The 12 Best Credit Cards for Mobile Wallet Payments in 2025 [Rewards and Cash-Back]

Paying for a purchase with your phone is increasingly common. It’s also convenient and offers elevated security against people cloning your credit card number.

In years past, there was a concern that you wouldn’t earn the bonus points or extra cash-back when tapping your phone, rather than the card itself, to pay. Now, the situation has improved. Even better, a dozen credit cards offer a dedicated bonus category for elevated earnings on mobile wallet payments.

Not all of these cards are created equal, however.

Some limit bonus earnings on mobile wallet expenses, while others only provide bonus earnings at certain merchants or with certain types of mobile wallets. These limitations decrease the utility of the card’s bonus categories.

So, which cards reward you for making a payment with your phone’s mobile wallet? Here are the 12 best credit cards to use for extra points or cash-back on mobile wallet purchases.

Best Credit Cards for Mobile Wallet Payments — Overview

Multiple credit cards offer bonus rewards on mobile wallet purchases, whether you’re looking for points or cash-back. Some cards offer bonuses on all mobile wallet payments, while others only provide extra earnings at particular merchants.

What Is a Mobile Wallet?

A mobile wallet is a wallet that lives on your phone through digital platforms like Apple Pay or Google Pay. Mobile wallets let you load your credit card information into your wallet app so you can easily pay with the tap of a phone at retailers that accept mobile payments.

How Mobile Wallet Payments Can Affect Your Rewards

Years ago, paying through a mobile wallet, rather than using your credit card directly, came with a significant risk of losing out on rewards. While that’s improved significantly today, these situations can still arise. For example, using a credit card with bonus earnings at supermarkets might only give you the “other purchases” earning rate if you pay with a mobile wallet rather than swiping your card.

Consider 2 recent purchases I made using my American Express^® Gold Card and paying through Apple Pay, which is an increasingly popular mobile wallet.

I ordered from a local sushi restaurant via its online ordering platform, which routed through DoorDash, and I paid via Apple Pay at checkout. This coded as a restaurant purchase on my Amex Gold card, which earns 4x points at restaurants worldwide, up to $50,000 per year, then 1x.

However, tapping my phone to pay with the Amex Gold card via Apple Pay at a coffee shop in Brazil didn’t earn bonus points. Interestingly, the purchase ran through a third-party service when using a mobile wallet, which is why the bonus points weren’t awarded. That was strange since physically tapping the Amex Gold card at the same coffee shop the next day did earn me bonus points.

Are Mobile Wallets Safe?

According to SquareUp, mobile wallet payments are more secure than traditional credit card payments. That’s due to their sophisticated encryption, which uses protections like tokenization and cryptogram to hide your actual credit card number. That’s good news in a world where credit card fraud and crimes are consistently evolving.

11 Best Personal Credit Cards for Mobile Wallet Payments

While we’ll provide details on all of the credit cards mentioned above, note that the footprint for earning bonus rewards with mobile wallet purchases is much greater on some cards than on others. Thus, we’ll start with the cards that let you earn rewards in more locations.

Apple Card

Apple Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The Apple Card is a great card option for those who are a fan of Apple products and Apple Pay.

Apple Card

The Apple Card is a great card option for those who are a fan of Apple products and Apple Pay.

Welcome Offer

No welcome offer available.

No offer available

Annual Fee

$0

APR

19.24% to 29.49% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

The information regarding the Apple Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. 

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The largest company in the world now offers customers its own credit card, the Apple Card. Apple has long been adored by tech enthusiasts and consumers alike thanks to its sleek and innovative products. Now, those who can’t get enough of its products can earn rewards when they shop with Apple, or use Apple Pay, thanks to the Apple Card.

But is the card only suitable for the most ardent of Apple supporters? Or is it a card others should consider adding to their wallet as well?

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 3% back* on Apple Pay purchases made directly with Apple
• 3% back* on Apple Pay purchases made with partners (Uber/Uber Eats, Nike, Panera, T-Mobile, Ace Hardware, Walgreens, and Exxon and Mobil gas stations)
• 2% back* on all other purchases made via Apple Pay
• 1% back* on all purchases made with your physical Apple card
• No annual fee, foreign transaction fees, or late fees
• Interest-fee payments for iPhone, Mac, iPad, and more
• Flexible redemption offers

* For this program, rewards come in the form of Apple Cash, not true cash-back.

