How the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card Could Save You $256 per Year

"Next." I shuffle up to the counter, fumbling through my pockets. Out comes a wallet and three credit cards. Only one of them has the discount I need: a sweet 5% off eggs, apples, and whatever other groceries I've picked up. Which one is it? I can't remember.

The line is long. The cashier stares, pointedly. Is it just me, or is it hot in here? I pick a credit card at random and swipe it. In the parking lot, I get a text message from one of my credit card apps, thanking me for my service. I facepalm. I swiped the wrong card. Of course I did.

Credit card carousels take spenders for rides. They offer great returns, but only in limited spending categories. You must use this card for this item to get 5% back. Keeping track is hard. Even worse, the categories change. What worked yesterday doesn't today.

The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card (see rates and fees) offers a rare perk: unlimited 2% cash rewards on any spending category. It does away with the carousel routine, simplifies spending, and makes it easy to understand how much in cash rewards you get.

Save $256 per year on food and entertainment

The average American household spends $6,081 monthly on a range of expenses, from food to transportation, according to research from Motley Fool Money. Spending is spread out among categories. In other words, spenders have a diverse range of needs.

The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card respects your time by meeting you where you are. It offers 2% unlimited cash rewards no matter how much you spend, and no matter how you spend it. That makes it more than easy to use -- it can save you money. (Yes, please.)

>> Apply now for the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card. <<

If you're part of the average American household, you spend about 15% of your budget on food and entertainment. If you used the Wells Fargo credit card on just these two categories, you'd save $256.02 per year. Even better, you don't have to think about it.

Double your cash rewards

The downside of the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is it only offers a flat 2% back. No amount of financial wizardry is gonna bump that number to the returns offered by other cards. But is that really a downside? Sure, there are better deals -- but 2% is double what many top cards offer.

>> Apply now for the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card. <<

Take one of the best credit cards out there, the Discover it® Cash Back card. It offers up to 5% back on spending categories (up to a quarterly spending limit), but there's a caveat. To earn the best returns, you must activate rotating monthly spending categories in the app and remember which categories earn what rewards.

But despite being a top cash back card, the Discover it® Cash Back offers 1% back on all non-seasonal purchases. The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card offers double that, year-round. Considering you buy groceries year-round, that adds up. You'll earn more than you'd think, assuming you steer clear of credit card debt.

Which type of card is right for you?

No-hassle spenders should consider the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card over other credit cards. It makes spending hassle-free, there's no monthly fee, and the flat 2% reward is up to double what the best cash back credit cards offer. There's no card quite like it.

>> Apply now for the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card. <<

But if you like to manage your cards and don't mind holding up the line at checkout, a credit card with rotating spending categories could save you more money. If you're someone who uses more than one or two credit cards, you may fall into this category.

I'm in the unsavory position of being a no-hassle spender with a credit card that rotates. In other words, I'm being taken for a ride. Though I know better than to close my oldest credit card, I'm looking into alternatives. The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card ranks amongst the best.