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Each bank has at least one rewards card designed to deliver maximum value without charging an annual fee that puts it out of reach for budget-conscious travelers.
These mid-tier cards are often the ones that see the fiercest competition between banks—which is great for points collectors. That drive to attract customers means lucrative bonuses, and constant pressure to maintain valuable benefits.
And right now, two of these cards are dueling it out with increased offers, so now is a great time to look at our favorite mid-tier cards in 2022.
Our Top Three Mid-Tier Flexible Rewards Cards
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit CardAnnual Fee$95Welcome Offer
Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.Following the revamp of Capital One's rewards program and the addition of airline transfer partners, the Capital One Venture has catapulted into our list of top travel rewards cards. The ability to earn 2X miles on every purchase provides a decent return on spending. Plus the card offers some great perks.- Earn 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening; worth $750 in travel if redeemed for a fixed-value, or potentially much more when transferred to airline partners
- 2 Miles on every purchase
- Fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✔® (up to $100)
- No foreign transaction fees
- $95 annual fee
- 5X miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per dollar on all other purchases
- Earn 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening; worth $750 in travel if redeemed for a fixed-value, or potentially much more when transferred to airline partners
- 2 Miles on every purchase
- Fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✔® (up to $100)
- No foreign transaction fees
- $95 annual fee
- 5X miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per dollar on all other purchases
Bridging the gap between a fixed-value purchase eraser and a flexible rewards card, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers cardholders the best of both worlds. You can transfer Venture Miles to a wide range of airline and hotel partners (almost all now transfer at a 1:1 ratio) — including Air Canada, British Airways, and Wyndham Rewards. Or, simply use your points at a fixed value of 1¢ per point to wipe out travel expenses charged to your Capital One Venture.
Right now, the Capital One Venture is sporting its first increased bonus since July 2021, offering a one-time 75,000-mile bonus after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That is a minimum of $750 in travel if you redeem for a fixed value, or potentially much more if you transfer to one of Capital One's stellar list of travel partners.
What's more, cardholders earn a solid 2x miles on every purchase, meaning you'll get up to 2x airline miles on everything you spend on the card. That is one of the best returns on non-bonus spending you'll find on any rewards card.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Chase Sapphire Preferred® CardAnnual Fee$95Welcome Bonus
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.Our #1 recommended beginners rewards card featuring a 60,000-point signup bonus after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. This card comes with great benefits and earns valuable Ultimate Rewards points.- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining, and 2x on all other travel purchases, and $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, plus more.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
- Member FDIC
- 5X points on Lyft rides through March 2025
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on eligible streaming services
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 2X points on all other travel
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining, and 2x on all other travel purchases, and $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, plus more.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
- Member FDIC
- 5X points on Lyft rides through March 2025
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on eligible streaming services
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 2X points on all other travel
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
What makes the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card a crowd favorite year in and year out? In addition to a valuable signup bonus, this card offers some of the best travel and purchase protections of any card in its class.
Cardholders earn 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases, and 2x on all other travel purchases. Ultimate Rewards transfer to 14 airline and hotel partners — including United, Southwest, and Hyatt. So, there is no shortage of options when it's time to redeem your points.
The Sapphire Preferred is currently offering a bonus of 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Citi Premier® Card
Citi Premier® CardAnnual Fee$95Welcome Offer
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.The Citi Premier card offers some of the top earning rates of any rewards card with an annual fee under $100. This card is best-in-class for rewards on air travel and hotel spending, and it tops our list of the best cards for gas & fuel purchases with a generous 3X ThankYou® Points.
