Best contactless credit cards of May 2024

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Contactless credit cards are a faster and safer way to pay for in-store purchases. In fact, a Grand View Research report found that the majority of consumers (87%) now prefer using contactless payment options, such as tap-to-pay credit cards and mobile wallets, when shopping in-store.

Most newly issued cards have contactless capability by default, including from major card issuers like American Express, Bank of America, Chase, Capital One, Citi, Discover and Wells Fargo. However, if your card doesn't have a contactless indicator (a wave-like symbol on the front), you may want to open a contactless card and benefit from tapping to pay.

Below, CNBC Select rounds up the best contactless credit cards in six main categories, so you can choose the best card based on your spending habits. (See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best contactless credit cards.)

Who's this for? If you prefer to cook at home versus order takeout, a grocery rewards card like the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express can help you save money.

Standout benefits: The Blue Cash Preferred Card has a top-notch cash-back rate at U.S. supermarkets at 6% (on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%). This card can earn you significant cash back when shopping at qualifying supermarkets, such as Whole Foods Market and Stop & Shop.

Beyond a high cash-back rate on groceries, you earn 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, which is great for Netflix, Hulu and over a dozen other eligible subscriptions. Plus you earn 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and transit and 1% cash back on all other purchases.

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Who's this for? If you frequently commute to work with your car or drive to the local grocery store, the PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card can help you maximize rewards on refueling your car.

Standout benefits: This card offers the highest rewards rate at gas stations with 5X points per dollar spent on gas purchases at the pump, which is why it ranks as our best gas rewards card.

In addition to a great rewards rate on gas, this card offers a decent 3X for supermarket purchases. Plus you can benefit from no annual fee.

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Who's this for? Food delivery and takeout are great services that let you enjoy meals from your favorite restaurants in the comfort of your home. Cards that earn rewards at restaurants, such as the American Express® Gold Card, are a great choice for foodies.

Standout benefits: The Amex Gold Card earns 4X points per dollar spent at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery services in the U.S. The 4X rewards rate also applies to U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X), which may come in handy if you alternate takeout and food delivery with cooking at home.

This card also stands out for its annual $120 dining credit ($10 a month) at select restaurants and food delivery services, including Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment is required. This credit helps offset some of the costs of ordering takeout or food delivery.

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Who's this for? The U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card is a premium credit card with some of the highest rewards for mobile wallet payments.

Standout benefits: The U.S Bank Altitude Reserve card earns an amazing 3X points on mobile wallet payments. This bonus applies to purchases through services like Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. This is a rare and versatile bonus category that only becomes more valuable as mobile wallet acceptance increases. Plus, you can redeem these points for 1.5 cents each for travel, which means you're effectively earning 4.5% back on mobile wallet spending.

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Who's this for? The Citi Double Cash® Card is a straightforward cash-back card that allows you to maximize rewards with little effort.

Standout benefits: There are no rotating reward categories to keep track of. Instead, Citi Double Cash Card members earn a competitive 2% cash back: 1% cash back on purchases and 1% when you pay off your bill. Plus, for a limited time, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel^SM portal through Dec. 31, 2024.

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Who's this for? Whether you're looking to get out of debt or finance new purchases, you can benefit from an intro 0% APR card, such as the Citi Simplicity® Card.

Standout benefits: The Citi Simplicity Card offers new cardholders an intro 0% APR for balance transfers for the first 21 months from the date of the first transfer. You can also take advantage of an intro 0% APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening. After either intro APR period expires, a variable 19.24% - 29.99% APR applies and balance transfers must be completed within four months of account opening.

Keep in mind that 0% APR cards like the Simplicity typically require good credit or excellent credit (scores above 670). Like many other balance transfer cards, this card charges an introductory balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first four months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5). The fee can be worthwhile if you're paying high interest (check out the top no-fee balance transfer cards).

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The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express earns an incredible amount of cashback where it matters for most people.

Rewards

• 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%)
• 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions
• 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations
• 3% cash back on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more)
• 1% cash back on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn a $250 statement credit after spending $3,000 in purchases on your new card in the first six months from account opening.

Annual fee

$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 (see rates and fees).

Notable perks

Earning cash back on purchases isn't the only way this card rewards you, you can also receive statement credits for eligible purchases. You can receive up to $84 in Disney Bundle credit every year ($7 back monthly after spending $9.99 or more that month). Cardholders can also qualify for up to $120 in Equinox+ credit ($10 each month; enrollment required).

This card also provides access to Amex Offers, which provides limited-time discounts via a statement credit or additional cash back at a variety of dining, retail and travel merchants. Eligible purchases also qualify for return protection and rental car collision coverage (secondary).

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The PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card has no annual fee and has no limit to the bonus points you can earn on gas and EV charging purchases.

Rewards

• 5X points on gas paid at the pump and EV charging stations
• 3X points at supermarkets
• 3X points at restaurants
• 3X points on TV, radio, cable and streaming services
• 1X points on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn 15,000 points when you spend $1,500 in the first 90 days.

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

Membership is required to open this card since PenFed is a credit union, though anyone can join. Simply complete these three steps: Apply, open a savings account with a $5 deposit and maintain a $5 account balance.

New accounts qualify for an intro 0% APR for 12 months on balance transfers made in the first 90 days after account opening, after that a variable 17.99% APR applies. There is a balance transfer fee of 3%.

The PenFed Platinum Visa Signature also offers cardholders purchase protection, travel accident insurance, travel and emergency assistance services, roadside dispatch, cell phone protection and access to Visa Signature Concierge services.

