While I am quite pleased with my current rewards credit card, which offers an everyday great cash - back percentage on all purchases plus rotating
high cash back categories every quarter, I did use Joel's Credit Card Tune - Up site to see if I could better optimize my rewards.
The highest cash back category is gas / grocery at 4 %, which means you'd have to spend about $ 2500 annually on gas / grocery purchases to make it worthwhile.
Your goal with the Blue Cash Everyday ® Card from American Express is to spend enough in
the higher cash back categories to beat the flat 2 % on all purchases you can get with a card like the Citi ® Double Cash Card — 18 month BT offer.
Clearly this new credit card is aimed at foodies, what with
the highest cash back categories food - centric and the name Savor.
Not exact matches
The
highest cash back rates only apply on up to a combined $ 2,500 between the two
categories each quarter
If the Discover it ® — Cashback Match ™ was just a rotating -
category cash back card, it wouldn't be so
high up on our list.
The Capital One ® Spark ®
Cash for Business offers one high cash - back rate of 2 % on all purchases, instead of one particular categ
Cash for Business offers one
high cash - back rate of 2 % on all purchases, instead of one particular categ
cash -
back rate of 2 % on all purchases, instead of one particular
category.
However, at times in the past the Blue
Cash cards have been offered with sign - up bonuses as high as $ 250 with just a $ 1,000 spending requirement plus the possibility of earning 10 % cash back on up to $ 2,000 in spending in categories like restaurants, wireless phone, and Ama
Cash cards have been offered with sign - up bonuses as
high as $ 250 with just a $ 1,000 spending requirement plus the possibility of earning 10 %
cash back on up to $ 2,000 in spending in categories like restaurants, wireless phone, and Ama
cash back on up to $ 2,000 in spending in
categories like restaurants, wireless phone, and Amazon.
Higher cash back percentages can be had on different cards for specific
categories.
For items that aren't in any of your rotating
categories, pull out the card with the
highest amount of regular
cash back, or that offers a tiered program you can rely on.
When some
categories are not eligible for the
highest rewards, other credit cards may be offering larger
cash back percentages at the same time.
Still, you're not limited to carrying just one card, so perhaps during the rotating
categories period you can take advantage of the
higher cash back rewards of the Chase Freedom card, and you can use your Fidelity Rewards Visa for everything else.
The 5 %
cash back users get on the first $ 1,500 in purchases (each time you activate), within rotating
categories, is among the
highest rewards rates available of any card.
The USAA ® Cashback Rewards Plus American Express ® Card has a unique rewards
category that earns users very
high cash back rates at military base purchases — 5 %.
This reward card carries a modest annual fee of $ 95 (up from $ 75 previously), but
high cash -
back possibilities in the
categories of U.S. supermarkets (6 % on up to $ 6,000 spent), U.S. gas stations (3 %), and select U.S. department stores (3 %).
Generally,
cash back rates start at 1 percent for all purchases and go as
high as 5 percent for purchases in specific
categories, such as groceries, gas or online retailers.
The card provides the
highest cash -
back rates we've seen on the two aforementioned shopping
categories.
They're cards that have
higher cash back rates on the bonus
categories, or just attractive and above - average flat rates on all net spending (more in our comparisons below).
The Blue
Cash Preferred ® Card from American Express has higher cash back percentage rates and an additional bonus category, and is better for someone who has a higher level of spend
Cash Preferred ® Card from American Express has
higher cash back percentage rates and an additional bonus category, and is better for someone who has a higher level of spend
cash back percentage rates and an additional bonus
category, and is better for someone who has a
higher level of spending.
The
cash back rates are a little
higher for some of the
categories.
Tiered and bonus -
category cash -
back credit cards offer
higher rates on certain purchases and 1 % on everything else.
Some cards offer even
higher cash back, but only on specific purchase
categories like supermarkets, department stores, or gas stations.
5 % is the
highest cash back percentage possible, and is usually reserved on rotating
category cash back cards that reward seasonal purchases.
However, most people will find the Discover it ® to be the better overall
cash back credit card — you are bound to find a way to take advantage of the 5 %
cash back categories, in addition to the
higher bonus
cash back through ShopDiscover.
