1% or Better Cash Back Cards with No Annual Fee

The Internet's most complete cash reward card comparison.

Photo of a credit card machine. The receipt printer is dispensing dollar bills instead of a receipt.

Money Back Every Time You Swipe Your Card

Some cash back cards pay more than others do, especially in certain categories. A combination of cards helps maximize your rewards.

A buck or more back on every hundred dollars you spend. It will never make you rich but why walk away from free money? With the right combination of cards, $400 back per year for the average family is quite realistic.

The cash back cards in our chart meet the following criteria:

Cash! In this comparison, we're not talking about free hotel stays, airline tickets or gift certificates to Disneyland. We're talking about U.S. currency. Since you're unlikely to get actual cash from your credit card company, a check, statement credit, transfer to your checking account or any other means by which you can turn the reward into the equivalent amount of cash will suffice.
No annual fee. With the cards below, you won't risk a loss if your rewards don't equal your annual fee.
1% or more cash back. Not all cards pay 1% right from the start, but as long as the cash rewards hit 1% or better at some point, you'll find the card below.

Just ahead: The Internet's largest catalog of 1% or better cash rebate credit cards.

Chart 1: Rewards Program Details
Chart 2: Credit Card Offer Details

Credit Card Companies

American Express Chart 1, Chart 2
Bank of America Chart 1, Chart 2
CapitalOne Chart 1, Chart 2
Chase Chart 1, Chart 2
CitiBank Chart 1, Chart 2
Discover Chart 1, Chart 2
Emigrant Direct Chart 1, Chart 2
Fidelity Chart 1, Chart 2
First National Bank of Omaha Chart 1, Chart 2
Iberia Bank Chart 1, Chart 2
Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU) Chart 1, Chart 2
Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PenFed) Chart 1, Chart 2
PNC Bank Chart 1, Chart 2
Priceline Chart 1, Chart 2
Quorum Federal Credit Union Chart 1, Chart 2
Sovereign Bank Chart 1, Chart 2
TD Bank Chart 1, Chart 2
Union Bank Chart 1, Chart 2
U.S. Bank Chart 1, Chart 2
Wells Fargo Chart 1, Chart 2

