We’ve Ranked the 9 Best Cash Back Credit Cards (7 Have No Annual Fees)

INSIDER SECRET: Some folks prefer straightforward cash-back rewards, as opposed to earning miles and points. You can use cash back for anything you want, including travel — and most cards on our list have NO annual fee.

When it comes to credit card rewards, it doesn’t get any simpler than earning cash back. With a cash-back card, you’re getting a discount just for using a credit card. But if you’re not using the credit card with best cash-back rewards for your spending habits, you’re missing out on free money.

For example, you can get a credit card that earns bonus rewards on supermarket or restaurant purchases. There are even cash-back rewards cards for folks with less than excellent credit. So there’s no reason you can’t find the best cash back credit card for your particular situation.

Here are our top picks for the best cash back credit cards:

Looking for the Best Cash Back Credit Card?

If you’re in the market for anything from a big cash bonus to 6% cash back on your groceries, there’s a card for you. But with so many options, it can be hard to make a choice. So we’ve distilled them down to a handful of easy to understand categories:

• Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best cash-back credit card for a huge bonus ($300) with waived annual fee (for the first year)
• Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: Best cash-back credit card for select US streaming services and US supermarkets
• Bank of America® Cash Rewards credit card: Best cash-back credit card with no annual fee & bonus categories of your choice
• Capital One® SavorOne℠ Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best cash-back credit card with no annual fee for dining & entertainment purchases
• Chase Freedom: Best cash-back credit card for 5% bonus categories
• Chase Freedom Unlimited: Best cash-back credit card for everyday spending
• Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express: Best cash-back credit card with no annual fee (See rates & fees) for US gas stations and US supermarkets
• Wells Fargo Propel American Express® Card: Best cash-back credit card with biggest bonus ($300) for no annual fee
• Ink Business Cash Credit Card: Best cash-back credit card with no annual fee for small businesses

How We Chose the Best Credit Cards for Cash Back

Do a quick search for “what is the best cash-back credit card” and you’ll quickly be overwhelmed with information. You’ll have to wade through details about bonus categories, annual fees, and benefits — and that’s before you start reading the fine print.

You could spend hours doing research and still not end up with the best card for you. The good news is, we’ve done all the legwork so you don’t have to.

We’ll cover everything you need to know including:

• Intro bonus: Banks entice folks to apply for their credit cards with generous bonuses — and a big welcome bonus can be the difference between the “right” or “wrong” card.
• Minimum spending requirements: You generally won’t earn an intro bonus without meeting a minimum spending requirement. This is a BIG factor in deciding whether or not you should get a card. It’s NOT a good idea to spend more than you normally would just to meet a minimum spending requirement.
• Cash-back earning rate: How much cash back will you earn per $1 spent? And which, if any, categories of purchases will earn bonus cash?
• Perks, quirks, and fees: Each card has different benefits, such as insurance coverage for everything from rental cars to cell phones. Some cards have an annual fee, although their perks will quite often offset the cost. You’ll want to make sure the benefits of a card outweigh any fees before you make a decision.

If you’re just starting out with rewards credit cards, you’ll want to know your credit score before applying. You can check it for free at a number of different sites, including myBankrate. To have the highest odds of approval for most of the best cash-back credit cards, you’ll need a credit score of 700+, but even if you have less than perfect credit, you have options.

Banks do look at more than just your credit score when reviewing your application, and having a pristine credit report does not guarantee an approval.

You’ll also want to read our post about the 11 credit card myths that could be holding you back. For example, it’s a common myth that applying for credit cards will hurt your credit score. While it is true that applying for a credit card will result in a hard inquiry, which will temporarily lower your credit score by a small amount, over the long haul it’s easy to maintain an excellent credit score and have lots of rewards credit cards.

Many of us on the Million Mile Secrets team have 12+ credit cards while maintaining credit scores over 800.

Of course, if you don’t pay your balance off in full and on time every month your credit score can take a hit and you’ll end up paying hefty interest and fees. So if you’re not in a position to pay off all your credit card balances each and every month, then you’ll want to wait to apply. No credit card rewards are worth sacrificing your credit score or finances.

Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best Cash Back Credit Card for a Huge Bonus ($300) With Waived Annual Fee (for the first year)

Apply Here: Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card

Read our review of the Capital One Savor Card

When you open a new Capital One Savor card, you’ll earn $300 cash back after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.

It’s the perfect card to use when you’ve got a night out on the town planned because it earns 4% cash back on dining and entertainment purchases!  You’ll also earn:

• 2% cash back at grocery stores
• 1% cash back on all other purchases

And there is no limit to the amount of cash back you can earn.

The card has a $95 annual fee, but it’s waived the first year.

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: Best Cash Back Credit Card for Streaming Services and Groceries

Apply Here: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

Read our review of the Amex Blue Cash Preferred

The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card is an excellent card for earning cash back in popular everyday spending categories.

