Best Cash Back Cards of 2024
Whether you want a great overall rate or to target a single category, like groceries, we’ve got a card for you
Earning rewards from your credit card is a great way to put a little bit of what you spend back in your pocket. If you don’t want to deal with all the hassles of mastering a credit card company’s point system, a cash back card is a great option. Fortunately, there are a number of generous, easy-to-use cards on the market right now, whether you’re looking for an attractive cash back rate that applies across your spending, or the maximum possible rate on a particular type of purchase like groceries or travel. With a little budget arithmetic (and we’re here to help) it’s easy to find the perfect cash back card for you.
If you’d like to read how we vetted these credit cards and which experts we consulted, scroll down for more detail.
Our top cash back cards:
- Best Overall Cash Back Card
- Best Cash Back Rewards Rate
- Best Cash Back Card for Groceries
- Best Cash Back Card for Travel
- Best Cash Back Card for Flexibility
- Best Cash Back Card for Students
- More cash back cards to consider
- Our best cash back credit card methodology
Best Overall Cash Back Card
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
- Base rewards rate: 2% cash rewards on purchases
- Welcome offer: Earn $200 cash rewards bonus after you spend $500 in first three months
- Annual fee: $0
- APR: 20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% Variable APR
- Select "Apply Now" to take advantage of this specific offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
- See Rates and Fees
Why we picked it
Wells Fargo Active Cash offers a flat 2% cash rewards on purchases (exclusions include things like gift cards). It’s the best cash rewards rate we found that applies to your spending and doesn’t come with a cap or any other restrictions. This card also boasts no annual fee and a $200 cash rewards welcome bonus that’s easy to qualify for.
Are the cash back rewards worth the fees?
This card’s generous 2% cash rewards rate means a household that charges $3,000 a month—in-line with spending for Wall Street Journal subscribers, for example—will earn $920 in cash rewards in your first year, thanks to the $200 cash rewards welcome bonus (after spending $500 in the first three months) and $720 in subsequent years.
If your spending is especially heavy in certain areas, like groceries or gas, you may be able to earn even more cash back with a card that targets those specific categories. But Wells Fargo Active Cash offers the best cash rewards rate we found that applies across your purchases and comes with no other strings attached.
Best Cash Back Rewards Rate
Alliant Cashback Visa® Signature Card
- Base rewards rate: 2.5% on qualifying purchase up to $10,000, afterwards 1.5%
- Bonus rewards: None
- Sign-up bonus: None
- Annual fee: None, but must join Alliant credit union, maintain checking account
- APR: 12.49% to 22.49%, variable
Why we picked it
With 2.5% cash back on essentially all types of purchases, Alliant Cashback Visa Signature offers the highest across-the-board rewards rate of any card we looked at. This credit union card comes with some caveats, however. These include no sign-up bonus, a $10,000-a-month spending cap for its eye-catching top rate and the requirement to maintain an Alliant checking account, among others.
Are the cash back rewards worth the fees?
Alliant Cashback Visa Signature’s top 2.5% cash back rate applies to the first $10,000 you charge each month (after which you earn 1.5%). That means a typical Wall Street Journal family spending $3,000 a month would earn $900 in cash back a year.
So why isn’t Alliant Cashback Visa Signature our top pick? Taking advantage of its generous top rate requires you to jump through a number of extra hoops that we think will limit its appeal for many readers.
First, to sign up for the card, you must join the Alliant credit union. That’s relatively easy. But you’re also required to open a checking account with Alliant, maintain a $1,000 balance and set up at least one direct deposit, otherwise the cash back rate drops to 1.5%. The upshot: This is a great card if you are willing to also do your banking with Alliant, but for most readers, we think Wells Fargo Active Cash offers a better combination of rewards and convenience.
Best Cash Back Card for Groceries
Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Base rewards rate: 1%
- Bonus rewards: 3% at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target® ), dining, entertainment, U.S. streaming services
- Sign-up bonus: $200 after spending $500 in three months
- Annual fee: None
- APR: 19.99% - 29.99%, variable
Why we picked it
In most American households, food is the biggest expense after housing and transportation. If groceries are the 800-pound gorilla on your family’s monthly credit-card statement, it may make sense to consider a card that offers extra cash back on your next trip to the market. With 3% back on food purchases (as well as entertainment and U.S. streaming services) Capital One SavorOne could help you maximize your rewards. A $200 sign-up bonus, after spending $500 in three months, also sweetens the pot.
