Best Cash-Back Credit Cards
It’s no surprise cash rewards are among the most popular credit card benefits. Cardholders paying off balances each month can avoid interest charges to earn lucrative cash back on everyday necessities, including groceries, gas and at restaurants. What’s not to like about cold, hard cash in your pocket, right? With this in mind, we've put together an in-depth guide about how to pick the right cash rewards program for your needs.
The Picks
- Discover it® Cash Back - Bonus cash back and no annual fee
- Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® Card - Big cash sign-up bonus
- Capital One® Quicksilver® Card - 0% Intro APR for 15 Months - Unlimited cash rewards and 0% intro APR offer
- Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card - Restaurants and groceries
- Chase Freedom® - Bonus cash rewards program
- Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express - U.S. supermarkets
Best for: Bonus cash back and no annual fee Discover it® Cash Back
4.5 stars
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our card ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
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= Fair
= Poor
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our card ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Our Bottom Line
This card sits atop our list as one of the best offers we've come across due to its laundry list of perks, including bonus cash back worth up to 10% with Discover's cash back match in the first year and wallet-friendly features like no fees for foreign transactions.
Discover it® Cash Back ReviewCredit Rating Requirement:
Highlights
- Earn 5% cash back at different places each quarter like gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, Amazon.com, or wholesale clubs up to the quarterly maximum each time you activate.
- Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically.
- INTRO OFFER: Discover will match ALL the cash back earned at the end of your first year, automatically.
- Redeem cash back any amount, any time. Rewards never expire.
- Use your rewards at Amazon.com checkout.
- Receive FREE Social Security number alerts—Discover will monitor thousands of risky websites when you sign up.
- No annual fee.
Best for: Big cash sign-up bonus Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® Card
4.0 stars
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our card ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our card ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Our Bottom Line
This card one of the largest cash sign-up bonus we've seen for a no-annual-fee card. It's relatively low spending threshold to unlock the bonus is great for low spenders looking to pocket an easy bonus.
Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® Card ReviewCredit Rating Requirement:
Highlights
- Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash rewards on purchases
- Enjoy 1.8% cash rewards on qualified mobile wallet purchases, like Apple Pay® or Android Pay™, during the first 12 months from account opening
- No category restrictions or sign ups and cash rewards don't expire as long as your account remains open
- Get up to $600 protection on your cell phone (subject to $25 deductible) against covered damage or theft when you pay your monthly cellular telephone bill with your Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® Card
- 0% Intro APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers, then a 14.74%-26.74% variable APR; balance transfer fees apply
- $0 Annual Fee
- Select "Apply Now" to learn more about the product features, terms, and conditions
Best for: Unlimited cash rewards and 0% intro APR offer Capital One® Quicksilver® Card - 0% Intro APR for 15 Months
4.0 stars
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our card ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our card ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Our Bottom Line
This may be the most versatile and flexible cash-back card on the market. The recent addition of a longer 0% intro APR makes the offer hard to pass up, especially if you're wanting to keep a one-card wallet.
Capital One® Quicksilver® Card - 0% Intro APR for 15 Months ReviewCredit Rating Requirement:
Highlights
- One-time $150 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day
- No rotating categories or sign-ups needed to earn cash rewards; plus, cash back won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how much you can earn
- 0% intro APR on purchases for 15 months; 14.74%-24.74% variable APR after that
- 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months; 14.74%-24.74% variable APR after that; 3% fee on the amounts transferred within the first 15 months
- Pay no annual fee or foreign transaction fees
Best for: Restaurants and groceries Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card
4.0 stars
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our card ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our card ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Our Bottom Line
While dining and grocery spending will earn premium, unlimited rewards, that's not the only marquee feature. The sign-up bonus, no annual fee, and 0% intro APR offer can add a ton of value on top of rewards you earn in bonus categories.
Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card ReviewCredit Rating Requirement:
Highlights
- Earn a one-time $150 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening
- Earn unlimited 3% cash back on dining, 2% on groceries and 1% on all other purchases
- No rotating categories or sign-ups needed to earn cash rewards; plus, cash back won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how much you can earn
- 0% intro APR on purchases for 15 months; 16.24%-24.99% variable APR after that
- 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months; 16.24%-24.99% variable APR after that; 3% fee on the amounts transferred within the first 15 months
- No annual fee
- No foreign transaction fees
Best for: Bonus cash rewards program Chase Freedom®
3.5 stars
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our card ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our card ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Our Bottom Line
The marquee feature is the fact that this offer earns up to 5% cash back, but the card is packed with a deep bench of perks that is rare in the cash back category. It's a leading pick no doubt.
Chase Freedom® ReviewCredit Rating Requirement:
Highlights
- Earn a $150 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
- Earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate
- Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter
- Unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases – it's automatic
- 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 16.74-25.49%. Balance transfer fee is 5% of the amount transferred, $5 minimum
- Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open and there is no minimum to redeem for cash back.
- Free credit score, updated weekly with Credit JourneySM
- No annual fee
Best for: U.S. supermarkets Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
4.0 stars
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our card ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our card ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Our Bottom Line
A solid card for your everyday usage, particularly if you spend a lot on groceries.
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express ReviewCredit Rating Requirement:
Highlights
- $150 statement credit after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 3 months.
- 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%).
- 2% cash back at U.S. gas stations and at select U.S. department stores, 1% back on other purchases.
- Low intro APR: 0% for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable rate, currently 14.74% to 25.74%.
- Over 1.5 million more places in the U.S. started accepting American Express® Cards in 2017.
- Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be easily redeemed for statement credits, gift cards, and merchandise.
- No annual fee.
- Terms Apply.
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To recap, here are the best cash-back credit cards
- Card
- Rating
- Best For…
Capital One® Quicksilver® Card - 0% Intro APR for 15 Months
Best For:
Unlimited cash rewards and 0% intro APR offer
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
Best For:
U.S. supermarkets
