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Do you love attending live sports games? If you’re a die-hard fan, you may spend a small fortune on ticket purchases each year. Instead, you can earn rewards on sports ticket purchases with some of the best credit cards for sports fans. By using one of these cards, you can get the most cash and travel rewards from your single-game, multi-game plans, or season ticket purchases.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Credit Cards That Earn Rewards on Sports Ticket Purchases
- Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
- The Platinum Card® from American Express
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- NHL® Discover it®
- NFL Extra Points Credit Card
- MLB® Credit Cards
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
If you like the card above but perhaps want a cash rewards card with a $0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fee, sports fans should consider the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card. Cardholders can earn unlimited:
- 8% Cash Back on Capital One Entertainment purchases
- 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply)
- 3% Cash Back on dining and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®)
- 3% Cash Back on popular streaming services and entertainment
- 1% Cash Back on all other purchases
New Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card cardholders can earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after spending $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
Citi Strata Premier Card
The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card doesn’t earn more for sports tickets, but does earn 3x points on gas station, restaurant, supermarket, hotel, and air travel purchases. Cardholders can also earn unlimited 10 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com and 1x point on everything else.
There is also an annual $100 hotel benefit after spending $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) on a single stay purchase booked through thankyou.com. So if you stay for a few nights at the same hotel, you might easily earn the $100 benefit.
Each point can be more valuable when transferred to 1:1 airline partners, including Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and Avianca LifeMiles.
This card also lets you book special experiences using the Citi Entertainment program. Some of the special offers include sports camps with star athletes.
New Citi Strata Premier℠ Card cardmembers can earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. This bonus is redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards when redeemed at thankyou.com.
The annual fee is $95, and there isn’t a foreign transaction fee.
Learn more: Rewards Credit Cards
The Platinum Card from American Express
At first glance, The Platinum Card® from American Express may not seem like an ideal credit card to earn rewards on sports ticket purchases. You only earn 1 point per $1 on entertainment.
But the Amex Platinum can be a good option if you attend games with a Centurion Suite. Two year-round locations are the Staples Center in Los Angeles and the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. You may also see pop-up locations for key sporting events like the US Open tennis tournament.
You may also find exclusive deals for sporting events with the Entertainment Access and American Express Preferred Seating services.
Perks
Cardholders 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®.
Cardholders can get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel® when they pay with the Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
Also, 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 Card.
Plus, American Express has expanded The Centurion® Network to include 40+ Centurion Lounge and Studio locations worldwide. Now, there are even more places where your Platinum Card® from American Express can get you complimentary entry and exclusive perks. This card is worth it if you can use the many perks.
Other Platinum Card from American Express Benefits
Cardholders can get up to $20 in statement credits each month when they pay for eligible purchases with the Platinum Card®. Enrollment required.
Cardholders can enjoy TSA PreCheck or Global Entry access and CLEAR perks. When paying with their card, they can get up to $199 back per calendar year on their CLEAR Membership (subject to autorenewal). Plus, 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.
Plus, get up to $155 Walmart+ credit, which covers the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card. The cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax.
Get the full details and learn more in our in-depth The Platinum Card from American Express review.
The annual fee is $695 (See Rates & Fees) but can be offset with the perks, which are valued at over $1,400.
New The Platinum Card® from American Express cardmembers can earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $8,000 on purchases on their new Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is also worth noting when it comes to being able to earn rewards on sports ticket purchases thanks to its ability to earn 2x miles on every purchase. This flat-rate rewards credit card offers flexibility when it comes to earning rewards.
Plus, because you earn 2x miles per $1 spent, you don’t have to worry about calculating how much each purchase might be worth. You also don’t have to worry about spending a certain amount in a specific category every few months. So your tickets, purchases at the gift shop, food and drink purchases, parking, and more will all earn an unlimited 2x miles per $1.
However, if you are wanting to earn a few more miles on travel, good news—earn 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
Here’s how hard it is to get the Capital One Venture Rewards.
Redeeming Rewards
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card lets you redeem the Venture miles you earn for travel, cash, gift cards, and shopping rewards. Despite these many redemption options, your miles are worth the most for award travel. Your travel reward redemption options include the following:
- Travel statement credits
- Purchase Eraser for recent travel purchases
- Book upcoming travel on the Capital One Travel portal
- Transfer Capital One Miles to airline and hotel partners
Each mile is worth one cent each when redeeming for travel statement credits and booking upcoming travel through Capital One. Your miles can be worth potentially more when transferred to a travel partner.
New Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card cardholders can earn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
The information for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has been collected independently by Johnny Jet. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card can help you get access to exclusive events for Sapphire card members. All Chase credit card and debit card members can get special benefits at these venues:
- Chase Center, San Francisco
- Madison Square Garden, New York
- The Forum, Los Angeles
- Chase Field, Phoenix
- Toyota Stadium, Dallas
- Amalie Arena, Tampa
Each arena has its own unique benefit packages. Some of the common benefits include savings on food, beverage, and merchandise. You might also get early access to ticket sales, early admission on game day, and season ticket renewal benefits.
Earning Rewards
The Chase Sapphire Preferred earns unlimited:
- 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards® (excluding hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 Anniversary Hotel Credit)
- 3x points on dining (including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out)
- 3x points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target®, Walmart®, and wholesale clubs)
- Also 3x points on select streaming services
- 2x points on all other travel purchases
- 1x point per $1 spent on all non-bonus purchases
There is a $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit. It comes in the form of a statement credit that will automatically be applied to your account when your card is used for hotel accommodation purchases made through the Ultimate Rewards program, up to an annual maximum accumulation of $50.
Plus, on each account anniversary, you’ll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year. So, if you spend $25,000 on purchases, you’ll get 2,500 bonus points.
Your points are worth 25% more when booking award travel on the Chase travel portal. You can also transfer them at a 1:1 ratio to travel partners including United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, World of Hyatt, and Emirates.
The annual fee is $95.
Related: Chase Sapphire Preferred vs Capital One Venture
NHL Discover it
The information for the NHL® Discover It® Credit Card has been collected independently by Johnny Jet. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
When you think of where you will earn rewards on sports ticket purchases, you may find that your spending power may be a better fit for a credit card that specializes in one sport. The NHL® Discover It® Credit Card earns 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter, up to the quarterly maximum, when you activate. All other purchases earn 1% back.
For the first year, Discover automatically matches all the cash rewards you earn. This opened-ended signup bonus lets you earn more bonus cash than other cash rewards credit cards.
Discover will emboss your card with your favorite NHL team’s logo. Unfortunately, this card doesn’t offer any additional NHL-related benefits. However, this card doesn’t have an annual fee or a foreign transaction fee.
NFL Extra Points
The information for the NFL Extra Points Visa® Credit Card has been collected independently by Johnny Jet. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Professional football fans may motion a first down with the NFL Extra Points Visa® Credit Card:
- Earn 3% in Rewards on qualifying NFL purchases and NFL Team purchases
- 2% in Rewards on grocery store, food delivery, restaurants, gyms, and sporting goods store purchases
- 1% in Rewards on all other purchases
- 20% off NFL Gear at NFLShop.com purchase made with your NFL Extra Points Visa Credit Card
- Favorite team’s logo on your credit card front
Cardholders can also enjoy special financing on NFL Tickets when they spend $250 or more at NFL Team Ticket Offices, Ticketmaster, StubHub, and SeatGeek with their card.
Cardholders can also earn points and redeem them for gift cards or unique NFL experiences, tickets, merchandise, and more.
This card doesn’t have an annual fee.
The signup bonus is $100 cash back after spending $500 with the NFL Extra Points Visa® Credit Card, outside of the NFL, within the first 90 days of account opening. Note that this is paid as a statement credit.
Summary
In conclusion, you can earn rewards on sports ticket purchases with the right card. You may enjoy the flexibility of earning cashback or travel rewards on your ticket purchases and on your daily spending. In some instances, you may benefit more by getting a co-brand card from your go-to professional sports league.
FAQs
How do I get presale tickets with my Chase credit card?
You can find exclusive offers in the Chase Experiences section of your Chase credit card account. The exact deals can depend on which credit card you have. For example, the Chase Sapphire cards tend to have exclusive experiences.
Chase also has exclusive offers with the US Open, Madison Square Garden, and Chase Center.
How do you buy sports tickets?
The best place for buying sports tickets is from the team’s official website, when possible. You won’t pay above face value for the ticket, and you know the ticket’s legit. You can then use your card to earn rewards on sports ticket purchases.
If the event is sold out, you can look for tickets from one of these third-party vendors:
- Vivid Seats
- StubHub
- Ticketmaster
- SeatGeek
- The Box Office
The ticket may cost more than face value when you buy from a third-party vendor. You may also pay high fees to purchase your ticket. Your credit card may offer a discount if they partner with a certain ticket portal.
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For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.
Johnny Jet has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Johnny Jet and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