Cons

• Not particularly rewarding on purchases where you cannot use Apple Pay
• You need an Apple device in order to use Apple Pay, so it is not a good fit for those outside of the Apple ecosystem

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• 3% cash back on Apple purchases
• 3% cash back on Panera Bread, Exxon/Mobil, Walgreens, Nike, Ace Hardware, and Uber and Uber Eats purchases when you use Apple Pay
• 3% cash back when using Apple Pay at T-Mobile stores
• 2% cash back on all other Apple Pay purchases
• 1% cash back on your other purchases with the physical card

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 19.24% to 29.49% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: $0

The Apple Card‘s greatest strength is how many places accept Apple Pay, which gives you opportunities for bonus cash-back. To be clear, you won’t earn 3% cash-back at all merchants; it’s only available at Apple and a list of companies that includes Booking.com, Nike, T-Mobile, and others. Aside from Apple and these companies, you’ll earn 2% cash-back when paying with your card through Apple Pay.

Earning 2% to 3% cash-back on all purchases with a $0 annual fee is solid. However, the card doesn’t offer much else, and it only earns 1% cash-back when using the physical card.

That means this card isn’t a good option for those who don’t use Apple products.

U.S. Bank Altitude^® Reserve Visa Infinite^® Card

The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card is no longer open to applicants, and that’s disappointing. It remains one of the strongest options for extra rewards on mobile wallet purchases. That’s especially true since the bonus points aren’t limited to a particular mobile wallet platform, meaning cardholders can earn 3x points on all of their spending — at least on everything they can pay for with a mobile wallet.

The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card also earns 3x to 5x points on travel, depending on what you book and how you book it. Cardholders also get up to $325 in annual statement credits toward dining and travel expenses, a Priority Pass Select lounge membership, Visa Infinite perks, and up to $100 every 4 years to cover your application fee to TSA PreCheck or Global Entry.

Why We Like Earning U.S. Bank Altitude Rewards Points

There’s no guesswork involved with this program. While learning about complicated programs means you can find above-average redemption options for your points, the Altitude rewards program lets you pay for things with points as if they were cash.

Points are typically worth 1 cent apiece on certain redemptions, but those with the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card get even more value on travel redemptions. Points are worth 1.5 cents apiece when redeemed through the travel portal, meaning your 3x earnings on mobile wallet spending provide a 4.5% return on spending if used for travel expenses.

Hot Tip:

U.S. Bank has instructions on how to use your points for travel, and that’s the best way to use your points as a cardholder. However, if you’re paying for travel, booking directly with an airline is more rewarding than paying in the travel portal. That’s because U.S. Bank’s travel portal only offers bonus points on prepaid hotels and rental cars but not any other type of travel bookings. Using your card to pay directly with an airline, however, would earn 3x points in the card’s broad “travel” category.

PayPal Cashback Mastercard

PayPal Cashback Mastercard

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

PayPal Cashback Mastercard

Welcome Offer

No welcome offer available.

No offer available

Annual Fee

$0

Card Highlights

• Earn 3% when you pay with PayPal and 1.5% everywhere else Mastercard is accepted.
• Get rewarded as soon as your purchases post to the credit card account, and accelerate earnings by adding up to 6 authorized users to your account.
• Combine merchant cash-back offers with cash back you earn with your card.
• With the Mastercard ID Theft Protection^™ benefit, you will be alerted to possible identity theft.
• Easily redeem the cash rewards you earn to PayPal anytime, anywhere with the PayPal app and PayPal.com.
• No annual fee.

Financial Snapshot

• Foreign Transaction Fees: 

In 2024, 71% of all U.S. adults reported having a PayPal account, meaning the PayPal Cashback card could be accessible to nearly three-fourths of adults in the country. With a $0 annual fee, wide acceptance, and a simple earning rate, the card can make sense for those who use PayPal regularly.

Cardholders earn 3% cash-back when paying through PayPal and 1.5% back everywhere else Mastercard is accepted. Plus, many users can start using the card instantly upon approval.

Why We Like Earning Cash-Back With PayPal

PayPal finished 2024 with 434 million active users and over 10 million websites accepting payments made through the platform. With its 45% share of global payments, receiving your cash-back in a widely accepted platform makes paying for purchases easy. It’s also easy to withdraw your earnings, and funneling as much of your spending through PayPal as possible provides quality earnings.

