Calculate 1.5% Cash Back - Interactive Calculators

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What is 1.5% cash back?

When a rewards program or credit card is offering 1.5% cash back, it means that for every $1 you spend you will earn 1.5 cents ($0.015) in the form of cash back.

How do you calculate 1.5% cash back?

You can calculate 1.5% cash back multiplying 0.015 by the amount you plan on spending. So if you spend $1,000, 1.5% back would be $1,000 x 0.015 which is $15. You can use the cash back calculator below to calculate total cash back based on spend.

1.5% cash back calculator

Use the 1.5% Cash Back Calculator to calculate 1.5% cash back based on the value entered.

Enter the total cost of the purchase to calculate 1.5% cash back.

Cost

Total Cash Back:	$1.50

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 insurance
Purchase insurance
Cell phone protection
The ability to convert cash to other rewards
Ways to earn bonus cash back
Synergy with other 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 the best 1.5% back credit cards in the market right now:

Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card - Earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases worldwide at no annual fee.
American Express Cash Magnet® Card - Earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases.
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.

Should you get a 1.5% cash back card?

I recommend having at least one flat rate earning card. The best use of 1.5% cash back credit cards will usually come from pairing them with other credit cards that fall under the same rewards program or bank (aka: credit card synergy).

For example, take a look at the cash back earning rates for the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card:

SavorOne Card

Earns 3% cash back on dining and entertainment purchases
Earns 2% cash back on grocery purchases
Earns 1% cash back on everything else

Quicksilver Card

Earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases

If you were to have both cards, you would use the SavorOne Card for dining, entertainment, and grocery purchases and use the Quicksilver Card for everything else.

This is because the SavorOne will only earn you 1% back on all purchases whereas the Quicksilver would earn you 1.5%. You may think that a 0.5% difference is not that big, but it adds up over the course of the calendar year.

For example, $2,000 in miscellaneous purchases per month would be $24,000 per year. At 1% that is a total of $240 in cash back, but at 1.5% that is a total of $360 in cash back. I don't know about you, but the $360 sounds significantly better.

There are many credit cards that work well together. Here are a few of our top picks:

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.

Calculate credit card cash back

Input your monthly and yearly spend amounts into the tool below to find out which credit cards will earn you the most cash back on your spending.

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Category Spending

Resets all fields in the Category Spending section for all columns. Also clears all saved spend values that carry from calculator to calculator.

Add Categories

Search for categories and click 'Add Category' to add it to the calculator. If you want to be more specific, you can specify domestic or international spend.

Type at least 3 characters.

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Income Requirement

Income Type

Select if you're looking for credit cards based on your own individual income or if you're looking for credit cards based on the income of the entire household.

Income Maximum

Select the maximum income requirement you want listed in your top picks.

Calculator Options

Personal & Business Cards

Select which type of credit cards appear in the results. You can choose from personal (consumer) credit cards, business credit cards, or both.

Include Intro Bonuses?

If set to yes, intro bonuses will be included in the calculations if you meet the monthly spend criteria based on what's entered into the tool. Do note that we do not have intro bonuses for all credit cards and we cannot calculate intro bonuses for some cards.

Find out which credit cards will offer you the most value based on the spend amounts you entered

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Results

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.

Best Credit Cards

Listed below are up to 10 of the best rewards credit cards based on the spend amounts you entered (when applicable).

Travel Cards

Travel credit cards are great for building rewards redeemable towards a wide variety of travel including airfare, hotels, car rentals, cruises, and more. Most travel cards also offer a range of benefits that can make your trips more enjoyable and save you money.

Cash Back Cards

Cash back is one of the most flexible form of rewards and most easy to understand. Rewards earned are worth face value and they can be used towards almost anything.

Rewards Cards

If you're looking to earn a solid return on your spend, rewards credit cards are the way to go. These cards offer general rewards that can be used towards a number of different redemptions including cash back, statement credits, travel, gift cards, and more.

Airline Cards

These are the best credit cards if you're looking to use rewards towards award flights. Co-branded credit cards offer benefits such as lounge access the ability to earn qualifying miles through spending.

Hotel Cards

If you're looking to use rewards towards free nights at hotels, these are the best cards for you. Many co-branded hotel cards offer great benefits such as annual free nights, complimentary elite status, and more.

No Annual Fee Cards

If you're looking to minimize your immediate costs while still earning plenty of value, you may want to consider a credit card with no annual fee. Some of these cards also offer lower interest rates and balance transfer offers.

No Foreign Transaction Fee Cards

When you make a charge with your credit card outside of the U.S., many card issuers will charge you a foreign transaction fee which is typically around 3% of the purchase price. Luckily, many credit cards waive foreign transaction fees which is great if you're looking to earn rewards on international spending and travel.

FAQ

What is 1.5% cash back?

1.5% cash back means you will earn 1.5 cents ($0.015) for every $1 spent.

Are 1.5% cash back credit cards good?

Yes. 1.5% cash back credit cards typically have no annual fee and offer a great return on your spend. They're best used when paired with other credit cards.

Aren't 2% cash back cards better?

Yes, 2% cash back (and higher) credit cards will earn you more cash back, but most tend to have an annual fee and will require you to focus all of your spend across the card to make it worth the fee. There are some cards that earn 2% and higher that have no fee which will do you better than a 1.5% cash back card.

How much cash back will I earn with a 1.5% cash back card?

It depends on how much spend you run through the card and whether or not the card has an annual fee. You can use the 1.5% Cash Back Credit Card Calculators on this page to calculate total cash back based on your spend.

What's the best 1.5% cash back card?

While there are 1.5% cash back credit cards that are better than others, there's no card that is merely "The Best". You'll want to take into account card benefits, other credit cards in the program, fees, and much more when looking for a great 1.5% cash back credit card.

Are there 1.5% points and miles cards?

There are lots of 1.5% cash back credit cards that are disguised as points and miles cards. For example, the Discover it Miles card earns 1.5 Discover Miles per $1 spent. The miles are worth 1 cents each so you're just looking at a 1.5% return.

How do I know what's the best credit card for my spend?

You can use the Credit Card Finder Tool to get a list of the best credit cards based on your spend across categories.

Maximize your cash back rewards

Looking for the best cash back credit cards? Check out a few of our top picks below and use our credit card cash back calculators to find out how much you can earn!