With this card, you can earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. The card also has some rock solid bonus categories:

• 6% cash back at US supermarkets (up to $6,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1% cash back)
• 6% cash back on select US streaming services
• 3% cash back at US gas stations and on transit
• 1% cash back on everything else
• Terms Apply

The Blue Cash Preferred has a $95 annual fee (see rates & fees).

The Amex Blue Cash Preferred is great for stacking up savings on your daily commute. You’ll get unlimited 3% cash back at US gas stations and on transit. And the transit category is broad; it includes subways, ferries, taxis, ride sharing, tolls and parking.

The 6% cash back on select US streaming services is a bonus category almost everyone can easily take advantage of because it includes services like:

• Amazon Music
• Apple Music
• Audible
• CBS All Access
• Direct TV Now
• ESPN+
• Fubo TV
• HBO Now
• Hulu
• iHeartRadio
• Kindle Unlimited
• MLB.TV
• NBA League Pass
• Netflix
• NHL.TV
• Pandora
• Prime Video Unlimited
• Showtime
• Sling TV
• SiriusXM Streaming and Satellite
• Spotify
• YouTube Music Premium
• YouTube Premium
• YouTube TV

Just keep in mind that if you pay for one of the subscriptions through a third party or as part of a packaged deal, you might not earn the bonus cash back. Also, certain superstores, like Target or BJs, won’t qualify for the US supermarket bonus.

Bank of America® Cash Rewards credit card: Best Cash Back Credit Card With No Annual Fee & Flexible Bonus Categories

Apply Here: Bank of America® Cash Rewards credit card

With the Bank of America Cash Rewards card, you can earn a $200 bonus after you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening. That’s on top of the cash back you’ll earn on your purchases:

• 3% cash back on your choice of one of these five categories — online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores, or home improvement/furnishings and 2% back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (bonus cash back is earned on up to $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club quarterly purchases, then 1%)
• Unlimited 1% back on all other purchases

If you make the most of the 3% cash back category, you can earn an extra $75 per quarter or $300 per year. That’s not too shabby for a no annual fee credit card.

When you open the card the default 3% cash back category is gas, but you can change your bonus category once per month. Being able to change the 3% category every month should give you the flexibility to easily maximize your cash back every quarter. This is especially helpful for travel and home improvement because those are generally times for bigger purchases, but you not want either of them as a bonus category for an entire quarter.

Capital One® SavorOne℠ Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best Cashback Credit Card With No Annual Fee for Dining & Entertainment Purchases

Apply Here: Capital One® SavorOne℠ Cash Rewards Credit Card

Read our comparison of the Capital One SavorOne vs. Capital One Savor

The Capital One SavorOne card has a $150 cash bonus offer, which you’ll earn after you spend $500 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. That’s a really small minimum spending requirement, and the cash bonus is like getting 30% back on your minimum spending.

The card also earns:

• 3% cash back on dining and entertainment
• 2% cash back at grocery stores
• 1% cash back on all other purchases

You can earn an unlimited amount of cash back with the card, so it’s a great choice if you’re looking to save on a night out and don’t want to bother with paying an annual fee. Plus, the Capital One SavorOne card has no foreign transaction fees, so you won’t be penalized for using it on your next trip overseas.

Chase Freedom: Best Cash Back Credit Card for 5% Bonus Categories

Apply Here: Chase Freedom

Read our review of the Chase Freedom

You can earn a $150 bonus (15,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points) with the Chase Freedom card after you spend $500 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.You’ll also earn 5% cash back (5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points per $1) on the no annual fee Chase Freedom card’s rotating quarterly categories. After you activate the bonus, you can earn it on up to $1,500 in spending each quarter combined across all bonus categories. The bonus categories are typically useful, like gas stations, grocery stores, and mobile wallet or Paypal payments.

When PayPal was included as a bonus category, I took advantage of the Chase Freedom card’s 5% cash back by paying my taxes through PayPal with my card. The category bonus made it a profitable move, even with the extra fees for making the payment with a card.

The Chase Ultimate Rewards points you earn with the Chase Freedom card are worth 1 cent each toward cash back or travel. But your Chase points have more value if you have cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve or Ink Business Preferred Credit Card.

When you have one of these cards, you can combine your points and transfer them to lots of great airline and hotel partners, like Hyatt and Southwest. For example, you could redeem 30,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points for $300 cash back (30,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points X 1 cent each). Or, you could transfer those points to Hyatt and book a $900 hotel room. Those same points could get you to Hawaii and back on British Airways or Singapore Airlines. That’s why being able to transfer your points is so powerful.

Chase has one of the more restrictive application rules – the 5/24 rule. Chase will not approve you for most of their cards if you’ve opened five or more cards from any bank (NOT counting Chase business cards and certain other business cards) in the past 24 months. The Chase Freedom card is affected by this rule. So if you’re new to the rewards credit card hobby, it makes sense to apply for the best Chase credit cards you want first, then get other cards later on.

