1.5% Cash Back Calculator: Reward Estimator by Purchase Amount

What is 1.5% cash back?

"1.5% cash back" refers to a rewards rate where you earn 1.5 cents for every dollar you spend on eligible purchases. For example, if you spend $100, you would receive $1.50 back in cash rewards.

This type of cash back rate is common with many credit cards and rewards programs, allowing you to earn a percentage of your spending back as cash, which can typically be redeemed as statement credits, deposits, or other reward options.

It’s a straightforward way to get value from your purchases, as the cash back accumulates with every transaction, turning everyday spending into savings.

How do you calculate 1.5% cash back?

Calculating 1.5% cash back is straightforward: simply multiply your purchase amount by 0.015 to find the cash back earned.

For instance, if you make a purchase of $1,000, you’d multiply $1,000 by 0.015, resulting in $15 in cash back. This calculation applies to any purchase amount—just take the total and multiply by 0.015 to get the 1.5% cash back value.

1.5% cash back calculator

Use this 1.5% cash back calculator to quickly determine how much you'll earn based on any spend.

1.5% cash back amounts

The table below lists the amounts for 1.5 cash back for several denominations.

What's the best 1.5% cash back card?

There are many 1.5% cash back credit cards in the market and while the overall return might be the same, there are cards that offer additional benefits that makes them better than others. This includes things like:

• Travel and purchase insurance
• Cell phone protection
• The ability to convert cash to other rewards
• Ways to earn bonus cash back
• Synergy with other credit cards in the program

These are all important and should be considered when choosing any kind of credit card, especially if you plan on maximizing your spend by having more than one rewards card.

Here are a few of our top picks for best 1.5% back credit cards from our partners:

• Chase Freedom Unlimited® - Earns bonus cash back on drugstore, dining, and Chase Travel purchases while earning a base of 1.5% cash back on all other purchases. No annual fee.
• Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card - Earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases worldwide at no annual fee.
• Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa® Card - Doubles as a credit card and personal loan. Earn 1.5% cash back on purchases or borrow from your credit line at a fixed rate. No annual fee.

Are there cards that are better than 1.5% cash back?

There's a good handful of credit cards that earn more than 1.5% cash back, so why would you get a 1.5% cash back card when you know you can earn a higher rate with another card? The answer to that depends on many factors:

• How much do you plan on spending on the card?
• Do you like the issuer/bank and network the card is assigned to?
• Do you plan on using the card internationally?
• Does the card have useful benefits that you'll use?

You have to take all of this into consideration when selecting a credit card.

For example, I own the Citi® Double Cash Card which earns 2% cash back (1% on purchase and 1% when you pay off the purchase) and the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card which earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases. The reason I own both is based on my international travel.

The Citi Double Cash Card has a 3% foreign transaction fee which means that if I use the card outside of the States, I'll be charged a fee of 3 cents on the dollar. Since the card earns 2% back (which is 2 cents on the dollar), I would be technically losing rewards which is not good.

On the other hand, the Quicksilver Card has a 0% foreign transaction fee which means I can use the card internationally and not have to worry about a fee.

So basically, I use the Citi Double Cash for purchases in the U.S. to get up to 2% back on my purchases and I take the Capital One Quicksilver with me when I travel internationally to earn an easy 1.5% back on purchases.