Best card for a category
Best card for transit in dollars (2026)
Published September 3, 2026. Updated September 14, 2026. Estimates use Pikt's card catalog and the same rewards engine as Pikt Checkout. Pikt personalizes each estimate to the cards you already carry, the purchase details, and any reward values you set. It compares supported earn rates, eligible offers, caps, and card constraints, then explains the result.
Answer
On a $25 purchase on transit, Citi Strata earns the most: 3x points, worth about $1.43. Autograph is next at $1.31, so the difference on this one purchase is $0.12. Citi Strata has no annual fee. This is a general ranking of 200+ personal cards. It does not use the cards in your wallet.
What counts as transit
Ride share, taxis, trains, buses, subways, ferries, parking, and tolls. Some cards fold transit into travel; the engine uses each card's own rules.
Top cards on transit, on a $25 purchase
The table compares 200+ personal cards still open to new applicants. Rotating 5% categories count only when the issuer's published calendar includes transit this quarter, and those rows are marked. Rates you choose yourself appear separately below.
| # | Card | Rate here | Earns on $25 | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Citi Strata (opens in a new tab)Citi | 3x points | $1.43 | $0 |
| 2 | Autograph (opens in a new tab)Wells Fargo | 3x points | $1.31 | $0 |
| 3 | Gemini Credit Card (opens in a new tab)Gemini | 4x points | $1 | $0 |
| 4 | Venture (opens in a new tab)Capital One | 2x points | $0.93 | $95 |
| 5 | Venture X (opens in a new tab)Capital One | 2x points | $0.93 | $395 |
| 6 | World of Hyatt (opens in a new tab)Chase | 2x points | $0.83 | $95 |
| 7 | Atmos Rewards Ascent (opens in a new tab)Bank of America | 2x points | $0.78 | $95 |
| 8 | Navy Federal More Rewards American Express (opens in a new tab)Navy Federal Credit Union | 3x points | $0.75 | $0 |
| 9 | Blue Cash Preferred (opens in a new tab)American Express | 3% cash back | $0.75 | $95 |
| 10 | USAA Eagle Navigator (opens in a new tab)USAA | 3x points | $0.75 | $95 |
Points are turned into dollars at Pikt's published redemption value for each program, so a points card and a cash-back card can sit in the same column. Welcome bonuses, spending caps, and card-specific credits are not included in this one-purchase number.
Annual fees as of September 2026. Issuers change terms often, so check the issuer's own page before you apply.
Higher rates that depend on a condition
These cards can beat the table above, but only when the condition holds. Pikt ranks them at their everyday rate until it does.
- Discover it Cash Back (opens in a new tab) (Discover): 5% cash back, only in quarters when the issuer puts this category on the calendar and you activate it (live this quarter, so it is already counted in the table).
- Discover it Secured (opens in a new tab) (Discover): 5% cash back, only in quarters when the issuer puts this category on the calendar and you activate it (live this quarter, so it is already counted in the table).
- Discover it Student Cash Back (opens in a new tab) (Discover): 5% cash back, only in quarters when the issuer puts this category on the calendar and you activate it (live this quarter, so it is already counted in the table).
- Freedom Flex (opens in a new tab) (Chase): 5% cash back, only in quarters when the issuer puts this category on the calendar and you activate it (live this quarter, so it is already counted in the table).
How Pikt got this answer
Pikt ran 200+ personal cards through the same rewards engine as Pikt Checkout. Each card is open to new applicants, and its earn rates have been checked against issuer terms. The example uses a $25 purchase classified as transit. Points and cash back are converted to dollars. Read how Pikt turns points into dollars.
The store's category code, not the aisle, decides which bonus applies. Business cards, cards no longer open to new applicants, and cards whose rates Pikt has not verified are left out.
Download the Extension to see a personal pick before you pay online. For more detail about this purchase, read the full guide.