If you pay your balance in full each month and you're not using a rewards card, you're subsidizing everyone else's travel and cash back without getting any yourself. Fix that today.
How We Ranked These Cards
We evaluated 47 cash back cards on first-year value (including sign-up bonuses), ongoing earn rates by category, annual fees, and ease of redemption. These are the cards we'd actually put in our own wallets.
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
- $200 bonus after $500 spend in first 3 months
- 5% on travel booked through Chase
- 3% on dining and drugstores
- 1.5% on everything else
- No annual fee
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Citi Double Cash Card
- 1% when you buy, 1% when you pay
- No category tracking needed
- No annual fee
- $200 cash back after $1,500 spend in first 6 months
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The Math on Rewards Cards
Average American household spends $5,577/month on credit card purchases. At 2% cash back, that's $1,339/year back in your pocket — plus a sign-up bonus. Over 5 years: $6,700+. Over 20 years: nearly $27,000 (ignoring the time value of money).
One Rule: Never Carry a Balance
Cash back cards carry average APRs of 24-28%. If you carry a balance, you will pay far more in interest than you earn in rewards. Rewards cards are strictly for people who pay in full every month. If that's not you yet, focus on eliminating the balance first.