We’ve all likely considered or completed a home improvement project recently. Whether you’re taking on a major renovation or are planting a container garden on the patio, home improvement stores have become the go-to places for the supplies we need to spruce up our environment.
Many home improvement projects can cost a bundle, so it would be a shame not to earn rewards on those expenses. Unfortunately, earning rewards on those purchases is not usually a straightforward process as few credit cards offer bonus rewards for purchasing directly at home improvement stores.
When we focus on the rewards-earning process, however, just a bit of creativity can pay off big. And that’s the objective we’ll tackle in today’s article.
Timing, which card you use, and how you complete the transaction are all factors in receiving the most rewards for your home improvement purchase. This might sound complicated, but all of those variables don’t scare us. As you’d expect, we’re happy to break it down and make it simple to earn more.
If you want to earn the most rewards on your home improvement purchases, let’s get started.
What To Look For in a Credit Card for Home Improvement Purchases
When you’re looking for a credit card to use for home improvement purchases, you’ll want to be as strategic as possible.
That’s because home improvement purchases can easily run into the thousands of dollars; you wouldn’t want to miss out on those rewards!
You also have to consider your goals with a credit card — are you looking for maximum rewards, a 0% introductory APR period to defer interest payments, or a combination of both?
Whatever the case, the best cards for home improvement offer the highest ROI, confer the best benefits, and can even offer attractive financing terms to spread out your payments.
In this next section, we’ll be walking you through our favorite personal credit cards for home improvement purchases!
The 6 Best Personal Cards for Home Improvement
Image Credit: Roselyn Tirado via Unsplash
Card Summary
| Card |
Welcome Bonus and Annual Fee |
Home Improvement Benefits |
| Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card |
- Earn 75,000 miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
- Annual fee of $395
|
- Unlimited 2x miles on non-bonus purchases, which include home improvement purchases
- Purchase protection, extended warranty
- Luxury travel benefits, including complimentary access to the Capital One Partner Lounge Network
|
| Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card |
- Earn 75,000 miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
- Annual fee of $95
|
- Unlimited 2x miles on non-bonus purchases, which include home improvement purchases
- Purchase protection, extended warranty
|
| Chase Freedom Unlimited® |
- INTRO OFFER: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) – worth up to $300 cash back!
- Annual fee of $0
|
- 1.5% cash-back on non-bonus purchases, which include home improvement purchases
- Purchase protection, extended warranty
|
| The Platinum Card® from American Express |
- Earn 100,000 points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Annual fee of $695 (rates and fees)
|
- 1x points on all non-bonus purchases, including home improvement purchases
- No preset spending limit
- Purchase protection, extended warranty
- Incredible luxury travel benefits, such as the best airport lounge access available and hotel elite status
|
| Citi® Double Cash Card |
- For a limited time, earn $200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening.
- Annual fee of $0
|
- 2% cash-back (1% when you buy, another 1% when you pay) on all purchases
|
| Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express |
- Earn a $200 statement credit after spending $2,000 in purchases in the first 6 months.
- Annual fee of $0 (rates and fees)
|
- 3% cash-back at U.S. online retailers (including home improvement stores), up to $6,000 in purchases each year
|
1. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
The CapOne Venture X card is our top pick for those looking to use a personal credit card for home improvement purchases.
We love the CapOne Venture X card because of its amazing rewards. Specifically, you’ll earn an unlimited 2x miles on all non-bonus purchases including home improvement purchases.
This credit card comes with attractive purchase protection and extended warranty benefits, as well as zero fraud liability, cell phone protection insurance, and 4 no-fee authorized users.
You’ll even earn 10x Capital One miles on all hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, plus 5x miles on all flights booked through Capital One Travel.
Its other benefits are incredible, too:
Lastly, this credit card is rounded out with awesome travel insurance and no foreign transaction fees.
Why We Like Earning Capital One Miles
We have a great appreciation for Capital One Miles, which is one of the newer transferable points programs out there.
Because we value Capital One miles at around 1.8 cents each, the CapOne Venture X card offers a 3.6% return on spending for your home improvement purchases, which is fantastic.
You can redeem your miles for a fixed value through statement credits, gift cards, and travel booked through Capital One Travel. But those in the know will transfer their Capital One miles to travel partners and book luxury first and business class flights to get maximum value.
2. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
The CapOne Venture card is the slightly-less premium version of the CapOne Venture X card.
This mid-tier, premium credit card still has most of what you’re looking for if you’re spending a lot at home improvement stores.
You’ll still get all of the fantastic 2x miles on all non-bonus purchases, including home improvement purchases, as you would with the CapOne Venture X card.
You’ll even get 5x miles on hotels and rental cars through Capital One Travel and the Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit.
The key difference, though, between the CapOne Venture X card and the CapOne Venture card (besides the annual fee) is that the CapOne Venture card doesn’t have all of the travel benefits that the CapOne Venture X card does.
You’ll still enjoy travel insurance, purchase protection, extended warranty, zero fraud liability protection, and secondary rental car coverage. This card has no foreign transaction fees or added fees for authorized users.
3. Chase Freedom Unlimited®
The Freedom Unlimited card is one of the most attractive cards without an annual fee. This fantastic choice earns very robust rewards that can actually be transferred to travel partners with the right credit card pairing.
But before we get into that, let’s get into the earning structure:
- 5% cash-back on all travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 3% cash-back on dining and at drugstores
- 1.5% cash-back on all other purchases
As you can tell, the Freedom Unlimited card boasts a 1.5% cash-back structure with no limits and caps.
This 1.5% cash-back can then be converted to Ultimate Rewards points if you have an eligible card, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. In a single move, you’ll double your return on spending to 3% since your 1.5% cash-back is converted to 1.5x points!
Another selling point of this card is its 0% introductory APR (as detailed in the table above) which can help you defer interest accrual as you spread out your payments.
The Freedom Unlimited card comes with benefits such as purchase protection, extended warranty, zero liability fraud protection, fraud alerts, and no additional fees for authorized users.
Why We Like Earning Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
Chase Ultimate Rewards is one of the absolute best points programs; you can use your points for Amazon purchases, gift cards, cash-back, travel booked via the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal, and much more.
But the best way to use points, in our opinion, is to transfer them to airline and hotel partners for luxury award travel!
As a reminder, earning 1.5x Ultimate Rewards points would be equivalent to a return on spending of 3%, by our valuations.
4. The Platinum Card® from American Express
Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a huge welcome offer of up to 150,000 points with the Amex Platinum card! (The current public offer is 100,000.)
The Amex Platinum card is the king of luxury travel cards. Simply put, this iconic product is not only a status symbol but has an array of worthwhile travel benefits.
It falls closer to the bottom of the list because of its reduced earning structure on home improvement purchases.
On your home improvement spending, you’ll earn 1x Membership Rewards points, which is worth a return on spending of 2.2% by our valuations.
But you should consider getting this card for all the other benefits and perks. This card offers one of the biggest welcome bonuses out there — and you can earn 5x points per dollar spent on flights purchased directly with the airline or at Amex Travel (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year), as well as 5x points on prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel.
This card also comes with no preset spending limit, making it easy to make big purchases as needed.
But the Amex Platinum card is so special because you’ll get:
- The best airport lounge access of any card, including Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs, and Priority Pass lounges (upon enrollment)
- Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status upon enrollment
- Access to Fine Hotels & Resorts and The Hotel Collection
- Car rental elite status and/or benefits at Avis, Hertz, and National
- Fantastic travel insurance
- Over $1,600 in statement credits, including up to $200 airline fee credits, up to $200 in prepaid hotel credits, $189 in CLEAR credit, up to $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credits, up to $100 in Saks Fifth Avenue credits, up to $200 in Uber Cash, up to $155 in Walmart+ credits, up to $300 in Equinox credits, and up to $240 in digital entertainment credits
Lastly, this card is rounded out with no foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees).
Why We Like Earning American Express Membership Rewards Points
We’re positively in love with American Express Membership Rewards. If you can get your hands on these points, you’ll be thrilled that these are some of the most valuable points, worth about 2.2 cents apiece.
To maximize your points, transfer them to airline and hotel partners for award travel. This is an easy way to get more than 2.2 cents per point of value!
Other ways to redeem Amex points include Pay With Points through Amex Travel, statement credits, cash-back, charity, gift cards, and merchandise.
5. Citi® Double Cash Card
The last personal credit card we’ll discuss is the Double Cash card. Even though it’s an incredibly popular credit card, most people don’t think to use it on home improvement purchases.
