The 11 Best Cash-Back Credit Cards in April 2024

The points and miles we earn on credit cards are great for booking travel, but cash-back is king when it comes to flexible rewards that boost your financial bottom line.

While earning and redeeming can be simple, there are plenty of variables among cash-back credit cards (just like with cards that earn points or miles). For that reason, it takes some research to match up your own major spending categories to a credit card that earns the most on those purchases.

In this article, we cover how you earn cash-back, the different ways cards let you earn rewards, and our recommendations for the best cash-back credit cards.

Best Cash-Back Credit Cards — Comparison Table (2024)

Card	Best Uses	Welcome Bonus and Annual Fee	Cash-Back Rewards
Chase Freedom Unlimited®	Rotating bonus categories	Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That's 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases. Annual fee of $0	5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel 3% on dining and at drugstores 1.5% on all other purchases 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% - 29.24%.
Chase Freedom Flex℠	Everyday purchases	Earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months. Annual fee of $0	5% in quarterly bonus categories (up to $1,500 in spend) 5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel 3% on dining and at drugstores
Citi Custom Cash® Card	Your top spend category	Earn $200 cash-back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. Annual fee of $0	5% on your highest eligible spend category each billing cycle up (up to $500 in spend)
Citi Double Cash® Card	Everyday purchases	Earn $200 cash back after spending $1,500 in the first 6 months. Annual fee of $0	2% on every purchase with 1% when you buy, and 1% when you pay
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card	Everyday purchases	Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months Annual fee of $0	2% cash rewards on every purchase
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express	Grocery and gas purchases	Earn a $250 statement credit after spending $3,000 in purchases in the first 6 months. Annual fee of $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 (rates & fees)	6% at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 in spend each year) 6% on select streaming subscriptions 3% on transit purchases and U.S. gas stations
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card (Information collected independently. Not reviewed by Capital One.)	Dining and grocery purchases	Earn $300 after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Annual fee of $95	10% cash-back for Uber and Uber Eats purchases 4% on dining, entertainment, and popular streaming services 3% at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®)
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card	Your choice category	Earn $200 online cash rewards bonus after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening. Annual fee of $0	3% on the category of your choice 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (on up to $2,500 in combined purchases for 3% and 2% categories each quarter)
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card	Office supply store, and on internet, cable, and phone service purchases	Earn $350 when you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months and an additional $400 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 6 months. Annual fee of $0	5% at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone services (up to $25,000 in spend) 2% at gas stations and restaurants (up to $25,000 in spend)
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card	Everyday business expenses	Earn $750 cash back after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months. Annual fee of $0	1.5% on all purchases 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months; variable 18.49% - 24.49% thereafter
Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card (Information collected independently. Not reviewed by Capital One.)	Everyday business expenses	Earn $1,200 cash back once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months. Annual fee of $150	2% on all purchases

The 8 Best Cash-Back Personal Credit Cards

In no particular order, here are our favorite personal credit cards that offer cardholders a great balance of rewards and perks.

Chase Freedom Unlimited^®

Top Reasons To Get the Card

• 5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel
• 3% at drugstores and on dining
• Unlimited 1.5% on all other purchases
• Travel and purchase protection

The Freedom Unlimited card is perfect for those looking for a single card to use for pretty much every purchase, as you know you’ll always get an uncapped 1.5% on all purchases you make with the card.

That said, the card still offers solid bonus categories, like 5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel and 3% on dining and drugstores. (The 5% doesn’t stack with the default 1.5% bonus.)

As with the Freedom Flex card, those who pair their Freedom Unlimited card with a premium Chase card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve^® Card can redeem their points for up to 50% more through Chase Travel or transfer to one of Chase’s airline and hotel partners, as well.

The Freedom Unlimited card also comes with rental car insurance, purchase protection, and extended warranty coverage.

