By LaToya Irby11 Transactions That Don’t Earn Credit Card Rewards
By LaToya Irby
Quick Answer
Even with the best rewards credit cards, not all credit card transactions earn rewards. Most card issuers exclude interest, fees, balance transfers and cash advances from rewards earning. Depending on your card issuer, several more transactions may not earn cash, points or miles.
A rewards credit card is a great way to get more value from purchases you would have made anyway. Some credit card transactions won't earn rewards, however. Let's go over which types of purchases won't net you cash back, rewards points or miles.
1. Cash Advances
If you need cash, you can take a cash advance by borrowing against your credit limit and withdrawing money at the ATM or using a convenience check sent by your credit card issuer. You'll be charged a cash advance fee, and the cash advance is subject to a higher interest rate. There's no grace period with cash advances, so you could be charged interest even if you pay off your balance before the end of the month.
Not only are cash advances expensive transactions, but they don't earn rewards. This also includes cash equivalent transactions such as wire transfers and peer-to-peer money transfers.
Best rewards cards of 2026
Compare cards from our partners that earn points, cash back or miles on everyday spending.
Offers from our partners
Citi Double Cash® Card
Intro APR:0% for 18 months on Balance Transfers
Ongoing APR:17.49% - 27.49% (Variable)
Rewards:2% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
Intro bonus:You may be eligible for as high as $200 cash back after spending $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in the first 6 months. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Cash back is received as Reward Dollars, redeemable for statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout. Terms Apply.
Intro APR:0% on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:1% - 3% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0
Discover it® Chrome
Intro bonus:INTRO OFFER: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards.
Intro APR:0% intro APR for 6 Months on Purchases and 0% intro APR for 18 Months on Balance Transfers
Ongoing APR:17.49% - 26.49% Variable APR
Rewards:1% - 2% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0
American Express Platinum Card®
Intro bonus:You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $12,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
Ongoing APR:See Pay Over Time APR
Rewards:1x - 5x (Points per dollar)
Annual Fee:$895
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
Intro bonus:Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months
Intro APR:0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers
Ongoing APR:18.49%, 24.49%, or 28.49% Variable APR
Rewards:2% (Cash Rewards)
Annual Fee:$0
Discover it® Cash Back
Intro bonus:INTRO OFFER: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. You could turn $150 cash back into $300.
Intro APR:0% intro APR for 15 months on Purchases and Balance Transfers
Ongoing APR:17.49% - 26.49% Variable APR
Rewards:1% - 5% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0
The opensky® Secured Visa® Credit Card
Ongoing APR:23.89% Variable
Rewards:10% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$35
American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card
Intro APR:0% for 15 months on Balance Transfers
Ongoing APR:19.49% - 29.49% (Variable)
Rewards:2x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$0
Credit One Bank® Secured Card
Ongoing APR:29.74% Variable
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0
Citi Strata Premier® Card
Intro bonus:Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
Ongoing APR:19.49% - 27.49% (Variable)
Rewards:1x - 10x (Points per dollar)
Annual Fee:$95
Avant® Cashback Rewards Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:35.99%*
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0*
Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi
Ongoing APR:18.74% - 26.74% (Variable)
Rewards:1% - 5% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0
First Latitude Secured Mastercard® Cash Back Rewards
Ongoing APR:27.49% Variable
Rewards:1% - 10% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:19.49% - 29.49% (Variable)
Rewards:2x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$99, waived for first 12 months
Avant® Cashback Rewards Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:35.99%*
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:Introductory fee of $75 for the first year. After that, $99 annually.*
Avant® Cashback Rewards Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:35.99%*
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$39*
Credit One Bank® Platinum X5 Visa® Metal Card
Ongoing APR:29.74% Variable
Rewards:1% - 5% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$95
First Progress Prestige Secured Mastercard® Cash Back Rewards
Ongoing APR:13.49% Variable
Rewards:1% - 10% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$49
Credit One Bank® Wander® American Express® with Dining, Gas & Travel Rewards
Ongoing APR:29.74% Variable
Rewards:1% - 10% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$95
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
Intro bonus:Earn 200,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 5/13/2026.
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:2x - 6x (Points per dollar)
Annual Fee:$650
Discover it® Miles
Intro bonus:UNLIMITED BONUS: Unlimited Mile-for-Mile match for all new cardmembers. Discover gives you an unlimited match of all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. There’s no signing up, no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a Miles-for-Miles match. You could turn 35,000 Miles into 70,000 Miles.
Intro APR:0% intro APR for 15 months on Purchases and Balance Transfers
Ongoing APR:17.49% - 26.49% Variable APR
Rewards:1.5x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$0
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
Intro bonus:Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 in purchases with your new Card, and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card, both within your first 6 months. Ends 04/01/2026.
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:1x - 3x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$650
Credit One Bank® Premier American Express® Unlimited Rewards Card
Ongoing APR:29.74% Variable
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
Intro bonus:Earn 80,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases with your new Card, and an additional 20,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $2,000 in purchases on the Card, both within your first 6 months. Ends 04/01/2026.
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:1x - 3x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$350
Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card
Intro bonus:Earn 10,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:1x - 2x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$0
One Key™ Card
Intro bonus:Limited Time Offer: Earn $300 in OneKeyCash™ after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. OneKeyCash is not redeemable for cash and can only be used on Expedia®, Hotels.com® and Vrbo®. To learn more, please refer to the One Key Terms and Conditions at www.expedia.com/one-key-terms.