- 60,000 point signup bonus worth $800 towards airfare through the ThankYou Travel Center, or potentially much more when transferred to airline partners
- 3X points per $1 on airfare and hotels and at gas stations, restaurants, and supermarkets
- Annual Hotel Benefit: Save $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when you book through ThankYou.com
- No foreign transaction fees
- $95 annual fee
- 3X points per $1 spent on airfare, hotels, and at gas stations
- 3X points per $1 spent on dining at restaurants, including cafes, bars and lounges
- 3X points per $1 spent at supermarkets
- 1X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
- 60,000 point signup bonus worth $800 towards airfare through the ThankYou Travel Center, or potentially much more when transferred to airline partners
- 3X points per $1 on airfare and hotels and at gas stations, restaurants, and supermarkets
- Annual Hotel Benefit: Save $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when you book through ThankYou.com
- No foreign transaction fees
- $95 annual fee
- 3X points per $1 spent on airfare, hotels, and at gas stations
- 3X points per $1 spent on dining at restaurants, including cafes, bars and lounges
- 3X points per $1 spent at supermarkets
- 1X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
A longtime AwardWallet favorite, the Citi Premier® Card takes the top prize for rewarding bonus category spending, helping to anchor your rewards strategy with top earning rates and transfer partners. The Citi Premier charges an affordable annual fee of $95 and earns extra points on a wide range of bonus categories. You can transfer points earned on the card to 16 airline transfer partners, 2 hotel partners and even a shopping partner — including JetBlue, Emirates, and Choice Privileges.
Cardholders earn 3x points per $1 spent on airfare and hotels, and at gas stations, restaurants, and supermarkets. Add to that the 60,000-point welcome offer and the $100 annual hotel credit, and you get an excellent bang for your buck.
Why No Amex Cards in the Top Three?
American Express offers two rewards cards that could potentially fall into the mid-tier category. However, both charge annual fees north of $100 (Rates & Fees), which is where we would typically draw the line for a mid-tier rewards card.
- Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.
- Get a $100 experience credit with a minimum two-night stay when you book The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel. Experience credit varies by property.
- Choose the color that suits your style. Gold or Rose Gold.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $250.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 1X on other purchases
- Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
While the Amex Gold charges the higher annual fee of the two cards, you get some of the best returns on dining, groceries, and flights of any rewards card, period. Cardholders earn 4x at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., 4x at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 in purchases per year, and 3x points on airfare booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com. You can also get up to $240 in dining and Uber credits each year, which goes some way towards offsetting the annual fee. Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
The other card worth mentioning from Amex is the American Express® Green Card. While it doesn't receive the same press as its more expensive stablemate, the American Express® Green Card is a more travel-focused product that earns 3x points on travel (including airfare, hotels, cruises, tours, and car rentals), 3x on transit (including trains, buses, ferries, and subways), and 3x point at restaurants (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.). You can also take advantage of a $189 Clear credit and a $100 LoungeBuddy credit.
The Best Mid-Tier Fixed Value Rewards Card
- 5X points on prepaid hotels and rental cars booked through the Altitude Rewards Center
- 4X points on other travel, including airlines, hotels, rental cars, cruises, taxis, trains, and limousines.
- 4X points at gas stations and on electric vehicle charging
- 2X points at grocery stores, grocery delivery, dining, and streaming services
- 1 point on all other eligible purchases
Taking home first prize in the fixed-value rewards category is the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card. This card provides cardholders a monster return on spending courtesy of some excellent bonus categories, and also features one of the most accessible welcome offers of any card in its class.
New cardmembers can earn 50,000 points after spending an affordable $2,000 in the first 120 days. That's just $500 per month required to earn a signup bonus worth $500. You also receive 5x points on prepaid hotels and rental cars booked through the Altitude Rewards Center, 4x points on all other travel (including airlines, hotels, rental cars, cruises, taxis, trains, and limousines), 4x points at gas stations and on electric vehicle charging, and 2x points at grocery stores, grocery delivery, dining, and streaming services.
Bottom Line
You don't need the hassle of a wallet full of cards to build out a profitable rewards strategy. Focusing on a handful of cards that give you a high-value return on your spending, offer tangible benefits that help offset the annual fee, and don't hit you hard in the hip pocket is likely the optimal strategy for most points and miles fans. Each of the cards discussed in this post delivers on these criteria and will help to anchor your rewards strategy while keeping your out-of-pocket costs to a minimum.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees)
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Does any card offer Priority Pass that has under a $400 annual fee? thank you!
Kinda. The Hilton Surpass card offers 10 free Priority Pass visits per year and it has an annual fee of just $95. And that’s just one of the perks of this underrated card: https://awardwallet.com/blog/extract-maximum-value-from-the-amex-hilton-surpass-card/