As a teacher, you have a lot of expenses. From buying supplies for your classroom to funding your own professional development, it can be hard to keep up with it all.
That’s why it’s important to find a credit card that will give you the most bang for your buck.
Here are the best credit cards for teachers, based on your spending needs.
1. Citi® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer
Best No-Annual Fee Cash Back Card
The Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer boasts a strong 2% rewards rate on purchases, where you get 1% back when you buy and 1% when you pay.
This zero-annual-fee card offers a solid earning potential as long as you pay your balance on time, and it provides a simple way to rack up points with no bonus categories to track.
You can also boost your rewards by also holding the Citi Premier® Card (review), which allows you to transfer points to airline and hotel programs. This combination effectively allows you to earn 2 airline miles per dollar on all spending with the Citi Double Cash.
2. Chase Freedom Flex℠
Best for 5% Cash Back in Rotating Categories
- Earn $200 Bonus Cash Back After Spending $500 in the First 3 Months
- 5% Cash Back in Quarterly Bonus Categories (up to $1,500 in combined spending after activation)
- 5% Cash Back on Travel Purchased Via Chase
- 3% Cash Back at Restaurants, Eligible Food Delivery, and Drug Stores
- Cell Phone Insurance and Purchase Protection
- No Annual Fee
The Chase Freedom Flex℠ is a great no-annual fee card that earns 5% cash back in quarterly categories (up to $1,500 in combined spending) and on travel purchased via Chase Ultimate Rewards.
The Freedom Flex also earns 3% cash back at restaurants, eligible food delivery, and drug stores.
The card also comes with nice benefits such as cell phone insurance, extended warranty, purchase protection, secondary rental car insurance, and trip cancellation/interruption insurance.
3. Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Best for Cash Back at Restaurants and Drug Stores
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a good no-annual fee credit card option that offers 5% cash back on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3% cash back at restaurants, takeout, eligible delivery services, and on drugstore purchases. Plus it offers 1.5% cash back on all other eligible purchases.
The card also offers nice benefits such as purchase protection, extended warranty, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, and secondary rental car insurance.
4. Citi Custom Cash℠ Card
Best for 5% Cash Back in Your Top Category
- Earn $200 Cash Back After Spending $1,500 in the First Six Months
- 5% Cash Back on Purchases in Your Top Eligible Spend Category Each Billing Cycle up to $500 (1% after that)
- 0% Intro APR for 15 Months on Purchases and Balance Transfers ($5 or 5% fee). After that, a variable APR of 18.74% – 28.74% applies.
- No Annual Fee
The Citi Custom Cash℠ Card is a no-annual-fee card that earns 5% cash back in your top spending category each billing cycle.
Eligible 5% cash back categories include restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, home improvement stores, drug stores, select transit, select streaming, fitness clubs, and live entertainment.
This allows you to turn the Custom Cash into your 5% cash back card for gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores, or several other categories.
5. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Best for Teachers Who Want to Travel
- Earn 60,000 Ultimate Rewards Bonus Points for Spending $4,000 in the First 3 Months
- 5x Points on Travel Booked Via Chase
- 3x Points on Dining and Eligible Delivery Services
- 3x Points on Select Streaming and Online Grocery (excluding Walmart, Target, and Wholesale Clubs)
- 2x Points on All Other Travel Purchases
- 10% Anniversary Points Boost
- Trip Delay and Trip Cancellation Insurance
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- $95 Annual Fee
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of the best rewards cards for travelers who want solid earning rates for travel and dining expenses.
For only $95 per year, this card earns 5x Chase Ultimate Rewards points on travel booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, 3x points on dining, online groceries, and streaming services, and 2x on all other travel purchases.
Cardholders will also get a 10% anniversary points bonus, a 12-month DoorDash DashPass subscription, and a $50- anniversary hotel statement credit.
Plus, it provides extensive travel protections, including trip delay, primary rental car, baggage, and purchase protection plans.
6. Bilt Rewards
Best for Paying Rent
- Pay Rent Without Fees and Earn 1 Point Per Dollar on Rent (up to 50,000 Points Per Calendar Year)
- No Annual Fee
- 3x Points on Dining
- 2x Points on Travel
- Transfer Rewards to Airlines and Hotels
- Cell Phone, Primary Rental Car, and Trip Delay Insurance
Bilt Mastercard® is a no-annual-fee credit card that allows you to pay rent without a transaction fee and earn 1 point per dollar on rent (up to 50,000 points per calendar year).
