There are more and more streaming services online now, such as Apple Music, Apple TV, Disney, YouTube memberships, and so on, and annual subscription costs can add up quickly. Today, let’s compare credit cards that are a good fit for streaming spending.
This article mainly recommends cards that offer more than 2% back on streaming. The baseline is Citi Double Cash, which gives 2% back in all categories, so anything at 2% or below usually isn’t worth it. Also note that different cards can define streaming merchants differently, so check the merchant list before using your card.
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AMEX Blue Cash Preferred (6%)
AMEX Blue Cash Preferred is a $95 annual-fee card. On streaming purchases, it can earn up to 6% back, with no cap. But it does have an annual fee, so it works best if your streaming spend is high, or if you also want 6% at groceries and want to get streaming benefits at the same time. The card also gives $7 in monthly credits for Disney, Hulu, and ESPN, which can effectively offset the $84 annual fee if fully used.
This card covers the following streaming merchants, which is a pretty broad list.
- Amazon Music Unlimited
- Apple Music
- Apple TV+
- Audible
- DirecTV Stream (formerly known as AT&T TV or AT&T TV NOW)
- Disney
- ESPN+
- Fubo TV
- HBO Max
- HBO (standalone streaming subscription only, formerly known as HBONow)
- Hulu
- iHeartRadio
- Kindle Unlimited
- Luminary
- MLB.TV
- NBA League Pass
- Netflix
- NHL.TV
- Pandora
- Paramount+
- Peacock
- Prime Video
- Showtime
- Sling TV
- SiriusXM Streaming and Satellite
- Spotify
- Stitcher
- Tidal Music
- YouTube Music Premium
- YouTube Premium
- YouTube TV
More details are available here: American Express Official Site
AMEX Blue Cash Preferred Credit Card
6% cash back at supermarkets and on streaming services! Added $84 annual credit!
- Welcome bonus: $300 after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Rewards: 6% at supermarkets (up to $6,000); 6% on streaming services; 3% on transit and gas; 1% on everything else
- Redemption: Can be redeemed for cash back directly; discounted gift card redemptions occasionally available
- Annual fee: $95（First year waived）
- Apply now>>
US Bank Cash+ (5%)
US Bank Cash+ is a no-annual-fee credit card. You can select streaming as a 5% category. This card does not provide a specific streaming merchant list; it uses Visa’s category coding automatically. If a transaction is coded as TV, internet and streaming services, it will automatically earn 5%. A sample list is shown below:
- Amazon Music
- Apple Music
- Disney
- FandangoNOW
- Google Play Music
- Hulu
- Netflix
- Pandora
- Sirius XM
- Slacker Radio
- Sling TV
- Spotify
- Vudu
- YouTube
Choose your own 5% and 2% cash back categories, with no annual fee!
- Welcome bonus: $250 cash back (spend $1,000 within 90 days)
- Rewards: Choose two categories for 5% cash back: TV, internet, streaming services, utilities, ground transportation, electronics stores, fast food, furniture stores, gyms, movie theaters, select clothing stores, sporting goods stores, cell phone providers, and department stores; choose one category for 2% cash back: gas stations, restaurants, and grocery stores
- Redemption: Cash back redeemed directly
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
Citi Custom Cash (5%)
Citi Custom Cash is a no-annual-fee credit card. As long as your streaming spend is the highest in the month, you can earn 5% back. But only up to the first $500 can earn 5% in a month. This card earns Citi ThankYou Points, valued at 1.2 cents each in this calculation, which is equivalent to about 6% back. However, to get extra value from ThankYou Points, you need to hold a premium card such as Citi Premier or Prestige. The 5% category includes restaurants, gas stations, groceries, travel, transit, streaming, pharmacies, home, fitness, and entertainment, so using this card only for streaming can be a bit inefficient.
This card’s streaming merchants include:
- Amazon Prime Video
- Amazon Music
- Apple Music
- DirectTV Stream
- Disney
- ESPN+
- fuboTV
- HBO Max
- NBA League Pass
- Netflix
- Pandora
- Paramount+
- Showtime
- SiriusXM
- Sling TV
- Spotify
- Starz
- Tidal
- Vudu
- YouTube Red(Note: This service is now referred to as YouTube Premium.)
- YouTube TV
- For more details, see: Citi Official Site
Automatically earn 5% cash back in your top eligible spending category; no annual fee!
- Welcome bonus: 20,000 ThankYou Points (spend $1,500 in the 6 months before account opening)
- Rewards: Earn 5% cash back on your highest eligible spending category each billing cycle, on up to the first $500 in purchases; after that, earn 1%. Categories include: restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, travel, transit, streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs, and live entertainment
- Redemption: Can be redeemed directly for cash back, or transferred to airline miles if you also have a premium card
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
Chase Sapphire Preferred
Chase Sapphire Preferred is a $95 annual-fee card. On streaming spending, it can earn 3x Ultimate Rewards (UR) points. Holding this card also lets you transfer UR points to airline and hotel programs, which can significantly increase their value. We estimate UR points at about 1.5 cents each, so this 3x earning works out to around 4.5% back. Of course, the card’s primary purpose is still travel and point transfers, but if you already have it and plan to hold it long term, you probably don’t need to apply for a separate streaming-specific card.
The streaming category for this card is:
- Apple Music
- Apple TV
- Disney
- ESPN+
- Fubo TV
- HBO Max
- Hulu
- Netflix
- Pandora
- Paramount+
- Peacock
- Showtime
- SiriusXM
- Sling
- Spotify
- YouTube Premium
- YouTube TV
- Vudu
- Check the full list here: Chase Official Site
Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card
Chase mid-tier travel credit card; includes a $50 annual hotel credit and free rental car insurance!
- Welcome bonus: 100,000 points (spend $5,000 in three months)
- Rewards: 5x on select travel; 3x on dining and streaming; 2x on other travel; 1x on all other purchases; 10% annual bonus
- Redemption: Can be redeemed for cash back; 1:1 transfers to airline and hotel loyalty programs; redeem at 1:1.25 toward travel purchases; value 1.6 cent/points
- Annual fee: $95
- Apply now>>
Capital One Savor (3%)
Capital One Savor is a newly refreshed card with no annual fee. It gives 3% back on streaming spending. However, the official site only lists Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ as examples, so it’s unclear if others are included. In addition, it excludes Amazon Prime Video, DirecTV Stream, Verizon FIOS On Demand, audiobook subscription services, and fitness programming.
A very well-rounded no-annual-fee credit card!
- Welcome bonus: $250 cash back (spend $500 in the first three months)
- Rewards: 3% on groceries, dining, entertainment, and streaming; 1% on everything else
- Redemption: Cash back
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
Other Cards
- AMEX Platinum series: $20 in monthly credits, including streaming merchants such as Disney, ESPN+, Hulu, The Disney, Bundle, and Peacock
- AMEX Blue Cash Everyday: $7 monthly streaming credit, only usable on Disney Bundle
- US Bank Altitude Go: Use this card for streaming subscriptions; there is a related annual reward of $15
Bottom Line
Choose based on your own streaming spend, but ideally you should first use the cards you already have that already offer these benefits. You usually don’t need to apply specifically for a new card unless your streaming spend is very high.