The 5 Best Personal Credit Cards for Internet, Cable & Phone Services [2021]
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Internet, cable, and phone bills always seem to be creeping up in price. And as the world becomes more connected, the number of services you’re paying for will probably increase.
These bills are often recurring regularly, whether it’s monthly, quarterly, or yearly. So any extra benefit you get by using the right credit cards will be compounded over time!
In this guide, we’ll show you how to maximize your internet, cable, and phone bill spending to get the most value possible.
Table of contents
Table of Contents
What To Look for in a Personal Credit Card for Internet, Cable, and Phone Services
It’s important to note that this guide is focused entirely on personal cards for making internet, cable, and phone purchases.
In general, there are 2 things you should maximize when looking for one of these personal cards:
- Rewards
- Insurance (particularly for cell phone services)
In an ideal world, you’ll get both — but in practice, especially for personal credit cards, it can be difficult to get both.
You always should consider the other non-rewards benefits you can get from certain cards, including luxury travel perks.
So, let’s take a look at our favorite personal cards for internet, cable, and phone services.
Hot Tip: We’ve previously written guides to the best business credit cards for internet, cable, and phone services and the best business credit cards for paying cell phone bills, so be sure to reference those if you’re looking for a business card option.
The Best Personal Credit Cards for Internet, Cable, and Phone Services
1. The Platinum Card® from American Express
| Credit Card | Benefits & Info |
|---|---|
The Platinum Card® from American Express  Learn More (at Amex's secure site) |
$2,200 Must Reads: For more info on the Amex Platinum, see our thoughts on the cards incredible benefits and perks, which includes travel insurance coverage, car rental insurance and so much more. Check out our full review to see why it’s one of the best travel credit cards. |
The first card we’ll discuss is the Amex Platinum card, but not necessarily because it offers any special rewards structure on cable, internet, or phone purchases.
What makes the Amex Platinum card special is that this is the best personal card for cell phone insurance.
By putting your phone bill on the Amex Platinum card, you can get coverage for your phone in the event of theft or any other damage, including screen damage (usually excluded from damage coverage with other cards). Every rolling 12-month period, you can be eligible for 2 approved claims, with a maximum of $800 per claim or $1,600 per 12-month period (there’s a $50 deductible per claim). This is a fantastic way to potentially save $1,500 per year, just by using the right card for your phone service purchases.
Also, the Amex Platinum card has a huge welcome bonus and the ability to earn 5x points for flights booked directly with airlines or with Amex Travel.
There’s a humongous list of benefits associated with the Amex Platinum card (terms apply and some benefits require enrollment through your American Express account):
- The best airport lounge access of any card (American Express Global Lounge Collection), which includes Airspace Lounges, Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs (when flying Delta the same day), Escape Lounges, International American Express Centurion Lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, Select Virgin Clubhouses, Select Lufthansa Lounges, and Priority Pass lounges
- Access to elite-like benefits at hotels through American Express’ Fine Hotels & Resorts and The Hotel Collection
- Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status
- Complimentary Avis Preferred Club, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, and National Emerald Club Executive rental car elite status
- Airfare discounts via the Amex International Airline Program
- Top-notch travel insurance coverage, including trip interruption and cancellation, trip delay insurance, lost/stolen/damaged/delayed baggage, secondary rental car insurance, and emergency evacuation coverage
Other benefits include up to $240 in digital entertainment credits, up to $200 in Uber Cash for U.S. Uber rides or U.S. Eats orders, up to $300 in Equinox credits, and up to $100 in Saks Fifth Avenue statement credits.
To close out the card’s benefits, enjoy purchase protection, extended warranty, zero fraud liability protection, no foreign transaction fees, and access to Amex Offers (see rates and fees).
Why We Like Amex Membership Rewards Points
Amex Membership Rewards points are the most valuable of any flexible points currency, according to our valuations.
Sitting at around 2.2 cents apiece, these points can be redeemed for some incredible luxury travel, easily eclipsing the 2.2 cents-per-point valuation we’ve established.
In fact, with certain redemptions, you can get upwards of 10 to 20 cents per point through transfer partners!
Nonetheless, some other ways to use your Amex points include charity, cash-back, statement credits, Shop with Points at Amazon, and Pay With Points via Amex Travel.
But you won’t get outsized value from any of these alternative redemption methods, so we always recommend transfer partnerships.
2. Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
| Credit Card | Benefits & Info |
|---|---|
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express Learn More (at Amex's secure site) |
$300 |
The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card is about as good as it gets when it comes to cash-back rewards cards.
Sometimes, earning cash-back can be just as rewarded as earning points. If you’re in a cash crunch, incremental cash-back rewards can make all the difference in your life.
If you spend most of your money on eating in, at-home entertainment, and commuting, then you’ll find this card and your situation to be a match made in heaven.
Earn up to 6% cash-back with the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card:
- 6% cash-back at U.S. supermarkets, up to $6,000 per year in purchases (1% after)
- 6% cash-back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions
- 3% cash-back at U.S. gas stations
- 3% cash-back on transit (including taxis, rideshares, parking, tolls, trains, buses, and more)
- 1% cash-back on other purchases
Many purchases that you’d consider to be cable subscriptions, like Apple TV+, DirecTV Stream, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, Paramount+, and Peacock, actually count as select streaming subscriptions with Amex, so keep that in mind.
For a limited time, you can also enjoy a 0% introductory APR promotion (regular APR, as indicated in the table above, applies after the introductory period), as well as a substantial welcome bonus.
