The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa^® Signature Card offers the most rewards for your Amazon.com spending of any card around — Earn 5% back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market with eligible Prime membership, 2% back at restaurants, gas stations, and drugstores, and 1% back on all other purchases. This is a fantastic rate that’s great for people looking to do the majority of their Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping on Amazon.com. Plus, if you’re already a Prime member, this card is a no-brainer since there’s a $0 annual fee. However, if you’re not currently a Prime member, the cost is currently $119 for an annual membership. There is a new cardmember offer that helps offset the annual fee — Get a $70 Amazon.com Gift Card instantly upon credit card approval.

If you don’t want to become a Prime member, there is a version of this card that doesn’t require a Prime membership — the Amazon Rewards Visa^® Signature Card. However, you’ll earn a lower rewards rate at Amazon.com and receive a lower new cardmember offer. Earn 3% back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market, 2% back at restaurants, gas stations, and drugstores, and 1% back on all other purchases. Get a $50 Amazon.com Gift Card instantly upon credit card approval.

An alternative to an Amazon-branded store card is a cashback card that offers Amazon.com as a bonus category. The Discover it® Cash Back has Amazon.com and wholesale clubs as a bonus category from October to December 2018 — which is perfect for your holiday shopping. You’ll earn 5% cash back at different places each quarter like gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, Amazon.com or wholesale clubs up to the quarterly maximum each time you activate. One percent unlimited cash back automatically on all other purchases.

There is a $1,500 quarterly maximum for the bonus categories, which comes out to $75 cash back at the 5% rate before it drops to 1%. Depending on how much you plan to spend at Amazon.com and wholesale clubs, this may not be an issue. But, if you think you’ll spend over $1,500 in these two categories this October to December, you should consider the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa^® Signature Card since it doesn’t have a quarterly maximum.

Best for department stores

If you do the majority of your Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping at department stores like Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, a card that offers a competitive rewards rate on these purchases can come in handy. Department stores typically offer their own store cards, but you can only use them at their store. Therefore, if you plan on shopping at multiple department stores, you’d need a store card for each store. This can be a hassle, so we’ve recommended credit cards that can be used anywhere and still earn above average rewards at eligible department stores.

The two cards we recommend offer high rewards rates at select department stores including Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, plus tons of other stores. We do want to point out that the Chase Freedom® has more qualifying department stores than the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express — providing more flexibility.

The Chase Freedom® is a rotating cashback card that allows cardholders to Earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories every 3 months. Unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. From October to December 2018, department stores, wholesale clubs and Chase Pay® are 5% bonus categories. You can earn a great rate on those purchases, but take note that spending at the 5% cashback rate is limited to $1,500 a quarter before it drops down to 1% cash back. If you want a wide selection of department stores to earn 5% cash back (up to a quarterly max of $1,500, then 1%) and don’t mind activating the bonus categories, the Chase Freedom® can be a good choice for your Black Friday and Cyber Monday department store shopping.

Eligible department stores include:

• Aliexpress*
• Beall’s of Florida
• Belk
• Bergdorf Goodman*
• Bergners*
• Bloomingdale’s
• Boscov’s Department Store
• Boston Store*
• Carson’s*
• Dillard’s
• Elder-Beerman*
• Goody’s*
• Gordmans*
• Gump’s*
• Herberger’s*
• J.C. Penney
• Kohl’s
• Lord & Taylor
• Macy’s
• Neiman Marcus
• Nordstrom & Nordstrom Rack
• Peebles Dept Store*
• Saks Fifth Ave & Off Fifth
• Sears
• Stage Stores*
• Stein Mart
• The Bon Ton
• Von Maur*
• Younkers*

*Not an eligible department store with the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express.

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express doesn’t offer as high a rewards rate at select U.S. department stores compared with the Chase Freedom®, but it has the advantage of no quarterly limits or activation. Cardholders earn 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%). 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and at select U.S. department stores. 1% cash back on other purchases. This card does have a $95 annual fee, but if you spend $3,167 a year at select U.S. department stores, you’ll earn enough cash back to cover the annual fee.