Venmo Credit Card

Venmo Credit Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The Venmo card is a great no annual fee cash-back card for those who frequently use Venmo.

Apply Now(at Venmo's secure site)

Venmo Credit Card

The Venmo card is a great no annual fee cash-back card for those who frequently use Venmo.

Welcome Offer

No welcome offer available.

No offer available

Annual Fee

$0

APR

15.24% to 24.24% variable based on account type

Why We Like This Card

Venmo is easily one of the most popular peer-to-peer payment apps in the world today. In fact, Venmo is so popular that it has become a verb, as one might ask another to “just Venmo me” after covering the cost of dinner or an Uber.

But now the payment platform has its very own cash-back credit card that offers flexible rewards categories and no annual fee, making it a great fit for heavy Venmo users.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 3% cash-back on your top spend category each month
• 2% cash-back on your second largest spend category each month
• 1% back on all other purchases

Cons

• Not very rewarding for purchases outside of your first and second-largest spend categories (3% and 2%)
• Doesn’t offer many benefits to cardholders

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn 3% cash-back on your top eligible spend category
• Earn 2% cash-back on your next-highest eligible spend category
• Earn 1% cash-back on all other purchases
• Eligible bonus categories include transportation, travel, grocery, entertainment, dining and nightlife, bills and utilities, health and beauty, and gas

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 15.24% to 24.24% variable based on account type
• Foreign Transaction Fees: $0

Venmo is only available within the U.S., but it’s a mobile payment system that allows you to send money to others — and it has nearly 73 million users. In fact, you can even buy JetBlue tickets with Venmo.

You’ll earn 3% cash-back in your top spending category each statement period and 2% back on your second-most-used category when you use the Venmo card for payments with your preferred mobile wallet. Bonus categories include dining and nightlife, travel, bills and utilities, health and beauty, grocery, gas, transportation, and entertainment. Other purchases earn 1% back.

Those are common spending categories, meaning you could earn 2% and 3% back on a wide range of purchases — but only if they’re your top category each month. For example, you could spend a lot of money on gas in a given month but still only earn 1% cash-back for those purchases because you spent more on travel and groceries in the same month.

The card has a $0 annual fee and offers few benefits other than access to the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection (by virtue of the card being a Visa Signature product) and roadside dispatch.

Why We Like Earning Cash-Back With Venmo

Earnings are deposited into your Venmo balance, which you can use to pay friends after a night out together, transfer the balance to your bank, or even redeem it for crypto. Your rewards are received in cash, and there’s no guesswork regarding what your rewards are worth. Having options to use cash in a growing peer-to-peer payment network is convenient for people who use Venmo regularly.

Cards With Bonus Earnings via Mobile Wallet at Select Stores

Kroger REWARDS World Elite Mastercard^®

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The Kroger Mastercard helps you earn more cash-back with up to 5% cash-back rewards on your Kroger purchases with no annual fee.

Apply Now(at Kroger's secure site)

Kroger REWARDS World Elite Mastercard^®

The Kroger Mastercard helps you earn more cash-back with up to 5% cash-back rewards on your Kroger purchases with no annual fee.

Welcome Offer

Earn a $100 statement credit when you spend $500 with your card in the first 90 days.

$100 statement credit

Annual Fee

$0

Why We Like This Card

The information regarding the Kroger REWARDS World Elite Mastercard^® was independently collected by Upgraded Points and was not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. 

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Earn up to 5% cash-back on mobile wallet and Kroger Pay transactions, 2% cash-back on purchases inside Kroger stores, and 1% back everywhere else. Plus, you can save an additional 55 cents per gallon of fuel each time you redeem at least 100 Fuel Points at Kroger Fuel Centers for the first year.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Up to 5% cash-back on mobile wallet and Kroger Pay transactions on up to $3,000 in purchases each year and 2% back thereafter
• 2% cash-back on purchases inside Kroger stores
• 1% cash-back everywhere else

Cons

• 5% cash-back category is limited to up to $3,000 in Kroger Pay and mobile wallet transactions each year
• Must have at least 1,000 points ($10) to redeem cash-back for Kroger purchases and 2,500 points ($25) to redeem for a statement credit

