Mastercard Credit Cards: Best and Latest Offers [September 2023]

Mastercard partners with the biggest card issuers worldwide to provide you with a wide selection of high-value consumer and business credit cards to choose from. Included among these cards are options for some of the best cashback credit cards and best balance transfer credit cards available.

Here are some of the best Mastercard credit cards and who they’re right for.

The best Mastercard credit cards

• Best for easy cashback rewards: Citi^® Double Cash Card
• Best for 5% cashback rewards: Citi Custom Cash^® Card
• Best for dining and entertainment: Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
• Best for travel: Citi Premier^® Card
• Best for IHG hotel stays: IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
• Best for balance transfers: Citi^® Diamond Preferred^® Card
• Best for building credit: Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card
• Best for JetBlue travel: JetBlue Plus Card
• Best for American Airlines travel: Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Platinum Select^® World Elite Mastercard^®
• Best for Frontier Airlines budget travel: Frontier Airlines World MasterCard^®
• Best for American Airlines business travel: CitiBusiness^® / AAdvantage^® Platinum Select^® Mastercard^®

Card name	Best for	Why it’s special
Citi® Double Cash Card	Easy cashback rewards	Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases
Citi Custom Cash® Card	5% cashback 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
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card	Dining and entertainment	Earn unlimited 4% cash back on dining, entertainment, and select streaming services purchases
Citi Premier® Card	Travel	Earn 3X points on restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel, and hotels; $100 annual hotel savings benefit; transfer points to travel partners
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card	IHG hotel stays	Earn 140,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening (plus, earn up to $100 in statement credits on purchases made at IHG during the first 12 months from account opening); earn up to 26X points on IHG hotels & resorts; free anniversary night; automatic Platinum Elite status
Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card	Balance transfers	0% intro APR on balance transfers for 21 months, then 18.24% - 28.99% (Variable)
Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card	Building credit	Qualify without a high credit score
JetBlue Plus Card	JetBlue travel	Earn 70,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases (and paying the annual fee) in the first 90 days; free first checked bag; 5,000 annual anniversary points; 50% in-flight savings
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®	American Airlines travel	Earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $2,500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening; first checked bag free; preferred boarding; 25% in-flight savings
Frontier Airlines World MasterCard®	Frontier budget travel	Earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $500 in the first 90 days and paying the annual fee; $100 annual flight voucher benefit; priority boarding; family pooling
CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®	American Airlines business travel	Earn 65,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 4 months of account opening; first checked bag free; preferred boarding; 25% in-flight Wi-Fi savings; companion certificate benefit

Citi^® Double Cash Card: Best for easy cashback rewards

With the Citi^® Double Cash Card, cardholders can earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. Cash back can be redeemed for a statement credit, direct deposit, or a mailed check. You can also convert your cash back to points, which can be used for travel redemptions. The Citi Double Cash has a $0 annual fee.

Why this is best for cashback rewards: The Citi Double Cash Card rises above other cashback credit cards because of how much cash back you can earn. Many cashback cards offer up to 1.5% unlimited cash back, so earning up to 2% is a huge deal. For example, if you spend $5,000 a year on everyday purchases like groceries, you’d earn $75 cash back at a 1.5% rate ($5,000 x .015 = $75). With this card, it’s $100 cash back ($5,000 x .02 = $100).

Citi Custom Cash^® Card: Best for 5% cashback rewards

With the Citi Custom Cash^® Card, cardholders can 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. Cash back can be redeemed for a statement credit, direct deposit, or a mailed check. You can also convert your cash back to points, which can be used for travel redemptions. The Citi Custom Cash is a $0-annual-fee credit card.

Why this is best for cashback rewards: With this card, you can earn cash back by automatically earning 5% bonus rewards for your top spending category (up to a limit) each billing cycle. You don’t have to choose or activate a category to receive your bonus rewards, like certain credit cards require.

Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best for dining and entertainment

The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card offers unlimited 4% cash back on dining, entertainment, and select streaming services purchases. Even better, you’ll earn 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment. You can also earn a $300 cash bonus after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. Cash back can be redeemed for statement credits, a mailed check, gift cards, and more.

Why this is best for dining and entertainment: If you like to dine out and visit entertainment venues, this is the card for you. Even with the Savor Cash Rewards’ $95 annual fee, no other card offers quite the same amount of value for these specific categories. This cost can be easily offset if you use your card enough, especially if you can take advantage of purchases through Vivid Seats.