Eligible department stores include:

• Bealls
• Belk
• Bloomingdale’s
• Bon Ton Stores
• Boscov’s
• Century 21 Department Stores*
• Dillard’s
• J.C. Penney (JCP)
• Kohl’s
• Lord & Taylor
• Macy’s
• Neiman Marcus
• Nordstrom
• Saks Fifth Avenue
• Sears
• Stein Mart

*Not an eligible department store with the Chase Freedom®.

Best for general shopping

When you go holiday shopping, you typically won’t just shop at one store, you most likely will need to make a few stops in store or online to get everything you need. To maximize your rewards on all your purchases, you’ll either need several credit cards or you can simply use a flat-rate cashback card that earns the same rewards rate on all your shopping — whether it’s online, in department stores, wholesale clubs or elsewhere.

The Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer is consistently our top choice for a flat-rate cashback card since you earn 2% cash back on purchases: 1% when you buy plus 1% as you pay. That’s double the amount a traditional rewards card earns on everyday purchases and can simplify your wallet. You can use this card on all your purchases and earn competitive rewards without worrying which card to use. However, if you do have several credit cards, use them for the transactions they earn the most rewards in, and then use the Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer on all other purchases.

In addition to a cashback program, this card has the Citi® Price Rewind benefit. When you register eligible items with Citi® Price Rewind, Citi will conduct a 60-day search from purchase date to see if there’s a lower price. If a lower price is found, you may be reimbursed for the difference between what you paid and the lower price. You can also submit a claim if you find a lower price. Note, the Citi® Price Rewind benefit is limited to $200 an item and $1,000 per calendar year.

Best for wholesale clubs

During the holidays you most likely will be traveling to visit family and friends or entertaining guests at your home. Shopping at wholesale clubs can be a great way to stock up on needed items for entertaining, cooking and gift-giving. Wholesale clubs like BJ’s, Costco, and Sam’s Club offer their own co-branded credit cards that members can use to earn rewards. There are also some cards from major issuers that offer wholesale clubs as a bonus category during the holiday months. Just remember that if you plan on shopping regularly at wholesale clubs, you’ll need an active membership. However, many clubs offer free one-day passes where you can shop around without a membership, and you can also piggyback off a friend or family member’s membership.

From October to December 2018, two cards are offering wholesale clubs as a bonus category — the Chase Freedom® and the Discover it® Cash Back. Keep in mind you need to activate the bonus categories for the 5% cash back to take effect. And, the amount of cash back you can earn at the 5% cashback rate has a $1,500 quarterly maximum before the cashback rate drops to 1%. So, that’s up to $75 cash back at the 5% rate. You can use these cards for your wholesale club shopping this holiday season and reap the rewards. If you’re a member of multiple wholesale clubs or don’t want a club-specific credit card, these cards are a good choice.

Best for supermarkets

While shopping at your local supermarket on Black Friday won’t likely be on the top of your list, getting a good supermarket rewards card can help ease the sting of holiday grocery bills. The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express has a rewards program tailored to U.S. supermarket spending with 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%). 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and at select U.S. department stores. 1% cash back on other purchases. However, this card comes with a $95 annual fee that isn’t worthwhile for everyone.

There is a $0 annual fee version of this card, the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express. But, that card offers half as much cash back with 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%). 2% cash back at U.S. gas stations and at select U.S. department stores. 1% cash back on other purchases. If you don’t want to pay an annual fee, then it can be a better choice.

You should consider how much you spend each month at U.S. supermarkets before you settle on a card. If you spend over $264 a month ($61 a week) at U.S. supermarkets, you’ll see more benefit from the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express. But, if you spend less than $264 a month at U.S. supermarkets, then you should stick with the $95 annual fee Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express.

Take note that superstores, convenience stores and warehouse clubs like BJ’s, Target and Walmart aren’t considered U.S. supermarkets and will earn 1% cash back.