Ongoing APR:18.49%, 23.49%, or 28.49% Variable APR
Rewards:1.5x - 3x (Points per dollar)
Annual Fee:$0
One Key+™ Card
Intro bonus:Earn $350 in OneKeyCash™ after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. OneKeyCash is not redeemable for cash and can only be used on Expedia®, Hotels.com® and Vrbo®. To learn more, please refer to the One Key Terms and Conditions at www.expedia.com/one-key-terms.
Ongoing APR:18.49%, 23.49%, or 28.49% Variable APR
Rewards:2x - 3x (Points per dollar)
Annual Fee:$99
Avant® Cashback Rewards Mastercard® - With A Higher Credit Limit
Ongoing APR:35.99%*
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$125*
Avant® Cashback Rewards Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:35.99%*
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0*
Avant® Cashback Rewards Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:35.99%*
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$75*
See all our best rewards credit cards for 2026.
2. Balance Transfers
Balance transfers don't earn rewards, but you could still get a lot of value from moving a balance from one credit card to another to save money on interest. Taking advantage of a 0% promotional intro offer could give you 12 to 21 months to pay off your balance without being charged any interest. You will pay a balance transfer fee—typically 3% or 5% of the transfer amount—so keep this in mind to make sure you'll ultimately save on interest before moving a balance.
3. Fees
Credit card fees charged for transactions like cash advances or balance transfers, or as penalties for late payments, do not earn rewards. Not only do fees fail to earn rewards, but they can also erode the value of the rewards you do earn. Recurring fees like an annual fee should be weighed against the potential rewards you can earn. It's important to consider whether the rewards benefits outweigh the costs of any fees you pay.
4. Interest Charges
Credit card interest accrues when you carry a balance from month to month. Unlike purchases charged to your account, interest charges don't earn rewards. Like fees, interest charged can lower the value of the rewards you earn.
If your goal is to earn rewards on your credit card, paying your balance in full each month is important. Otherwise, you may have to spend more to earn enough rewards to offset the cost of interest you've paid.
5. Insurance Premiums
Insurance premiums are a pretty significant expense for many families. Unfortunately, you may not be able to earn rewards on your premium payment. Before you pay your next insurance premium with your credit card, check the list of exclusions to see whether your purchase qualifies for rewards.
6. Taxes and Government Fees
You may be charged a convenience fee if you use your credit card for taxes or fees paid to the government. Additionally, some credit cards do not offer rewards on these transactions, which makes it an expensive payment option. Using another payment method—one that doesn't charge fees—is usually better for these transactions.
7. Gift Cards and Prepaid Cards
Gift cards and prepaid cards can make convenient gifts or budgeting tools. If you're thinking about using your credit card to buy one of these, note that some credit card issuers consider gift cards and prepaid cards as a cash equivalent transaction. As such, these purchases won't earn rewards.
8. Purchases Above the Earning Cap
Some credit cards offer a higher amount of rewards on certain purchases, but only up to a certain amount. For instance, you may earn 5% back on travel purchases capped at $5,000 annually. Once you hit the earning cap, further purchases in the same category may either not accrue rewards or only earn at the base rate, often just 1%. Your rewards program terms will outline whether you earn rewards after hitting the earning cap (if you have one).
9. Purchases Outside the Bonus Categories
While bonus category purchases earn rewards at a higher rate, purchases outside the bonus categories may not earn rewards at all or may only earn at the base rate, which might be just 1%.
Unfortunately, some purchases may not be categorized as rewards-earning depending on how the merchant handles the transaction. For instance, you may miss out on bonus rewards if the merchant uses a third party to process or submit your transaction. If you run into this situation, make a mental note to avoid this specific merchant for future bonus rewards purchases.
10. Purchases Made With Points
Once you've accumulated enough rewards, you have the flexibility to redeem them for cash back, travel, gift cards, merchandise and more. However, when you use points to pay for a purchase, in part or in full, you may not earn additional rewards, even if the purchase would typically qualify for rewards. You'll need to weigh whether it makes more sense to use your rewards or to make the purchase using your credit card as usual and save your points for a future redemption.
11. Returned Purchases
While your initial purchase may have already earned rewards, returning the purchase for a refund to your credit card may result in those rewards being deducted from your rewards balance. If you've already redeemed rewards earned from the purchase you're returning, it could lead to a negative rewards balance. To keep your rewards, consider opting for a store card or gift card instead of a refund to your credit card.
The Bottom Line
While most credit card issuers don't offer rewards on cash advances, balance transfers, fees and interest, other exclusions vary by card issuer. You can review your credit card's rewards guide to learn which transactions may not qualify for rewards or may not earn at the bonus rate.
If you're shopping for a new rewards credit card, keep in mind you typically need good to excellent credit to qualify for the best rewards credit cards. Check your credit score before you start shopping around to see where you stand. That way, you can narrow your search to the credit cards that fit your credit profile—or take time to improve your credit—and apply for your best match.
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About the author
LaToya Irby
LaToya Irby is a personal finance writer who works with consumer media outlets to help people navigate their money and credit. She’s been published and quoted extensively in USA Today, U.S. News and World Report, myFICO, Investopedia, The Balance and more.
Read more from LaToya