It doesn’t come with a welcome offer, but it often has a 0% introductory APR offer, as detailed in the table above.
We love this card because it earns a total of 2% cash-back per dollar spent (1% when you purchase and 1% when you pay it off, earned as ThankYou Points). And even though the ways to use these points are limited without having a different ThankYou credit card, we are big fans of this product.
The Double Cash card also comes with a late fee pass, flexible pay dates, fraud protection, zero liability for unauthorized purchases, no-fee authorized users, and more.
Why We Like Earning Citi ThankYou Points
We mentioned above that the rewards earned on these cards are ThankYou Rewards Points.
This happens to be one of the best transferable points systems available — however, the Double Cash card as a standalone credit card only gets you access to Choice Privileges, Wyndham Rewards, and JetBlue as transfer partners.
If you also have a card like the Citi Premier® Card or the Citi Prestige® Card, you can transfer points to the full list of transfer partners, which can help you book amazing flights like Emirates first class and SWISS business class.
By our valuations, Citi ThankYou Points are worth 1.6 cents each, which translates to a return on spending of 3.2% when you earn 2x points per dollar.
Bottom Line: Our favorite personal cards for home improvement purchases are the CapOne Venture X card, CapOne Venture card, Freedom Unlimited card, Amex Platinum card, and Double Cash card.
6. Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
Our last choice is a cash-back card and it’s a little different because it earns rewards on online purchases. The Amex Blue Cash Everyday card earns 3% cash-back at U.S. online retailers (including home improvement stores) on up to $6,000 in purchases each year.
While Amex’s terms indicate you won’t earn extra rewards on purchases ordered online but paid for in-store, you can earn the 3% cash-back on online purchases that you simply pick up in the store.
Other benefits of this card include:
- 3% cash-back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 in purchases each year)
- 3% cash-back at U.S. gas stations (up to $6,000 in purchases each year)
The 5 Best Business Cards for Home Improvement
Image Credit: Annie Gray via Unsplash
Do you frequently make purchases at home improvement stores for your business? If so, it’s wise to get a business credit card that rewards you the most for these purchases — let’s talk through our favorite options!
Card Summary
| Card |
Welcome Bonus and Annual Fee |
Home Improvement Benefits |
| The Business Platinum Card® from American Express |
- Earn 120,000 points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
- Annual fee of $695 (rates and fees)
|
- Earn 1.5x points at U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers, software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else (up to $2 million of these purchases every calendar year)
- No preset spending limit
- Incredible luxury travel benefits, such as the best airport lounge access available and hotel elite status
|
| Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card |
- Earn $750 bonus cash-back after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first 3 months.
- Annual fee of $0
|
- 1.5% cash-back on all purchases
- Purchase protection, extended warranty
|
| The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express |
- Earn 15,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months.
- Annual fee of $0 (rates and fees)
|
- 2x points on everyday business purchases (up to $50,000 per calendar year)
|
| Capital One Spark Miles for Business |
- Earn 50,000 miles once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months.
- Annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, $95 after that
|
- 2x miles on all purchases
- Purchase protection, extended warranty
|
| Capital One Spark Cash Plus |
- Earn up to a $1,000 cash bonus; $500 once you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months, and $500 once you spend $50,000 in the first 6 months of account opening.
- Annual fee of $150
|
- Unlimited 2% cash-back on all purchases
- No preset spending limit
- Purchase protection, extended warranty
|
1. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a huge welcome offer of up to 150,000 points with the Amex Business Platinum! (The current public offer is 120,000.)
The Amex Business Platinum card is often thought of as a business owner’s best friend. Besides being a partner to help facilitate business activities, this card boasts unprecedented luxury travel and business benefits.
To start, this card boasts an eye-popping welcome bonus. This ought to jumpstart your rewards in the blink of an eye!
The Amex Business Platinum card earns 1.5x Membership Rewards points on eligible purchases in key business categories and on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else (up to $2 million in combined purchases every calendar year).
These key business categories include:
- U.S. construction material & hardware suppliers
- U.S. electronic goods retailers
- U.S. software & cloud system providers
- U.S. shipping providers
Also, with no preset spending limit, the Amex Business Platinum card will make it easier to get large purchases approved as needed.
Remember, you’ll also earn 5x Membership Rewards points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel.
