No Annual Fee and Generic "Any Airline" Cards American Express Blue Cash   Annual Fee Intro. Bonus Earning Features Redemption Opportunities $0 0% intro APR 5% cash back on 'everyday' gas/grocery/drug purchases, 1.5% on all other (after $6500 in annual spending) 1% cash back on 'everyday', 0.5% back on all other prior to $6500 in spending   From Points Account: Any airline via designated travel agency   VIA Transfer: None How it works This is a cash back card with a high return level once you reach $6500 in annual spending. You will receive 5% cash back on 'everyday' gas/grocery/drug purchases and 1.5% on all other purchases, well above the typical 1% you see with many cash back / rewards cards. For your first $6500 in purchases each year, you get 1% cash back on 'everyday' purchases and 0.5% back on all other purchases. Best for Larger spenders who don't want to hassle with a travel rewards program and want a consistent 1.5% or better return after $6500 in annual spending. Few cash back cards match this earning power.  Upsides No annual fee Downsides  You can often get a better than 2% return on value when you use a hotel card like the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express . Other alternatives For cash back interested consumers, we recommend pairing this card with the Chase Freedom Visa . The Chase Freedom Visa offers 3% cash back or 3 points per dollar spent in your top 3 'everyday' categories each month, including gas stations, fast food, movie theaters, drugstores, departent stores, grocery stores, pet stores, cable/satellite bills, beauty salons/spas, gyms, commuting, utilities, and dry cleaning among others. We recommend using the Chase Freedom Visa for purchases in those categories, while using the American Express Blue Cash card for your other purchases or at the few places that don't accept American Express cards. American Express Blue Sky   Annual Fee Intro. Bonus Earning Features Redemption Opportunities $0 0% intro APR 1 point per $ --  but 7500 points  = $100 off any travel expenses, so your return is often a generous 1.3%   From Points Account: Any airline / hotel / cruise /car rental VIA Transfer: None How it works This card earns you one point per dollar you spend on the card. You can redeem your points in 7500 point increments, and each 7500 points is worth $100 off travel purchases with any airline or any hotel, car rental agency, or cruise line. You simply purchase the trip through your favorite travel provider and tell American Express you'd like to apply your points, and you will see a statement credit. Best for Infrequent travelers who want to earn primarily domestic airline awards. This is a good card for people who want the simplicity of not dealing with special award seats or travel agencies. You simply tell Amex you would like to redeem your points for travel credit. Each 7500 points you redeem is worth $100 off travel expenses on any airline, or at any hotel, car rental agency, or cruise line . No worries about blackout dates or advance purchase restrictions. If you want to travel with one day's notice you can. Upsides No annual fee, simple no restriction redemption, decent earning power for an any airline/any time card. Downsides  While a typical 1.3% return on spending with this card is better than many generic 'any airline' cards, we find the best return on spending often happens with hotel cards like the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express  because point requirements are lower and the dollar value of your reward is still as high as many airline tickets. You still benefit from no capacity restrictions. Capital One No Hassle Visa   Annual Fee Intro. Bonus Earning Features Redemption Opportunities $0 None 1.25 points per $   From Points Account: Any airline via designated travel agency   VIA Transfer: None Best for While it does allow no blackout airline awards, recent changes to the redemption levels make this a subpar choice for many travelers. While the card earns a strong 1.25 points per dollar spent, Capital One's award redemption levels are inflated, so in many cases you could earn less than a 1% return on your card spending. We think the American Express BlueSky is a better 'hassle free' travel card.  Upsides Low annual fee Downsides  The better value for many domestic travelers is free hotel rooms with a hotel program like Starwood or Hilton. Also less favorable redemption rates for overseas business class awards making this card best for those with more limited travel aspirations. You're better off with a Starwood or Airline card if you're looking to use miles for tickets overseas.   Citi ® PremierPass(SM) Card - Elite Level: EDITORS' CHOICE - Generic Standard   Annual Fee Intro. Bonus Earning Features Redemption Opportunities $75 20,000 points when you spend $600 on the card within 3 months of account opening 2 Points for Every $1 Spent at Gas Stations, Supermarkets and Drugstores - Plus Earn 1 Point for Every $1 Spent on all Other Purchases 1 Point for Every Mile You Fly on Any Airline - or Anyone Else Whose Tickets You Buy With the Card. Complimentary Companion Travel (Minimum Fare Requirements Apply) Redeem your points for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates, and for rewards-from merchandise to statement credits. From Points Account: Any airline via designated travel agency   VIA Transfer: None How it works You earn one point per dollar for each purchase you make, and two points per dollar for 'everyday' purchases at gas stations and supermarkets. You also earn a special one point for every mile flown on tickets you purchase with the card. So, a $350 roundtrip ticket from New York to Los Angeles earns you 350 points for the purchase plus 5,000 points for the 5,000 miles flown roundtrip. You can use your points for "anytime, any airline" flight awards with no blackouts or capacity restrictions. Just say your destination, the time you'd like to fly, and they will book you on an