Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Gen Z is opening up their wallets a bit more this year than last. According to a recent Northwestern Mutual study, almost half (40%) of this young cohort expect to spend more in 2025 than in 2024, well outpacing other generations.
More spending generally encourages more opportunities to earn rewards, but only if you use the right financial tools. Below, CNBC Select looks at some popular Gen Z spending categories — and the credit cards that provide the most bang for their buck in each category.
Travel spending
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card packs a punch for a $95 annual fee card, offering annual travel credits, comprehensive travel protections and more.
- You can transfer rewards to all of Chase’s travel partners including World of Hyatt, Southwest Rapid Rewards and many more
- Long list of travel and shopping protections
- $50 annual Chase Travel hotel credit
- Has an annual fee
- Requires a high credit score
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase TravelSM, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
- Earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase TravelSM
- 10% anniversary points boost – each account anniversary you’ll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
Here’s a hypothetical example of how you could benefit from the Chase Sapphire Preferred. Say you spend the Gen Z average of $11,200 (we rounded down) on travel using this card. Half of that travel was bought through the Chase TravelSM portal, which earns an elevated 5X points per $1, making the $5,600 spent worth 28,000 points. The other $5,600 you spent on travel outside the portal, earning you 2X per $1, or 11,000 points. This brings you to a grand total of 39,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points or almost $400 in value (at 1 cent per point). If you cash in these points through the Chase Portal or via transfer partners, you could be getting even more.
The flexible rewards you can earn via travel spending, plus the several protections the card offers, make it one of the top options for those looking to splurge on travel.
Entertainment spending
If entertainment is a big spending category for you, know that certain credit cards get you access to presale and VIP tickets for concerts, sports games and exclusive events.
American Express cardholders, for example, benefit from special Amex Experiences, including theater shows and concerts, with some more exclusive events tied to higher-tier cards. The Platinum Card® from American Express will get you access to Amex’s Premium Events Collection™ (previously By Invitation Only®) where you’ll get access to exclusive events unavailable to other cardholders; some past examples include VIP Access to the Monaco Grand Prix and advanced screenings of the award-winning show The Bear. The card also comes with several statement credits, including a $200 hotel credit* and a $200 airline fee credit (enrollment required), both of which help offset the travel costs for your next entertainment getaway.
*The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay. Certain room categories are not eligible for upgrade
The Platinum Card® from American Express is a premium card loaded with annual statement credits, entertainment benefits, extensive airport lounge access, elite status perks and more. (Enrollment required for select benefits mentioned)
- Access to 1,400+ airport lounges, including Priority Pass™ Select lounges (enrollment required) and Amex Centurion lounges
- Statement credit offers worth up to twice what the annual fee costs
- Elite status perks for hotels and rental cars (Enrollment required for select benefits mentioned)
- High annual fee
- Many statement credit offers are complicated and are earned in increments or limited to specific purchases
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
- $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
- $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney+ bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
- Enjoy the benefits of the Global Lounge Collection, with over $500 of annual value if you visit Centurion Lounges and each of our partner lounges including Delta Sky Club® lounges when flying an eligible Delta flight (subject to visit limitations) , select Lufthansa lounges when flying Lufthansa, Plaza Premium lounges and Escape Lounges, and enroll in Priority Pass Select. See terms.
- A Walmart+ membership can get you free shipping with no order minimum on eligible items shipped by Walmart. Use your Platinum Card® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) and receive one statement credit for up to $12.95 (plus applicable taxes. Plus Ups not eligible) each month. Free Shipping excludes most Marketplace items, freight & certain location surcharges. Paramount+ Essential plan only, separate registration required.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card® Account. American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after 8 weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details.
- $200 Uber Cash: Platinum Card® Members can ride or dine in style with $15 in Uber Cash each month, plus a bonus $20 in December after adding their Card to their Uber account. Use your Uber Cash on rides and orders in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR® Plus helps get you to your gate faster by using unique facial attributes to verify you are you at 50+ airports nationwide. Receive up to $199 per Calendar year in statement credits, when you pay for a CLEAR Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) with the Platinum Card.
- Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
- Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card®. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- Use Global Dining Access by Resy to access premium dining experiences. Receive Priority Notify and unlock insider access to some of the world’s most sought-after restaurants with Global Dining Access by Resy. Download the Resy iOS app or log into Resy.com and add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile to take advantage of your special benefits and discover restaurants near you.
- $695 annual fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you’re approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you’re approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Balance transfer fee
Foreign transaction fee
Pro tip: You can pair this card with an Amex bank account
Offers in this section are from affiliate partners and selected based on a combination of engagement, product relevance, compensation, and consistent availability.
Annual Percentage Yield (APY)
While the Amex Platinum Card does come with a bit of a higher annual fee, between the access to exclusive events and sheer amount of statement credits, this card can generate over $1,500 in value for the right event-goer.
Dining spending
Gen Z is spending more at restaurants, increasing their dining out spend by 14.3% compared to last year, while the general population’s spending rose by just 2.6%, according to the Bank of America Institute study.
Using a credit card that earns dining rewards can help cover the cost of future meals.
Whether dining out or ordering in, the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card is a good fit for no annual fee. More accessible than some premium cards, you’ll earn 4X points on dining, takeout and restaurant delivery on your first $2,000 each quarter. This credit card from U.S. Bank also earns 2X points on streaming services and comes with a $15 credit for Netflix and Hulu — making ordering in just as rewarding.
- High rewards rate for dining and delivery
- Intro APR for purchases and balance transfers
- Streaming credit has complicated requirements
- Quarterly dining bonus category is capped
Information about personal and small business credit cards issued by U.S. Bank has been collected independently by CNBC Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer prior to publication.
Everyday spending
Gen Z or not, maybe you simply want a credit card that rewards any kind of spending.
For that, a flat-rate cashback credit card is the perfect addition to your wallet.
The Citi Double Cash® Card earns you 2% cash back on all your purchases (1% when you buy and 1% when you pay your bill). The card has no annual fee and there’s no cap on the amount of rewards you can earn. You can redeem your cash back via statement credit, direct deposit or through one of the other options, including at Amazon.com.
The Citi Double Cash® Card is one of the best no-annual-fee cash-back cards thanks to its straightforward rewards structure.
- Long intro-APR for balance transfers
- High flat-rate cash-back rewards structure
- No annual fee
- Has a foreign transaction fee
- Intro APR doesn’t apply to purchases
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
- Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Plus, a special travel offer, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/25.
- Balance Transfer Only Offer: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 18.24% – 28.24%, based on your creditworthiness.
- Balance Transfers do not earn cash back. Intro APR does not apply to purchases.
- If you transfer a balance, interest will be charged on your purchases unless you pay your entire balance (including balance transfers) by the due date each month.
- There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
Balance transfer fee
There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. A balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies if completed after 4 months of account opening.
Foreign transaction fee
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For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.
