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If you live in or visit New York City, you know there's so much to see and do — and just as many ways to spend your money. While you're exploring the city, you might notice a pattern in what you're purchasing. Residents and visitors alike tend to partake in the best things the city has to offer, like excellent restaurants, taxis or rideshares, and top-notch entertainment.
Within those categories, certain credit cards will reward your spending with miles, points, or cash back on purchases. Of course, there isn't one best credit card to use in New York City. The one or two you choose should maximize your rewards on what you're already spending.
As a New York resident for 11 years, I found there were a few cards that rewarded me more richly than others. The right one for you will depend on the benefits you're looking for, where you often spend, the annual fee you're willing to pay, and many other factors.
We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won't be worth it if you're paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.
Compare the Best Credit Cards to Use in New York City
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
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Cardholders earn 5x total Chase Ultimate Rewards points on air travel and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards® (after earning the $300 travel credit) and 3x points on other travel and dining. You can use the points to book travel directly through Chase, or transfer them to airline and hotel partners like United, Southwest, JetBlue, and Hyatt.
Chase's definition of "travel" is broad. You'll earn 3x points per dollar spent (outside of Chase Ultimate Rewards®) on flights, hotels, tolls, parking garages, taxis, and rideshare services like Uber and Lyft. Plus, you'll earn 3x points on dining, including takeout and delivery. These are all popular spending categories for New Yorkers.
Cardholders can also activate two years of complimentary Lyft Pink All Access membership (usually $199 per year), plus get 50% off their third year of membership.
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You'll get other valuable benefits like primary car rental insurance and trip delay and cancellation insurance. I had this card when I lived in New York and found it worth keeping for the lucrative points earning alone.
In New York City, you'll likely find yourself on the MTA subway or a commuter train like Amtrak or NJ Transit at some point, if not daily. You can earn 3x Chase Ultimate Rewards points on every dollar spent on tickets with the
Even better, you can use the up to $300 annual travel credits from the
Chase Freedom Flex℠
New Yorkers like stopping into Duane Reade or other drugstores for quick essentials. With a drugstore around nearly every corner, it's convenient to pop in any time as most of them are open around the clock.
The
The cash back is earned in the form of Chase Ultimate Rewards points. With the
American Express® Gold Card
New York City's restaurant scene needs no introduction and is enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. Many New Yorkers eat out or get delivery more often than not, especially because there are dozens of unique restaurants in each neighborhood.
The
After enrollment, you can use up to $10 in statement credits each month for purchases at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Milk Bar, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and participating Shake Shack locations. Even if you don't like the restaurants on the list, most New Yorkers can make good use of Grubhub and Seamless delivery once per month when they're not dining at their favorite local restaurants. This helps to cover the card's
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
If city exploration is your favorite thing to do, consider the
Plus, the card now offers cardholders 10% cash back on Uber and Uber Eats purchases, and a complimentary Uber One membership (offer ends November 14, 2024).
There aren't a lot of cards that reward entertainment purchases. You'll also earn 4% cash back on dining, 2% cash back at grocery stores, and 1% cash back on all other purchases. The
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
Delta is a good airline for New Yorkers because they have a domestic hub at LaGuardia and many international flights out of JFK. Amex offers several Delta credit cards, but most casual flyers will do well with the
With it, you'll get a free first checked bag on Delta flights for yourself and up to eight companions traveling on the same reservation, Zone 1 Priority boarding, and a 20% discount on inflight purchases as a statement credit. Considering it costs $30 to check a bag each way, you can recover the card's annual fee of
The
United℠ Explorer Card
If you prefer to fly out of Newark, chances are you'll find yourself on a United flight. In that case, the
You'll earn 2x miles on United purchases, dining (including eligible delivery services), and hotel stays. Cardholders also get a statement credit of up to $100 for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS every four years.
The card also mimics lower-level elite status by providing a free first checked bag for you and one companion on the same reservation when you pay for your ticket with the card, priority boarding, 25% back as a statement credit for United inflight purchases, and two United Club passes each cardmember anniversary.
All combined, the card is easily worth its annual fee of
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
American Airlines offers plenty of flights out of their hubs at LaGuardia domestically and JFK for trans-Atlantic travel. With the
Along with a welcome bonus offer of
JetBlue Plus Card
Finally, there's New York's hometown airline, JetBlue, which occupies all of Terminal 5 at JFK airport. New Yorkers love flying JetBlue for its comfort, unlimited snacks, and welcoming atmosphere. If that describes you, you'll do well with the
It earns 6x points on JetBlue purchases, 2x points at restaurants and grocery stores, and 1 point per dollar everywhere else. You'll also receive 5,000 bonus points on your account anniversary each year. The
JetBlue points are worth, on average, 1.35 cents each according to Insider's points and miles valuations, which means the 5,000 anniversary bonus points are worth about $68 toward JetBlue flights each year. Between that and the first free checked bag benefit, the