Are the cash back rewards worth the fees?
In addition to an easy-to-claim $200 sign-up bonus, this card offers 3% back on dining and grocery-store spending, although purchases at superstores like Walmart and Target are excluded. You can also earn 3% back on entertainment (such as movie theaters, concerts and zoos) and U.S. streaming services.
A family with a $3,000-a-month credit card budget, who spent half that total—$1,500—on food, would earn $720 a year in cash back with this card, the same as they would with Buy Side’s Best Cash Back Credit Card pick Wells Fargo Active Cash. Said another way: If groceries (and other bonus category spending) makes up a smaller share of your budget, you will do better with our overall pick; a bigger share and you will do better with SavorOne.
Best Cash Back Card for Travel
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
- Base rewards rate: 1.5%
- Bonus rewards: 5% on travel booked through Chase, 3% on dining and drug stores.
- Sign-up bonus: Unlimited additional 1.5% cash back on spending in the first year.
- Annual fee: None
- APR: 20.49% to 29.24%, variable
- Foreign transaction fee: 3%
Why we picked it
With airfares finally easing, 2024 could be a great time to book a trip to Europe or another destination. And, with 5% cash back on travel booked through Chase, Chase Freedom Unlimited® offers the best cash back rate on travel of any card we reviewed.
Are the cash back rewards worth the fees?
The 5% this card offers on travel looks enticing. But its appeal is offset by the need to book through Chase and the offer of just 1.5% back on most other purchases. Still, a family with our $3,000 a month credit card budget that spent $5,000 each year on travel would earn $715 in cash back with this card, essentially matching what they could earn with our overall pick, Wells Fargo Active Cash. With an even bigger travel budget they could come out ahead.
Of course, there’s also another reason the appeal of this card may be relatively niche. Most travel junkies don’t want a cash back card at all, but a travel card that rewards them with points or miles that are typically more valuable dollar-for-dollar than cash back when redeemed for travel. A 3% foreign transaction fee further limits Chase Freedom Unlimited’s value as a travel card.
Best Cash Back Card for Flexibility
Citi Custom Cash℠ Card
- Base rewards rate: 1%
- Bonus rewards: 5% cash back up $500 spent in your top monthly category
- Sign-up bonus: $200 after spending $1,500 in first six months
- Annual fee: None
- APR: 19.24% - 29.24% Variable
Why we picked it
It’s great to score deals on essentials like food and gas, but what if you spend big on something else? Citi Custom Cash lets you earn 5% cash back in the category where you spend the most, on up to $500 a month in purchases.
That means if one month you spend the most on groceries, the Citi Custom Cash automatically rewards you with 5% cash back on up to $500 of your food purchases for that month. If in the next month you eclipse your grocery spending with expensive concert tickets or a home renovation project, your 5% cash back will automatically shift to one of those categories. While this card only offers 1% cash back on spending outside your top monthly category, it comes with a $200 sign up bonus, after spending $1,500 in the first six months.
Are the cash back rewards worth the fees?
While Citi Custom Cash’s 5% rewards rate is enticing, the low $500 spending cap is a big drawback. (A family with a $3,000 monthly budget, spending more than $1,000 a month on groceries would do better with Capital One SavorOne which offers an unlimited 3% cash back at supermarkets.)
However, if you want flexibility, or are willing to hold multiple cards—for instance, using Citi Custom Cash for your gym membership and another cash back card for the rest of your purchases—it may be a useful addition to your wallet.
Best Cash Back Card for Students
Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Base rewards rate: 1% cash back
- Bonus rewards: 3% on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and grocery stores
- Sign-up bonus: Earn $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months
- No annual fee
- No foreign transaction fee
- APR: 19.99% - 29.99%, variable
Why we picked it
As long as you’re in school, you can often qualify for a student credit card with little or no credit history. But when it comes to other perks these cards tend to be pretty bare bones. With Capital One SavorOne for Students you can still earn generous cash back rewards. The card offers 1% cash back on general spending (standard for the student category) as well as a 3% bonus rate on categories including dining, entertainment, streaming services like Hulu and Netflix, and groceries (though superstores like Walmart and Target are excluded.)