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The American Express® Gold Card is a rewards-earning machine and to top it off, the American Express Membership Rewards points this card earns are especially valuable.

Rewards

• 4X points at restaurants (plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.)
• 4X 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
• 1X points on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn 60,000 points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your card in the first six months of card membership.

Annual fee

$250 (see rates and fees)

Notable perks

Although the Gold Card has a pretty steep $250 annual fee (see rates and fees), its benefits can help you recoup most of it. Every year you can receive up to $120 in Uber Cash ($10 per month) and up to $120 in dining credit at participating partners (up to $10 per month).

Card members can also take advantage of money-saving Amex Offers that can earn you a statement credit or additional points at select retailers, which may include restaurants, retailers or services. This card has no foreign transaction fees to go with baggage insurance, rental car damage and theft coverage (secondary), extended warranty protection, purchase protection and trip delay insurance.

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The U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card has valuable benefits that are incredibly easy to use and can help offset the annual fee.

Rewards

• 5X points on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Altitude Rewards Center
• 3X points on eligible travel
• 3X points on mobile wallet spending on Apple Pay^®, Google Pay™ and Samsung Pay
• 1X points on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn 50,000 points (worth $750 in travel) after spending $4,500 in the first 90 days of account opening.

Annual fee

$400

Notable perks

Cardholders will appreciate how easy the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve's up to $325 in dining and travel credits are to redeem. You simply make eligible purchases and are automatically reimbursed with statement credits for the first $325 in eligible spending. That effectively brings your out-of-pocket cost down to $75 a year, and the rest of this card's perks can easily be worth more than that.

You'll also receive:

• Airport lounge access (eight free Priority Pass lounge visits per year)
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
• Rental car perks with National, Avis and Hertz
• Roadside dispatch
• Rental car coverage
• Lost luggage reimbursement
• Travel accident insurance
• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
• Trip delay reimbursement
• Purchase security
• Extended warranty protection
• Return protection
• No foreign transaction fees

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The Citi Double Cash® Card is especially rewarding for ordinary purchases outside of other rewards credit card special bonus categories.

Rewards

• 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel^SM portal through Dec. 31, 2024
• 2% cash back on all purchases (1% back when you buy and 1% back when you pay)

Welcome bonus

Earn a $200 cash bonus after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening.

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

New Double Cash Card members can benefit from no interest for the first 18 months from account opening on balance transfers (then a 19.24% - 29.24%  variable APR applies). There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first four months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).

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The Citi Simplicity® Card is a no annual fee card with one of the longest intro APR offers you can find for balance transfers, but doesn't earn rewards.

Rewards

None

Welcome bonus

None

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

This card's main benefits are its lack of an annual fee, no late fees and no penalty APR. New card members also have an unusually long amount of time to pay off the card's balance before having to pay interest. You'll get 21 months of an intro 0% APR for balance transfers and 12 months of an intro 0% APR for purchases (after that a 19.24% - 29.99% variable APR applies). To qualify for the intro APR, balance transfers must be completed in the first four months and there is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% ($5 minimum). After four months, balance transfers incur a 5% fee ($5 minimum).

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Contactless credit cards make for quicker, simpler and more secure transactions. Contactless cards use radio frequency identification (RFID) technology and near-field communication (NFC) to communicate with the card payment terminal. To pay, you simply hold your card close to the payment terminal until you hear the beep or see a green light to indicate the transaction is complete. There's no swiping or inserting required, and you typically won't need a signature or PIN to complete contactless purchases.

Contactless credit cards can usually function as standard cards as well, so if the card reader only accepts swipes or chip inserts, you won't be out of luck. However, whenever contactless or tap-to-pay is an option, it's typically better to go that route. With contactless payments, an encrypted single-use code is generated for each transaction. These one-time codes, or tokens, make it nearly impossible for anyone to steal your sensitive information.

Contactless credit cards are quickly becoming the standard type of credit card. These cards offer convenience and security on top of various rewards and benefits. It's important to understand what benefits are most valuable to you when deciding which contactless card you want and to also pay attention to the card's annual fee.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best contactless credit cards.

To determine which contactless cards offer the best value, CNBC Select analyzed over 250 major credit cards issued through FDIC-insured banks and NCUA-insured credit unions that are widely available in the U.S.  

We compared each card on a range of features, including rewards (e.g., cash back, points and miles), annual fees, welcome bonuses, introductory and standard APR and balance transfer fees and foreign transaction fees. We also considered additional perks (e.g., ongoing travel or merchant statement credits), cardholder protections (e.g., purchase protection, $0 liability protection and travel insurance), the application process when available (e.g., is there a credit pull or required credit score) and how easy it is to redeem points (e.g., are rewards are tied to a specific brand; if transferable, to how many/which partners, can you redeem for straight cashback). 
 
We also considered CNBC Select audience data when available, such as general demographics and engagement with our content and tools.  

For the cards that offered a rewards program, we considered consumer spending data forecasts from location intelligence firm Esri to determine where U.S. consumers are spending the most money, like on dining and travel. We used this to help determine what bonus categories are most useful for consumers. Since the value of a point or mile varies based on what they can be redeemed for, we also considered things like transferability and the ability to redeem for cash-back. 

When choosing the best contactless credit cards, we focused on cards that feature tap-to-pay and contactless payment options. We paid special attention to cards that offer additional rewards or benefits for mobile wallet purchases.

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For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, click here.

For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.