If that's the case, the Rewards Visa card's 2 %
cash back on those two
categories will reward you nicely, and close the gap on the
higher Amazon.com savings you'd get with the Amazon Prime and Sallie Mae credit cards.
Some cards offer unlimited
cash back on all purchases up to a certain spending threshold; others impart
higher cash back percentages according to various spending
categories assigned by the card issuer.
We used it to find the absolute
highest cash back rewards you can earn in each
category, more than the standard 1 - 2 % you usually see.
The best all around
cash back cards usually start at 1 %
back on all purchases and have
higher percentages for other
categories including grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, wholesale clubs, department stores, etc..
As with all tiered rewards cards, it's important to see if the card's bonus
categories fit your spending patterns — you may find that a flat - rate card or a card that offers bonuses in different spending
categories gives you a
higher average rate of
cash back.
The Citi Double
Cash card offers one of the best deals you can get for no annual fee: cash back at a high 2 percent rate, with no categories to enroll in and few restrictions; you only have to pay your bill on time to earn the full 2 percent r
Cash card offers one of the best deals you can get for no annual fee:
cash back at a high 2 percent rate, with no categories to enroll in and few restrictions; you only have to pay your bill on time to earn the full 2 percent r
cash back at a
high 2 percent rate, with no
categories to enroll in and few restrictions; you only have to pay your bill on time to earn the full 2 percent rate.
Most people find one good credit card with a
high cash back percentage for
categories they spend a lot in and stick with it (where all other purchases are rewarded at 1 %).
Meanwhile, certain
categories will earn a
higher cash back rate.
The Discover it ® — Cashback Match ™ card offers a
high cash back rate on
categories that change in their
cash back rewards program — 5 %
cash back at different places each quarter like gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, Amazon.com, or wholesale clubs up to the quarterly maximum each time you activate.
We see the
cash back rewards program as the main highlight if your regular spending habits are in sync with the rotating quarterly
categories, you can earn rewards with the
higher 5 %
cash back rate, up to the quarterly maximum each time you activate.
The
highest cash back credit card you choose will work best for you based on your personal spending
categories.
With 5 %
cash back on bonus
categories, the Chase Freedom is a
high - earning
cash back card.
It gives a
high 5 %
cash back rate on rotating
categories and has no annual fee.
Changes include much
higher spending limits ($ 1,500 quarterly, up from around $ 550), fewer
categories and nine months of 5 %
cash back bonus at movie theaters.
The Chase Freedom ® is a great card if you want
high cash back rewards across a variety of
categories.
Your business expenditures in non-bonus
categories will have to be fairly
high, in order to justify getting a flat rate 2 %
cash back credit card.
These are some of the
highest cash back rewards available across all these
categories.
The card's
highest rewards
cash back category of 5 % can be matched by some of its competitors.
While it doesn't cover some other major
categories like entertainment, shopping and utility bills, Citi
Cash Back Card's rebate rates on groceries, transportation (petrol and Grab) and dining are some of the
highest we've seen in their respective fields.
Citi
Cash Back also has a decently
high cap on monthly cashback of S$ 25 per
category which comes up to a max of S$ 100 / month.
It boasts a
high earning rate on
categories that are popular with frugal spenders and families — plus unlimited 1 %
cash back on all other purchases.
If you want a more flexible approach to
cash back, the Chase Freedom Unlimited ® earns unlimited 1.5 %
cash back on all purchases instead of
high - reward bonus
categories.
Whether it's points, miles, or
cash back,
high - rate rewards cards usually earn anywhere from 3 % to 5 % on rewards
categories, and 1 % on everything else.
These are the major quarterly rotating
categories that offer the
highest percentage of 5 %
cash back.
If you want to earn rewards for everyday spending on gas, groceries and restaurants you will want to look for a card offering the
highest cash back in those
categories.
Whether you're looking for a rewards credit card that pays you
back in
cash, travel miles, gift cards, or points, the best credit card rewards program is the one that gives you the
highest rewards in
categories where you already spend money.