Students can also easily make $50 by taking advantage of the card’s sign-up bonus, which requires that they spend just $100 in the first three months—a low hurdle compared to other cards.
Are the cash back rewards worth the fees?
While we assumed a $3,000-a-month budget to evaluate most cash back cards, that seemed excessive for cards aimed at students. We picked $1,000 instead. A student who spent that amount on their SavorOne for Students card could earn a return of $240 a year if half their budget falls into those 3% bonus categories of groceries, dining, streaming services and entertainment. Factor in the sign-up bonus and it jumps to $390 for the first year—all just for swiping. Those are the most generous potential rewards Buy Side found among student cards, without jumping through hoops like monitoring rotating cash back categories or spending big-time in niche areas.
Best Cash Back Card for Black Friday and Cyber Monday
Prime Visa
- Base rewards rate: 1% rewards
- Bonus rewards: 5% at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market, and on Chase Travel purchases; 2% back at restaurants, gas stations and local transit, including rideshare
- Sign-up bonus: $200 Amazon gift card upon approval exclusively for Prime members
- Annual fee: $0 for Amazon Prime members
- APR: 19.49%–27.49%, Variable
Why we picked it
While Amazon’s Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Big Deal Day sales are a great way to save cash with online purchases, the retailer’s Prime Visa credit card ups the ante. Prime members get 5% cash back on Amazon and Whole Foods purchases (plus 1% at other retailers), as well as a $200 gift card upon sign-up and can use their rewards on Amazon.com as soon as the next day.
Are the cash back rewards worth the fees?
While store-branded credit cards are typically unremarkable, if you do a large share of your shopping in one place, they can make sense.
Amazon’s Prime Rewards Visa Signature card is fee-free—although you do need to have a Prime membership, which currently costs $139 per year. In other words, while the card can be a great value, that applies mostly if you are already a Prime member who shops a lot at Amazon.The card’s 5% cash back on Amazon and Whole Foods purchases is hard to beat, considering you can buy almost anything at the online superstore. (It should be noted Walmart’s store card has similar online shopping benefits, if that’s more your style.) The Amazon’s card’s $200 gift card bonus can give you an instant head start on your holiday shopping.
More cash back cards to consider
Citi® Double Cash Card
Like Buy Side’s pick for Best Cash Back card, Wells Fargo Active Cash, this Citibank card offers unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases. But its rewards formula is a bit more complicated. Technically, you earn 1% on each new purchase, then another 1% when you pay the amount down on your credit card bill. Also there’s no sign-up bonus.
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
This Amex card is a popular alternative to our pick for Best for Groceries, Capital One SavorOne. The Amex card offers 6% back on U.S. supermarkets and U.S. streaming subscriptions. However, the grocery rewards rate falls to 1% after your spending in the category hits $6,000 for the year. (Terms apply.)
U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card
This card offers 5% cash back (on up to your first $2,000 in eligible net purchases per quarter) on not just one but two spending categories of your choice, making it a competitor to Citi Custom Cash, our pick for Best for Flexibility. This card’s downside is that the bonus spending categories are much narrower (example: fast food vs. all restaurants). (Terms apply.)
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card
Like Citi Custom Cash, our Pick for Best for Flexibility, this card offers a bonus rate on the spending category of your choice (up to $2,500 a quarter on your chosen category plus groceries and wholesale clubs.) However, that rate tops out at 3%, below the 5% offered by our favorite.
Capital One Quicksilver Student Rewards Credit Card
Students who crave simplicity might be best served by this card, which offers a flat cash back rate of 1.5% across your spending. Our pick for Best for Students, the Capital One SavorOne for Students, pays out extra rewards in categories like dining, entertainment, and groceries. However, Capital One Quicksolver’s flat rate isn’t a drawback, if your spending tends to be in areas like clothing, gas, or utilities.
Our best cash back credit card methodology
To pick Buy Side from WSJ’s Best Cash Back Credit Card, we looked for cards with the best cash back rewards rate, both overall and in popular spending categories like grocery and travel. We also looked for cards that were easy to use, since we assume most readers are not credit-card obsessives willing to keep and track a dozen cards.
To find out more about how we choose credit cards—and to meet our panel of experts—you can also check out Buy Side from WSJ’s full best credit cards methodology.
(Additional reporting by Kerri Anne Renzulli.)
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