Citi Premier^® Card: Best for travel

For frequent travelers, the Citi Premier^® Card provides 3X points on restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel, and hotels. You can also earn 60,000 bonus thankyou® points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening; plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 thankyou® points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the citi travel℠ portal through june 30, 2024.

Why this is best for travel: Cardholders get access to the Citi rewards program. Along with earning Citi ThankYou Points, which can be redeemed for travel, cardholders also receive a $100 annual hotel savings benefit ($100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more). There are also no foreign transaction fees with this card. For more flexibility with your travel, transfer your points from ThankYou.com to Citi transfer partners like Emirates, JetBlue, and Turkish Airlines. If you travel often, these benefits are more than enough to offset the $95 annual fee.

IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card: Best for IHG hotel stays

The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card can help you stay at hotels for free with its valuable rewards. Earn up to 26X points on stays at IHG hotels & resorts; 5X points on travel, gas stations, and restaurants; and 3X points on all other purchases. And if you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months, you’ll earn 140,000 bonus points.

Why this is best for IHG hotel stays: IHG has over 6,000 locations around the world, which makes it easy for you to earn and use your points. Even better, cardholders receive a free anniversary night each year, which more than makes up for this card’s $99 annual fee. And let’s not forget the automatic Platinum Elite status you receive. Platinum Elite members receive complimentary room upgrades, bonus points earning, guaranteed room availability, and more.

Citi^® Diamond Preferred^® Card: Best for balance transfers

Although the Citi^® Diamond Preferred^® Card doesn’t earn rewards, it still offers plenty of value. Cardholders get a 0% introductory APR on balance transfers for 21 months (then 18.24% - 28.99% (Variable)) and a 0% introductory APR on purchases for 12 months (then 18.24% - 28.99% (Variable)). After that period, your APRs will increase to variable APRs based on your creditworthiness.

Why this is best for balance transfers: Balance transfers aren’t for everyone, but if you need help managing your debt, consider this card. For balance transfers, 21 months is a long period of time to get a 0% interest rate. This allows you to move existing debt onto this card and pay it down as much as possible while interest isn’t accruing. Plus, with a $0 annual fee, you don’t have to stress about an annual cost. There is a relatively low balance transfer fee with this card, which is something to keep in mind.

Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card: Best for building credit

The Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card is an excellent option for building your credit. With a $0 annual fee and an initial credit line of $200, you can get your credit back on track.

Why this is best for building credit: If your credit score has taken some hits, it can be difficult to get it back in shape. Most credit cards require good or excellent credit, so those might be out of your reach for now. But with the Capital One Platinum Secured, the guidelines are different. As long as you qualify for the card and make your refundable security deposit, you’ll be granted credit. Then, it comes down to using your card and making the required payments. Capital One will automatically consider your credit line for increases, and you’ll be on your way to a better credit score.

JetBlue Plus Card: Best for JetBlue travel

The JetBlue Plus Card offers 70,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days. In addition, you can earn 6X points on JetBlue purchases, 2X points at restaurants and grocery stores, and 1X points per $1 spent on all other purchases. With the opportunity to earn so many points, offsetting the $99 annual fee is simple.

Why this is best for JetBlue travel: The JetBlue Plus Card provides benefits that can enhance your JetBlue flying experience. The travel rewards can help you fly for free, and you also get your first checked bag for free. In addition, you receive 5,000 bonus points each year on your account anniversary; plus, you can use your card to earn Mosaic status benefits.

Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Platinum Select^® World Elite Mastercard^®: Best for American Airlines travel

American Airlines travelers can use the Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Platinum Select^® World Elite Mastercard^® to boost their rewards earned from flying. Earn 2X miles at gas stations and restaurants, and on eligible American Airlines purchases; and 1X miles on all other purchases. And earn 50,000 miles after spending $2,500 in the first 3 months.

Why this is best for American Airlines travel: This card provides plenty of miles for flying American Airlines and for its sign-up bonus. Cardholders also receive their first checked bag for free, which is enough value by itself to offset the $99 (waived first year) annual fee if you fly often. You also get preferred boarding on American Airlines flights and 25% savings on in-flight food and beverage purchases.

Frontier Airlines World MasterCard^®: Best for Frontier Airlines budget travel

With the Frontier Airlines World MasterCard^®, you can earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $500 in the first 90 days and paying the annual fee. When you use your card, you’ll also earn 5X miles on purchases on Flyfrontier.com, 3X miles on restaurant purchases, and 1X miles on all other purchases.

Why this is best for Frontier travel: Budget travelers typically want to spend less on airfare, and both Frontier Airlines and the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard can help them accomplish this goal. The rewards from this card can help you fly for free, and you’ll earn miles toward Elite Status as you use your card or fly Frontier. Elite 100K offers free checked baggage allowance, which is a huge money saver. If you can leverage these benefits, this card is worth the $89 annual fee.

