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Whether you’re looking for an everyday cash back card or luxury travel rewards, Mastercard® partners with lots of issuers so you’re sure to find a card that suits your needs.
See the best Mastercard offers from our partners below.
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Updated: January 21, 2020
Mastercard, one of the world’s dominant payment systems, teams up with such giants as Bank of America and Citi to bring you all manner of cards, from credit-builder cards to exclusive travel credit cards. This brand also offers its own benefits, from security to its proprietary Priceless Cities program. Here, we look at:
As a network, Mastercard doesn’t issue cards directly – rather, it partners with massive banks such as Bank of America, as well as your local bank or credit union, which provide cards that carry the Mastercard logo. Then, Mastercard also partners with millions of merchants around the world, which accept cards with their logo while paying a processing fee. Products can be debit, prepaid, charge or credit cards.
Mastercard is one of the dominant card networks, which also include Visa, Discover and American Express. Accepted throughout the world, it is one of the go-to networks for worldwide travel.
There are a number of unique advantages to using a Mastercard, including worldwide acceptance. In fact, in recent years, Mastercard’s international growth has been considerably greater than U.S. growth, with the debit and prepaid markets being particularly strong:
Source: Mastercard Supplemental Operational Performance Data
This card is right for the consumer who has a big road trip planned this summer, with its 3% cash back on gas or your choice of one of five other popular categories. There’s also 2% back on grocery stores and wholesale clubs – those 3 categories earn these cash back rates for up to $2,500 a quarter in combined purchases. 1% unlimited cash back on everything else.
This card also gets you a $200 cash bonus after a $1,000 spend within 90 days of card membership.
The Savor is a no-brainer if you spend a decent amount on food, with 4% cash back on dining and entertainment. On top of that, you have 2% cash back at grocery stores and no foreign transaction fee, making it suitable for a wide variety of uses. The sign-up bonus is one of the best available offers right now, with a $300 cash bonus for spending $3,000 in your first 3 months.
This card is perfect for the consumer who wants to set it and forget it – no dealing with rotating categories or even tiered categories. With Citi Double Cash, you earn 1% back on every purchase, then another 1% when you pay, bringing the total in cash back to 2%. So, $1,000 spent a month comes to $240 back at the end of your first year.
This card is ideal for the consumer who is looking to improve his credit. Accepting fair, limited or average credit, the Capital One Platinum has no annual fee and gives you access to a higher credit limit after you make your first 5 payments on time.
This card’s 15,000-point sign-up bonus rivals that of the Chase Freedom cards – earn 15,000 bonus points after a $1,000 spend within the first 3 months of card membership, worth $150 when redeemed. Also, earn 2X points at supermarkets and gas stations for the first $6,000 spend each year. It’s 1X point after that and on other purchases.
Trying to build your credit but itching to jump into the rewards game? The QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards is an excellent choice. Not only are consumers with average, limited or fair credit accepted, but they get a competitive 1.5% cash back on purchases. You can also monitor your credit with the CreditWise app, which is available to everyone.
The BankAmericard credit card is a simple credit card that is competitive when it comes to APR offers. For the first 18 billing cycles, the BankAmericard offers a special intro APR for purchases as well as balance transfers made in your first 60 days. After that, the regular interest rate comes in at a relatively low 14.49%-24.49% Variable APR. There’s no annual fee, no penalty APR, and convenient access to your FICO credit score
This card is hard to beat when you have interest charges piling up. With the Citi Simplicity, you can get 21 months of 0% APR on balance transfers and 12 months of 0% APR on purchases (then 16.24% – 26.24% variable). So, whether you already owe on a previous card or you have a car repair bill looming, you can save money with the Simplicity’s introductory offer. There’s also the promise of personal, live service and you can choose your due date.
Mastercard offers unique programs and benefits such as the Priceless series, SecureCode, and Masterpass.
With Priceless Cities and Surprises, you can get once-in-a-lifetime experiences from sporting events to dining experiences. Go on a safari in the Dubai desert. Or experience a surprise of a lifetime after using your Mastercard. The world is yours with a Mastercard.
Mastercard SecureCode is a private code for your Mastercard account that only you and your financial institution see. Merchants don’t see it. You can use SecureCode in 122 countries at more than a million online merchants. It’s easy to activate:
A digital wallet, Masterpass works online, in apps and in stores and on any device. You can store your cards and shipping information electronically, allowing you to shop from one account. You just register on masterpass.com or through your bank and load your Mastercard credit or debit card.
You can use Masterpass at thousands of online merchants and at more than a million store locations. You get multi-tiered security and Zero Liability protects you from unauthorized purchases.
There are 2 exclusive categories with the Mastercard suite – the World and World Elite, each with excellent benefits when you use your Mastercard.
Mastercard’s lineup for businesses ranges from employee spending controls to access to a portfolio of hotels and resorts. For example:
Experience room upgrades, early check-in and late check-out, and daily breakfast for two. You also get savings and deals on air, hotel, rental car and more.
With Mastercard in Control for Business, you can delegate spending to employees safely and efficiently. With this program, you can create customized spending profiles that specifies how, when and where employees spend. You can also create limit-use cards that employees can use to make secure purchases online.
Mastercard Advisors provides you with insights into consumer behavior. From access to early industry sales data to models that score likely consumer engagement, Mastercard offers a host of tools that can help you expand your business.
These tools help you with compliance, reporting and analysis. This online expense management system allows you to manage and control spending, generate spending reports and integrate purchase data into accounting software.
Use out-of-this-world experiences to impress clients. Take a cooking class at Miami’s Wynwood Yard or take an insider’s tour of New York’s Theater District with a star actor – the possibilities are limitless.
Mastercard helps you improve checkout processes and fight payment fraud with EMV chip technology. There’s also the Sage Payment Systems, which allows small- and medium-sized businesses to offer Masterpass.
| Credit Card | Best For: | Annual Fee | Review Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of America® Cash Rewards credit card | Gas purchases | $0 | 3.4 / 5 |
| Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card | Dining and entertainment | $0 first year, $95 thereafter | 4.8 / 5 |
| Citi® Double Cash Card | 2% cash back | $0 | 4.1 / 5 |
| Capital One® Platinum Credit Card | Building credit | $0 | 3.7 / 5 |
| Citi Rewards+SM Card | Everyday use | $0 | 3.0 / 5 |
| Capital One® QuicksilverOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card | Unlimited cash back | $39 | 4.1 / 5 |
| BankAmericard® credit card | FICO Score for free | $0 | 3.9 / 5 |
| Citi Simplicity® Card | Balance transfers | $0 | 3.7 / 5 |
Laura is an editor and writer at CreditCards.com. She has written extensively on all things credit cards and works to bring you the most up-to-date analysis and advice. Laura’s work has been cited in such publications as the New York Times and Associated Press. You can reach her by e-mail at laura.mohammad@creditcards.com and on Twitter @creditcards_lm.