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Up to 5% cash-back on mobile wallet and Kroger Pay transactions on up to $3,000 in purchases each year and 2% back thereafter
• 2% cash-back on purchases inside Kroger stores
• 1% cash-back everywhere else
• Save an additional 55¢ per gallon of fuel each time you redeem at least 100 Fuel Points at Kroger Fuel Centers for the first year
• Earn 2x Fuel Points and $59 toward a free Next-Day Delivery Boost membership after you apply and are approved for the credit card, and complete your Boost enrollment
• No annual fee

Financial Snapshot

• Foreign Transaction Fees: 

The Kroger Mastercard, Fry Mastercard, Smith’s Mastercard, and King Soopers Mastercard all have the same rewards structure and provide 5% cash-back on up to $3,000 worth of mobile wallet and Kroger Pay transactions annually, though fuel purchases aren’t included. While that can be a nice earning rate, it requires using Kroger Pay, and similar requirements apply with the Pick n’ Save/Metro Market Mastercard and Ralphs Mastercard.

Similarly, the Harris Teeter Mastercard earns 5% cash-back on mobile wallet purchases in the Harris Teeter app, excluding fuel purchases, and is limited to $3,000 of these purchases annually.

You can earn well on mobile wallet purchases with these brands, but your earnings are significantly limited outside those stores. Your 5% cash-back earnings are also capped at $3,000 annually, and then the earning rate drops. While these cards can provide quality earnings in certain situations, they aren’t broad enough to trump the other cards on this list.

Why We Like Earning Cash-Back With Supermarket Chains

If you typically pay for purchases with a debit card or aren’t interested in other credit cards, applying for your supermarket’s credit card to earn cash-back can make sense. Grocery shopping is a regular household expense, and you can earn cash-back on your necessities. Your earnings will be limited elsewhere, but you can think of this as a discount on your supermarket trips, putting money back in your pocket.

Best Business Credit Card for Mobile Wallet Purchases

U.S. Bank Business Altitude^® Power Visa Signature^® Card

The U.S. Bank Business Altitude Power card has a $195 annual fee, but it lets you earn 12,500 bonus points on mobile wallet purchases each quarter before the earning rate drops from 2.5x points down to 2x — the card’s standard earning rate on everyday spending.

While the card lacks flashy perks, its moderate annual fee and ability to earn well with mobile wallet purchases combine well with its everyday earning rate and bonus points in the travel portal. If you’re looking for a card with bells and whistles, this isn’t it, but this is a solid card for businesses wanting an earning workhorse.

Why We Like Earning U.S. Bank Altitude Rewards Points

There’s no guesswork involved with this program. While learning about complicated programs means you can find above-average redemption options for your points, the Altitude points program lets you pay for things with points like cash. Point values don’t fluctuate, and they’re worth 1 cent apiece toward most redemptions — whether that be real-time rewards, a statement credit, gift cards, or booking travel in the travel portal.

Using Amex Send & Split

Enrollment is required for this benefit, but Amex partners with both Venmo and PayPal to offer a benefit called Send & Split. This feature lets you split bills with friends and family — up to 20 users, in fact. There aren’t any additional transaction fees for using Send & Split, but there’s a limit of $2,000 on most Amex cards. However, there’s an increased limit of $4,000 on The Platinum Card^® from American Express and $5,000 on the Centurion^® Card from American Express.

Using this tool, you can use your Amex card in a mobile wallet and still earn points or cash-back according to your card’s normal earning rates, meaning these cards won’t necessarily enter the “best” rankings. When you split the purchase with other users, the payments will go directly to your card as a statement credit.

Check Offers From Your Credit Card Issuer

Card issuers offer rebates and bonus points through programs like Chase Offers and Amex Offers. We’ve seen offers in the past to earn a statement credit or bonus points when using mobile wallets, so you should pay attention to these.

A solid example is this Amex Offer for cash-back on Apple Pay transactions, ending May 8, 2025, and providing up to $15 back as statement credits.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re splitting bills with friends, buying your weekly groceries, or just going about your life, there are credit cards that can provide bonus points or elevated cash-back when you pay through a mobile wallet. Depending on the card, you may have limits (on the number of expenses or merchants with which you’ll qualify) for bonus earnings.

Carefully consider your preferred mobile wallet, why you want to use one, and the merchants you regularly spend with. After evaluating those, you should know which card best meets your needs.