CitiBusiness^® / AAdvantage^® Platinum Select^® Mastercard^®: Best for American Airlines business travel

The CitiBusiness^® / AAdvantage^® Platinum Select^® Mastercard^® offers a generous 65,000 miles after spending $4,000 in the first 4 months. The earning potential for travel rewards is excellent as well. Earn 2X miles per dollar on all eligible American Airlines purchases and on purchases at telecommunications merchants, cable and satellite providers, car rental merchants and at gas stations; plus 1X miles on other purchases.

Why this is best for American Airlines business travel: If American Airlines is your preferred airline for business travel, this is the card for you. The sign-up bonus and rewards easily offset the $99 (waived first year) annual fee, and the benefits provide even more value. You get your first checked bag for free, preferred boarding, and 25% in-flight Wi-Fi savings.

Methodology

To choose the best Mastercard credit cards, we compared the available cards to find the most valuable benefits and rewards. If the perks and benefits of a card didn’t provide enough value to warrant an annual fee, that card didn’t make the cut. Benefits and rewards include the earning potential, welcome offer, and any extra perks on the card.

Because Mastercard credit cards are so diverse, we chose cards that would fit a variety of financial situations. For example, you may not be interested in travel rewards, but cashback rewards sound good to you. For this reason, we wanted to showcase how you can pick and choose the Mastercard credit card that best suits your lifestyle and financial needs.

What is Mastercard?

Mastercard is a global payments network that connects individuals and businesses in more than 210 countries worldwide. For over 50 years, Mastercard has innovated and adapted its technology to help make safe credit card transactions a reality. Today, billions of Mastercard transactions are made on an annual basis.

Mastercard partners with credit card companies to provide consumers and businesses with valuable credit card products. Mastercard isn’t a credit card issuer itself but instead helps facilitate payments on cards. Credit card issuers like Chase, Barclays, Citibank, and Bank of America, as well as some credit unions, rely on the Mastercard network to help ensure consumers and small businesses can have peace of mind with safe and reliable transactions. That includes using contactless payment technology and having fraud liability.

In addition to processing payments, Mastercard also provides benefits on every Mastercard-branded credit card. And with nearly 19,000 employees and a net revenue of $16.9 billion in 2019, it’s clear that Mastercard is a large, successful company.

What are the different Mastercard credit card tiers?

Mastercard doesn’t issue any of its own cards, but Mastercard credit cards still come with extra benefits. As you move up the tiers of Mastercard cards, you’ll find more and more benefits. Keep in mind, the actual card issuer has the final say on which benefits are included on their cards, so credit cards may offer different benefits even if they’re the same Mastercard tier.

These are the current Mastercard tiers, how they work, and the types of benefits you receive:

Standard and Gold Mastercard

Standard and Gold Mastercards are designed for use on everyday purchases, like shopping at retail stores online or in-person. With a Standard or Gold Mastercard, you may get access to these benefits:

• Zero liability protection: You’re not responsible for unauthorized purchases on your card.
• Global service: Use the emergency assistance hotline to report a lost or stolen card, get a card replacement or cash advance, or find an ATM.
• Identity theft protection: Your credit card account is monitored for fraudulent activity, credit inquiries, address changes, and more. You can choose to track any suspicious activity with alert notifications.

Titanium and Platinum Mastercard

Titanium and Platinum Mastercards are designed to offer premium benefits above those offered on standard cards.

With a Titanium or Platinum Mastercard, you may get access to these benefits:

• Standard and Gold benefits: Receive all the benefits found on Standard and Gold Mastercards.
• Rewards and experiences: Your eligible card provides access to hundreds of Mastercard Priceless Specials. These offers are exclusive to Mastercard cardholders and may include experiences within these categories: travel, culinary, arts and culture, sports, shopping, and entertainment.

World Mastercard

World Mastercard cardholders experience a large step up in benefits compared to lower Mastercard tiers.

With a World Mastercard, you may get access to these benefits:

• Titanium and Platinum benefits: Receive all the benefits found on Titanium and Platinum Mastercards.
• Concierge services: Contact your concierge for personal services, including setting up dinner reservations, booking tickets, or buying and delivering gifts.
• Airport concierge: Have an in-person agent escort you through the airport on your next departure, arrival, or connecting flight.
• Professional travel services: Contact travel services for professional help to plan and curate your next trip.
• Postmates: Get $5 off every Postmates purchase of $25 or more.
• ShopRunner: Receive a complimentary ShopRunner membership for free two-day shipping and return shipping.
• Onefinestay: Save 10% on available rental homes and villas around the world.
• Golf: Access exclusive golf offers and experiences.
• Luxury hotel & resorts: Enjoy complimentary benefits like room upgrades, daily breakfast for two, and early check-in and late checkout at more than 2,000 global properties.
• Car, air, cruise, and vacation packages: Receive special savings and upgrade offers for all your travel needs.

