We’ve recently looked at credit cards that earn at a high rate on specific categories, but one of the most important cards to have is one that earns at a high rate on all purchases. This should be used as your baseline card, below we’ve outlined your best options when it comes to these purchases.
This post is affiliate link free. If you think we’re missing any cards then please let us know in the comments section or by using the contact us page.
It’s also important to keep in mind that you can often earn at a higher rate by employing some basic manufactured spending strategies (e.g purchasing prepaid Visa, MasterCard or AmEx gift cards or similar with a card that has a high category bonus).
Contents
- 1 Personal Credit Cards
- 1.1 AmEx Everyday No Annual Fee, 1-1.2 Membership Rewards Points, No Annual Fee
- 1.2 Capital One Quicksilver, 1.5% Cash Back, No Annual Fee
- 1.3 AmEx Everyday Preferred, 1-1.5x Membership Rewards Points $95 Annual Fee Waived First Year
- 1.4 Chase Freedom Unlimited: 1.5x Chase Ultimate Rewards, No Annual Fee
- 1.5 Capital One Venture Miles Rewards: 1-2% Cash Back, $59 Annual Fee
- 1.6 Barclays Arrival Plus: 1-2.1% Cash Back, $89 Annual Fee Waived First Year
- 1.7 Bank of America Travel Rewards – 1.5%-2.625% No Annual Fee
- 1.8 Bank of America Premium Rewards – 1.5%-2.625% – $95 Annual Fee
- 1.9 SoFi Credit Card – 2%, No Annual Fee
- 1.10 TD Bank Double Up – 2%, No Annual Fee
- 1.11 Alliant Visa Platinum Rewards Credit Card – 2%, No Annual Fee
- 1.12 Citi Doublecash: 2% Cash Back, No Annual Fee
- 1.13 Wells Fargo Active Cash: 2% Cash Back, No Annual Fee
- 1.14 Visa Fidelity: 2% Cash Back, No Annual Fee
- 1.15 Paypal Cashback Mastercard: 2% Cash Back, No Annual Fee
- 1.16 SDFCU Premium Cash+ Card – 2% Cash Back, No Annual Fee Or Foreign Transaction Fees
- 1.17 FNBO Cashback – 3% Cashback First Six Months Then 2% [Select States], No Annual Fee
- 1.18 Discover it Miles 3% Cash Back For First Year, No Annual Fee
- 1.19 Alliant Cash Back 3% Cash Back First Year, Then 2.5% ($99 AF Waived First Year)
- 2 Honorable Mentions
- 3 Business Credit Cards
- 4 Cards That Didn’t Make The Cut
Personal Credit Cards
AmEx Everyday No Annual Fee, 1-1.2 Membership Rewards Points, No Annual Fee
This card earns membership rewards points on all purchases at a rate of 1x point per $1 spent, if you make more than 20 purchases per month you get a 20% bonus on all points earned meaning this card would earn at a rate of 1.2x points on all purchases.
You’d need to value these points at 1.67¢ or more for it to beat out a card that earns at 2% cash back.
Capital One Quicksilver, 1.5% Cash Back, No Annual Fee
This card earns at a flat 1.5% cash back on all purchases and has no annual fee. It’s a decent card, but the cards below offer better value.
AmEx Everyday Preferred, 1-1.5x Membership Rewards Points $95 Annual Fee Waived First Year
This card earns membership rewards points on all purchases at a rate of 1x point per $1 spent. If you make more than 30 purchases per month you get a 50% bonus, meaning this card would earn 1.5x points on all purchases. It does come with a hefty annual fee of $95 per year which is waived the first year.
You’d need to value membership rewards points at 1.34¢ each or more to beat out a card that earns at 2% cash back. This isn’t taking into account the annual fee of $95.
Chase Freedom Unlimited: 1.5x Chase Ultimate Rewards, No Annual Fee
This card earns 1.5x Chase Ultimate Rewards per $1 spent with no annual fee. These points are worth 1¢ each when redeeming for cash and you can transfer them to travel partners if you have a premium Chase card (e.g Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Ink Plus)
Capital One Venture Miles Rewards: 1-2% Cash Back, $59 Annual Fee
This card earns 2 miles per $1 spent on all purchases. When you redeem for cash or statement credit these points are only worth 0.5¢ each. When you redeem against travel expenses points are worth 1¢ each which would make it a 2% cash back card. You can also redeem for gift cards and get the same 1¢ in value. There is an annual fee of $59.
Barclays Arrival Plus: 1-2.1% Cash Back, $89 Annual Fee Waived First Year
This card earns 2 miles per $1 spent. These miles are worth differing values depending on what you redeem them for. If you redeem these miles against charges that are not travel related they are only worth 0.5¢ each which would make this a straight 1% cash back card and rather ordinary.
If you redeem these miles against charges that are travel related you get 1¢ per mile in value and you also get a 5% rebate. This makes this card 2.1%+ cash back on all purchases when redeeming against travel expenses. Obviously you should only use this card if you’ll have enough travel expenses to redeem against. You can view what Barclays considered as travel here.
