The best credit cards for entertainment spending of June 2024

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Whether you’re dedicated to catching the newest blockbuster or cheering on your favorite NFL team, you likely spend some of your income on entertainment expenses. If you use the right rewards credit card, it can help offset some of the cost of a night at the movies or tickets to see your favorite band.

There are a lot of cards out there, and they offer a wide range of perks. To help you cut through the noise, we narrowed down popular credit cards to those that offer bonus rewards for entertainment purchases. Here are CNBC Select’s picks for the top credit cards for entertainment rewards that can earn you money while you enjoy concerts, movies, sporting events and more (see our methodology for more information on how we choose the best cards for entertainment).

Who’s this for? If you’re looking for cash-back rewards with no annual fee, the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is a great alternative to the Capital One Savor Cash card.

Standout benefits: The Capital One SavorOne card earns a competitive 3% cash back on entertainment purchases, dining purchases and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®). On top of those stellar cash-back rates, you’ll also get 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases.

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Who’s this for? The U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card is great if you want to shift where you earn the most rewards as your spending habits change. You’ll earn 5% cash back on two bonus categories you choose each quarter, on your first $2,000 in combined eligible net purchases, then 1%.

Standout benefits: This card has two entertainment-related categories that you can choose to earn 5% cash back (on the first $2,000 in combined purchases each quarter): movie theaters and TV, internet and streaming services, which include many popular providers such as Comcast, Apple Music and Hulu. You can choose both categories every quarter to maximize cash back. Plus, you get to choose an unlimited 2% cash-back category, which can be restaurants.

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Who’s this for? If you prefer to Netflix and chill instead of going out on a Friday night, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express earns an astounding 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.

Standout benefits: This card offers additional cash rewards on 25+ streaming subscriptions, including popular services like Netflix, Hulu, Spotify and Prime Video, as well as services that may not qualify for bonus rewards with other cards, such as ESPN+, Audible and YouTube Premium.

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Who’s this for? The Citi Custom Cash® Card is an ideal fit if you want to earn additional rewards where you spend the most money without having to manually select categories or activate your bonus cash back. This card simply rewards you where you spend the most each month.

Standout benefits: Each billing cycle, you can earn 5% cash back in an eligible category where you spend the most (5% cash back on the first $500 each billing cycle, 1% cash back thereafter). These categories include restaurants, streaming services and live entertainment.

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Who’s this for? You’ll appreciate what the Capital One Spark 2X Miles offers if you’re a business owner who doesn’t want to deal with a complicated rewards structure.

Standout benefits: With the Capital One Spark 2X Miles card, you’ll earn 5X miles on Capital One Entertainment purchases, which includes sports, music and dining events. All other purchases earn at least 2X miles, so you’ll be generously rewarded regardless of what type of entertainment you’re spending on.

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The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card is an amazing option for a night in or a night out because of its bonus rewards on entertainment, Uber, streaming services and dining.

Rewards

• 10% back on Uber and Uber Eats purchases through Nov. 14, 2024
• 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases
• 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply)
• 4% back on dining
• 4% back on entertainment
• 4% back on eligible streaming services
• 3% back at grocery stores
• 1% back on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn $300 cash after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.

Annual fee

$95

Notable perks

You can access exclusive events through Capital One Entertainment and score reservations to top-tier restaurants and tickets to unique culinary experiences through Capital One Dining.

You can also receive an Uber One membership credit that covers the monthly fee. This perk is valid through Nov. 14, 2024.

This card has no foreign transaction fees on top of coverages like extended warranty protection and travel accident insurance.

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The Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is loaded with benefits for no annual fee rewards card, including a valuable intro-APR offer.

Rewards

• 10% back on Uber and Uber Eats purchases through Nov. 14, 2024
• 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases
• 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply)
• 3% cash back on dining
• 3% cash back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®)
• 3% cash back on popular streaming services
• 3% cash back on entertainment
• 1% cash back on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn a $200 cash bonus after spending $500 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

Aside from all the rewards you can earn with this card, it has an unusually generous intro-APR offer for new cardholders. You’ll receive an introductory 0% APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, which is a great way to finance new purchases or refinance debt. After the intro period ends, a 19.99% to 29.99% variable APR applies. There is a 3% balance transfer fee for the first 15 months; 4% at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer you at any other time.

