Black Friday has become one of the biggest shopping moments of the year, drawing large crowds and even larger online traffic. What began as a single in-store event has evolved into a multi-day mix of in-person discounts and online promotions across retailers.
With so many deals available — often from the comfort of your phone, tablet or laptop — the key question becomes how to make the most of your spending. One of the easiest ways is by choosing the right credit card to earn cash back, points or miles on every purchase.
To help you maximize your rewards, we’ve created this guide to the best credit cards to use when shopping Black Friday sales, whether you’re browsing in store or online.
Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express
If you’re looking for an entry-level cash-back card to use this Black Friday, the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express is worth considering.
Welcome bonus: Earn $200 as a statement credit after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership.
Annual fee: $0 (see rates and fees)
Earning rates:
- 3% cash back* on groceries at U.S. supermarkets, on online purchases from U.S. retailers, 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations (on the first $6,000 spent in each category during a calendar year, then 1% until the following year)
- 1% cash back on other eligible purchases
*Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
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When to use this card: For your first $6,000 of online purchases from U.S. retailers each year, you can earn 3% cash back. If you’ll be shopping online during Black Friday or Cyber Monday, this is easily one of the best credit cards for your purchases.
To learn more, read our full review of the Blue Cash Everyday Card.
Apply here: Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is one of the best mid-tier cards on the market.
Welcome bonus: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
Per TPG’s November 2025 valuations, this offer is worth $1,388.
Annual fee: $95
Earning rates:
- 5 miles per dollar spent on hotels, rental cars and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
- 2 miles per dollar spent on all purchases
When to use this card: The Venture Rewards card earns at least 2 miles per dollar on every single purchase, no matter when or where, so it’s great to use on purchases that won’t earn you bonuses in specific categories on your other rewards credit cards. It also means you’ll earn solid rewards both in-store and online.
Capital One miles can be redeemed as a statement credit for eligible purchases or transferred to one of the issuer’s many airline and hotel transfer partners, which can provide outsize value on your next vacation.
To learn more, read our full review of the Venture Rewards.
Learn more: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Chase Freedom Flex
The Chase Freedom Flex® (see rates and fees) is a fantastic card for beginners and seasoned credit card aficionados alike.
Welcome bonus: Earn a $200 bonus after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Annual fee: $0
Earning rates:
- 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in quarterly rotating categories when you activate and on travel booked through Chase Travel℠
- 3% back on dining and at drugstores
- 1% back on other purchases
When to use this card: The Chase Freedom Flex is a great all-around earner. Cardholders can earn 5% back on up to $1,500 in combined spending in a few different categories during the fourth quarter, including department stores and Old Navy.
Additionally, in the month of December, cardholders will earn 5% bonus cash back on PayPal. That makes it perfect for any last-minute holiday shopping at department stores, where PayPal is accepted. (Activation is required for quarterly earnings.)
To learn more, read our full review of the Freedom Flex card.
Apply here: Chase Freedom Flex
Citi Custom Cash Card
Although it may not get as much of a spotlight as other no-annual-fee cards, the Citi Custom Cash® Card deserves your attention this holiday season.
The information for the Citi Custom Cash 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.
Welcome bonus: Earn $200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening.
Annual fee: $0
Earning rates:
- 5% cash back on the first $500 of purchases each billing cycle in your top eligible spending category from the following list (then 1%): drugstores, fitness clubs, gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores, live entertainment, restaurants, select streaming services, select transit and select travel
- Earn 1% unlimited cash back on all other purchases
When to use this card: This is a card that caters to your lifestyle, whether you’re traveling the globe one month or grocery shopping at home the next. If you max out the $500 spending limit each billing cycle, you’ll earn $25 in cash-back rewards per month (for a potential maximum of $300 in rewards annually).
That versatility is key. Even if your Black Friday purchases aren’t in your normal high-spending categories, you can still earn 5% back on them if they make up the bulk of your bill this month, provided they’re in those eligible categories.
To learn more, read our full review of the Citi Custom Cash Card.
Citi Double Cash Card
If you’re searching for a great all-around card that you can use on everyday spending, look no further than the Citi Double Cash® Card (see rates and fees).
Welcome bonus: Earn $200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening.
Annual fee: $0
Earning rates:
- 5% cash back on attractions, car rentals and hotels booked with Citi Travel
- 2% on every purchase (1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% back as you pay)
When to use this card: If you’ve checked our list of the best cards for each bonus category and don’t think your purchases will qualify for any bonus earnings, then this is a great card to use for everything else.