It has a hefty annual fee of $89 which is $30 higher than the Capital One Venture. We discuss why this is worse than a straight 2% cash back card here.
Bank of America Travel Rewards – 1.5%-2.625% No Annual Fee
This card earns 1.5x points on all purchases (points are worth 1¢ each). With Bank of America Preferred Rewards Program you can get up to 2.625% back though.
Bank of America Premium Rewards – 1.5%-2.625% – $95 Annual Fee
Basically same as the travel rewards card mentioned above, card does come with a $95 annual fee but this is offset by the generous $100 travel credit. Card also offers 2x points on travel and dining (3.5 with Preferred Rewards) . Our full review here.
SoFi Credit Card – 2%, No Annual Fee
Card earns 2% cash back on all purchases with no annual fee, sometimes comes with a sign up bonus as well.
TD Bank Double Up – 2%, No Annual Fee
TD Bank Double Up card offers 2% cashback when redeemed to a TD Bank deposit account. No annual fee. Comes with a $75 signup bonus, currently. Only available in the following states: CT, DC, DE, FL, MD, ME, MA, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, SC, VT, & VA.
Alliant Visa Platinum Rewards Credit Card – 2%, No Annual Fee
Earns 2x points (worth 1¢ each) and has no annual fee. Also comes with a $50 sign up bonus currently. Our full review here.
Citi Doublecash: 2% Cash Back, No Annual Fee
The Citi doublecash card has no annual fee and can earn up to 2% cash back on all purchases. You earn 1% cash back when you make the purchases and another 1% when they are paid off. You can view more information on this card here.
Wells Fargo Active Cash: 2% Cash Back, No Annual Fee
Wells Fargo has their Active Cash card with no annual fee and earning 2% cashback on all purchases. Currently there’s a $200 signup bonus as well. Our full review here.
Visa Fidelity: 2% Cash Back, No Annual Fee
This is the best no nonsense card in our opinion. It earns a flat 2% cash back on all of your purchases and there is no annual fee to worry about. There is also no need to worry about having any travel expenses to redeem against (although you can get slightly more value out of this card by exchanging cash back for world points). It’s currently possible to get a bonus of $100 on this card as well.
Paypal Cashback Mastercard: 2% Cash Back, No Annual Fee
Paypal’s Cashback Mastercard has no annual fee and earn a flat 2% cash back on all purchases into your Paypal account. No minimum redemption. Our full review here.
SDFCU Premium Cash+ Card – 2% Cash Back, No Annual Fee Or Foreign Transaction Fees
No annual fee or foreign transaction fees.
FNBO Cashback – 3% Cashback First Six Months Then 2% [Select States], No Annual Fee
Major problem is that FNBO is very inquiry sensitive.
Discover it Miles 3% Cash Back For First Year, No Annual Fee
This card earns 1.5 miles on all purchases and at the end of the first year all of the miles you have earned are doubled. Miles are worth 1¢ each which means that this card basically earns 3% cash back for the first year and then 1.5% thereafter. Obviously it only makes sense to use it in the first year.
Alliant Cash Back 3% Cash Back First Year, Then 2.5% ($99 AF Waived First Year)
Card is the same as the Discover it Miles mentioned above (but you get the 3% straight away rather than waiting a year). Year two onwards you get 2.5% cash back but have to pay an annual fee of $99. This means you need to spend $11,800 per year to be better off with this card compared to a 2% cash back card with no annual fee.
Honorable Mentions
U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve 3x Points On Mobile Wallet Transactions, $400 Annual Fee
This card earns 3x points on all mobile wallet transactions, including MST transactions. If you have Samsung Pay then this means you can basically earn 3x points on almost all purchases. Points are worth up to 1.5¢ each as well. $400 annual fee is somewhat offset by the fact that you get $325 in travel credits as well.
Proponent Federal Credit Union Visa Signature Card 2x Points (Up To 2.5% Back In Airfare), No Annual Fee
Card earns 2x points per $1 spent when you spend $1,000 or more per month. You can use the points for:
- FlexPass travel discounts: Start at $100 for 8,000 points (1.25¢)
- Gift cards: Start at 1,500 points for $10 gift card (0.67¢ per point)
This means at best you’re getting 2.5% back but can only redeem it for airfare and must book through their portal.
BB&T Spectrum Rewards Up To 4.05% For The First Three Months, No Annual Fee
This card can earn up to 4.05% cash back on all purchases for the first three months. It earns at a base rate of 3% for the first three months, you can also get a 30% bonus on all cash back earned annually if you spend $50,000 or more and you get an additional 5% bonus as an anniversary bonus.
It’s only available in the following states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia or D.C and only earns 1% cash back after the introductory three month period. More information can be found here.
Business Credit Cards
Capital One Spark Cash 2% Cash Back, $59 Annual Fee Waived First Year
This business card earns at a flat 2% cash back on all purchases and it’s annual fee of $59 is waived for the first year. I’d only recommend this card over the American Express Fidelity card if you have a lot of purchases that cannot be put on AmEx or JCB.
