Best credit cards for maximizing back-to-school shopping in 2026

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Back-to-school shopping is even more expensive this year. Parents with kids in elementary through high school said they plan to spend a record-breaking average of $890 on back-to-school supplies, according to the 2023 Back-to-School survey from the National Retail Federation. Spending increases to $1,367 for college students and their families.

Before you start checking off your list, it's important to consider which credit card you plan to pay with. By choosing the right card, you can save money at checkout, earn generous amounts of cash back and/or benefit from intro 0% APR periods.

CNBC Select analyzed a variety of credit cards that can help you optimize back-to-school shopping for electronics, supplies, clothing, groceries and more.

• Best for electronics: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
• Best for Apple products: Apple Card
• Best for online shopping: Prime Visa (See rates and fees)
• Best for supplies and clothing: Target Circle™ Card
• Best for groceries: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
• Best for welcome bonus: Chase Freedom Unlimited® (See rates and fees)
• Best for cash back: Citi Double Cash® Card
• Best for large purchases and 0% Intro APR: U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card

Who's this for? Tech purchases can be expensive so you'll want to use a card that offers a good return and also has you covered in case something goes wrong with these items. The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a great choice for these purchases as it checks both of those boxes.

With the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, you earn 2X miles on all everyday purchases, including electronics, as well as 5X miles per dollar on flights and 10X miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars when booked through Capital One Travel. You can then redeem these miles at a rate of one cent per mile toward travel purchases or by transferring them to 18 different airline and hotel partners. Plus, the card offers great purchase protection, extended warranty and return protection, giving you some peace of mind when purchasing expensive electronics. *Terms, conditions and exclusions apply. Refer to your Guide to Benefits for more details.

The card has a $395 annual fee, but its many benefits like a $300 Capital One Travel credit to use toward purchases made through Capital One Travel to help justify the cost. New cardholders also earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

Who's this for? Parents who prefer to purchase phones, tablets and laptops from Apple should consider the Apple Card. This card offers a competitive 3% cash back on goods or services purchased directly from Apple, including Apple retail stores, the Apple online store, the App Store, iTunes, Apple Music and other Apple-owned properties.

You can also earn 3% back when you use the Apple Card via Apple Pay at Walgreens and Duane Reade stores, on the Walgreens app, on Walgreens.com, on Uber and UberEats, in T-Mobile stores, at Nike, at Exxon and Mobil stations and at Panera. All purchases made with Apple Pay earn 2% cash back, and you earn 1% cash back when paying with the physical Apple Card.

With the Apple Card, you can benefit from receiving your cash rewards quicker than other cards. Cash back is referred to as "Daily Cash," which is deposited into your account at the end of every day, once the purchase is posted. Once you receive cash back, you're able to redeem it as a statement credit to your Apple Card balance, spend it like cash through Apple Pay, transfer it to a bank account or send it to friends via iMessage.

Who's this for? The Prime Visa offers a high 5% cash back at Amazon.com, which is great for all your online shopping needs. You also earn 5% cash back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, 5% back on Chase Travel purchases, unlimited 2% back at gas stations, restaurants, and on local transit and commuting (including rideshare) and 1% back on all other purchases.

This card doesn't have an annual fee, but you do have to have an active Prime membership (currently $139 annually or $14.99 a month).

If you're approved for this card, you'll get a $150 Amazon Gift Card instantly upon approval exclusively for Prime members. This is a great way to offset some upcoming back-to-school expenses or essentially cover some of the cost of your Prime membership.

Who's this for? If you love going on Target runs, you may want to add the Target Circle™ Card to your wallet. You can receive a 5% discount on most purchases, from school supplies to clothing. This discount is unique for credit cards because you receive it instantly at checkout, compared to other cards that reward you with cash back or points that need to be redeemed later.

In addition to a 5% discount, you can benefit from a variety of additional perks, such as free two-day shipping on hundreds of thousands of items from Target.com and an additional 30 days for returns and exchanges.