To learn more, read our full review of the Citi Double Cash.
Apply here: Citi Double Cash Card
Discover it Cash Back
Fans of rotating bonus categories will appreciate what the Discover it® Cash Back has to offer.
The information for the Discover it Cash Back has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Welcome bonus: While this card does not provide a traditional welcome bonus, Discover will match all the cash back earned during the first 12 consecutive billing periods that your new account is open, effectively doubling your first-year earning rates.
Annual fee: $0
Earning rates:
When to use this card: If you’re planning on shopping online with Amazon, the Discover it Cash Back could be a great option as Amazon is one of its fourth-quarter categories. This retailer is famous for its holiday shopping deals, making it a prime location for Black Friday and Cyber Monday shoppers.
To learn more, read our full review of the Discover it Cash Back.
Prime Visa
If you’re a frequent Amazon shopper with a Prime membership, you’d be remiss not to consider the Prime Visa.
Welcome bonus: Receive a $250 Amazon gift card instantly upon approval, exclusively for Prime members.
Annual fee: $0 (but you need a Prime membership, costing $139 per year, to get this card)
Earning rates:
- 10% back or more on a rotating selection of items and categories on Amazon.com (with an eligible Prime membership)
- 5% back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Chase Travel and Whole Foods Market purchases
- 2% back at gas stations, local transit (including ride-hailing services) and restaurants
- 1% back on everything else
When to use this card: The Prime Visa is only open to those who have an Amazon Prime membership. While the card has no annual fee, you do have to foot the $139 annual bill for an annual Prime account.
But for those who find Prime worthwhile and use it frequently, the card excels with 5% back on a wide variety of items and groceries at Amazon and Whole Foods.
To learn more, check out our full review of the Prime Visa.
Apply here: Prime Visa
How to maximize Black Friday spending
Don’t forget about shopping portals
When shopping online for Black Friday or Cyber Monday, make sure you’re going through a shopping portal in addition to using a great credit card so that you’re double-dipping (or potentially even triple-dipping) on rewards.
All you have to do is go through their link to shop on the sites you enjoy. We recommend starting with a shopping portal aggregator such as CashbackMonitor.com to compare earning rates across these sites.
Note that these bonuses will be in addition to the standard earning rates on the cards above. You should also be able to stack them with discounts or bonuses.
In this way, you can earn rewards from the shopping portal, rewards from your credit card and possibly use rebates from your credit card issuer — quite the combination.
Reach a welcome bonus spending requirement
If you just applied for a new card with a welcome bonus spending requirement, holiday shopping is a great opportunity to help you hit those spending thresholds.
For instance, let’s say you applied for the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. The Venture X earns 2 miles per dollar on all nonbonus spending. Currently, new Venture X cardholders can earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending $10,000 on purchases in the first six months from account opening, so use your holiday shopping to help you reach that minimum spending requirement..
Accruing 2 miles per dollar on everyday spending is a solid rate of return, especially for shopping categories that typically may not receive a bonus of any kind on other credit cards. But if you’re also making a dent in the hefty $10,000 spending requirement to earn 100,000 bonus miles, that’s an even sweeter deal.
Use credit card offers
Major credit card issuers have programs that provide targeted offers, and you can use these to get extra rewards or bonus cash back on your purchases. Because these are targeted offers, not every offer is available for every person or on every credit card that you hold from that bank.
Options include Amex Offers, BankAmeriDeals, Capital One Offers, Chase Offers and Citi Merchant Offers. Many offers are applicable to both in-store (Black Friday) and online (Cyber Monday) purchases.
These offers can make a card that doesn’t typically offer bonus rewards at certain stores worth using while you shop non-travel Black Friday deals.
By adding an offer to your card and then shopping with that merchant (you’ll need to pay with the card to which you added the offer), you can earn cash back or bonus points on top of your normal earnings.
Related: Earn points, miles or cash back: How to maximize online shopping portals for your purchases
Bottom line
Black Friday is an enormous shopping day in the U.S., making it an excellent opportunity to rack up rewards.
Whether you prefer to brave the stores or handle your shopping online while curled up with hot cocoa — or even do both — there are many ways to make the most of your purchases this holiday season.
The best credit cards for Black Friday shopping will offer extra cash back, earn more bonus points or miles or even unlock a valuable welcome bonus.
Related: How to maximize shopping portals for Black Friday and holiday deals
For rates and fees of the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card, click here.