miles are designed for travel redemptions, while cash back is meant for cashback redemptions. The better option depends on your preferences and personal finance goals.

It’s also worth keeping an eye out for generous welcome bonus offers as you compare cards. One or two large purchases could go a long way in helping you earn a sign-up bonus as a new cardholder.

Check out some of our most rewarding cards with our list of the best cash back credit cards.

3. Intro APR offers

Having an introductory APR offer on a card could make sense if you’re about to make a large purchase. That’s because you might want to pay off the purchase over time without having to worry about high interest rates.

For example, a 0% intro APR offer on purchases for 15 months would give you a 15-month introductory period to pay back your balance without any interest charges accruing.

Keep in mind that you would still have to make a minimum monthly payment, Otherwise, you risk paying late fees or hurting your credit score because of missed payments. And once the intro APR period ends, you usually have to deal with a variable APR. So remember to read over the terms of an intro APR offer so you know how it works.

4. Annual fees

Some credit cards have annual fees while others don’t charge an annual cost for card membership.

You might want a no-annual-fee card if you don't want to worry about the annual charge each year. And there are plenty of no-annual-fee cards that provide useful rewards and benefits.

But some cards that have annual fees also provide a wide variety of additional perks and benefits. These could include travel credits, airport lounge access, and travel insurance. You would have to determine whether the benefits are worth the cost of paying the membership fee.

5. Purchase protections

Certain credit cards offer different types of purchase protections that could come in handy if something happens to your purchase. Here are a few examples.

• Purchase protection: This protection typically covers new purchases for a certain period of time against damage or theft up to a specific dollar amount. For example, a new purchase might be covered for 120 days against damage or theft up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account.
• Extended warranty coverage: This coverage typically extends eligible manufacturer’s warranties by an additional year on covered purchases. For example, if you purchase an eligible item with a manufacturer’s warranty of three years, you could receive an additional year of warranty protection.
• Return protection: This protection typically provides you with a refund up to a certain amount if you purchase an eligible item and the merchant won’t allow you to return it. For example, you might receive up to $300 per eligible item (up to an annual limit) in refund claims if the merchant won’t allow you to return something.

Note that not all items purchased with credit cards are eligible for these types of protections. For example, you likely can’t buy a car with a credit card and expect to use your card’s purchase protection benefit if your car is damaged.

FAQ

Best credit cards for large purchases: bottom line

If you want a card with a simple rewards rate and an intro APR offer on purchases, we recommend the Capital One Quicksilver. It has a $0 annual fee and an earning rate of 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day; and 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply).

For cards with elevated rewards rates and intro APR offers, we recommend the Citi Custom Cash and Amex Blue Cash Everyday.

For more of our top recommendations, compare credit cards and credit card offers.

Methodology

To identify the top credit cards for large purchases, we initially compiled a list of credit cards that offer valuable rewards without small caps for these rewards. We then collected information about the cards, including earning rates, welcome offers, annual fees, and other features and benefits.

Next, we determined which cards deliver excellent value to those making large purchases. However, we didn’t arrange the cards in any particular order and didn’t include all available credit cards. Instead, we aimed to provide a list of curated recommendations that might suit someone who plans to make large purchases.

Lucrative, Flat-Rate Cash Rewards

Wells Fargo Active Cash^® Card

5.0

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Wells Fargo Active Cash^® Card

Apply Now

Rates and fees

Current Offer

$200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

Earn 2% cash rewards on purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months
• Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases
• Intro APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers
• $0 annual fee

Drawbacks

• Has foreign transaction fee
• No bonus categories

Card Details

• Select “Apply Now” to take advantage of this specific offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
• Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
• Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.
• 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. 20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% Variable APR thereafter; balance transfers made within 120 days qualify for the intro rate and fee of 3% then a BT fee of up to 5%, min: $5.
• $0 annual fee.
• No categories to track or remember and cash rewards don’t expire as long as your account remains open.
• Find tickets to top sports and entertainment events, book travel, make dinner reservations and more with your complimentary 24/7 Visa Signature® Concierge.
• Up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.

Author Details

Ben Walker, CEPF, CFEI® Ben Walker, CEPF, CFEI®, is a Senior Credit Cards Writer at FinanceBuzz. For over a decade, he's leveraged credit card points and miles to travel the world. His expertise extends to other areas of personal finance — including loans, insurance, investing, and real estate — and you can find his insights on The Washington Post, Debt.com, Yahoo! Finance, and Fox Business.

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