Best 0% intro offers on purchases

Shopping for everyone on your list this holiday season can cost you a lot of money. With the average holiday shopper incurring $1,054 in debt last year, you’ll want to think about taking preventative measures so you don’t fall into debt. You should consider credit cards offering 0% intro periods for new purchases that help you avoid interest charges when you carry a balance during the intro period. There are cards that offer as long as 20 months interest-free.

Here are our top picks for cards with 0% intro periods:

If you chose to use a 0% intro APR card, you should check in on your debt two months before your intro period ends. Check to see if you’re on track to pay off your balance before the intro period ends. If you’re behind schedule and don’t think your debt will be paid off in time, consider a balance transfer credit card. You can transfer debt from your existing card to a new card offering a 0% intro period for balance transfers. This saves you from interest charges compared with leaving your balance on your current card post intro period, and also gives you more time to pay off your debt. Just take note that balances can’t be transferred between cards from the same bank and you will typically incur a balance transfer fee — however this fee is often outweighed by the amount you save on interest — though there are cards with no balance transfer fees.

Here are our top picks for balance transfer credit cards:

This article contains links to CompareCards, which like MagnifyMoney, is a subsidiary of LendingTree.

While small business credit cards can provide a wide range of benefits for your company, they have drawbacks.

Here are some of the major risks:

Personal liability. As a business owner, you are solely responsible for all charges made on your account. That means if there are any unpaid balances on your account, whether from your spending or employee spending, you are liable.

Negative impact on you credit. If your account is in poor standing as a result of late payments, overdue balances, bankruptcy or other issues, the credit card issuer may report this information to the credit bureaus. As a result, your personal credit score may take a hit.

Not protected by the CARD Act. Business cards don’t receive the same consumer protections that personal credit cards receive with the CARD Act. The CARD Act requires credit card issuers to provide transparent terms as well as lower fees and interest rates for consumers. But, issuers of business cards don’t have to comply with those requirements. Therefore, a business card may have higher interest rates, more fees and confusing terms.

Monitor employee spending. The ability to open employee cards is a great feature, but if you don’t stay on top of their charges, it can become risky. Some good practices include keeping records of all employees with card access, setting employee spending limits when available and monitoring your credit card statements. This way you can keep track of all spending made on your account and add limits when needed.

Avoid charging personal expenses. Use your business card the way it is intended to be used — exclusively for business purchases. Charging personal expenses makes managing your finances harder and complicates the use of your card.

Do not take out a cash advance. Cash advances are one of the most costly features of credit cards and are rarely a good choice because you’ll be hit with higher than normal interest rates and can rack up debt fast. As an alternative, check out small business loans.

Look at loans for long-term financing. Your business may need to borrow money for purchases like cars or other big-ticket items, and small business loans can be a great way to finance those purchases. Often with straightforward terms, loans can be a good alternative to charging purchases on your credit card. Compare small business loans here.

Do not try to bail out a failing business. If your business isn’t doing well, don’t take out a small business credit card with the hopes of bailing it out. Odds are you’ll only get into more debt and make the situation worse.

Earn rewards. Almost all of the cards mentioned in this roundup provide rewards, allowing business owners to be benefit from typical business spending. You can use the rewards you earn in a variety of ways, like booking travel, applying cash back as statement credit to cover bills or redeeming them for gift cards for business expenses or employee incentives.

Manage cash flow. Business cards may provide expense-management tools so you can monitor spending and simplify everyday business transactions. You can use your card to automate business expenses like monthly phone bills or regular office-supply purchases.

Build business credit. Opening a small business credit card has the potential to build and improve your business credit. If you make on-time payments and use a relatively small amount of your available credit, your business’ credit can benefit greatly. Having a good business credit score can help you down the line if you plan on taking out a loan or other credit products.

Short-term borrowing. If your business plans on making purchases that can’t be paid immediately, some business credit cards offer 0% intro periods that are ideal for short-term borrowing and can be a better choice than a personal loan — when used responsibly. During the 0% intro period, you can carry a balance without incurring interest, and if you pay it off before the intro period ends, you can save on the interest that you would’ve incurred if you had taken out a loan.