The best cash back credit cards are the ones that earn you the most cash back based on how you spend your money. Review our top cash back credit card picks and calculate which credit cards will earn you the most rewards and best return.
Also See: Best Travel Credit Cards · Best Hotel Credit Cards · Best Airline Credit Cards · Best Business Credit Cards · American Express · Capital One · Chase · Citi
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
- Earning Rate: Earn 6% cash back on the first $6,000 in annual spend at U.S. supermarkets (then 1%), 6% back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% back on transit and U.S. gas station purchases, and 1% back on everything else.
- Intro Bonus: Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
- Annual Fee: $95. (See Rates and Fees)
- Summary: This is one of the top cash back credit cards for supermarket purchases and the uncapped 3% back you receive from transit and U.S. gas stations purchases is the icing on the cake. Looking at supermarket purchases alone, this card is the better option over it's no-annual fee counterpart if you spend more than $270 per month.
- Learn More about the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express.
- Calculate Card Value & Cash Back per dollar spent for the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express.
Citi Custom Cash℠ Card
- Earning Rate: Earn 5% cash back on the eligible you spend the most in during each billing cycle on up to $500 (then 1%) and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- Rewards Structure: Cash back earned with this card is displayed as ThankYou Rewards points which can be redeemed for cash back.
- Intro Bonus: Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
- Annual Fee: $0.
- Summary: Pick up this card for the one eligible category you spend close to $500 per month in for an easy $300 in cash back annually. Pair it with the Citi® Double Cash Card to earn 2% back on all other purchases.
- Learn More about the Citi Custom Cash Card.
- Calculate Card Value & ThankYou Points per dollar spent for the Citi Custom Cash Card.
Chase Freedom Flex℠
- Earning Rate: Earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined spend between the categories featured during the quarter (then 1%). Also earns 5% back on Chase Travel, 3% back at restaurants and drugstores, and 1% back on everything else.
- Rewards Structure: Cash back earned with this card is displayed as Ultimate Rewards points which can be redeemed for cash back.
- Main Highlights: Points can be transferred to Chase's travel credit cards for increased value towards travel.
- Intro Bonus: Earn $200 cash back after you spend $500 on the card within the first 3 months from account opening.
- Annual Fee: $0.
- Summary: At no annual fee, there's really no downside to picking this card up. Chase typically provides great 5% categories every quarter. Like other Chase cash back credit cards, points earned with this card can be transferred to Chase's travel credit cards meaning that the 5% back you earn can be worth a lot more towards travel.
- Learn More about the Chase Freedom Flex.
- Calculate Card Value & Ultimate Rewards Points per dollar spent for the Chase Freedom Flex.
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
- Earning Rate: Earns 3% cash back on up to $6,000 in U.S. supermarket purchases per year (then 1%), 3% back on up to $6,000 in U.S. online retail purchases per year (then 1%), and 3% back on up to $6,000 in U.S. gas station purchases per year (then 1%). All other purchases on the card earn 1% back.
- Intro Bonus: Earn a $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
- Annual Fee: $0. (See Rates and Fees)
- Summary: You're looking a no-annual fee credit card that offers 3 great bonus categories with the possibility to earn up to $180 back in each category when you hit the cap. This adds up to a total of $540 in cash back annually. No cash back card can compete with this unless you're spending over $700 per month in each category.
- Learn More about the Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express.
- Calculate Card Value & Cash Back per dollar spent for the Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express.
Citi® Double Cash Card
- Earning Rate: Earn 2% cash back on all purchases — that's 1% cash back on your purchases and 1% cash back when you pay off those purchases.
- Rewards Structure: Cash back earned with this card is displayed as ThankYou Rewards points which can be redeemed for cash back.
- Main Highlights: Points earned with the card can be redeemed for higher value towards travel if you have the Citi Premier® Card.
- Intro Bonus: No current offer.
- Annual Fee: $0.
- Summary: Earning an uncapped 2% back at no-annual fee makes this one of the best cash back credit cards in the market. It pairs well with the Citi Custom Cash Card for 5% back on one eligible category. If you're big on travel, pairing it with the Citi Premier Card will allow you to transfer rewards to all of Citi's airline and hotel partners.
- Learn More about the Citi Double Cash Card.
- Calculate Card Value & ThankYou Points per dollar spent for the Citi Double Cash Card.
Upgrade Triple Cash Visa Card
- Earning Rate: Earn 3% cash back on home, auto, and health purchases and 1% back on everything else.
