The 10 Most Noteworthy Credit Cards of 2024 — What’s New and Improved

Updated: December 3, 2024, 5:00pm CST

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American Express
Citi
Capital One
Chase
Wells Fargo
Wild Cards
Final Thoughts

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The credit card landscape in 2024 has been dynamic, with exciting new products and enhanced benefits that particularly appeal to travelers. However, whether you were ready for these changes or not, many of them came at the expense of a higher annual fee or the loss of favorite perks.

Beyond the constantly changing welcome bonus offers for new applicants, here are the top 10 key changes to know about in the credit cards world.

American Express

During the 2023 fourth-quarter earnings call, American Express CEO Steven Squeri announced, “We are committed to refreshing 40 products this year.” Here’s a summary of the most significant changes to know from this year:

1. American Express^® Gold Card

The biggest change of the year easily goes to the popular American Express^® Gold Card. Famously known as a dining card, the issuer added more perks … in the form of annual statement credits:

Up to $84 Dunkin’ Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the Amex Gold card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations.
Up to $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $50 in statement credits semiannually after you enroll and pay with the Amex Gold card at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases.
Up to $120 Dining Credit: Get up to $10 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with your Amex Gold card, now with a refreshed lineup of partners, including Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys.

Although the Amex Gold card’s Uber Cash credit and generous 4x rewards rate remain unchanged, the issuer has introduced a new earning cap. You continue to earn 4x Membership Rewards points on restaurants worldwide, but this is now limited to $50,000 per calendar year.

Amex Gold Starbucks Upgraded Points LLC 2 — There’s a new earning cap at restaurants. Image Credit: Upgraded Points LLC

Though this new cap probably won’t affect most cardholders, it’s somewhat disappointing to see a higher $325 annual fee (rates & fees) alongside these credits. Depending on where you live and how often you dine out, the value of the Amex Gold card can vary greatly — making it either easier (or harder) to justify in your wallet.

2. Delta SkyMiles Card Changes

This was a banner year for the Amex Delta SkyMiles portfolio. Here’s an overview of the changes we saw — with annual fee increases across the board in exchange for a ton of new statement credits (enrollment required):

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Card	New Benefits	New Annual Fee	Previous Annual Fee
Delta SkyMiles^® Gold American Express Card	Up to $100 Delta Stays credit (on prepaid hotel or vacation rentals booked via Delta.com) $200 Delta flight credit after spending $10,000 in a calendar year (up from $100 Delta credit)	$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 (rates & fees)	$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99
Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card	Up to $120 annual Resy credit upon enrollment ($10 per month at U.S. Resy restaurants) Up to $120 annual ride-sharing credit upon enrollment ($10 per month on U.S. Uber and Lyft purchases) Up to $150 Delta Stays credit (on prepaid hotel or vacation rentals booked via Delta.com) Expanded Companion Certificate destinations $2,500 Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQD) Boost and earn an additional $1 MQD for every $20 in eligible purchases	$350 (rates & fees)	$250
Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card	Up to $240 annual Resy credit upon enrollment ($20 per month at U.S. Resy restaurants) Up to $120 annual ride-sharing credit upon enrollment ($10 per month on U.S. Uber and Lyft purchases) Up to $200 Delta Stays credit (on prepaid hotel or vacation rentals booked via Delta.com) $2,500 Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQD) Boost and earn an additional $1 MQD for every $10 in eligible purchases	$650 (rates & fees)	$550
Delta SkyMiles^® Gold Business American Express Card	Up ro $150 Delta Stays credit (on prepaid hotel or vacation rentals booked via Delta.com) $200 Delta flight credit after spending $10,000 in a calendar year (up from $100 Delta credit) 2x miles on Delta purchases, at restaurants, shipping providers (up to $50,000 per year), and advertising purchases in select media (up to $50,000 per year)	$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 (rates & fees)	$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99
Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum Business American Express Card	Up to $120 annual Resy credit upon enrollment ($10 per month at U.S. Resy restaurants) Up to $120 annual ride-sharing credit upon wenrollment ($10 per month on U.S. Uber and Lyft purchases) Up to $200 Delta Stays credit (on prepaid hotel or vacation rentals booked via Delta.com) 1.5x miles on transit, U.S. shipping, and purchases of $5,000 or more (up to $100,000 per year) Expanded Companion Certificate destinations $2,500 Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQD) Boost and earn an additional $1 MQD for every $20 in eligible purchases	$350 (rates & fees)	$250
Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business American Express Card	Up to $240 annual Resy credit upon enrollment ($20 per month at U.S. Resy restaurants) Up to $120 annual ride-sharing credit upon enrollment ($10 per month on U.S. Uber and Lyft purchases) Up to $250 Delta Stays credit (on prepaid hotel or vacation rentals booked via Delta.com) $2,500 Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQD) Boost and an additional $1 MQD for every $10 in eligible purchases 1.5x miles on transit, U.S. shipping, U.S. office supply stores, and on purchases after spending $150,000	$650 (rates & fees)	$550