The card also offers benefits like secondary rental car insurance, purchase protection, return protection, extended warranty coverage, and no foreign transaction fees.
3. Citi® Double Cash Card
| Credit Card | Benefits & Info |
|---|---|
Citi® Double Cash Card Learn More (at our partner's secure site) |
|
The Double Cash card is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. This card is thought of as being a good cash-back card, but it goes much deeper than that.
You’ll earn 2% cash-back, which is split into 1% cash-back at the time of purchase and another 1% cash-back when you pay your bill.
Also, this card comes with a 0% balance transfer APR promotion (regular APR, as indicated in the table above, applies after the promotional period) that can help you defer interest fees from high-interest cards you might have open.
The most attractive benefit of this card is that your 2% cash-back can be converted to 2x ThankYou Rewards Points that are transferable to a list of airline partners if you pair the Double Cash card with the right ThankYou Rewards credit card.
In addition, the Double Cash card offers flexible pay dates, zero liability for unauthorized purchases, a late fee pass, fraud protection, World Elite Mastercard benefits, and Citi Private Pass access.
Why We Like Citi ThankYou Rewards Points
The Double Cash card, by itself, earns cash-back rewards with a limited usage of ThankYou Points.
But if you pair this card with a ThankYou Rewards card like the Citi Premier® Card, you can open up a whole new world of redemption options.
That’s because when you always have a Citi Premier card, you will be able to take advantage of Citi’s full list of transfer partners, which can be leveraged for first and business class award travel.
That means a 2% cash-back through the Double Cash card would go up to a 3.2% return on spending, according to our valuation of ThankYou Points.
Other ways to use your points include cash-back, checks, direct deposit, gift cards, travel booked through the ThankYou Rewards portal, mortgage or student loan payments, and more.
4. Chase Freedom Unlimited®
| Credit Card | Benefits & Info |
|---|---|
Chase Freedom Unlimited® Learn More (at Chase's secure site) |
Must Reads: For more info on the Chase Freedom Unlimited, see our thoughts on its benefits and our full review. |
The Freedom Unlimited card offers enticing cash-back rewards structures that can be converted to Ultimate Rewards points with a qualifying credit card.
In addition to a welcome bonus, this card offers up to 5% cash-back:
- 5% cash-back on travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal
- 3% cash-back on dining
- 3% cash-back on drugstores
- 1.5% cash-back on all other purchases
Earning 1.5% cash-back on your internet, cable, and phone purchases is decent, but what makes this card special is the ability to convert your cash-back to Ultimate Rewards points, which we’ll outline in the next section.
Other benefits include a 0% introductory APR (regular APR, as indicated in the table above, applies after the introductory period), purchase protection, extended warranty, fraud protection, secondary rental car insurance, zero liability protection, and more.
But again, the most compelling reason to use this card is to convert your 1.5% cash-back to 1.5x Ultimate Rewards points, as long as you have an eligible Ultimate Rewards card.
Why We Like Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
The Freedom Unlimited card is marketed as a cash-back card, but 1 thing you might not know is that with the right Ultimate Rewards card in your portfolio complementing the Freedom Unlimited card, you can convert your cash-back to Ultimate Rewards points.
To be specific, if you have a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you can convert your cash-back to Ultimate Rewards points at a 1% to 1x ratio, transforming your 1.5% cash-back to 1.5x points (a 3% return on spend).
You can then transfer your points to airline and hotel partners for luxury award travel!
5. Capital One Venture Rewards Card
| Credit Card | Benefits & Info |
|---|---|
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Learn More (at our partner's secure site) |
|
The very last card we’ll be discussing is the CapOne Venture card.
In addition to a huge welcome bonus, you’ll earn an unlimited 2x Capital One miles on every purchase with no caps or blackout dates.
It also offers benefits like a $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit, travel accident insurance, roadside dispatch, lost luggage insurance, secondary rental car insurance, extended warranty, zero fraud liability, purchase security, and no foreign transaction fees.
Why We Like Capital One Miles
Capital One miles can also be very valuable. As one of the major transferable rewards currencies, Capital One Miles is already a top-tier program.
It has a respectable list of transfer partners, plus an array of simpler ways to use your points, depending on where you’d find the most utility.
Its transfer partners can have ratios of 2:1, 2:1.5, or 1:1, so just be mindful of that.
We value Capital One miles at 1.4 cents each, meaning that earning 2x miles on all purchases is approximately equal to a 2.8% return on spend.
To get even better redemption value via transfer partners, be sure to consult our Capital One miles best redemptions guide.
Other ways to redeem Capital One miles include gift cards, travel booked through the Capital One Travel portal, statement credits, and more.
Final Thoughts
Well, there you have it! The best personal cards for internet, cable, and phone services are probably not exactly what you had in mind.
Most of the best credit cards for these types of purchases are business credit cards.
But there are still a few solid personal cards that can help you maximize these purchases.
The Amex Platinum card has, by far, the best cell phone insurance from a personal card, so this benefit alone could be worth $1,500 per year — it’s certainly a compelling reason to put your phone bill payments on this card, even if you only earn 1x points.
The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card could be great if most of your cable and internet purchases are actually streaming purchases, maximizing your cash-back returns.
The other choices are simply solid cards for overall everyday spending; these include the Double Cash card, the Freedom Unlimited card, and the CapOne Venture card.
Now you know which personal cards to use for internet, cable, and phone services!
The information regarding the Citi® Double Cash Card, Chase Freedom Unlimited®, Capital One Venture Rewards Card, CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®, and Capital One Spark Cash for Business 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, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, click here.
