Best cash-back credit cards
Updated 2026-07-27Cash back rewards you in the plainest way possible. You spend, and a percentage comes back with no points to convert or transfer. Which card wins depends entirely on where your money goes. Heavy grocery and gas spenders want fat category rates, while people who'd rather not track anything want one flat rate on everything. The cards below cover both camps, ranked by how much cash they actually return on typical U.S. household spending.
How we rank: We ranked on published earn rates for everyday spending like groceries, gas, and dining, then weighed annual fees, sign-up bonuses, and intro APR offers using only figures each issuer lists.
- 1$25 bonusAmerican Express Rakuten
American Express · American Express · No annual fee
1% base4% Rakuten purchases10% Rakuten Dining2% Groceries and restaurants - 2$300 bonusBlue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
American Express · American Express · $95/yr ($0 first year)
Built for grocery-heavy households, paying 6% back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 a year (then 1%), 6% on select U.S. streaming, and 3% at U.S. gas stations and on transit, with a $95 annual fee that's waived the first year.
1% base6% U.S. supermarkets6% Select U.S. streaming subscr3% Transit - 3$250 bonusAmerican Express Blue Cash Preferred (Morgan Stanley)
American Express · American Express · $95/yr ($0 first year)
1% base6% U.S. supermarkets6% Select U.S. streaming subscr3% U.S. gas stations and transi - 4$250 bonusCapital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
Capital One · Mastercard · No annual fee
A no-annual-fee card tilted toward dining and going out, with 3% back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming, and grocery stores, 5% on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, and 8% on Capital One Entertainment, all with no foreign transaction fees.
1% base3% Dining3% Entertainment3% Popular streaming services - 5$200 bonusChase Freedom Unlimited®
Chase · Visa · No annual fee
A no-annual-fee flat-rate card with category upside, earning 1.5% on everything, then 5% on travel booked through Chase Travel and 3% on dining and drugstores, plus a $200 bonus after you spend $500 in the first 3 months.
1.5% base5% Travel purchased through Cha3% Dining at restaurants3% Drugstore purchases - 6$100 bonusComenity AAA Daily Advantage
Comenity · Visa · No annual fee
1% base5% grocery stores3% gas and EV charging, wholesa - 7$200 bonusCiti Double Cash® Card
Citi · Mastercard · No annual fee
The purest flat-rate play here, paying 2% on everything (1% when you buy, 1% when you pay it off) with no annual fee, so nothing you charge earns less than 2% back.
2% base - 8$50 bonusSynchrony Verizon Visa
Synchrony · Visa · No annual fee
1% base4% grocery4% gas4% dining - 9$200 bonusWells Fargo Active Cash® Card
Wells Fargo · Visa · No annual fee
Another no-annual-fee flat 2% on every purchase, edged just below Double Cash but adding up to $600 of cell phone protection ($25 deductible) when you pay your phone bill with the card, plus a $200 bonus after $500 spent in 3 months.
2% base - 1020,000 points bonusChase Freedom Flex
Chase · Mastercard · No annual fee
1% base5% quarterly rotating bonus cat5% travel purchased through Cha3% dining at restaurants, inclu - 11$100 bonusComenity AAA Travel Advantage
Comenity · Visa · No annual fee
1% base5% Gas purchases and electric v3% Travel, restaurants, grocery - 12$200 bonusWebBank Gemini
WebBank · Mastercard · No annual fee
1% base4% gas, EV charging and transit3% dining2% groceries - 13350 points bonusWells Fargo Expedia One Key+
Wells Fargo · Mastercard · $99/yr
2% base3% Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrb3% Gas stations, grocery stores - 14250 points bonusWells Fargo Expedia One Key
Wells Fargo · Mastercard · No annual fee
1.5% base3% Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo3% Gas stations3% Grocery stores - 15$250 bonusAmerican Express Blue Business Cash
American Express · American Express · No annual fee
2% base - 16$500 bonusBank of America Business Advantage Customized Cash
Bank of America · Mastercard · No annual fee
1% base3% choice category2% dining - 17Capital One Spark 2% Cash Plus
Capital One · Visa · $150/yr
2% base5% Hotels, vacation rentals and5% Capital One Entertainment pu - 18$300 bonusChase Disney Premier
Chase · Visa · $49/yr
1% base5% streaming2% gas stations2% Disney U.S. locations - 19$1,000 bonusChase Ink Business Premier
Chase · Visa · $195/yr
2% base5% chase travel5% lyft2.5% large purchases of $5,000 or - 20$250 bonusCiti AT&T Points Plus
Citi · Mastercard · No annual fee
1x base3x gas and EV charging stations2x AT&T products and services2x grocery stores - 21$100 bonusPenFed Power Cash Rewards
PenFed · Visa · No annual fee
2% base - 22$200 bonusU.S. Bank Cash+
U.S. Bank · Visa · No annual fee
1% base5% Two 5% categories you choose5% Prepaid air, hotel and car r2% One everyday category you ch - 23$500 bonusWells Fargo Signify Business Cash
Wells Fargo · Mastercard · No annual fee
2% base - 24$300 bonusBarclays Upromise
Barclays · Mastercard · No annual fee
1.529% base - 25$500 bonusBank of America Business Advantage Unlimited Cash
Bank of America · Mastercard · No annual fee
1.5% base - 26$200 bonusBank of America Unlimited Cash Rewards
Bank of America · Visa · No annual fee
1.5% base2% all purchases - 27$200 bonusCapital One Quicksilver
Capital One · Visa · No annual fee
1.5% base5% Capital One Travel - hotels,5% Capital One Entertainment - 2875,000 points bonusChase Ink Business Unlimited
Chase · Visa · No annual fee
1.5% base5% Lyft rides - 29PNC Cash Rewards Visa Signature Business
PNC · Visa · No annual fee
1.5% base - 30$100 bonusBarclays AARP Essential Rewards
Barclays · Mastercard · No annual fee
1% base3% gas3% drugstore2% medical - 31$100 bonusBarclays AARP Travel Rewards
Barclays · Mastercard · No annual fee
1% base3% airfare, hotel stays and car2% restaurants - 32$750 bonusCapital One Spark 1.5% Cash Select
Capital One · Visa · No annual fee
1% base1.5% other5% travel - 33$150 bonusChase Amazon Prime
Chase · Visa · No annual fee
1% base5% Amazon.com5% Whole Foods Market5% Chase Travel - 34$150 bonusChase Disney
Chase · Visa · No annual fee
1% base - 3575,000 points bonusChase Ink Business Cash
Chase · Visa · No annual fee
1% base5% office supply stores; intern2% gas stations and restaurants5% Lyft rides - 36$750 bonusU.S. Bank Business Leverage
U.S. Bank · Visa · $95/yr ($0 first year)
1x base2x Top two spend categories eac5x Prepaid hotels and car renta - 37$750 bonusU.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards
U.S. Bank · Mastercard · No annual fee
1% base3% gas and EV charging stations3% office supply stores3% cell phone service providers - 38$100 bonusWells Fargo Attune
Wells Fargo · Mastercard · No annual fee
1% base4% Sports, Recreation, and Ente4% Self-care4% Planet-friendly purchases
Bottom line
If most of your spending is groceries, gas, and streaming, the Blue Cash Preferred earns the most despite its $95 fee. If you'd rather never think about categories, Citi Double Cash and Wells Fargo Active Cash both hand you a flat 2% back with no annual fee. And if your life runs on dining and entertainment, the Savor's 3% and 8% rates fit without costing anything to hold.
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