Don’t forget about the American Express Global Lounge Collection access, Fine Hotels & Resorts access, and hotel elite status upon enrollment with Marriott Bonvoy (Gold Elite) and Hilton Honors (Gold).
You’ll even get up to $400 in statement credits for U.S. Dell purchases, up to $200 annual airline fee credit, up to $360 annual Indeed credit, up to $150 annual Adobe credit, up to $120 annual wireless phone services credit, Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit, and so much more.
The Amex Business Platinum card comes with terrific travel insurance and no foreign transaction fees (rates and fees).
Hot Tip: Check out our guide to the best credit cards for construction businesses!
2. Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Our runner-up card is the Ink Business Unlimited card, which is packed with excellent rewards in a small package.
This card starts with a huge welcome bonus to entice you to open the card, but what’ll make you keep the card is the unlimited 1.5% cash-back on all purchases without any caps.
The 1.5% cash-back rewards on this card are convertible to 1.5x Ultimate Rewards points if you have an Ultimate Rewards credit card, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, Chase Sapphire Reserve card, or the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card. By converting your cash-back to points, your return on spending jumps to 3%!
To round out the perks on the Ink Business Unlimited card, you’ll find no-fee employee cards, primary rental car coverage, purchase protection, extended warranty, and zero liability fraud protection.
3. The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
One of our favorite no-annual-fee cards from American Express is the Amex Blue Business Plus card. Offering straightforward rewards, this is one you should consider using if you have relatively small-scale business spending at home improvement stores.
You’ll earn 2x Membership Rewards points on everyday business purchases, including home improvement stores. Your 2x points are capped at $50,000 per calendar year, and you’ll earn 1x points after that.
Based on our valuations, earning 2x points is equal to a return on spending of 4.4%, which is fantastic.
You might also find a useful 0% introductory APR as detailed in the table above — but the usual benefits on this card include no-fee employee cards (see rates and fees), access to Amex Offers, and Expanded Buying Power.
4. Capital One Spark Miles for Business
A fan favorite amongst business owners, the CapOne Spark Miles card has excellent rewards you can take advantage of on your home improvement purchases.
To get your relationship rolling, you’ll earn an awesome welcome bonus, then enjoy 2x Capital One miles on all your business purchases without any caps. That’s equal to a return on spending of 3.6% by our valuations!
You’ll also earn 5x miles on hotel and rental car bookings made through Capital One Travel.
The CapOne Spark Miles card comes with up to $100 credit for Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fees, no foreign transaction fees, no-fee employee cards, extended warranty, and purchase protection.
5. Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card
The very last credit card we’ll be discussing in this guide is the CapOne Spark Cash Plus card.
And it has a simple value proposition — get an unlimited 2% cash-back on all your purchases. Plus, there’s a great welcome bonus!
The difference is that this card has no preset spending limit, unlike Capital One’s other cards.
You’ll also earn 5% cash-back on all hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel — there’s even a $200 annual cash bonus every year you spend $200,000 or more.
This card offers no-fee employee cards, purchase protection, extended warranty, and no foreign transaction fees.
Hot Tip: The cash-back rewards earned on the CapOne Spark Cash Plus card can actually be converted at a 1% to 1x ratio to Capital One miles if you have a Capital One Miles credit card such as the CapOne Venture X card, CapOne Venture card, or CapOne Spark Miles card.
Final Thoughts
As you can tell from the list above, our favorite credit cards are those that earn transferable rewards. That’s because these are generally the most valuable and can be used for outsized value when booking award travel.
Credit cards with specific merchants like The Home Depot, Lowe’s, or Menards generally don’t offer attractive rewards or discounts compared to the cards in this guide.
Plus, our recommended credit cards earn points on so much more than just home improvement, so you’ll find it so much easier to rack up and use rewards with the cards in this guide when compared to credit cards from home improvement stores.
The best card for your home improvement purchase, however, will depend on your willingness to pay an annual fee, how well rewards earnings match up with your spending mix, and if you can use any other benefits offered by the card. Also, you’ll want to consider whether or not you’ll need a 0% introductory APR promotion to help spread out your credit card payments over time.
In the end, earning rewards on your home improvement purchases with a card you can utilize in the long run may be a good choice, especially considering how pricey home improvement purchases can be.
The information regarding the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, Citi Prestige® Card, Capital One Spark Miles for Business, and Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, click here.
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