airline that matches your needs. Best for Casual flyers who don't have an airline loyalty and very frequent flyers who purchase their own airline tickets and can take advantage of the flight points offer. The key difference this card offers is the ability to earn one point for every mile you fly on tickets purchased with the card, which can quickly accelerate earnings for busy flyers. Learn more in our full EDITORS CHOICE review of the card . The unlimited free companion ticket without blackout/capacity restrictions also adds to the unique benefits, although you often need to buy a more expensive base ticket to qualify. Upsides No blackouts or capacity controls on using your points for airline tickets, and similar point requirements for domestic tickets as most airline mileage programs that do have capacity controls, so you're not getting burned for the flexibility. The introductory bonus is enough for a free ticket valued up to $400 or a $200 gift card. Downsides High annual fee, redemption levels for overseas business class awards are inflated versus using native miles in an airline program. For example, a Europe business class ticket costs 185,000 Thank You points, versus 80-100,000 in most airline mileage programs. You get around capacity controls, but for 185,000 miles most airlines will waive capacity requirements. We also note that hotel rewards with a no blackout program like the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express are often a better use of points, with a value return of 2% or better, and fewer points required for a reward than airline tickets. Chase Freedom Visa: EDITORS CHOICE Best Generic Visa/Mastercard    Annual Fee Intro. Bonus Earning Features Redemption Opportunities $0 $50 cash back with first purchase 3 points per $ or 3% cash back in top 3 'everyday' spending categories 1 point per $ or 1% cash back on all other purchases     From Points Account: Any airline via designated travel agency   VIA Transfer: None How it works You earn one point per $ spent or 1% cash back (your choice) or 3 points per $ or 3% cash back in your top 3 'everyday' spending categories each month. These categories are listed below. You have a choice of receiving cash back, or points. The points can be used to book 'any airline, any time' flight and hotel awards with no capacity restrictions. Best for Casual travelers who are interested in domestic airline tickets without blackouts, or the simplicity of a generous cash back program. Upsides 1. $50 cash back with your first purchase 2. 3% cash back or triple points per dollar on your 'everyday' purchases. Each month, your top 3 spending categories from Chase's list of 'everyday' categories will earn 3% cash back or triple points per dollar. Eligible categories include gas stations, fast food, movie theaters, drugstores, departent stores, grocery stores, pet stores, cable/satellite bills, beauty salons/spas, gyms, commuting, utilities, and dry cleaning among others. 3. Your choice of cash back or points. You can convert your points to cash or vice versa at any time. Points can be used for no blackout airline awards among other things. Downsides While about on par with airline programs for domestic tickets, the better value for many domestic travelers is free hotel rooms with a hotel program like Starwood or Hilton . Less favorable redemption rates for overseas business class awards make this card best for those with more limited travel aspirations.   DinersClub MasterCard: EDITORS' CHOICE -- Generic Premium   Annual Fee Intro. Bonus Earning Features Redemption Opportunities $95 None 1 point per $   Access to select airport lounges Primary rental car insurance coverage From Points Account: Any airline via your own travel arrangements or their travel agency   VIA Transfer: Air Canada, Air France, Alaska, American, Asiana, British, Delta, ElAl, Eva, Frontier, Hawaiian, Iceland, Korean, Mexicana, Midwest, SAS, South African, Southwest, Thai, Virgin, Amtrak, Best Western, Choice, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, Priority Club, Starwood Best for Frequent travelers who are interested in easy transfers across most airline programs as well as every major hotel program. Upsides  Highest flexibility of any card for point transfers. Ability to transfer points to friends/family's airline accounts. Relatively low annual fee compared to Amex Platinum (which is $300/yr). Accepted as MasterCard (more locations than Amex). Downsides Lounge access privileges are mostly European, only two in the U.S. (Miami, Newark).   Miles by Discover® Card   Annual Fee Intro. Bonus Earning Features Redemption Opportunities Also available as a Business Credit card. Click here to apply. $0 12,000  points (1,000 per month for 12 months) 0% intro APR 1 point per $ 3 points per $ for the first $3,000 in annual travel and restaurant purchases   From Points Account: Any airline via designated travel agency   VIA Transfer: None Best for It's the simplest way to earn and use points for travel, especially for casual travelers who don't like the rules of airline and hotel point programs. You earn 1 mile for every dollar you spend on regular purchases and 2 miles for every dollar you spend on restaurants and travel (up to $3,000 per year). every 5,000 miles gets you $50 off any flight, hotel, rental car, or other travel purchase on your card.   Upsides No annual fee, easiest redemption with no restrictions on availability. You can also use your points for gift cards or cash back. Downsides  The better value for many domestic travelers is free hotel rooms with a hotel program like Starwood or Hilton. If you still are set on no blackout airline awards, the American Express Blue Sky card also has the same simplicity, but has a higher return, as 7500 points gets you $100 off any flight, hotel, rental car, or cruise purchase. Put another way, 15,000 points with the BlueSky card is worth $200, while 15,000 miles with the Discover card is worth only $150.