Chase Freedom Unlimited®: Best Cash Back Credit Card for Everyday Spending

Apply Here: Chase Freedom Unlimited

Read our review of the Chase Freedom Unlimited

With the Chase Freedom Unlimited card, you can earn 3% cash back (3X Chase Ultimate Rewards points per $1) on all purchases for the first year, up to $20,000 spent.

That’s an excellent return for a card with NO annual fee. After the promotional rate expires, you’ll earn 1.5% cash back (1.5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points per $1) on all purchases, with no cap on how much cash back you can earn. That makes this card one of the best for everyday, non-bonus spending.

Just like the Chase Freedom card, when you pair the Chase Freedom Unlimited with an annual-fee Ultimate Rewards card, all the points you earn become transferable to travel partners.

This card has been on my list for a long time. It’s best for folks who like fixed rewards, because there are no bonus categories you’ll have to remember.

Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express: Best Cash Back Credit Card for Gas and Groceries

Apply Here: Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express

Read our review of the Amex Blue Cash Everyday

If you’re looking to take the sting out rising fuel prices and expensive grocery bills, the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card should be in your wallet.

With this card, you can earn a $150 statement credit after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. The card has some exceptional bonus categories:

• 3% cash back at US supermarkets (up to $6,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1% cash back)
• 2% cash back at US gas stations and select US department stores
• 1% cash back on everything else
• Terms Apply

The Amex Blue Cash Everyday also has no annual fee.

Amex doesn’t count superstores or warehouse clubs as supermarkets. So purchases made at Walmart, Target, Amazon, or Costco do NOT qualify for 3% cash back. Generally, fuel purchases from gas stations that are part of supermarkets or warehouse clubs also will NOT qualify for the 2% cash back bonus at US gas stations. So be sure to review the terms before you make any big bonus-category purchases.

The card also comes with other perks like:

• Free ShopRunner Membership – Free 2-day shipping from hundreds of online stores, a value of $79 per year
• Rental car loss and damage insurance – This insurance will cover authorized drivers for damage due to theft or collision of most rental cars. The coverage applies when you pay for the entire rental with your eligible card. This benefit is secondary to other insurance.
• Extended warranty – You can get up to an additional two years on the original manufacturer’s warranty, depending on the length of the original warranty
• Return protection – If a qualifying US purchase cannot be returned to the original merchant, you can be reimbursed up to $300 per item ($1,000 per calendar year). The coverage is limited to purchases made in the past 90 days

Wells Fargo Propel American Express® Card: Best Cash Back Credit Card for Travel Purchases and No Annual Fee ($300 Bonus)

Apply Here: Wells Fargo Propel American Express® Card

Read our review of the Wells Fargo Propel American Express

The Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card comes with 30,000 bonus points (worth $300 in cash back, travel, gift cards or other rewards) after you spend $3,000 in purchases within the first three months of card opening.

You’ll also get:

• 3 points per $1 spent on travel purchases (flights, hotels, homestays, and car rentals)
• 3 points per $1 spent on eating out and ordering in
• 3 points per $1 spent on gas stations, rideshares, and transit
• 3 points per $1 spent on eligible streaming services
• 1 point per $1 for all other purchases
• Cell phone insurance (up to $600 per claim with a $25 deductible)
• NO foreign transaction fees
• NO annual fee

Your points are worth 1 cent apiece for rewards like cash back, travel or gift cards. If you spend a lot in these categories, earning 3% back in rewards is a good deal, especially for a card with no annual fee.

Ink Business Cash℠ Credit Card: Best Cash Back Credit Card for Small Businesses With No Annual Fee

Apply Here: Ink Business Cash Credit Card

Read our review of the Ink Business Cash Credit Card

For small business owners, it’s hard to top the welcome bonus you’ll get with the no-annual-fee Chase Ink Business Cash card. You’ll earn a $500 cash back bonus (50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points) after you spend $3,000 in purchases within the first three months of opening your account.

The card also has excellent 5x and 2x bonus categories. You’ll earn:

• 5% cash back (5x Chase Ultimate Rewards points per $1) on the first $25,000 you spend in combined purchases at office supply stores and on phone, internet, and cable TV services each account anniversary year
• 2% cash back (2x Chase Ultimate Rewards points per $1) on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year
• 1% cash back (1x Chase Ultimate Rewards point per $1) on all other purchases

If you spend a lot in the bonus categories, the Chase Ink Business Cash can put literally free money back toward your bottom line.

Like other Chase cards, it’s subject to the 5/24 rule, but because it’s a small business card, it won’t count toward your status when you open it. Even better, you can combine the points you earn with this card with other Ultimate Rewards-earning cards – even personal cards.

Considering there’s no annual fee, the $500 welcome offer is extremely generous.