Cashback cards offer simple, flexible value, while travel points can be worth more but only if you redeem them well and travel regularly.

Compare earning rates in your biggest spending categories, not just the headline rate, because category bonuses drive most of the difference.

Annual fees only make sense when the extra rewards clearly exceed the fee after realistic, not idealised, spending.

Travel points lose value when they expire, devalue, or restrict availability, so flexibility and transfer partners matter.

Whichever style you choose, paying the balance in full each month is essential, since interest charges quickly erase any rewards earned.