Chase Freedom Flex℠

Top Reasons To Get the Card

• 5% in rotating quarterly bonus categories up to $1,500 spending per quarter
• 5% on travel purchases through Chase Travel
• 3% on dining and drugstore purchases
• Cell phone protection, purchase protection, and extended warranty coverage

The Freedom Flex card is one of our favorite cards thanks to its quarterly rotating bonus categories such as grocery stores, gas stations, wholesale clubs, home improvement stores, and more. You earn 5% on these purchases, on up to $1,500 in spend each quarter, allowing you to rack up $75 back each quarter.

Further, you can pair your card with a premium Chase credit card such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred card or Chase Sapphire Reserve card and receive access to Chase transfer partners, or redeem your points for a 25% to 50% bonus through Chase Travel.

Your card also offers cell phone insurance coverage, purchase protection, rental car insurance, and more.

Citi Custom Cash^® Card

Top Reasons To Get the Card

• 5% cash-back (on up to $500 each billing cycle) from your largest purchase category (includes restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs, and live entertainment)

Each month, you get 5% on whichever bonus category you spend the most on, from a list of 10, on up to $500 in spend. This allows you to adapt your 5% rewards month-to-month based on spending, and there is no need to preselect a category.

Plus, the card has a $0 annual fee, offers a cash welcome bonus offer and 0% intro APR offer (as mentioned above), and requires no minimum redemption.

Citi Double Cash^® Card

Top Reasons To Get the Card

• Total of 2% cash-back on every purchase: 1% when you make the purchase and 1% when you pay it off (earned as ThankYou Points)

With the Citi Double Cash card, you earn a flat rate of 2% on all purchases you make with the card, 1% cash back when you buy, and 1% cash back as you pay. As far as cash-back rewards cards without bonus categories go, this solid 2% rate is about as good as it gets!

This card’s cash-back rewards can be used for a statement credit, direct deposit, check, or gift cards. Because your cash-back is earned as ThankYou Points, you can also redeem your points for travel by transferring them to Citi’s transfer partners — access the full suite of partners when pairing your Citi Double Cash card with a premium ThankYou Rewards card such as the Citi Premier^® Card.

Wells Fargo Active Cash^® Card

Top Reasons To Get the Card

• Unlimited 2% cash rewards on all purchases

Similar to the Citi Double Cash card, the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card is great for those looking for a card that earns an uncapped 2% cash rewards on all purchases with a $0 annual fee. If you’d rather not have to keep track of bonus categories and prefer a flat earning rate, 2% cash rewards on all purchases is about the best rewards rate you can find for such purchases.

Plus, the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card offers a great 0% APR offer on new purchases and balance transfers and comes with perks like cell phone protection.

Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express

Top Reasons To Get the Card

• 6% at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 in spend each year
• 6% on select U.S. streaming subscriptions
• 3% on transit purchases
• 3% at U.S. gas stations

Those who have expenses that often fall within one of the card’s 4 bonus categories can really rake in the rewards with the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card. While the card does charge an annual fee, you could earn $360 in cash-back alone each year just by meeting the $6,000 threshold on U.S. supermarket purchases.

Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card

Top Reasons To Get the Card

• 10% cash-back for Uber and Uber Eats purchases
• 8% cash-back on Capital One Entertainment
• 5% cash-back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• 4% on dining, entertainment, and popular streaming services
• 3% at grocery stores

Earning an uncapped 4% on all dining, entertainment, and popular streaming services, along with 3% at grocery stores, is an excellent combination — even more so when you consider that many people have expenses that regularly fall within these categories.

Bank of America^® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card

Top Reasons To Get the Card

• 3% on the category of your choice (gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores, or home improvement and furnishings)
• 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs

Another card that lets you optimize for the items you spend the most on, the Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards card lets you earn 3% in the category of your choice from gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drugstores, or home improvement and furnishings.

That said, your 3% and 2% are limited to the first $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club purchases each quarter, then earn 1%.

The 3 Best Cash-Back Business Credit Cards

Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card

Top Reasons To Get the Card

• 5% on up to $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on cellular phone, landline, internet, and cable TV services each account anniversary year
• 2% on up to $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants
• Travel and purchase protections and benefits

The Ink Business Cash card is a compelling option thanks to its combination of 5% and 2% cash-back bonus categories, large welcome bonus offer, travel and purchase protections, and a $0 annual fee.

