Best Cash Back Credit Cards
For most people, the best cash back card is a no-annual-fee card that pays a flat 2% on everything. You don't need to track categories, and it beats most category cards unless a lot of your spending fits those categories. Cash back only pays if you clear the balance every month, since a single month of interest usually costs more than a year of rewards.
Checked September 23, 2026. Approval generally needs good credit.
Compared
| Card | Annual fee | Rewards | Best for |
| Wells Fargo Active Cash | $0 | 2% on purchases | One simple card |
| Citi Double Cash | $0 | 2% (1% when you buy, 1% when you pay) | One simple card, plus a long balance transfer intro period |
| Chase Freedom Unlimited | $0 | 1.5% on everything, more on dining, drugstores and Chase Travel | Pairing with other Chase cards |
| Chase Freedom Flex | $0 | 5% on rotating quarterly categories (up to a cap, activation needed), 3% dining and drugstores, 1% elsewhere | People willing to track categories |
| Discover it Cash Back | $0 | 5% on rotating quarterly categories (up to a cap, activation needed), 1% elsewhere. All cash back matched at the end of year one. 0% intro APR for 15 months | Category trackers, with the first-year match |
| Capital One Quicksilver | $0 | 1.5% on everything | Travel abroad (no foreign transaction fee) |
Flat rate or categories?
Rotating 5% categories are capped, usually at $1,500 of spending a quarter. That's at most $75 a quarter, or $300 a year, if you max out every category. Everything else earns 1%.
A rough test: if less than about a quarter of your spending falls into the bonus categories, a 2% flat card earns more. See Chase Freedom Flex vs Discover it for the two main category cards.
Pairing cards
A common setup is a 2% flat card for everything plus a category card used only for its 5% categories. Two cards also give you more total credit, which helps keep utilization low.
Before you apply
- You'll usually need good credit (roughly 670+). With no credit yet, see cards for no credit.
- Welcome bonuses often need a set amount of spending in the first three months. Don't spend more than usual to reach it.
- Rewards never beat interest. At 22% APR, a $1,000 balance costs about $18 a month, which cancels out $900 of spending at 2%. See how card interest is calculated.
FAQ
Is cash back taxable? Generally no. The IRS treats cash back on purchases as a rebate, not income.
Does cash back expire? It depends on the card. Most don't expire while the account is open, but you can lose it if you close the account.
Figures and rules in this article are checked against the official sources below. Where they disagree with us, they win.
- Issuer pages (to confirm): Citi Double Cash, Wells Fargo Active Cash, Chase Freedom Unlimited, Chase Freedom Flex, Discover it Cash Back, Capital One Quicksilver
