Choosing the best Mastercard credit card for you
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A few years ago a massive IT problem hit Visa's European operations and prevented customers from using their Visa cards across most of the continent. Although the issue was resolved within hours, it served as a cautionary reminder of the importance of carrying a diverse wallet – Visa, Mastercard and American Express cards – to cover all eventualities. TPG has guides to the best Visa and the best American Express cards. Here's a look at the best Mastercards.
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The best Mastercard credit cards
- Citi Premier® Card: Best sign-up bonus
- Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best for dining and entertainment
- IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card: Best for frequent IHG traveler
- Citi Prestige® Card: Best for travel
- Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®: Best for American Airlines flyers
- Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®: Best for American Airlines flyers who want lounge access
- Citi® Double Cash Card: Best for everyday rewards
- Citi Rewards+® Card: Best for small purchases
- Bank of America® Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card: Best for Bank of America members
- American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ Card: Best no-annual fee card for American Airlines flyers
- CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®: Best business card for American Airlines flyers
The information for the Capital One Savor, Citi Prestige, CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Comparison of the best Mastercard credit cards
| Credit Card | Best for | Bonus | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citi Premier® Card | Sign-up bonus | 80,000 ThankYou Rewards points after you spend $4,000 in purchases in the first three months of account opening | $95 |
| Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card | Dining and entertainment | Earn a $300 cash bonus after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening | $95 |
| IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card | Frequent IHG traveler | Earn 140,000 bonus points + 1 Free Night after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. | $99 |
| Citi Prestige Card | Premium travel | Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases within three months of account opening | $495 |
| Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard | American Airlines flyers | Earn 50,000 AA miles after spending $2,500 on purchases in the first three months of account opening | $99 |
| Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard | American Airlines flyers who want lounge access | Earn 80,000 miles after you spend $5,500 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. | $450 |
| Citi Double Cash Card | Everyday rewards | Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening. | $0 |
| Citi Rewards+ Card | Small purchases | Earn 20,000 ThankYou points after spending $1,500 in purchases in the first three months of account opening. For a limited time, earn 5 ThankYou points per dollar at restaurants up to $6,000 in the first 12 months; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter. | $0 |
| Bank of America® Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card | Bank of America members | Earn a $300 statement credit when you make at least $3,000 in net purchases within 90 days of your account opening | $0 |
| CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard | Business travelers who fly American | Earn 65,000 AAdvantage miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first four months of account opening | $99, waived for the first year |
| American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Card | Budget American Airlines flyers | Earn 10,000 AAdvantage miles and a $50 statement credit after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months of account opening | $0 |
A closer look at the best Mastercard credit cards
Citi Premier® Card: Best sign-up bonus
Sign-up bonus: 80,000 ThankYou Rewards points after you spend $4,000 in purchases in the first three months of account opening.
Annual fee: $95
Why you'll love it: The Citi Premier® Card is a strong mid-tier Mastercard attached to a solid travel rewards program and backed up with lucrative bonus categories. The value of the card starts with its current sign-up bonus — 80,000 ThankYou points that are worth $1,440 based on TPG's most recent valuations.
Even after you earn the sign-up bonus, this is a card you can keep in your purse or wallet, since it earns 3x points per dollar on air travel purchases, hotels, gas stations, restaurants, and at supermarkets and 1x on all other purchases. You can also use this card overseas without incurring foreign transaction fees.
Cardholders will also receive a once-per-calendar-year perk: a $100 credit on any hotel stay costing $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) booked through thankyou.com.
Related reading: The best Citi credit cards
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best for dining and entertainment
Sign-up bonus: Earn a $300 cash bonus after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
Annual fee: $95
Why you'll love it: The Capital One Savor card offers impressive 4% cash-back on dining, entertainment, and popular streaming services. These are top-of-the-line rewards for those categories. It also offers 3% back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target) and 1% on all other purchases. The card doesn't charge foreign transaction fees.