Plus, those who hold other premium Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning cards can pool their points to then use the Chase travel transfer partners.

Ink Business Unlimited^® Credit Card

Top Reasons To Get the Card

• Unlimited 1.5% cash-back on every purchase
• Travel and shopping protections and benefits

Earning a solid 1.5% on every purchase, regardless of the category, makes earning lots of rewards an easy task. You can then redeem those rewards for what your business needs most: cash, travel, gift cards, Amazon purchases, or transfers to premium Chase cards for increased redemption value.

Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card

Top Reasons To Get the Card

• Unlimited 2% on every purchase
• 5% on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel

While the card charges an annual fee, which might seem steep for a cash-back card, earning an uncapped 2% on all purchases can be well worth it for business owners who have a high level of spending each year.

How Do Cash-Back Credit Cards Work?

Cash-back credit cards have relatively simple rewards-earning and redemption structures. You spend on your card and get a rebate on a percentage of your purchases in the form of cash-back.

Some purchase categories earn more than others. For example, on one credit card, you might receive 5% on office supply purchases, 3% on gas, and 1% on all other purchases. On another, the percentages and categories could be totally different, so selecting a cash-back credit card that rewards your greatest spending categories is key. There can also be limits on the amount you can receive in a given category.

Many cards offer introductory welcome bonus offers, such as $150 for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months after card approval. These bonus offers fluctuate and are specific to each card, but can be another consideration when selecting your credit card.

Additionally, how you receive your rewards can differ. You may earn points that can be redeemed for cash-back, receive an automatic statement credit, or accumulate earned rewards in a separate account.

Let’s take a look at examples of some of the redemption processes on different cash-back credit cards:

Cash-Back Earned as Points

Certain credit cards, such as the Freedom Unlimited card, actually earn rewards as points that can be redeemed for cash-back.

Cash-Back Automatically Applied as a Statement Credit

Some credit cards automatically apply the cash-back you earn each month as a statement credit, but this is relatively uncommon. In these cases, you don’t accumulate the cash-back and there’s no way to redeem your cash-back manually.

Cash-Back Accumulates in an Account

Credit cards like the Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express allow the cash-back you’ve earned to accumulate in your account. You can request to use it whenever you’re ready.

Bottom Line: While it’s important to match up bonus category earnings on the credit card with your actual spending habits, you should also understand the process a card uses to distribute your cash-back earnings. 

Which Is Better: Earning Cash-Back or Points and Miles?

Is earning cash-back better than earning points or miles? This question is not easily answered, because the reward that is most valuable to you should be the one you can best use to realize your goals.

If travel is your goal, points and miles can get you where you want to go with award tickets and hotel stays and by offsetting travel-related purchases. While cash is undeniably flexible, you need a strategy in place to collect the cash and apply it appropriately to those travel goals.

For example, if your goal is to use your earnings toward a family Disney vacation, you may want to purchase Disney gift cards, restaurant gift cards, or gas cards with each cash-back distribution. This method works especially well if you’re using a credit card that applies the earnings as a statement credit automatically.

However, earnings may have a fixed value, while points and miles can be transferred to airline or hotel partners and used creatively for increased value. Conversely, cash-back is liquid, but it may be difficult to liquidate points or miles for exactly what you want when you want it.

Bottom Line: Whether earning cash-back or points or miles is better for you depends on what you plan to do with the rewards and your spending priorities. If travel is not your priority but having a little extra cash flow would help your financial bottom line, a cash-back credit card may be a good option. 

Types of Cash-Back Credit Cards

For the most part, there are 4 types of cash-back credit cards:

Flat-Rate Cards

Flat-rate cards offer a flat rewards rate on every purchase you make, with no unique bonus categories. Cards in this category usually offer 1.5% to 2% on all purchases.

Bonus Categories

These cards have predetermined bonus categories that offer elevated rewards. An example might be a card that offers 3% on dining and groceries and 1% on all other purchases.

Rotating Bonus Categories

Some cards offer rotating bonus categories that are not predetermined for you when you sign up for the card. An example of this is the Freedom Flex card, which offers 5% on a quarterly rotating category such as gas or purchases at Amazon.

