5 Best Credit Cards for Software Engineers

Every software engineer lives a different lifestyle, making the search for the best credit cards for software engineers a unique challenge.

Some run businesses with high cloud computing spending (AWS, GCP) and online subscription costs (Adobe, Twilio). Others are tech enthusiasts who love buying and replacing gadgets yearly (Apple, BestBuy, Dell, etc).

Then some live in tech hubs, such as New York City and San Francisco, where their daily spending consists mostly of restaurants (cafes, bars) and transit (trains, Uber, bikes).

You also have engineers running businesses with a very high ad spend (Google Ads, Meta Ads, etc).

You cannot neatly divide software engineers into these buckets. In reality, most people fall somewhere in between.

No matter your spending habits, these credit cards for software engineers will help you maximize rewards.

Even if none of these spending categories resonate with you, and like most people, you have at least one software subscription, I will recommend one card to make that subscription free.

That said, let’s get started with hands down the best card.

American Express Business Gold

Whether you have huge cloud computing and software expenses, or you are a tech enthusiast buying gadgets, or even a city dweller spending a ton on food and transit, the American Express Business Gold card can earn you huge rewards.

Just look at the sheer number of categories where this card gives you 4X (or 4%).

Cloud Costs - GCP, Azure (*except AWS, another card can cover that below)

Gadgets - BestBuy, Apple, Dell, Newegg, Microsoft

Software Costs - Twilio, Adobe, Digital Ocean, etc

Restaurants

Transit

Advertising Spend

In your first year, you also get a sign-up bonus, anywhere between 100K to 200K points that can be worth between $2,000 to $4,000.

You also get around $395 in credits to offset the $375 annual fee.

The annual fee can be demotivating, but if you are a high spender in the above categories, the rewards you earn will far outweigh the annual fee.

Most of the tech spending categories above - cloud/software costs, and gadgets - are high-spend categories, so the multipliers can give you some serious earnings.

Let’s look at one example.

A Macbook Pro ($3,000) and iPhone ($1,200) can cost you a total of around $4.2K, netting you travel rewards worth $336. Monthly software costs of $1,000 net you $1,000 in travel rewards annually. A monthly advertising budget of $10K nets you above $10K in travel rewards annually.

The pattern is clear. If you are spending large sums of money in the above categories, this card is a no-brainer.

Amazon Prime Card

Both American Express and Chase offer Amazon Prime credit cards.

From Chase - Prime Visa

From American Express - Amazon Business Prime

Both give you 5% cashback on AWS purchases. They also give you 5% on Amazon and Whole Foods, but AWS is more relevant for software engineers.

American Express Green Card

Let’s move from technical spending to lifestyle spending.

If you are a software engineer living in a big city commuting to work every day, the American Express Green Card might just be the right one for you.

This is how the reward structure looks like:

3X on Restaurants

3X on Transit

3X on Travel

So whether you are eating out often, taking public transit or Uber/Lyft regularly, or even traveling often for conferences/consulting, you get 3X on everything.

If you are a city dweller, this card can be particularly attractive, given it covers both dining and transit in one.

Fidelity Rewards Visa Signature

If you don’t want to pay the annual fee of American Express Business Gold for your tech/software purchases, get yourself a 2% card, such as Fidelity Rewards Visa Signature.

It gives you unlimited 2% on every purchase.

So, whatever you are spending money on - cloud/software, food, transit, gadgets - you get a respectable 2%.

The downside? You don’t get 4X where the multiplier can do wonders for high spends. Also, you earn simple cash back instead of American Express MR points.

That means, your 2% stays 2%. It doesn’t have the potential to go as high as 4%, 6% or even

State Farm Business Cash Rewards

As promised, here’s the card that can give you one free subscription every year, up to $100. It’s the State Farm Business Cash Rewards card.

I know, it’s a weird one. I never expected such a benefit on a State Farm card as well.

With this card, you receive “a $100 credit to your account after 11 consecutive months of eligible software service subscription purchase”.

My $11/month DigitalOcean server costs me around $30, instead of $134.

Pair this with a 2% card such as the one from Fidelity mentioned above, and you are getting a respectable sum of rewards without spending on card annual fees.

Closing Thoughts

I hope this was helpful. These credit cards are the best choices for software engineers in 2025.

I understand everyone’s spending habits are different, so there’s no “one perfect setup” that works for everyone.

I am always happy to provide recommendations for your particular spending habits.

Contact me to find the best credit card for software engineers based on your spending habits.