Related reading: The best Capital One credit cards
IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card: Best for frequent IHG traveler
Sign-up bonus: Earn 140,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
Annual fee: $99
Why you'll love it: The IHG Rewards Premier card comes with a 140,000-point sign-up bonus that TPG values at $700. You'll earn up to 26x points at IHG properties, 5x points on travel, gas stations and restaurants and 3x points on all other purchases.
The card comes with automatic Platinum Elite status and you'll get a fourth night reward night free. Plus, you'll get an anniversary reward night valid at properties costing 40,000 points or less per night on each account anniversary. The card has no foreign transaction fees and you'll get a statement credit of up to $100 for a NEXUS, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee every four years.
Citi Prestige Card: Best for travel
Sign-up bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases within three months of account opening.
Annual fee: $495
Why you'll love it: The Citi Prestige Card's January 2019 refresh brought more negatives than positives, but the Citi Prestige still has the potential to deliver the biggest rewards of any card in your wallet, Mastercard or otherwise. Let's start with the basics. You'll earn 5x points on air travel and dining, 3x points on hotels and cruises and 1x everywhere else.
You can transfer these points to Citi's 16 travel partners, including Air France/KLM Flying Blue, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and Virgin Atlantic, to name a few. You'll also get a $250 annual travel credit, which has currently been extended to supermarket and dining purchases.
The real value of the Citi Prestige, though, is its fourth-night-free hotel reward benefit. This perk gives you a free night on paid hotel stays of four nights or more and you'll still earn 3x points for booking the hotel with your Prestige card. Although this perk is now capped at twice per year, it can still be massively valuable.
Related reading: Citi Prestige credit card review
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®: Best for American Airlines flyers
Sign-up bonus: Earn 50,000 AAdvantage miles after spending $2,500 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
Annual fee: $99
Why you'll love it: If you want to earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles and enjoy elite-like benefits (like a free checked bag) without paying a hefty annual fee, the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard is a great choice. New applicants will get 50,000 AAdvantage miles after spending $2,500 in the first three months. That's enough for a one-way SAAver-level business-class award to Europe, Japan or South Korea.
The card earns 2x miles on all eligible American Airlines purchases and at restaurants and gas stations and 1x miles on all other spending. In addition to a free checked bag on domestic itineraries and a $125 AA flight discount when you spend $20,000 or more on your card during your membership year and renew your card.
Related reading: Choosing the best credit card for American Airlines flyers
Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard: Best for American Airlines flyers who want lounge access
Sign-up bonus: Earn 80,000 AA miles after spending $5,500 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
Annual fee: $450
Why you'll love it: The Citi AAdvantage Executive Mastercard comes with a steep price tag but it can be a great option for serious American Airlines fliers. In addition to a sign-up bonus worth $1,416 at TPG valuations, you'll get a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application-fee credit of up to $100 and one of the most valuable perks of all — an Admirals Club membership. If you're considering purchasing a membership anyway, this is one of the cheapest ways to get it. Paying full price will be more expensive, even if you have high-level AA elite status. You can also share your Admirals Club membership with authorized users.
You'll also get a 25% credit on food and beverage purchases with the card and you won't pay foreign transaction fees.
Related reading: Credit card review: The Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard
Citi Double Cash Card: Best for everyday rewards
Sign-up bonus: Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening.
Annual fee: $0
Why you'll love it: If you're looking for something simple, consider the Citi Double Cash Card. The card does exactly as its name suggests – it earns cash. You'll get 1% cash back when you purchase, and another 1% in cash back when you pay your bill (for a total of 2% cash back).
You can use that cash without worrying about maximizing transfer options or saving up for redemption minimums, although Citi has added the ability to convert these rewards into transferable ThankYou Points if you also hold a Citi card with an annual fee, such as the Citi Prestige or Premier.
Simplicity is the key here and the card comes with a simple annual fee of zero. Just be careful about using it outside the U.S., as it does charge a 3% foreign transaction fee.