Customizable Bonus Categories

Customizable cards offer a list of bonus categories for you to choose from. An example of this is the Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards card, which offers 3% in the category of your choice among gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drugstores, or home improvement and furnishings.

Common Cash-Back Bonus Categories

When it comes to cash-back credit cards, the bonus categories that they offer can vary quite a bit. That said, some of the most popular cash-back bonus categories include dining, grocery stores, gas stations, utilities, or cards that offer a flat cash-back rate for every purchase made with the card.

Further, some cash-back cards like the Freedom Flex card offer rotating bonus categories, and others like the Citi Custom Cash card adjust your top cash-back bonus category based on what eligible categories you spend the most on from month to month.

Factors To Consider When Choosing a Cash-Back Card

Cash-back credit cards come in many different varieties, so here are a few helpful guidelines to help you narrow down your search.

Are You Willing To Pay an Annual Fee?

While cash-back credit cards are mostly known for not charging an annual fee, there are also more premium options that can offer better cash-back rates and additional perks but do come with an annual fee.

Given that, weigh the value proposition of each card to see which would benefit you more.

As an example, let’s take the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card, which charges a $0 annual fee (rates & fees) and offers 3% cash-back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases. Then we have the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card, which charges a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 annual fee, and offers 6% cash-back at U.S. supermarkets for up to $6,000 per year in purchases.

If you are confident that your household would meet $6,000 in supermarket purchases in a year, then you’d probably be better off with the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card, as you’d earn $360 in cash-back, minus its annual fee, for a net savings of $265. On the other hand, the $0-annual-fee Amex Blue Cash Everyday card would earn $180 in cash-back — $85 less than the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card. Of course, you should also consider what other bonus categories and perks each card has to offer.

What Bonus Categories Do You Spend the Most On?

If you want to earn as much cash-back as possible, you want to make sure your new cash-back card offers bonus categories that reward the items you frequently spend the most on.

For instance, if you regularly go out to try new restaurants with friends, you’d benefit from a card offering dining as a bonus category. If you have a rather lengthy commute to work each day, you may want a credit card that rewards gas purchases. That said, most cards offer more than 1 bonus category, so you’d likely be able to choose a card that offers bonus categories for the top 2 or 3 items you spend the most on.

If you value simplicity or your purchases vary from month to month, you could opt for a flat-rate cash-back card, like the Citi Double Cash card, which offers an uncapped 2% cash-back on every purchase (1% cash back when you buy and 1% cash back as you pay). Similarly, other cards, like the Citi Custom Cash card, adjust your top 5% cash-back category to the eligible category that you spent the most on in the previous billing period.

What Perks Are You Looking For?

Cash-back cards aren’t known for offering as many perks as their travel-rewards-card counterparts, but if there are certain perks you’re looking for, then make sure that your new card offers them.

Consider benefits like purchase protection, extended warranty coverage, rental car insurance, cell phone insurance, trip cancellation insurance, and so on.

Who Should Get a Cash-Back Card?

You should get a cash-back card if:

• You currently use a debit card or cash for more of your purchases and leave valuable rewards on the table.
• You aren’t interested in travel rewards cards and prefer the flexibility of cash-back.

That said, you should only get a cash-back credit card if you are able to pay your bill on time and in full each and every month. If you don’t, the interest that your balance accrues will negate the value of any cash-back you earn for making the purchases.

What Credit Card Gives the Most Cash-Back?

The credit card that would offer you the most cash-back depends entirely on your unique spending habits. While a given person might spend more at supermarkets, another person might spend more on dining.

Given that, when it comes to deciding which cash-back card is best for you, you should examine your monthly budget and see what areas you regularly spend the most money on, and then select a card that provides the best cash-back rates for those purchases.

Pros and Cons of Using a Cash-Back Card

Pros

The biggest pro of using a cash-back credit card is that it earns rewards on every purchase that you make. This is a great way to earn added savings on your expenses, as this cash can really save big bucks over the course of a year.

