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Cash back credit cards are some of the best rewards cards on the market. Why? Because you’ll earn simple, easy and flexible rewards for your spending. Some offer sign-up bonuses. Others give extra rewards on groceries, dining, gas, travel and other spending categories. And a lot of them don’t carry an annual fee, making them a good fit for just about anybody.
See our best credit card bonuses here.
But not all cash back cards are created equally. Let’s take a closer look at the best cash back credit cards.
| Chase Freedom FlexSM | Best cash back card with rotating bonus categories |
| Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card | Best cash back card for dining & entertainment |
| Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express | Best cash back card for gas & groceries |
| Capital One® QuicksilverOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card | Best cash back card for fair or average credit |
| Chase Freedom Unlimited® | Best cash back card for pairing |
| Citi® Double Cash Card | Best flat-rate cash back card Best no-annual-fee cash back card |
| Bank of America® Cash Rewards Credit Card | Best cash back card with custom bonus categories |
Types of Cash Back Credit Cards
In general, cash back credit cards fall under one of four types of rewards structures:
Flat-rate rewards. These cards earn the same rewards rate on all spending. For example, Citi® Double Cash Card offers a total of 2% cash back on all spending. It’s great for everyday purchases because you won’t have to remember bonus categories. However, flat-rate cards do limit your earning potential.
Tiered rewards. Like most travel credit cards, tiered cash back cards give bonus earnings on specific spending categories. For example, Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express gives 6% cash back on certain categories, 3% on others and 1% on everything else. Tiered rewards cards have excellent earning potential, but only if your spending matches the bonus categories.
Rotating categories. These cards earn bonuses on spending categories that change every quarter. For example, Chase Freedom FlexSM gives 5% cash back in bonus categories that shift every three months. While the earning rate is high, cards with rotating categories usually have caps on their bonuses. Plus, you have to remember to activate new categories each quarter.
Customized categories. These cards let you choose your bonus category, usually on a month-to-month basis. For example, with Bank of America Cash Rewards Credit Card, you get to pick your 3% cash back category. Cards with customized categories allow you to tweak their rewards structure to fit your spending. It’s a great option if the types of purchases you tend to make change throughout the year. However, like cards with rotating categories, you have to remember to activate your bonuses.
So what’s the best type of cash back credit card for you? That depends on: what you spend, where you spend and how much work you want to put into your rewards.
What We Considered
To make our best cash back credit cards list, we considered the following:
- Welcome bonus
- Earning potential
- Annual fee
- Unlimited vs. capped rewards
- Redemption threshold
- Rewards simplicity
- Additional benefits
The Best Cash Back Credit Cards
The Chase Freedom Flex℠ is the best cash back card with rotating bonus categories. It earns 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter. Plus, new cardmembers get a $200 welcome bonus, which is rare for a card with no annual fee.
CHASE FREEDOM FLEX℠
The Chase Freedom Flex℠ credit card is going to earn you a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. The welcome bonus comes in the form of 20,000 Ultimate Rewards points. This card has no annual fee.
This card earns 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate (new categories each quarter). Travel purchased through Chase also earns 5%.
This card earns Ultimate Rewards (UR) points and is a popular option for a multi Chase card strategy. You can pool points together with consumer cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve®. Or, with a business card like the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card. The 20,000 UR points could be worth around $400 with this strategy, rather than the standard $200. Read more on this here.
The Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card is the best cash back card for dining and entertainment spending. It earns 4% cash back on dining and entertainment, 2% back on groceries and 1% back on all other purchases.
CAPITAL ONE® SAVOR® CASH REWARDS CREDIT CARD
The Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card is offering a $300 bonus when you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months.
This card earns unlimited 4% cash back rewards on dining and entertainment spending. You’ll get 2% cash back at grocery stores and 1% on all other purchases.
There are no foreign transaction fees and the annual fee is waived for the first year. The fee is $95 after the first year.
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is the best cash back card for gas and grocery spending. It earns 6% cash back at supermarkets (on up to $6,000 a year in spending) and on select streaming subscriptions in the United States, 3% back on transit and at U.S. gas stations, and 1% back on all other purchases.
BLUE CASH PREFERRED® CARD FROM AMERICAN EXPRESS
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.
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express has an offer for $300 after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months. The offer is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as statement credits.
This card earns 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases and 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions. You’ll also get 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations and transit that includes taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more. All other purchases will still earn 1% back.
The introductory annual fee is $0 for the first year, then $95 thereafter. See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply.
The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Card is the best cash back card for those with fair or average credit. It earns an unlimited, flat rate of 1.5% cash back on all purchases.