- Main Highlights: Large credit line, opened to FICO score of 600 or higher, and also doubles as a personal loan.
- Intro Bonus: Get a $200 bonus when you open and fund a new Upgrade Rewards Checking account and make 3 debit card transactions within 60 days of your Upgrade Card account opening.
- Annual Fee: $0.
- Summary: The 3% back categories are very broad and typically feature large purchases which makes it very easy to earn significant amounts of cash back, especially when used for things like home projects, medical bills or emergency car repairs. Any balances not paid by the due date will be converted to an installment loan at a fixed interest rate with equal monthly installments over a set period. You can also treat it like a loan and request funds from your card's credit limit.
- Get Pre-approved for the Upgrade Triple Cash Visa Card.
- Calculate Card Value & Cash Back per dollar spent for the Upgrade Triple Cash Visa Card.
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card

- Earning Rate: Earn 3% cash back on one eligible category of your choice, an automatic 2% back on grocery store and wholesale club purchases, and 1% back on all other purchases. You'll earn at the bonus rates (3% and 2%) on up to $2,500 in combined purchases quarterly, then 1% the remainder of the quarter.
- Main Highlights: Ability to earn up to 75% bonus cash back if you're a Bank of America Preferred client.
- Intro Bonus: Earn a $200 online cash rewards bonus after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.
- Annual Fee: $0.
- Summary: The selling point for this card is the 25% to 75% bonus you'll receive if you're a Bank of America Preferred client. This is based on the combined account balances between Bank of America and their partners. The lowest tier requires $25K and the highest tier that matters requires $100K. If you can meet those requirements, Bank of America credit cards will outshine most credit cards available, cash back and travel.
- Calculate Card Value & Cash Back per dollar spent for the Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card.
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Earning Rate: Earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases.
- Main Highlights: No foreign transaction fee.
- Intro Bonus: One-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.
- Annual Fee: $0.
- Summary: It's a flat-rate 1.5% cash back credit card that has no annual fee, no foreign transaction fee, and is on the Mastercard network (which means it's pretty much accepted worldwide). It's a simple, standard credit card, but it is super reliable which is why I take it with me anytime I travel out of the country. It just works.
- Learn More about the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card.
- Calculate Card Value & Cash Back per dollar spent for the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card.
Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Earning Rate: Earns an unlimited 3% back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services, and at grocery stores and 1% back on everything else.
- Main Highlights: Uncapped bonus categories and no foreign transaction fee.
- Intro Bonus: Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
- Annual Fee: $0.
- Summary: No cap on the 3% categories makes this the best cash back credit card for heavy spenders. If you spend $1,000 or more per month across these categories combined (specifically dining and grocery), you will not get any better than the SavorOne outside of maybe the annual fee version. Avoid the 1% cash back on everything else by pairing it with the Quicksilver to earn 1.5% back instead. Also, no foreign transaction fee makes this just as good as the Quicksilver for international purchases.
- Learn More about the SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card.
- Calculate Card Value & Cash Back per dollar spent for the SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card.
Best Cash Back Credit Cards Summary
Credit Card | Annual Fee | Best For |
---|---|---|
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express | $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 | Earning High Cash Back |
Citi Custom Cash℠ Card | $0 | Automatically Maximizing Cash Back |
Chase Freedom Flex℠ | $0 | High Earnings On Rotating Categories |
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express | $0 | Supermarket, Gas, and Online Retail at No Annual Fee |
Citi® Double Cash Card | $0 | 2% Back With No Annual Fee |
Upgrade Triple Cash Visa Card | $0 | Home Projects & Large Purchases |
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card | $0 | Customized Rewards Categories |
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card | $0 | Earning Cash Back Worldwide |
Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card | $0 | Dining & Entertainment |
Cash Back Credit Card Rewards Calculator
Use the Cash Back Credit Card Rewards Calculator to find out which cards will earn you the most cash back based on the spend amounts you enter into the tool.
Results will consist of top-rated cash back credit cards from our partners. They will be sorted by net return which is total cash back earned, plus annual credits, and minus annual fees.
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These estimates are to help guide you towards making the best decision when it comes to picking up a rewards credit card. They should be used for illustrative purposes only.
You can click on the estimated earnings to see the calculations or click on the card to learn more and apply for the card through our partners.
Do note that all spend amounts entered into the tool above will carry over to every credit card rewards calculator on the site, so there's no need to re-enter spend if you choose to dive deeper into calculating rewards for credit cards on the site.