10 Best Cash Back Credit Cards of 2019
If you enjoy earning rewards for your everyday purchases, the cash back credit cards may be perfect for you. These cards are typically highly beneficial if you tend to pay your credit bill as soon as you receive the statement and don’t carry over a monthly balance. However, you may need a good to an excellent credit score in order to be approved by a lender.
When checking out cash back credit cards, the first thing to consider is your spending history. You’ll want to ensure the card is worth the rate, and if you carry a balance from month-to-month, you may wind up spending more in interest and fees than you earn back in rewards. It’s important to consider if the card will be worth the rewards in the long run.
The best cash back credit cards will put the most money in your wallet and come with the lowest fees. Check out the buyer’s guide below to find out exactly what else you should look for in a cash back card based on your needs and specific spending habits, then check out our list of the best 10 back cards you can sign up for today.
Buyer’s Guide
Cash back credit cards are great because you receive back a portion of what you spend, which is most often 1% cash back on your purchases. Unlike a travel card that racks up points or miles you can use on future travel, cash back cards put the money you spend back in your wallet.
Paying off your credit balance should be at the forefront of your mind when selecting the right card for you, so consider the rates you may need to pay in comparison to the rate of rewards you may earn back. If a card comes with other rewards or a percentage back for certain purchases, make sure those are things you normally spend money on to reap the full benefits.
Here are a few things to look for when selecting the best cash back credit cards for you:
Earning Rates and Rewards
Redeeming Rewards
Interest Rate
Annual Fees
Top 8 Best Cash Back Credit Cards
Now that you know what to look for in a cask back reward card, let’s look at the best cash back credit cards currently available and ranking well.
Chase Freedom
The Chase Freedom card is one of the most popular and highly esteemed cash back rewards cards. Ranked as the one of the best cash back credit cards time and again, the Chase Freedom card has no annual fee and a slew of some of the best rewards available today.
In terms of rewards, Chase starts out giving from the start. When you sign up, you can earn a $150 sign-up bonus, 5% cash back on purchases in various excellent categories, and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
These rotating categories do change every few months, but they often include purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, or PayPal purchases. Each quarter, you sign up for the rewards you want to earn 5% back on. There is a cap though. You can only earn a percentage back on the first $1,500 you spend on purchases from the bonus category, meaning you can earn a max of $75 each quarter.
With no annual fee, you can earn a lot back from this card. In fact, if your max out the bonus categories each quarter, you could earn over $300 in a year. If you also have another Chase card, you can even transfer your cash back points to your other card or one of Chase’s hotel or airline partners for travel savings. And the best part is that the rewards never expire as long as your account stays active!
Citi Double Cash Card
Citi offers one of the best cash back credit cards thanks to their ease of use. One of the simplest cards on the market today, the Citi Double Cash Card gives you a relatively high earning rate. With this card, you’ll earn 1% cash back on what you spend and another 1% back when you pay the minimum balance on your statement before the due date.
While carrying a balance over to the next month isn’t recommended with credit cards, it is nice that Citi still rewards their customers for paying on time. This may be an incentive that triggers those with trouble remembering to pay bills on time to do so.
This card also comes with no sign-up bonus and does have a 3% charge for foreign transactions you’ll need to consider. But with no annual fee and an uncapped 2% back on any purchase, you don’t have to skim through categories to find rewards or only receive back some of what you spend.
You will need to accumulate at least $25 in rewards before you can redeem your cash back, however, you can choose how you’d like to receive your payment. With Citi, you can receive your reward in the following ways:
Discover It Cash Back
Similar to the Chase Freedom card, Discover It offers 5% cash back on rotating categories and 1% back on all other purchases. However, where these cards differ is that instead of a $150 sign up bonus, Discover will match the cash back you earn during your first year, helping you earn double the amount and potentially earning double what you could with Chase’s sign up bonus if you can wait a year.
Some of the categories have previously included gas stations and restaurants, but in the fourth quarter of 2018, Discover It holders can earn rewards on their Amazon purchases. The rewards possibilities are endless with this card, and the huge sign-up bonus makes this card a leading option on the market.