You’d probably be better off putting these expenses on a 1.5% personal card unless you’re spending more than $11,800 per year.
Amex Blue Business Plus 2x MR, No Annual Fee
This card earns a flat 2x Membership Rewards points on all purchases and has no annual fee. There is an annual cap of $50,000 which can earn 2x, subsequently it earns just 1x, so keep that in mind.
BECU 3% Cash Back For First Six Months, No Annual Fee [WA only]
Card earns 3% cash back on all purchases with no cap or annual fee, downside is that this is only for the first six months and the card is only available in WA and also requires joining the credit union.
Cards That Didn’t Make The Cut
The following cards did not make the cut for our best everyday list for various reasons. We’ve listed them below as they still might be of interest to some readers.
- Hilton HHonors cards: Hilton has continually devalued their points to the point where you will struggle to get 0.5¢ per point in value. You’d need to get 0.67¢+ per point in value on a card that earns 3x Hilton points to beat out a 2% cash back card.
- Hilton HHonors Surpass From AmEx: 3x points on all purchases
- Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve: 3x points on all purchases
- Hilton HHonors From American Express: 3x points on all purchases
- Citi Hilton HHonors Visa Signature
- Ollo Optimum Mastercard. Currently offering 2.5% on all purchases, but it’s invite only.
- We didn’t include cards that earn at a high rate on specific categories.
If you’d like to see what the best credit cards are for purchases in other categories, click on one of the following links:
- Bookstores
- Charities
- Department stores
- Drug stores
- Gas stations
- Grocery store
- Hotels
- Office supply stores
- Telecommunications
- Cards that earn 5% or more cash back
Only $100k min balance… have to weigh whether the interest is worthwhile or not 😂
Posted, thanks
Alliant FCU is still my #1 2.5% flat cash back card.
However, I came across another good everyday credit union card, and this one is available nationally if you join a non-profit org. US Eagle Federal Credit Union is based in New Mexico.
Their Visa Signature Metal card earns 2% cash back (1.5% on purchases + .5% on payments — similar to DoubleCash card).
No requirements to earn this amount.
They also offer 1% cash back on balance transfers within the first 90 days with this card, which I haven’t seen before. No promo APR, but the APR for BTs is the same as on purchases (currently 18%). Maybe could be useful if someone could pay off the balance within a few days/weeks. 18% APR = 1.5% per month
URL for full info on the card:
http://www.EagleMETAL.org
(only could find the link to this info page after clicking to open a new CC account on the main CU site)
Overall CU credit cards page:
https://www.useagle.org/personal/borrow/credit-cards
Env/Social:
According to bank.green this credit union does not finance fossil fuels (likely true of most credit unions). Other socially responsible things I could find on its site were that it offers loans for solar panels, and offers loans to domestic violence survivors (through a partnership with a local organization).
This could be a good option for those not wanting to bank with Citi, WellsFargo, TD, Fidelity/US Bank, PNC, etc who offer 2% cash back cards but are major funders of fossil fuels.
Hey! I’ve been doing some miscellaneous credit card research and just came across a great card for residents of Hawai’i. This card earns 2.5% on the first $5,000 of spend each month and 1.25% on any spend above that amount. No other requirements. Website says must have Hawai’ian residency to open a new account.
https://www.hawaiistatefcu.com/credit-cards/
Does anyone know what the best amex card is?
PNC recently launched a solid 2% cashback card, the PNC Cash Unlimited Visa Signature.
2% cashback with no expiration, minimum redemption, or earning caps.
No foreign transaction fee or annual fee.
$800 cell phone protection.
Opening offer: 12 months interest free for purchases and balance transfers
https://www.pnc.com/en/personal-banking/banking/credit-cards/pnc-cash-unlimited-visa-credit-card.html
Dave, You are a hero in my list, Thank you for your post
With your message you’re showing DOCs need to up their works and articles to keep up with this everchanging world since not mentioning this card with great 2% everyday reward and $250 SOB, Being a Visa with No Foreign TF, Cell Phone Protection, This card should have been among top of their list compared to the ridiculous WF card !!
thanks. Do they have any way to check if they will approve me without costing me a new hard inquiry?
nope HP isnt end of the world and would be an experian one
No problem, I’m glad you found this info useful.
TD Bank double up is a flat 2% cash card and does not need a TD checking account.
The Fidelity Ultimate Rewards Visa was also upgraded to remove all foreign transaction fees / FTF=$0.
Argent Credit Union in Virginia has a 2% flat cash back card:
https://www.argentcu.org/loans-credit/credit-cards/cash-back/#:~:text=Benefits%20of%20Argent%20Credit%20Union%20VISA%C2%AE%20Cash%20Rewards&text=Every%20time%20you%20use%20your,how%20much%20you%20can%20earn.
Blispay has been dead for a while. Should remove.
The table of contents has Wells Fargo elevated 1 level too high.
William Charles
Fixed