Best Cash Back credit cards

This card is for people who want maximum cash back with zero maintenance. Every purchase earns 1% up front and another 1% as you pay, with no caps or categories. There is no annual fee, and balance transfers get 0% for 18 months. The caveat: a 3% foreign transaction fee makes it a poor travel companion abroad.

Discover it Cash Back is for people who will activate a quarterly category and want an outsized first year. You earn 5% in rotating categories on up to $1,500 in purchases each quarter when you activate, and 1% on everything else. At the end of your first year, Discover matches every dollar of cash back you earned. There is no annual fee. The caveat: the 5% requires activation each quarter and stops at the cap.

This card is for people who want one number: 2% back on everything, forever, with no annual fee. The $100 bonus requires only $500 in purchases in three months, one of the lowest hurdles among major cards. It also carries a 12-month 0% intro APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. The caveat is the 3% foreign transaction fee: leave it home when traveling abroad.

The Blue Cash Preferred holds the highest grocery rate among major cards: 6% at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year, plus 6% on select U.S. streaming subscriptions and 3% on transit and U.S. gas. The annual fee is $0 intro for the first year, then $95, and a family spending $6,000 at supermarkets earns $360 at the 6% rate alone. A 0% intro APR for 12 months covers purchases and balance transfers. Light grocery spenders should take the fee-free Blue Cash Everyday instead.

This card is for people who want one no-fee card that earns on everything. Every purchase pays at least 1.5%, dining and drugstores pay 3%, and Chase Travel bookings pay 5%. New cardmembers get a $200 bonus after $500 in spend and 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers. The 3% foreign transaction fee makes it a poor card to take abroad.

This card rewards people who will activate and chase quarterly categories. Up to $1,500 in combined purchases earns 5% each quarter you activate, with 3% on dining and drugstores year round. New cardmembers get a $200 bonus after $500 in spend and 15 months of 0% intro APR on purchases and transfers. Category caps mean the ceiling on 5% earnings is $75 per quarter.

The Blue Cash Everyday covers the three places most households actually spend: groceries, gas and online shopping, each at 3% on up to $6,000 per category per year. There is no annual fee, and a 0% intro APR for 15 months applies to purchases and balance transfers alike. Monthly Disney streaming and Home Chef credits add quiet value. Bigger grocery budgets outgrow the caps and belong on the Blue Cash Preferred.

Altitude Go is for people whose biggest everyday category is food. You earn 4X points on dining, takeout and restaurant delivery on your first $2,000 each quarter, and 2X at grocery stores, gas and EV charging stations, and on streaming. There is no annual fee. The caveat: the 4X rate is now capped each quarter, then dining earns 1X.

The Cash+ card is for people who want high cash back and will manage category choices each quarter. You earn 5% on your first $2,000 in combined eligible purchases in two categories you choose, 2% on one everyday category, and 1% on everything else. There is no annual fee. The caveat: the 5% rate stops at the quarterly cap, and you must select categories each quarter.

This card is built for businesses whose money goes to office supplies, telecom, gas and meals. The 5% and 2% tiers each apply to the first $25,000 in combined purchases per account anniversary year, worth up to $1,750 in annual category cash back at the caps. The current welcome offer is an elevated $1,000 after $8,000 in 4 months. Above the caps everything earns 1%.

This card suits owners who want business rewards without category management. Every purchase earns 1.5%, employee cards are free and new accounts get 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months. The current welcome offer is elevated to $1,000 cash back after $8,000 in spend. It charges 3% on foreign transactions, so keep it domestic.

The Blue Business Cash Card keeps business rewards simple: 2% back on everything up to $50,000 in eligible purchases per calendar year, then 1%, no categories to manage and no annual fee. A 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months helps smooth early cash flow, and Expanded Buying Power lets you spend past the credit limit within Amex's flexible bounds. Heavy spenders will hit the $50,000 cap and should plan a second card beyond it.