Best cash-back credit cards
Updated 2026-07-23Cash 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. These five 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$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 - 2$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 - 3$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 - 4$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 - 5$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
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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