RedCard holders receive exclusive access to new product launches and a coupon for 10% off a purchase every account anniversary year if they sign up for Target marketing emails. Since this is a store card, you can only use it on Target.com and at Target locations.

Who's this for? If you're not giving your kids lunch money anymore, you may be spending more money on groceries. In that case, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express offers the highest cash-back rate at U.S. supermarkets at 6% (on up to $6,000 per year in eligible purchases, then 1%). Terms apply.

In addition to high grocery rewards, there's a 6% cash back on select streaming subscriptions, 3% cash back at eligible U.S. gas stations, 3% cash back on transit including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more and 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Cardmembers can also take advantage of Amex Offers, where you earn a statement credit or additional cash back at select retailers. These limited-time offers are location-based and additional terms apply and enrollment required.

This card has a $0 intro annual fee for the first year (then $95) (see rates and fees), but it can be offset by the cash back you earn and discounts you can get through the Amex Offers.

Who's this for? If you have a lot on your shopping list, it can be a good time to earn a credit card welcome bonus. The Chase Freedom Unlimited® offers a welcome bonus: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. You will also enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

In addition to earning rewards, you can benefit from a 0% intro APR for the first 15 months from account opening on new purchases and balance transfers (after, 18.24% - 27.74% variable APR). There's an intro balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, on transfers made within 60 days of account opening. After that, it's either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. This can help you finance any big-ticket school supplies like laptops without incurring interest charges.

Who's this for? The Citi Double Cash® Card is a solid choice if you're looking to maximize your cash-back earnings without having to worry about rotating reward categories. Cardholders earn 1% cash back on purchases and 1% when you pay off their bill. That makes the card's appeal almost universal, as you won't have to miss out on reward opportunities.

This card also comes with a generous balance transfer intro period that lasts for the first 18 months your account is open (then a 17.49% - 27.49% variable APR). There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first four months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).

We recommend you pay off your credit card balance on time and in full each month to avoid interest charges.

Who's this for? If you plan on purchasing multiple high-cost items, such as a new desk or laptop for your kid(s), consider the U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card. This card provides one of the best overall intro APR periods: 0% for the first 18 billing cycles on balance transfers and purchases (then 18.24% - 29.24% variable APR).

Balance transfers incur a typical 3% fee (minimum $5) and need to be transferred within the first 60 days from account opening to qualify for the interest-free period.

This card doesn't offer a rewards program, but it does come with cell phone protection. Simply pay your cell phone bill with your card to receive coverage for damage or theft up to $600. There's a $25 deductible, for up to two claims ($1,200) per 12-month period.

• How much do people typically spend on back-to-school shopping?
• How can I save money while shopping for school supplies?
• What time of year is best to buy school supplies?

Back-to-school is the second largest shopping event of the year for families after the winter holidays. According to the National Retail Federation's 2023 Back-to-School survey, families plan to spend an average of $890 on back-to-school supplies, $25 more than in 2022. Meanwhile, college students and their families plan to spend about $1,370.

In addition to paying with the right credit card, there are other ways to save on back-to-school supplies. You can use online shopping portals like Rakuten to earn extra cash-back or rewards and apply coupons at checkout — some browser extensions will even do this for you automatically. You should also consider purchasing used or refurbished items and taking advantage of student discounts.

The earlier in the summer that you can start your back-to-school shopping, the better — especially with ongoing supply chain issues. Some retailers start their back-to-school promotions as early as June and they typically run through early September.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best rewards credit card.

To determine which cards offer the best value for back-to-school shopping, CNBC Select analyzed over 230 of the most popular credit cards available in the U.S. We compared each card on a range of features, including: rewards, welcome bonus, introductory and standard APR, balance transfer fee and foreign transaction fees, as well as factors such as required credit and customer reviews when available. We also considered additional perks, the application process and how easy it is for the consumer to redeem points.

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For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, click here.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

* Information about the U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card has been collected independently by CNBC Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.

*We may earn commissions from qualifying purchases made through Amazon links.