Best flat-rate cash-back credit cards
Updated 2026-07-23Flat-rate cash-back cards pay one percentage on every purchase, so there are no categories to track and no quarterly bonuses to activate. The best pay 2% on everything with a $0 annual fee, and the rest comes down to sign-up bonuses, intro APR offers, and a few perks. All three cards below charge no annual fee.
How we rank: We ranked on the flat earn rate first, then annual fee, sign-up bonus, and the extras (intro APR, phone protection) that separate otherwise similar cards.
- 1$200 bonusCiti Double Cash® Card
Citi · Mastercard · No annual fee
The cleanest 2% deal on this list: Citi pays a flat 2% on everything (1% when you buy, 1% as you pay) with a $0 annual fee, and a $200 bonus after you spend $1,500 in the first 6 months rewards you for getting started.
2% base - 2$200 bonusWells Fargo Active Cash® Card
Wells Fargo · Visa · No annual fee
Wells Fargo matches the 2% flat rate on unlimited purchases with a $0 annual fee, and adds an easier $200 bonus after just $500 in 3 months, a 0% intro APR for 12 months, and up to $600 of cell phone protection ($25 deductible) when you pay your phone bill with the card.
2% base - 3$200 bonusChase Freedom Unlimited®
Chase · Visa · No annual fee
Its flat rate is 1.5% on everything, below the 2% leaders, but it stacks 5% on travel booked through Chase Travel, 3% at restaurants and drugstores, a $200 bonus after $500 in 3 months, and the longest 0% intro APR here at 15 months.
1.5% base5% Travel purchased through Cha3% Dining at restaurants3% Drugstore purchases
Bottom line
For a true flat-rate card, Citi Double Cash and Wells Fargo Active Cash both pay 2% on everything with no annual fee, so pick whichever bonus and perks fit you (Wells Fargo's $500 spend and phone protection, or Citi's simple buy-plus-pay structure). Go with Chase Freedom Unlimited only if your dining, drugstore, and Chase Travel spending can outweigh its lower 1.5% base.
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