One of the best cash back credit cards offer no annual fees or foreign transactions fees to worry about with this card, so you can use it anywhere around the world. And in the first 14 months of signing up, you can also receive a 0% introductory APR, with around 13-25% APR rates afterward depending on your credit score.
Capital One Quicksilver Card
If you travel and shop outside the United States often, this card has no foreign transaction fees. You can earn a slightly higher reward rate, at 1.5%, and earn cash back on any purchase you make. This card is pretty simple, which makes it an easy option.
With Capital One, you don’t need to worry about bonus categories or spending limits. Your possibilities are endless. You can spend any amount, anywhere in the world, and still earn 1.5% cash back. Plus, Capital One offers flexibility in how you receive your payments, offering the choice between statement credit or a check delivered to you by mail. You can even choose when to receive your reward.
Blue Cash Preferred from American Express
With the Blue Cash Preferred card from American Express, you can earn as much as $200 back when you spend up to $1,000 during the first three months. Afterward, you’ll receive 6% cash back on groceries (up to a $6,000 limit each year and 1% back after this limit), 3% back at gas stations, and 1% back on any other purchase. Plus, this card comes with some awesome bonus categories to help you earn more.
The earnings you receive can accumulate as rewards, which you can then redeem as statement credits after you have earned at least $25. The sign-up bonus does offset this annual fee, but only if you spend at least $1,000 soon after signing up.
However, if you often travel outside the United States or don’t use your credit card often, this may not be the card for you. Blue Cash comes with a $95 annual fee and charges nearly 3% on foreign transactions.
Bank of America Cash Rewards Credit Card
This card is a great option because it comes with no annual fees, 1% cash back on non-bonus purchases, 2% cash back on anything you spend at grocery stores and wholesale clubs, and 3% back on the first $2,500 you spend on groceries, wholesale clubs, or gas purchases for every quarter.
You can really earn a lot back with this card, which real users love. Even if you want to keep your spending down, you can earn enough with just gas purchases each month to make the rewards worth using this card.
Even better, your rewards come as statement credits directly to your account and you can receive a 10% customer bonus each time you redeem your reward in your checking or savings account at Bank of America.
U.S. Bank Cash Visa Signature Card
New members can earn $150 when signing up for this card after you spend $500 on eligible purchases in the first 90 days of opening your account. This means if you’re planning on making a large purchase that already meets the requirements, you can seriously save.
With this card, you can earn 5% back on your first $2,000 spent (on select purchases) each quarter, select the categories you want to earn rewards from, earn 2% back on gas station and grocery purchases, and receive 1% back on all other purchases. There’s no limit to how much you can earn!
Plus, it comes with 0% APR for the first year (15-25% APR afterward) and no annual fees.
Alliant Cashback Visa Signature Credit Card
If you tend to spend a large amount on your credit card each year, this cash back card can help you earn a lot in return. Exclusively designed for people who spend over $50,000 each year on their credit card, the Alliant Cashback card offers 3% back in the first year and 2.5% back afterward. There are no limits to how much you can earn, and you can use the card in any country without added fees.
Even better, the annual fee is only $50 and is waived during your first year as a cardholder. What people really love about this card is that it works with Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay and you’re protected with a $0 fraud liability guarantee from Visa if something were to happen.
With rates as low as 11.74% APR and no annual fee for the first year, savings are endless with this card.
How We Choose Our Ratings
We only create honest reviews, so we take the time to ensure our ratings are accurate and deserve to be on the best-of list. To help you find exactly what you’re looking for, we put together complete buyer’s guides that encompass everything you’d need to know before you buy. Then we scour the internet to find the best cash back credit cards on the market today, from the world’s leading banks.
All of the information we provide is available online, and our guides are created based on the information provided. But we research the fine details of each product, down to the rewards and fees, what real users think of using the card, and what the masses have to say in their reviews before we make a valid suggestion in the interest of helping you keep more money in your pocket.
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