Best cash back cards - Find Me a Card

Best cash back cards

(Last updated: September 2021)

If you're looking for a cash back credit card, the first question to ask yourself is whether you'll be using the card for all types of spending or mostly for one or a small number of particular spend categories.

If you'll be using the card for all types of spending, then you'll want to check out the first section below to see our favorite cards that offer cash back on general spending. Otherwise, you'll want to check out whichever other section of this article is most relevant for you.

Contents:

Cash back on general spending
Cash back on groceries
Cash back on dining
Cash back on gas

Note: The details of each offer mentioned in this article were current as of the time this article was written, but might have changed by the time you're reading this. (For example, signup bonuses tend to change every few months or so.) Therefore, make sure to double-check the card offer details on the respective credit card issuer's website before you decide to apply for any particular card.

Cash back on general spending

If you'll be using the card for all types of spending, then you'll want to go with a card that offers a fixed earn rate (a.k.a. "flat rate"). Listed below are our favorites.

Note: "Cash back value per year" is the average value per year, for the first 5 years of having the card, of all cash back bonuses and rewards that would be earned by a "typical spender" (spends $1,500 total per month, across spend categories in a way that's consistent with the average U.S. consumer), minus any annual fees.

Credit card	Summary	Signup bonus	Ongoing rewards	Annual fee	Cash back value per year (if spending $1,500 per month)
Chase Freedom Flex	A no annual fee card with 5% cash back on categories that change every 3 months, 5% on travel (when purchased through Chase's points website), 3% on restaurants and drugstores, and 1% on everything else, as well as a $200 signup bonus.	$200 (after spending $500 w/in 3 months)	Through March 2022: 5x points on Lyft rides. 5% cash back (on up to $1,500 spent per quarter) in categories that rotate each quarter (e.g., gas, restaurants, groceries, and Amazon). 5% cash back on grocery store purchases, on up to $12,000 spent in the first year. (Does not include purchases at Target or Walmart.) 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase. 3% cash back on restaurants and drugstores. 1% cash back on all other spending. Receive a $10 Lyft credit once per month for every 5 rides you take in a month.	$0	$459 per year
American Express Blue Cash Preferred	An excellent card for cash back on groceries (6%) and gas (3%), with a $200 welcome bonus (plus 20% cash back on Amazon.com purchases for the first 6 months, for up to $200 back), which outweigh the $95 annual fee for most people.	$200 (after spending $3K in the first 6 months)	6% cash back on groceries and U.S. streaming services (e.g., Netflix), 3% on gas and transit (e.g., taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses), 1% everywhere else. Plus, 20% cash back on Amazon.com purchases on the Card within the first 6 months, for up to $200 back.	$95 ($0 intro)	$418 per year
Chase Freedom Unlimited	An excellent all-around (general spending) cash back card for most people, due to its 1.5% cash back rate, $200 signup bonus, and no annual fee.	$200 (after spending $500 w/in 3 months)	Through March 2022: 5% cash back on Lyft rides. 5% cash back on grocery store purchases, on up to $12,000 spent in the first year. (Does not include purchases at Target or Walmart.) 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase. 3% cash back on restaurants and drugstores. 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.	$0	$387 per year
Capital One SavorOne Rewards	A decent credit card offering cash back on dining and entertainment, a $200 early spend bonus, and no annual fee.	$200 (after spending $500 w/in 3 months)	3% cash back on groceries, dining, entertainment, and popular streaming services. 1% cash back on all other purchases.	$0	$382 per year
Citi Double Cash	A good card for cash back on general spending (2% cash back -- 1% on purchases, plus another 1% when you pay in full), with no annual fee, but also with no signup bonus.	None	2% cash back on every purchase. (1% when you buy, plus an additional 1% when you pay your credit card statement.)	$0	$360 per year

Cash back on groceries

Some specific stores offer rewards cards for loyalty to their stores, but if you would like flexibility on where you shop for groceries, your best bet is to just go with a credit card that offers a high rewards earn rate on grocery spending. Listed below are our favorite such cards.

Note: "Cash back value per year" is the value of all cash back rewards per year, over the first 5 years of having the card, minus any annual fees, that would be earned if you spend $500 per month on groceries and nothing else.