Related reading: Citi Double Cash card review
Citi Rewards+ Card: Best for small purchases
Sign-up bonus: Earn 20,000 ThankYou points after spending $1,500 in purchases in the first three months of account opening. For a limited time, earn 5 ThankYou points per dollar at restaurants up to $6,000 in the first 12 months; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter.
Annual fee: $0
Why you'll love it: The Citi Rewards+ Card offers 2x points per dollar spent at gas stations and supermarkets on the first $6,000 per year (then 1x point) and 1x point per dollar spent on other purchases. All purchases are rounded up to the nearest 10 points, so all purchases earn at least 10 points. Unless you also have a Citi Prestige or Citi Premier® Card, the Rewards+ will earn basic ThankYou points that can be redeemed for gift cards at 1 cent apiece. You'll also get 10% of the first 100,000 points you redeem back each year.
Like the Citi Double Cash Card, the Rewards+ charges a 3% foreign transaction fee.
Related reading: Citi Rewards+ credit card review
Bank of America® Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card: Best for Bank of America members
Sign-up bonus: Earn a $300 statement credit when you make at least $3,000 in net purchases within 90 days of your account opening.
Annual fee: $0
Why you'll love it: The Bank of America® Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card provides 3% cash back on the category of your choice; gas stations, office supply stores, travel, TV/telecom and wireless, computer services or business consulting services and 2% cash back on dining. You'll get 3% and 2% cash back on the first $50,000 in combined choice category and dining purchases each calendar year and 1% thereafter.
The cash back is decent, but the true value is for Bank of America's Preferred Rewards members since they get a bonus on the base earning of every purchase. Gold members get a 25% bonus, Platinum members get a 50% bonus and Platinum Honors members get a 75% bonus. The Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card is similar, but offers 1.5 points per dollar spent on all purchases (except travel purchases through the Bank of America Travel Center, which earn 3 points per dollar spent). Both of these cards are best for Bank of America Preferred Rewards for Business Platinum Honors members who will get the best return.
Related reading: The best Bank of America credit cards
American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Card: Best no-annual fee card for American Airlines flyers
Sign-up bonus: Earn 10,000 AAdvantage miles and a $50 statement credit after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
Annual fee: $0
Why you'll love it: For someone new to points and miles, one of the hardest chores is often figuring out how to hit the minimum spending requirement on a new card without racking up expensive interest payments. But the MileUp Card has a modest minimum spending requirement of just $500 over the first three months of account opening.
You'll earn 2x miles at grocery stores and on eligible American Airlines purchases, as well as 1x miles on all other purchases. Plus, you'll get a 25% savings on inflight food and beverage purchases on American Airlines flights when you use your card.
Related reading: Credit Card Review: AAdvantage MileUp Mastercard
CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®: Best business card for American Airlines flyers
Sign-up bonus: Earn 65,000 AAdvantage miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first four months of account opening.
Annual fee: $99, waived the first 12 months
Why you'll love it: This card comes with all the perks you'd expect on an airline credit card, like a free checked bag (for the cardholder and up to four companions) and priority boarding. You can also earn a companion certificate after you spend $30,000 or more on the card during your cardmember year and renew the card (your account must remain open at least 45 days after anniversary date). The certificate is valid for domestic economy flights and to redeem it, you'll pay $99 plus any taxes and fees.
The CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum card is also a good business credit card because it's issued by Citibank, which means it won't add to your Chase 5/24 count. So if you're looking to earn AA miles and you qualify for a business card, consider this card.
Related reading: CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard credit card review
Bottom line
Your primary concern in your credit card strategy should be how to earn flexible, valuable rewards that fit your travel goals, but you should also pay attention to what types of credit cards are in your wallet. I never leave the house without at least two different "types" of cards — i.e., one Visa and one Amex — in case I run into problems, such as a fraud alert on my account or a merchant who only accepts certain types of cards. So take a good look at this list of the best Mastercards and at the list of the best credit cards and make sure at least one of them is part of your credit card inventory.
Additional reporting by Chris Dong.