Best Western Rewards® Premium Visa Signature® Card Review
Overview
The Best Western Rewards® Premium Visa Signature® Card is a category rewards card from First Bank & Trust, running on the Visa network. The Best Western Rewards® Premium Visa Signature® Card earns up to 4x on groceries and gas, so it pays you the most exactly where you already spend. It carries a $89 annual fee, so the real question is whether its rewards, credits, and perks clear that bar for the way you spend. New cardholders can earn Up to 80,000 bonus points after $3,000 in the first 3 months.
It lands in the mid tier: a modest annual fee in exchange for stronger earn rates and a meaningful welcome offer. The right call depends on whether your spending and the perks clear that fee each year.
Think twice if: you are not loyal to this brand. The rewards lose value the moment your travel plans point somewhere else.
Our 7.8 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
Where the Best Western Rewards® Premium Visa Signature® Card earns its rewards is its bonus categories: 4x on groceries (about $240 a year on the $6,000 a typical household spends there) and 4x on gas (about $86 a year on the $2,160 a typical household spends there). Across a full year of average household spending, the card returns roughly $746 in rewards before any welcome bonus, so the more your spending overlaps those categories, the better it does.
| Category | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Groceries | 4x | Bonus category |
| Gas | 4x | Bonus category |
| Dining and restaurants | 2x | Base rate |
| Travel | 2x | Base rate |
| Streaming | 2x | Base rate |
| Everything else | 2x | Everything else |
The fine print on rates: Points are locked to Best Western Rewards and redeem for roughly 0.6 cent each. Issued by First Bank & Trust and serviced by Mercury Financial. Confirm the application is open before applying, as availability has fluctuated.
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
- 4x on groceries
- 4x on gas
- Welcome offer worth about $480
- $89 annual fee to earn back every year
- Rewards stay locked to this card and cannot be moved to travel partners
- Rewards are tied to one brand, so value drops if your plans change
The welcome bonus
The current welcome offer is Up to 80,000 bonus points, earned after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months. Valued honestly at a flat 1 cent per point, that is worth about $480. The spending requirement works out to roughly $1,000 per month, so make sure it fits your normal budget rather than pushing you to overspend. Stacking the welcome offer on top of a typical year of rewards and accounting for the $89 annual fee, the first year is worth roughly $1,137.
Is it worth the annual fee?
This is one of the rare hotel co-brands where the annual perk can beat the fee. You get up to 20,000 bonus points each year you spend at least $5,000 on the card, and 20,000 Best Western points are worth well more than the $89 fee if you actually stay at Best Western. Add the automatic elite status and it can be a genuine keeper for a loyal guest. The flip side is simple: if you will not hit that $5,000 spend or you rarely stay at Best Western, the anniversary points never materialize, and then it is just a year-one card you should downgrade once the welcome bonus is banked.
First-year value vs ongoing value
| Welcome bonus | Up to 80,000 bonus points |
| To earn it | $3,000 in the first 3 months |
| Est. first-year value* | $1,137 |
| Est. ongoing value / yr* | $657 |
The welcome bonus makes year one the high point: roughly $1,137 in value once you count the bonus, this card’s rewards, and its credits, minus the $89 fee. After that, the honest figure is about $657 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:
- 10 points per dollar spent at Best Western hotels
- 4 points per dollar on gas and groceries
- 2 points per dollar on all other purchases
- 20,000 bonus points each year you spend at least $5,000
- Automatic Best Western Rewards Platinum Select elite status
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
Best-card guides featuring this card
Offer details verified against issuer sources as of August 2026. Editorial opinions are our own. Cardocrat values all points at a flat 1 cent and never inflates redemptions.