Beyond that, most of these credit cards don’t have an annual fee, include added perks like purchase protection, and might even offer a welcome bonus.

Cons

The downside to these credit cards is that there isn’t as much upside as you find with certain travel rewards cards. Further, they may also cap the amount of cash you can earn and often charge foreign transaction fees.

Alternatives to a Cash-Back Card

If you’re looking for an alternative to a cash-back credit card, then look at cards that offer a flexible rewards currency.

Take the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, which earns 5x points per $1 on purchases made through Chase Travel; 3x points per $1 on dining, online grocery store purchases, and select streaming services; 2x points per $1 on all other travel purchases; and 1x point per $1 on all other purchases.

Once you’ve built up a stash of Chase Ultimate Rewards points, you have a lot of ways to redeem them. You can transfer them at a 1:1 rate to any of Chase’s great travel transfer partners, like World of Hyatt, you can redeem them for any purchase through Chase Travel with a 25% bonus, or you can even redeem them for cash-back, if you prefer, at a rate of 1 cent per point.

Having a card that offers flexible redemption uses helps you get as much value as possible each time you decide to redeem hard-earned points.

How To Compare Cash-Back Cards

Deciding which cash-back card is right for you is a personal decision.

The first thing you will want to consider is the card’s bonus categories. Are you hoping to maximize the cash you earn on certain types of purchases like groceries? Or do you prefer to earn a flat cash-back rate on all purchases?

Once you know which rewards structure is best for you, then you should consider what type of benefits you might be looking for in a card … perhaps one that offers perks like purchase protection and extended warranty coverage to help cover the items you buy with your card.

You’ll also want to consider other key features like whether or not the card offers a lucrative welcome bonus offer, and whether or not it charges an annual fee.

Methodology: How We Selected the Best Cash-Back Credit Cards

At Upgraded Points, we evaluate which credit cards are best based on how much value the card can provide to you. We analyze each factor that makes up a card, including its benefits, earnings structure, welcome bonus, redemption value and rewards program, fees, and more.

Here is some insight into our thought process when selecting the best cash-back cards:

Associated Benefits

One thing that can really help a card stand out from the crowd is the benefits that it offers. These could be benefits such as purchase protection, extended warranty protection, travel insurance, and more. This is why we give extra points to cards that include benefits that offer more value to cardholders.

Earnings Structure

Perhaps the most important aspect of a cash-back credit card is how much cash you can actually earn back. Usually, cards either offer a flat rate on all purchases or on certain bonus categories, such as gas and groceries. In either case, we evaluate how compelling the card’s rates are when deciding on the best cards.

Welcome Offers

Some of the best cards offer a cash welcome bonus offer after meeting a minimum spend requirement. This can be a great way to get extra cash in your pocket, as these offers can be upward of $200 to $300. Given that welcome bonus offers are a one-time bonus, and because of how lucrative these bonuses can be, they are a factor in how we evaluate cards.

We’ve provided you with the current welcome bonus offer information available for each card, but we encourage you to confirm the offers and review any earnings offers before applying for any card.

Fees

Of course, another important factor is the fees a card does or does not charge. These can include annual fees, foreign transaction fees, late payment fees, and more.

Redemption Value

When it comes to cash-back cards, most often your cash-back is limited to a statement credit or having cash deposited into your checking account. However, there are other cards that offer a flexible rewards approach and expand your redemption options.

Hot Tip: While the most desired benefits and features of a card vary by person, our holistic approach gives readers the full picture of what they can expect from every card we review. To learn more about how we review cards, read through our methodology page.

Final Thoughts

Credit cards that earn cash-back rewards are great for consumers who pay off their credit card balances each statement period. Carrying over a balance and being charged interest would dissolve any benefit from these earnings.

Also, we don’t focus on welcome bonuses for these cards for the reason that they’re constantly changing — but these initial bonuses can help you jump-start your earnings and should definitely be considered when selecting a cash-back credit card!

Finally, we’ve mentioned a lot of great cards here, but the list is not all-encompassing, as there are just too many to mention. We’ve also abbreviated benefit descriptions, so click on the links provided for a more in-depth review of cards you’d like further details on.