Citi

3. Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

In 2024, Citi discontinued applications for its only travel credit card, the Citi Premier^® Card. However, the issuer swiftly introduced a rebranded version: the Citi Strata Premier card.

Fortunately, there was no change to the $95 annual fee or any of the core benefits of the original card. Instead, the Citi Strata Premier card received minor yet still valuable enhancements to its travel insurance protections and earning rates:

10x points on hotel, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com; 3x points on air travel, other hotel purchases, at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and EV charging stations; 1x points on all other purchases
Addition of travel insurance benefits, including trip cancellation and interruption insurance, trip delay insurance, lost or damaged luggage protection, and car rental insurance

Capital One

4. Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card

Capital One stirred up confusion this summer by closing applications for the no-annual-fee Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card. Shortly afterward, the issuer rebranded it as the Capital One Savor cardInformation collected independently. Not reviewed by Capital One., repurposing a name that previously belonged to another card now closed to new applicants.

To clear up the confusion, here’s what you need to know about this refresh: The “new” Capital One Savor card now has a $0 annual fee (rates & fees), which reflects Capital One’s commitment to enhancing its everyday credit card offerings.

Fortunately, none of the card’s core benefits have been altered. Capital One Savor cardholders continue to earn 8% cash-back on Capital One Entertainment purchases, 5% cash-back on hotels and rental cars you book through Capital One Travel, 3% cash-back on dining, popular streaming services, entertainment, and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target), and 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Chase

Chase had a relatively quiet year in terms of major updates, which many would consider a positive thing. While the issuer did increase welcome bonus offers on several credit cards, there were no sweeping changes to report, except for the follwoing:

5. New DoorDash Credits

The issuer extended its partnership with DoorDash through 2027 for several Chase credit cards. In addition to a complimentary DoorDash membership that is valid through December 31, 2027, here are some of the enhanced credits cardholders can enjoy:

Chase Sapphire Reserve^®, J.P. Morgan Reserve Card: Receive 2 credits every month of up to $10 in nonrestaurant credit. (Cardholders will continue to receive up to $5 monthly in DoorDash credit, but starting on Feb. 1, 2025, they’ll only be available to use specifically at restaurant orders only.
Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card: Receive 1 credit every month of up to $10 in non-restaurant credit.
Chase Freedom Flex^® and Chase Freedom Unlimited^®: Receive 1 credit every quarter of up to $10 in nonrestaurant credit.

6. Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance Changes

Chase has long been recognized as a top credit card issuer for its robust travel insurance protections. However, the company recently made a big change to its trip cancellation and interruption coverage.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Chase Sapphire Preferred Pool Bill Upgraded Points LLC 2 — Key changes to trip cancellation and interruption insurance. Image Credit: Upgraded Points LLC

To be eligible for this benefit, you now must pay the full cost of travel with your eligible Chase card or redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for the entire amount. This is a notable shift for travelers who relied on this protection, as previously, even partially charging travel expenses to the card qualified (for example, award tickets with only $5.60 in taxes and fees would no longer be covered by Chase’s trip cancellation and interruption insurance since that would be considered a partial payment).

Hot Tip:

Fortunately, Chase travel insurance benefits such as baggage delay insurance, lost or delayed luggage insurance, and trip delay insurance don’t have this full payment requirement.

Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo had some major changes in 2024, stepping up to the plate to other credit card issuers. The introduction of several rewards cards definitely excited many die-hard travelers — myself included.

7. Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card

It’s always exciting to see new travel credit cards get launched, opening up the possibilities for even more award travel. The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card debuted this spring with a competitive $95 annual fee (rates & fees), especially considering its $50 annual airfare credit.

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Ocean Upgraded Points LLC 2 — One of the best new travel credit cards. Image Credit: Upgraded Points

What’s most notable about this card is that it earns 5x unlimited points on hotels (no matter how you book), 4x unlimited points on airfare (again, no matter how you book), 3x points on other travel purchases and dining, and 1x points on all other purchases. For a catch-all travel card, the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card is nearly as good as it gets for that reasonable annual fee.

The list of transfer partners still remains small but mighty, but perhaps our favorite perk is the ability to transfer points to Choice Privileges at a 1:2 ratio.

8. One Key Cards

Wells Fargo became the co-brand card issuer of Expedia Group’s One Key Rewards program this summer. There are 2 new travel credit cards available to new applicants thanks to this partnership: the One Key™ Card ($0 annual fee) and One Key+™ Card ($99 annual fee).

What’s unique about these new One Key cards is the ability to earn and redeem rewards across 3 core travel brands: Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo. Both cards earn 3% in OneKeyCash on Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo, as well as gas stations, grocery stores, and dining. However, the One Key+ card earns 2% in OneKeyCash on all other eligible purchases. while the One Key card earns 1.5% on all other purchases.

What sets the higher-tier One Key+ card apart is the ability to receive automatic One Key Gold elite status, $100 in OneKeyCash every cardholder anniversary, and up to $120 in Global Entry or TSA PreCheck statement credit.

Wild Cards

There are 2 wild-card options that are worth mentioning that don’t belong to any of the credit card issuers above.

9. Robinhood Gold Card

Cash-back card fans have another excellent new no-annual-fee option worth considering. The new Robinhood Gold card is a head-turner, as it earns 5% cash-back on travel purchased through the Robinhood travel portal and 3% cash-back on all other purchases.

The Robinhood Gold card isn’t available to the general public. It’s only available for Robinhood Gold members — the broker’s premium subscription plan, which costs $5 per month or $50 per year.

That 3% cash-back rate is really the selling point of the card, but there’s a catch. Rewards can’t be redeemed for pure cash-back, though you have the following options:

Reinvest cash-back into your Robinhood brokerage account.
Book travel through the Robinhood travel portal.
Shop at stores through the Robinhood shopping portal.
Buy virtual gift cards.

Each of these redemptions yields a value of 1 cent per point. It could make sense for someone to have this card to reinvest their rewards into a brokerage account.

10. Mesa Credit Card

It’ll soon be possible to earn points on a mortgage. Think the Bilt World Elite Mastercard^® Credit Card, but for homeowners.

With the Mesa Homeowners Card, you can earn 3x points on home-related charges such as HOA fees, contractors, or property taxes; 2x points on at gas stations, groceries, EV charging, and utilities; and 1x points on a linked mortgage (up to 100,000 points per year). It even comes with a complimentary Sam’s Club membership — all for no annual fee.

Announced just earlier this month, the Mesa card has provided limited details on its redemption options. So far, we know that cardholders will be able to redeem points for “gift cards, the Mesa travel booking portal, transfer partners, and even closing costs on a new home,” though specific redemption values haven’t been disclosed.

Bottom Line:

Earning points with a credit card is only valuable if the redemption options offer good value, so it will be interesting to see what the Mesa card ultimately brings to the table.

Final Thoughts

In all, 2024 has been a transformative year in the credit card world. While these updates have expanded choices and enhanced rewards, they often come with trade-offs, such as increased annual fees or the loss of beloved perks.

Even so, it’s easier than ever to get long-term value for your everyday spending and travel expenses thanks to the wide variety of new credit cards. And, we can only begin to imagine what 2025 has in store.

The information regarding the Citi Premier^® Card has expired and the card is no longer open to applicants.
The information regarding the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the J.P. Morgan Reserve Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Chase Freedom Flex℠ was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not reviewed nor provided by the issuer.
The information regarding the One Key™ Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the One Key+™ Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Mesa Homeowners Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Robinhood Gold Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

For rates and fees of the American Express^® Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles^® Gold American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles^® Gold Business American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees for the Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business American Express Card, click here.