CAPITAL ONE® QUICKSILVERONE® CASH REWARDS CREDIT CARD
The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card doesn’t offer a sign-up bonus. This card is marketed to consumers with Average credit or better.
You’ll earn unlimited 1.5% Cash Back on all purchases. There are no categories to keep up with. This is a good option for earning rewards while building your credit. But, there’s an annual fee of $39.
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is the best cash back card to pair with a points-earning one. It gives an unlimited, flat rate of 1.5% cash back on all purchases, and you can convert your cash rewards into valuable points if you have a card that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
CHASE FREEDOM UNLIMITED®
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® credit card has an offer for $200 bonus cash after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
This card also earns 5% on travel purchased through Chase, 3% on dining at restaurants and drugstores, and 1.5% on all other purchases.
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® earns Ultimate Rewards points. Points can be pooled with those from other eligible Chase cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card. More on this here.
The Citi® Double Cash Card is the best flat-rate cash back card as well as the best cash back card with no annual fee. It earns 1% cash back on all purchases and 1% back when you pay for those purchases.
If you have a card that earns Citi ThankYou® Rewards, you can convert your Citi Double Cash rewards into valuable ThankYou points.
CITI® DOUBLE CASH CARD
The Citi® Double Cash Card earns up to 2% cash back on all purchases. You’ll earn 1% cash back for all purchases charged to the card. You’ll then earn an additional 1% cash back when you pay off those purchases, as long as you pay at least the minimum due. There are no spending categories to keep up with and the card has no annual fee.
The Bank of America® Cash Rewards Credit Card is the best cash back card with custom bonus categories. It earns 3% cash back in the category of your choice (gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores or home improvement/furnishings), 2% back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs, and 1% back on all other purchases. BofA Cash Rewards also comes with a $200 welcome bonus, which is generous for a no-annual-fee card.
BANK OF AMERICA® CASH REWARDS CREDIT CARD
The Bank of America® Cash Rewards Credit Card offers $200 online cash reward bonus for spending $1,000 in the first 90 days of account opening.
Consider the Bank of America Cash Rewards credit card if you would like a 2%-3% cash back rewards rate for grocery stores, wholesale clubs and a category of your choice. It’s especially worthwhile if you’re a Preferred Rewards client, where being a loyal customer translates into attractive relationship bonuses.
Here is the breakdown of the card’s earning rates:
- 3% cash back in the category of your choice*
- 2% back at grocery stores & wholesale clubs*
- 1% back on everything else
*On the first $2,500 in combined spending in 3% and 2% categories each calendar month. 1% thereafter.
Redemption options for these reward include statement credits, direct deposits, and credits to a Merrill account (minimum redemption is $25).
The card also offers the following benefits:
- 0% intro APR on purchases & balance transfers for 15 months.
- Travel protection
- Credit card protection
The card comes with all of the benefits mentioned above but charges no annual fee.
Best Cash Back Credit Cards That Require Memberships
The cash back cards below are great options as well, but they require certain memberships. They didn’t make it on our “best of” list, but they’re definitely worth a mention. While the information presented below is current at the time of publishing, it may have changed without notice. Please check with the card’s issuer before considering the membership associated with these cards.
Alliant Cashback Visa Signature Credit Card. 2.5% cash back on all purchases. $99 annual fee, waived your first year. You must be an Alliant Credit Union member.
Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi. 4% cash back on gas (up to $7,000 per year, 1% thereafter), 3% on dining and travel, 2% at Costco and 1% on all other purchases. No annual fee with your paid Costco membership.
Fidelity Rewards Visa Signature Card. 2% cash back on all purchases. No annual fee. You must have a specific Fidelity account.
Sam’s Club Mastercard. 5% cash back on gas (up to $6,000 per year, 1% thereafter), 3% on dining and travel, and 1% on all other purchases. No annual fee. You must have a Sam’s Club membership.
USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express Card. 5% cash back on the first $3,000 on combined gas and U.S. military base purchases per year, 2% on the first $3,000 on grocery purchases per year, and 1% on all other purchases. No annual fee. You must be a USAA member.
Additional Guides
While we focused on cash back credit cards in this post, you’ll want to choose a card with additional earning potential that matches your spending behavior. Click here for our guide on the best credit cards in other categories or check out these other posts:
Bottom Line
Want an easy way to earn rewards with simple redemption options? A cash back credit card could be the way to go. It’s simple. It’s easy. It’s flexible. And most don’t carry high annual fees as well!
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Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
Disclaimer: These responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, credit card issuer, hotel, airline or other entity. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post. It is not the bank advertiser's or any other entity's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.