Credit card	Summary	Signup bonus	Ongoing rewards	Annual fee	Cash back value per year (if spending $500/month on groceries)
American Express Blue Cash Preferred	An excellent card for cash back on groceries (6%) and gas (3%), with a $200 welcome bonus (plus 20% cash back on Amazon.com purchases for the first 6 months, for up to $200 back), which outweigh the $95 annual fee for most people.	$200 (after spending $3K in the first 6 months)	6% cash back on groceries and U.S. streaming services (e.g., Netflix), 3% on gas and transit (e.g., taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses), 1% everywhere else. Plus, 20% cash back on Amazon.com purchases on the Card within the first 6 months, for up to $200 back.	$95 ($0 intro)	$284 per year
Capital One SavorOne Rewards	A decent credit card offering cash back on dining and entertainment, a $200 early spend bonus, and no annual fee.	$200 (after spending $500 w/in 3 months)	3% cash back on groceries, dining, entertainment, and popular streaming services. 1% cash back on all other purchases.	$0	$220 per year
American Express Blue Cash Everyday	A great no annual fee cash back card for groceries (3% cash back) and gas (2%), with a $150 welcome bonus.	$150 (after spending $2K w/in 6 months)	3% cash back on groceries (for up to $6K spent on groceries per year), 2% on gas and some department stores, 1% everywhere else. 20% cash back (up to $150 back) on Amazon.com purchases in the first 6 months.	$0	$210 per year
Chase Freedom Flex	A no annual fee card with 5% cash back on categories that change every 3 months, 5% on travel (when purchased through Chase's points website), 3% on restaurants and drugstores, and 1% on everything else, as well as a $200 signup bonus.	$200 (after spending $500 w/in 3 months)	Through March 2022: 5x points on Lyft rides. 5% cash back (on up to $1,500 spent per quarter) in categories that rotate each quarter (e.g., gas, restaurants, groceries, and Amazon). 5% cash back on grocery store purchases, on up to $12,000 spent in the first year. (Does not include purchases at Target or Walmart.) 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase. 3% cash back on restaurants and drugstores. 1% cash back on all other spending. Receive a $10 Lyft credit once per month for every 5 rides you take in a month.	$0	$199 per year
Chase Freedom Unlimited	An excellent all-around (general spending) cash back card for most people, due to its 1.5% cash back rate, $200 signup bonus, and no annual fee.	$200 (after spending $500 w/in 3 months)	Through March 2022: 5% cash back on Lyft rides. 5% cash back on grocery store purchases, on up to $12,000 spent in the first year. (Does not include purchases at Target or Walmart.) 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase. 3% cash back on restaurants and drugstores. 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.	$0	$172 per year

Cash back on dining

If you enjoy eating out and do so often, there are numerous credit cards offering higher rewards earn rates on restaurant spending (which usually includes not only in-restaurant dining, but also takeout, fast food, and other sub-categories) that might make the most sense for you. See below for some of our favorites.

Credit card	Summary	Signup bonus	Ongoing rewards	Annual fee	Cash back value per year (if spending $500/month on dining)
Chase Freedom Flex	A no annual fee card with 5% cash back on categories that change every 3 months, 5% on travel (when purchased through Chase's points website), 3% on restaurants and drugstores, and 1% on everything else, as well as a $200 signup bonus.	$200 (after spending $500 w/in 3 months)	Through March 2022: 5x points on Lyft rides. 5% cash back (on up to $1,500 spent per quarter) in categories that rotate each quarter (e.g., gas, restaurants, groceries, and Amazon). 5% cash back on grocery store purchases, on up to $12,000 spent in the first year. (Does not include purchases at Target or Walmart.) 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase. 3% cash back on restaurants and drugstores. 1% cash back on all other spending. Receive a $10 Lyft credit once per month for every 5 rides you take in a month.	$0	$325 per year
Bank of America Cash Rewards	A decent cash back card for a spend category of your choice (3% on one of: gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores, or home improvement), plus 2% on groceries, with no annual fee and a $200 signup bonus.	$200 (after spending $1K w/in 90 days)	3% cash back in the category of your choice: gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores, or home improvement/furnishings. 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs. 1% cash back all other purchases. (You’ll earn 3% and 2% cash back on the first $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club purchases each quarter, then earn 1%.)	$0	$220 per year
Capital One SavorOne Rewards	A decent credit card offering cash back on dining and entertainment, a $200 early spend bonus, and no annual fee.	$200 (after spending $500 w/in 3 months)	3% cash back on groceries, dining, entertainment, and popular streaming services. 1% cash back on all other purchases.	$0	$220 per year
Chase Freedom Unlimited	An excellent all-around (general spending) cash back card for most people, due to its 1.5% cash back rate, $200 signup bonus, and no annual fee.	$200 (after spending $500 w/in 3 months)	Through March 2022: 5% cash back on Lyft rides. 5% cash back on grocery store purchases, on up to $12,000 spent in the first year. (Does not include purchases at Target or Walmart.) 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase. 3% cash back on restaurants and drugstores. 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.	$0	$220 per year
TD Cash Credit Card	A no annual fee card with decent cash back rates (3% on dining, 2% on groceries) and a $150 signup bonus, but only available to people who live in one of 16 states.	$150 (after spending $500 w/in 90 days)	3% cash back at restaurants. 2% cash back at grocery stores. 1% cash back on all other purchases.	$0	$210 per year

