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Use our Best Rewards Credit Card Finder Tool to find the highest credit card offers and to calculate which credit cards will earn you the most rewards based on the monthly and yearly spend amounts you enter.
Use our Best Rewards Credit Card Finder Tool to find the highest business credit card offers and to calculate which credit cards will earn you the most rewards based on the monthly and yearly expenses you enter.
Calculate the transfer of points and miles between various loyalty programs worldwide and find out which credit card partners will earn you the most rewards.
This card is not available through The Point Calculator.
Earning Rates
Earn Unlimited 3% Cash Back on Gas and Drug Store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart).
Earn Unlimited 2% Cash Back on eligible Medical expenses.
Earn Unlimited 1% Cash Back on all other purchases.
Main Benefits
Barclays will donate $10 to AARP Foundation for every new account and 1% of eligible purchases to AARP Foundation.
Rewards Details
Rewards can be redeemed for cash back, AARP membership, and more at BarclaysUS.com.
Redeem rewards for an AARP membership for yourself or as a gift. Options start at $16 in rewards.
Our Take
The AARP Essential Rewards Mastercard is a decent cash back credit card that can be great for earning rewards on gas and drugstore purchases at no annual fee. The Medical expenses category is unique, but there are 2% cash back credit cards in the market that offer better overall benefits.
Ads & Promos
Want To Know Which Credit Cards Will Earn You The Most Points, Miles, and Cash Back?
Input Your Monthly & Yearly Spend Amounts Into Our Credit Card Finder Calculator Tool To Find Out!
The AARP Essential Rewards Mastercard earns cash back at the following rates:
3% Cash Back on Gas and Drug Store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart).
2% Cash Back on eligible Medical expenses.
1% Cash Back on all other purchases.
Medical purchases are defined as Dentists, Orthodontists, Osteopathic Physicians, Chiropractors, Optometrists, Ophthalmologists, Opticians, Optical Goods & Eyeglasses, Chiropodists, Podiatrists, Hospitals, Medical and Dental Laboratories, Hearing Aids, Ambulance Services, Orthopedic Goods, Prosthetic Devices, Nursing and Personal Care Facilities, Medical Services & Health Practitioners not elsewhere classified (NEC) and Doctors not elsewhere classified (NEC), as identified by the merchant category codes.
Perks & Benefits
Here are the main benefits of the AARP Essential Rewards Mastercard:
Charitable Donations: Barclays will donate $10 for every new AARP® Essential Rewards credit card account that's opened, plus 1% of all eligible electronic and telecommunication purchases made with the card.
Card Fees
Annual Fee
The AARP Essential Rewards Mastercard has no annual fee.
Authorized User Fee
There is no fee to add authorized users to the AARP Essential Rewards Mastercard.
Foreign Transaction Fee
The AARP Essential Rewards Mastercard has a 3% foreign transaction fee. That makes this card a bad option for international travel and spending outside of the United States.
Cash Back Calculator
Input your monthly and yearly spend amounts into the calculator to find out how much you can earn with the AARP Essential Rewards Mastercard. Compare the results side by side up to 2 credit cards to find out which cards are best for you.
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Credit Cards
Use this section to add credit cards to the calculator. You can search for a card or go through our top recommendations for each category.
Once you select a card, you'll be shown the details of the card. Any link you click on in the details will open up in a new tab, so you will not lose your calculations.
Clicking on Add Selected Card will add it to the calculator.
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Compare A Card
Add a credit card to compare side by side based on spend, benefits and fees.
Search Cards
Search for a credit card by name, rewards program, or the rewards currency it earns.
Search Results Display Here
Family Cards
These cards are part of the same family and generally earn the same type of rewards.
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Travel Cards
Travel credit cards are great for building rewards redeemable towards a wide variety of travel including airfare, hotels, car rentals, cruises, and more. Most travel cards also offer a range of benefits that can make your trips more enjoyable and save you money.
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Cash Back Cards
Cash back is one of the most flexible form of rewards and most easy to understand. Rewards earned are worth face value and they can be used towards almost anything.
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Business Cards
Put money back into your business by earning cash back, points, or miles on business expenses. Many cards also offer travel insurance, purchase protection, and more.
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Airline Cards
These are the best credit cards if you're looking to use rewards towards award flights. Some of these cards also offer various benefits such as lounge access the ability to earn qualifying miles through spending.
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Hotel Cards
If you're looking to use rewards towards free nights at hotels, these are the best cards for you. Many of these cards also offer great benefits such as annual free nights, complimentary elite status, and more.