You also earn 3x points on dining, 2x points on travel, and 1x points everywhere else.
The Bilt Rewards card also has great benefits for a no-annual fee card, including cell phone insurance, primary rental car insurance, 90-day purchase protection, trip delay insurance, trip cancellation insurance, and no foreign transaction fees.
Plus, you can transfer your points to airline and hotel partners such as United Airlines, American Airlines, and World of Hyatt. Or redeem the points for travel or at Amazon.
7. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Best for Teachers Who Want to Travel in Style
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a premium travel rewards card that’s perfect for travelers who want outstanding travel perks like annual travel credits, worldwide airport lounge access, and travel and purchase protections.
The Venture X earns 2x miles on all purchases helping you maximize every dollar of your spending. Plus, you can earn 10x miles on hotels and rental cars, and 5x miles on flights booked through Capital One.
The card has a $395 annual fee, completely offset by an easy-to-use travel credit of up to $300 back annually as statement credits for Bookings via Capital One Travel, and 10,000 points (worth at least $100) for each account anniversary.
Plus, you get airport lounge access via Priority Pass, Capital One, and Plaza Premium Lounges, Hertz President’s Circle elite status, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, rental car insurance, trip and luggage insurance, cell phone insurance, and purchase protection.
8. American Express® Gold Card
Best for Spending at Restaurants and U.S. Supermarkets
The American Express® Gold Card is one of my favorite cards because it earns:
- 4x Membership Rewards® points at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.,
- 4x Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1x).
- 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
Plus, card members get nice credits when you enroll your Gold Card to offset the annual fee:
- $120 Uber Cash: 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.
- $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.
9. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Earn 75,000 Bonus Miles After Spending $4,000 Within the First Three Months
- 5x Miles on Hotels and Rental Cars via Capital One
- 2x Miles Everywhere Else
- 2 Free Visits to Capital One Lounges Each Year
- Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check Credit
- Hertz 5-Star Elite Status
- Rental Car Insurance and Extended Warranty
- $95 Annual Fee
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a travel rewards credit card that earns an unlimited 2 miles per dollar on all purchases and 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
The card also offers up to a $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, and two free visits each year to the Capital One Lounge.
10. Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
- Earn a $200 Statement Credit After Spending $2,000 in the First 6 Months.
- 3% Cash Back at U.S. Supermarkets, U.S. Online Retail Purchases, & U.S. Gas Stations (each on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, 1% thereafter)
- 0% Intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months from the date of account opening. After that, 18.74% to 29.74% variable APR.
- No Annual Fee (Rates and Fees)
The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express is a great no-annual fee credit card option that earns 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. online retail purchases, & U.S. gas stations (each on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, 1% thereafter).
The Blue Cash also offers $7 back each month after using your Blue Cash Everyday Card to spend $12.99 or more each month on an eligible subscription to The Disney Bundle, including Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. (Enrollment required.)
Plus, a $180 annual credit for Home Chef purchases in the form of a monthly $15 statement credit
11. Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Points After Spending $3,000 in the First 3 Months.
- 6x Points at Marriott Hotels & Resorts
- 3x Points on Groceries, Gas, and Dining on the First $6,000 in Combined Purchases Each Year
- One Annual Free Night Award (Up to 35,000 Points Every Year After Account Anniversary)
- Automatic Silver Elite Status + 15 Elite Credits
- Trip Delay, Baggage Delay, and Lost Luggage Insurance
- $95 Annual Fee
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card is a good option for travelers who want benefits at Marriott for a reasonable annual fee of $95, which is offset by a free night award of up to 35,000 points after each account anniversary.
The Bonvoy Boundless card also offers Bonvoy Silver status, 15 elite night credits, 6x points at Marriott Bonvoy hotels, 3x points at grocery stores, gas stations, and on dining on the first $6,000 in combined purchases each year.
Plus, the card offers benefits such as baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, trip delay reimbursement, purchase protection, and no foreign transaction fees.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, please click here.