Cash back on gas

If you spend more than most people on gas, you might want to consider one of these two types of gas rewards cards:

Gas store cards: These are credit cards that are for a particular gas merchant (e.g., Sunoco, Shell) and can only be used at those particular gas stations. Although there's typically an issuing bank associated with the card that handles the back-end transaction and lending aspects of the card, that issuing bank usually doesn't promote the card and isn't usually mentioned in any meaningful way in ads or other materials.
Co-branded gas rewards cards: These are similar to gas store cards, as they carry the name of a particular gas merchant. However, these types of cards are also promoted on the website of the issuing bank (e.g., Chase, Capital One) and their usage is not restricted to spending at just that gas merchant. (They can be used wherever credit cards can normally be used.)
Regular rewards cards: These are rewards credit cards that simply offer a higher earn rate on gas spending. They don't carry the name of a particular gas merchant.

Most gas rewards earn rates are issued in the form of a statement credit, check, or gift card. They typically have an earn rate somewhere in the range of 1-3%, but a few offer 5% or more.

A couple things to watch out for:

With some cards, you'll need to request your rebate in advance.
Some cards have a cap on the amount of rewards you can earn per year.

Listed below are our favorite cards for earning cash back rewards on gas spending.

Credit card	Summary	Signup bonus	Ongoing rewards	Annual fee	Cash back value per year (if spending $250/month on gas)
PNC Cash Rewards	A good card if you're looking for cash back on gas (4%), restaurants (3%), and groceries (2%), with no annual fee.	None	4% cash back at gas stations. 3% cash back on dining (also includes fast food). 2% cash back at grocery stores. 1% cash back on all other purchases.	$0	$120 per year
Citi Costco Anywhere Visa Card	A great no annual fee cash back card for people who are Costco members and spend a lot on gas (4% cash back), restaurants (3%), travel (3%), and Costco (2%) purchases.	None	4% cash back on gas (including gas at Costco), for the first $7,000 spent per year. 3% cash back on restaurants and travel. 2% cash back on other Costco purchases (in-store and/or at costco.com). 1% cash back on all other purchases.	$0	$120 per year
Chase Freedom Flex	A no annual fee card with 5% cash back on categories that change every 3 months, 5% on travel (when purchased through Chase's points website), 3% on restaurants and drugstores, and 1% on everything else, as well as a $200 signup bonus.	$200 (after spending $500 w/in 3 months)	Through March 2022: 5x points on Lyft rides. 5% cash back (on up to $1,500 spent per quarter) in categories that rotate each quarter (e.g., gas, restaurants, groceries, and Amazon). 5% cash back on grocery store purchases, on up to $12,000 spent in the first year. (Does not include purchases at Target or Walmart.) 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase. 3% cash back on restaurants and drugstores. 1% cash back on all other spending. Receive a $10 Lyft credit once per month for every 5 rides you take in a month.	$0	$115 per year
Bank of America Cash Rewards	A decent cash back card for a spend category of your choice (3% on one of: gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores, or home improvement), plus 2% on groceries, with no annual fee and a $200 signup bonus.	$200 (after spending $1K w/in 90 days)	3% cash back in the category of your choice: gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores, or home improvement/furnishings. 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs. 1% cash back all other purchases. (You’ll earn 3% and 2% cash back on the first $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club purchases each quarter, then earn 1%.)	$0	$90 per year
US Bank Cash+ Visa Signature	A good no annual fee card, with a $150 signup bonus and 2-5% cash back on certain specific categories (1% on everything else).	$150 (after spending $500 w/in 90 days)	5% cash back on the first $2,000 spent in two categories that you choose. 2% cash back on one "everyday" category. (Typical 2% categories to choose from include gas, restaurants, and groceries.) 1% cash back on all other purchases.	$0	$90 per year