Through Nov. 14, 2024, you can receive a monthly Uber One membership credit. This is a great way to save even more on food delivery and Uber rides.

This card also has built-in perks such as travel accident insurance and extended warranty coverage. When you make a purchase in a foreign currency, there are no foreign transaction fees.

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The U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card offers a huge range of potential bonus categories, which can make it useful for lots of different types of people.

Rewards

• 5% cash back on your first $2,000 in combined purchases each quarter in two categories you choose, then 1% cash back
• 5% cash back on prepaid air, hotel and car rental reservations booked directly through the U.S. Bank Rewards Center
• 2% cash back in one category you choose
• 1% cash back on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn a $200 bonus after spending $1,000 in eligible purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

You can enjoy an intro 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 billing cycles (after that, a variable 19.49% to 29.74% APR applies). If you need to pay off high-interest debt, this may be the card for you. Before you consider a balance transfer, you need to factor in this card’s balance transfer fee of 3% of the amount of each transfer ($5 minimum).

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The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is the perfect option for paying for U.S. streaming subscriptions and so much more.

Rewards

• 6% cash back on up to $6,000 per year in purchases at U.S. supermarkets (then 1%)
• 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions
• 3% cash back on transit
• 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations
• 1% back on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn $250 back after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first six months of account opening.

Annual fee

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

Notable perks

You can recoup the cost of this card with just two of its benefits. You can receive up to $120 in Equinox+ credit annually ($10 a month, enrollment required), and you can get up to $84 in Disney bundle credit ($7 a month after spending $9.99 or more each month, enrollment required).

Additional perks include money-saving Amex Offers, which are targeted offers that provide cash back at participating retailers. You’ll also get rental car insurance (secondary), return protection, extended warranty coverage and purchase protection.

Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

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The Citi Custom Cash® Card is a no annual fee card that rewards you for your top eligible purchases each month, and there’s no additional activation required to earn your bonus rewards.

Rewards

• 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, then 1% cash back
• 1% cash back on all other purchases
• Earn an additional 4% cash back (5% cash back in total) on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2025

Welcome bonus

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

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

As a new card member, you receive an intro 0% APR on purchases for 15 months from the date you open the account and also on balance transfers for 15 months from when you complete the first transfer, after the intro APR expires, a variable 19.24% to 29.24% APR applies. The balance transfer fee is 5% of the amount of each transfer ($5 minimum). To be eligible for the intro APR, balance transfers must be completed within four months of account opening.

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The Capital One Spark 2X Miles is a straightforward business credit card that offers a generous baseline return on all purchases.

Rewards

• 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• 5X miles on Capital One Entertainment purchases
• 2X miles on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn 50,000 miles after spending $4,500 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.

Annual fee

$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 after.

Notable perks

You’ll have access to an application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck once every four years and pay no foreign transaction fees. However, the best part is the valuable rewards you’ll earn.

You can redeem Capital One miles for one cent each to book travel or offset travel purchases. You can also transfer the miles you earn to all of Capital One’s partner travel programs. These partners include loyalty programs such as Air Canada Aeroplan, Avianca LifeMiles, Virgin Red, Flying Blue and Wyndham Rewards. The option to convert your Capital One miles to airline miles or hotel points can greatly increase the value and usefulness of your rewards. For example, you can typically book a one-way business-class award to Europe on a Star Alliance airline for only 63,000 Avianca LifeMiles plus taxes and fees, which is a stellar deal.

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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 entertainment credit cards.

To determine which cards offer the best value for entertainment, 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 cash back). 
 
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 credit cards for entertainment purchases, we focused on cards that earn additional rewards for entertainment-related transactions. 

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

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply

*Information about the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.