Best Western Rewards® Visa Signature® Card Review

Overview

The Best Western Rewards® Visa Signature® Card is a flat-rate cash back card from First Bank & Trust, running on the Visa network. The Best Western Rewards® Visa Signature® Card keeps things simple, earning a flat 2x on every purchase with no categories to track or quarterly activations. There is no annual fee, which means every dollar of rewards is pure profit. New cardholders can earn Up to 40,000 bonus points after with qualifying purchases in the first 3 months.

It is built for simplicity. There are no categories to track, no quarterly activations, and no annual fee, which makes it one of the easier cards to set and forget while still earning a respectable flat rate.

Our 7.5 out of 10 rating

Each score weighs the rewards rate, value after the annual fee, welcome offer, points flexibility, and perks, with every point valued at a flat 1 cent. This is our editorial assessment to help you compare cards, not a guarantee of approval or of the value you will get.

Rewards: how it earns

The Best Western Rewards® Visa Signature® Card earns a flat 2x on every purchase. On a typical $29,160 of annual average household spending that comes to about $583 back a year, with nothing to track or activate.

The fine print on rates: Points are locked to Best Western Rewards and redeem for roughly 0.6 cent each toward free nights, so the everyday 2x rate is worth about 1.2%. Issued by First Bank & Trust and serviced by Mercury Financial.

Every point and mile above is valued at a flat 1 cent, the same honest standard we use for every card. Run your own spending through the calculator to see what this card would actually return for you.

Pros and cons

The welcome bonus

The current welcome offer is Up to 40,000 bonus points, earned after you spend with qualifying purchases in the first 3 months. Valued honestly at a flat 1 cent per point, that is worth about $180. Stacking the welcome offer on top of a typical year of rewards and accounting for no annual fee, the first year is worth roughly $763.

Is it worth the annual fee?

The Best Western Rewards® Visa Signature® Card has no annual fee, so there is no break-even math to worry about. Every dollar of rewards is profit, and you can keep it open for free, which also helps the average age of your credit over time.

First-year value vs ongoing value

The welcome bonus makes year one the high point: roughly $763 in value once you count the bonus, this card’s rewards, and its credits, minus the no fee. After that, the honest figure is about $583 a year, so judge whether it earns its keep on the ongoing number, not the first-year headline.

*First-year value counts the welcome bonus, estimated rewards, and annual credits, minus the annual fee; ongoing value is a typical year after. Every point at a flat 1 cent, on average spending.

Benefits and protections

Beyond the rewards, the perks and protections worth knowing about include:

• 13 points per dollar spent at Best Western hotels, including the base loyalty earning
• 2 points per dollar on all other purchases
• Automatic Best Western Rewards Gold elite status
• Diamond status after $10,000 in purchases in a calendar year

Statement credits

This card does not come with recurring statement credits. Its value is in the rewards rate and welcome offer.

Who should get it, and who should skip it

It is best for regular guests of this hotel brand who will use the free anniversary night and elite status to more than cover the annual fee.

Skip it if you are not loyal to this brand. The rewards lose value the moment your travel plans point somewhere else.

Frequently asked questions

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