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No Annual Fee
If you're looking to minimize your immediate costs while still earning plenty of value, you may want to consider a credit card with no annual fee. Some of these cards also offer lower interest rates and balance transfer offers.
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Intro Bonus:
Annual Fee:
Authorized User Fee:
Bonus Categories:
Loyalty & Memberships
Loyalty: When adding hotel rewards cards (and a select few others) you'll be able to factor in the points earned from elite status. If a card offers complimentary status, the proper status will be selected by default.
Loyalty is reflected by a blue LOY image. Adding a card with loyalty attached to it will add it to the calculator. It becomes its own entity once added to the calculator and can be removed independent of the card that added it.
Membership: If a card offers any kind of bonus rewards based on your membership in a program, the option will be listed here. Do note that some options calculate automatically.
Welcome Bonus: Any welcome bonuses that changes the earning rates of a card will also be listed here. This allows you to toggle the bonus on or off.
Use this section to enter how much you plan on spending either monthly or yearly across different categories for each card listed.
You can click on the option button for access to a lot of useful tools you can use to quickly adjust spending for the calculator.
Change the order of the categories in the Category Spending section. This has an impact on cards that have spend limits and bonus caps on categories.
Resets all fields in the Category Spending section for all columns. Also clears all saved spend values that carry from calculator to calculator.
Add Categories
Search for categories and click 'Add Category' to add it to the calculator. If you want to be more specific, you can specify domestic or international spend.
Type at least 3 characters.
Currently Selected:
Spend Region:
Category Spending Total
The amount of rewards earned from card spending.
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Rewards & Bonuses
If a card earns bonus points, miles, or cash back, it will be listed here. You'll be able to edit or toggle on/off most bonuses listed here.
Do note that some bonuses may be automatically calculated based on spend entered in the Category Spending section.
If you want to factor in an intro or welcome bonus, you can also do that here by entering it in the Extra Value field. You can click on View Offers when applicable to see current sign up bonuses for all top credit cards by category.
Extra Value
Use this field to add additional rewards to include in the calculation such as an intro or signup bonus.
Extra Value
Use this field to add additional rewards to include in the calculation such as an intro or signup bonus.
Extra Value
Use this field to add additional rewards to include in the calculation such as an intro or signup bonus.
Rewards & Bonus Total
The amount of rewards earned from card bonuses.
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Total Rewards & Cash Value
This is the total of all points, miles, and cash back earned between Loyalty & Memberships, Category Spending, and Rewards & Bonuses.
You can view the average value of the rewards based on popular redemptions and the transfer of rewards to partners (where applicable).
This is how much we value the rewards earned with the card on average based on our valuations. Cards that may offer bonus/additional value are reflected here.
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Transfers To Partners
Redemptions to do with transferring rewards to partner loyalty programs and redeeming them for high value (when applicable). These redemption values typically require knowledge of the best transfer partners.
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Cash Back, Statement Credits
Redemptions to do with turning your rewards into cash back or using it as a statement credit to offset purchases made to the card.
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Travel
Redemptions to do with using your rewards towards travel such as airfare, hotels, and car rentals (not including transfers to partners).
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Gift Cards
Redemptions to do with using your rewards towards the purchase of gift cards.
Enter how much you value a single rewards point or mile in cents or regional currency equivalent (X.XX). The value of cash back cannot be changed.
Rewards Cash Value
The average cash value of rewards earned in the Grand Total section based on the set Currency Worth.
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Monetary Bonuses
This section lists all monetary bonuses. This includes annual credits and top-tier benefits that can offer great monetary value.
If there's a perk or benefit missing that you find valuable, you can add how much you value it in the Extra Cash Value field.
Extra Cash Value
Use this field to add additional cash value to the calculations.
Extra Cash Value
Use this field to add additional cash value to the calculations.
Extra Cash Value
Use this field to add additional cash value to the calculations.
Total Cash Value
The total cash value of all listed benefits plus the cash value of rewards earned.
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Fees
With great benefits comes great annual fees. If a card has a fee that you have to pay annually (or monthly in rare cases), it will be listed here. You have the ability to change it.
If the card charges a fee for adding authorized users, it will also appear in this section.
Annual Fee
This is the fee you must pay annually to have the card.
Authorized User Fee
This is the cost to add additional users or supplemental cards to the account. Enter total amount of authorized users.
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Total Card Value
This is the total cash value of each listed card when factoring in all rewards and all fees.
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Learn More
Learn more about the card through our partners.
Our Top Credit Card Picks
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Discover personalized credit card options that match your spending habits and maximizes your rewards.
View the highest offers from our partners and input your monthly and yearly spend amounts into our easy-to-use calculator to find the best credit card options for you!
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