World Elite Mastercard

World Elite Mastercards offer the highest level of cardholder benefits.

With a World Elite Mastercard, you may get access to these benefits:

• World benefits: Receive all the benefits found on World Mastercards.
• Lyft: Get a $10 Lyft credit each month after taking five rides during the month.
• Boxed: Get 5% rewards on Boxed orders to use on future purchases.
• Fandango: Get $5 off future movie tickets for every two movie tickets you buy.

Note that some Mastercards will have their own special benefits available. For example, the Chase Freedom Flex℠ also has the added Mastercard benefit of extended warranty that extends U.S. manufacturer’s warranties by one year on eligible purchases.

How does Mastercard compare to other credit card companies?

Mastercard doesn’t issue credit cards, but it still competes with certain credit card issuers like American Express and Discover. However, its biggest competitor is likely Visa, another payments network that’s very similar to Mastercard. How does Mastercard compare to these other credit card companies?

Mastercard vs. American Express

Mastercard and American Express are both payments networks, which means they partner with credit card companies and financial institutions to process their transactions. However, American Express is also a credit card issuer, so it can issue credit cards and then use its own payments network for transactions. Mastercard does not issue any credit cards.

Mastercard credit cards are more widely accepted around the world than American Express credit cards, but they’re both accepted almost everywhere in the U.S. Overall, American Express is a much larger company with 64,500 employees, compared to Mastercard’s nearly 19,000 employees.

Mastercard vs. Visa

Mastercard and Visa are the two most well-known and widely accepted cards on the planet. They’re both payments networks, but neither company issues any credit cards. Instead, they partner with credit card issuers like Chase and Citibank to process their transactions. Many credit card companies partner with both Mastercard and Visa with the cards they issue.

For company sizes, Mastercard and Visa are nearly identical. Mastercard has almost 19,000 employees, and Visa sits above 18,000 employees.

Mastercard vs. Discover

Both Mastercard and Discover offer payments services, but Discover also provides online banking accounts, personal loans, and issues its own credit cards. Although Mastercard may not provide as many services, its payments network is larger than Discover’s. Discover is accepted at 99% of U.S. merchants, but it doesn’t have the global reach that Mastercard does.

Discover has more than 17,000 employees, which almost matches the nearly 19,000 employees of Mastercard.

Which Mastercard credit card should you choose?

To choose the best credit card for you from Mastercard, consider the benefits of each card and see which ones most align with your financial goals. Also, remember that each credit card may have different requirements for qualification, so keep your creditworthiness, including your FICO credit score, in mind.

Cash back credit cards are straightforward and easy to use. You can use them to earn cash back on every purchase, and they typically don’t have annual fees. This makes earning rewards simple and stress-free.

For travel purchases, there’s nothing better than a travel credit card. You can go with a general travel rewards card that earns flexible points or miles, or a specific airline credit card if you have a preferred airline. Either way, these cards can help you travel more while spending less.

If you aren’t yet able to qualify for a rewards card due to poor credit or limited credit history, consider building your credit with a secured credit card. These cards are meant to provide an opportunity for you to get a credit card without having great credit. In time, they can help you meet the requirements for cards with big sign-up bonuses and high-value benefits.

Note that different credit cards tend to have different benefits. For example, one might provide cell phone protection, while another has certain types of travel coverage. Depending on your goals, you might prefer one card over another because of its benefits. Remember to check if terms apply for you to be able to use card benefits.

The best Mastercard credit card for you depends on your lifestyle and spending habits. Carefully browse the list we’ve provided to see which one would best suit your needs. Included among these cards are options for some of the best cashback credit cards and best balance transfer cards available.

FAQs about Mastercard credit cards

Bottom line on the best Mastercard credit card for your wallet

Mastercard credit cards offer some of the best benefits among all available credit cards. They can easily suit the needs of most financial situations, whether you want cash back, travel rewards, low interest rates, or a chance to build your credit.

As you browse the list of the best Mastercard credit cards, consider the types of purchases you generally make and the kind of benefits you’re looking for. Doing so will make it simple to find the perfect card for your wallet.