Cash Back Reward Cards Offering 1% or Better
Chart #1: Rewards Program Details
Card	Cash Back Tiers / Earning Method / Reset	Bonus Categories / Bonus % / Average %	Bonus Mall	Cash Out Event	Reward Caps	Sign Up
American Express
Blue Cash Everyday	1%	Groceries: 3% Gas: 2% Department Stores: 2%	Blue Savings Discounts on hotels, car rentals, dining and more Participants	$25	None
Bank of America
Cash Rewards	1% + 10% of Redempt. Value¹⁸	Groceries: 3% Gas: 2%	None	$25	$6,000 max. bonus category spending ($180 max. reward) per year.¹⁹
Visa Signature	$0 - $7,500: 0.5% $7,501 - $25,000: 0.8% $25,000+: 1% / Accumulated / Reset On Cash Out	None	WorldPoints Mall Up to 30% Stores	$12.50	Points expire 5 years from day earned
CapitalOne
Cash	1% + annual 50% bonus of reward earnings²⁰	None	Perk Central Up to 15% Over 300 Stores¹⁶	Anytime	None	Excellent credit²¹
Chase
Amazon.com Rewards Visa	1%	Amazon.com: 3% Dining: 2% Drug Stores: 2% Gas: 2% Office Stores: 2%	No	$50	None
Freedom	1% + 10¢ per Transaction²³	Rotating: 5% / 2.5%¹ Gas Stations Rotating: 5% / 1.25%¹ Airlines Amazon.com Best Buy Grocery Stores Hotels Kohl's Movies Restaurants	Ultimate Rewards Mall Up to 20% Stores	$20	$6,000 max. 5% bonus category spending ($300 reward) per year.²
Sapphire	1%	None	Airlines: 2%	$50	None
CitiBank
Dividend Platinum Select MasterCard for College Students	1% (purchases, cash advances and balance tranfers)	Rotating: Up to 5% / 1.25%³ Clothes Dining Department Stores Electronic Stores Hotels Jewelery Travel and more...	Citi Bonus Cash Center Up to 35% Stores	$50	Max. $300 bonus reward per year. Rewards forfeited if card is inactive for a year.⁴	Student
Dividend World MasterCard	1% (purchases, cash advances and balance tranfers)	Rotating: 5% / 1.25% Airlines Car Rentals Hotels and more...	Citi Bonus Cash Center Up to 35% Stores	$50	Max. $300 bonus reward per year. Rewards forfeited if card is inactive for a year.⁴	$500 Cash Back²² $100 Cash Back²²
Discover
More Card^*	$0 - $3,000, 0.25% $3,000+: 1% / As-You-Spend / Reset Annually⁵	5% Movies Rotating: 5% / 2.5%⁶ Gas Stations Rotating: 5% / 1.25%⁶ Department Stores Electronics Stores Museums Restaurants Toy Stores Theme Parks	ShopDiscover 5% - 20% Stores	$50	$2,200 max. 5% bonus category spending ($110 reward) per year.^{7, 17}	Good Credit Student
Motiva Card^*	$0 - $3,000, 0.25% $3,000+: 1% / As-You-Spend / Reset Annually⁵	5% cash back on monthly interest charge.	ShopDiscover 5% - 20% Stores	$20	None
Open Road^*	$0 - $3,000, 0.25% $3,000+: 1% / As-You-Spend / Reset Annually⁵	Dining: 2% Gas: 2%	ShopDiscover 5% - 20% Stores	$20	$250 max. 2% bonus category spending ($5 reward) per month.⁹	Standard Student
Emigrant Direct
Visa Signature	1%	None	No	?	None
Fidelity
Investment Rewards American Express	$0 - $3,750: 1% $3,751 - $12,499: 1.6% $12,500+: 2% / Accumulated / Reset On Cash Out ¹²	None	WorldPoints Mall Up to 20% Stores	$12.50	Points expire 5 years from day earned	Excellent Credit
Investment Rewards Visa Signature	$0 - $15,000, 1.5% $15,000+, 2% / As-You-Spend / Reset Annually	None	WorldPoints Mall Up to 20% Store	$50	Points expire 5 years from day earned	Excellent Credit
First National Bank of Omaha
BucksBack Platinum Edition	1%	None	RebateShare Up to 15% Stores	$25	Points expire 3 years from day earned. $750 maximum reward per year.
Maximum Rewards Platinum Edition	$0 - $2,333: 1.07% $4,000 - $5,666: 1.25% $5,666 - $7,333: 1.32% $7,333 - $33,333: 1.36% $33,333+: 1.5% / Accumulated / Reset On Cash Out	None	No	$25	Points expire 5 years from day earned.
Visa Signature with Maximum Rewards	$0 - $2,333: 1.07% $4,000 - $5,666: 1.25% $5,666 - $7,333: 1.32% $7,333 - $33,333: 1.36% $33,333+: 1.5% / Accumulated / Reset On Cash Out	None	No	$25	Points expire 5 years from day earned
Iberiabank
Visa Gold^*	1%	None	No	Yearly	None	Excellent Credit
Navy Federal Credit Union
cashRewards	$0 - $10,000, 1% $10,000+, 1.5% / As-You-Spend / Reset Annually	None	No	$20	None	¹⁴
Penatgon Federal Credit Union
PenFed Visa Platinum Gas/Cash Rewards^*	0.25%	Gas: 5%¹¹	No	Monthly	None	¹³
PNC Bank
CashBuilder Visa	$0 - $2,000, 1.25% $2,000 - $4,000, 1.25% $4,000+, 1.75% / As-You-Spend / Reset Monthly	None	No	$50	None
Priceline
Priceline Visa Signature	2%	Priceline Name Your Own Price Purchases: 5%	None	$25	Points expire 4 years from day earned Must make at least 1 purchase every 6 months
Quorum Federal Credit Union
Visa Cash Back	1.25%	None	Dreampoints	$50	None
Sovereign Bank
Visa Signature / WorldPoints MasterCard	$0 - $7,500: 0.5% $7,501 - $25,000: 0.8% $25,000+: 1% / Accumulated / Reset On Cash Out	None	Soverign Cash Rewards Up to 45% Stores	$12.50	Points expire 5 years from day earned
TD Bank
Cash Rewards Visa	1%	None	No	$25	None
Union Bank
Maximum Rewards Platinum Edition	$0 - $2,333: 1.07% $4,000 - $5,666: 1.25% $5,666 - $7,333: 1.32% $7,333 - $33,333: 1.36% $33,333+: 1.5% / Accumulated / Reset On Cash Out	None	No	$25	Points expire 5 years from day earned
U.S. Bank
Cash+ Visa	1% + $25 bonus for $100+ redemption	Pick 2 5% categories and 1 2% category every 3 months. See demo for examples.	No	$25	None
Wells Fargo
Cash Back Visa	1%	None	No	$25	None	Standard Student
Remember: Chart #2 Follows
Legend Cash Back Tiers / Earning Method / Reset The cash rebate percentage for normal credit card spending. Where applicable, details on the "spending tier" levels. Cards with spending tiers offer more cash back as you spend more on the card. For example, American Express Blue Cash pays 0.5% cash back on the first $6,500 spent on the card. Purchases after spending $6,500 earn 1.25%. Tiered reward programs revert to the lowest paying tier upon a "reset event." Rewards programs that reset every year are marked "Reset Annually." Programs that reset upon redemption are marked "Reset on Cash Out." The "Earning Method" describes whether you have the chance to earn more money by waiting longer to cash out. The "as you spend" earning method always pays the cash back percentage of the spending tier, regardless of when you cash out. With this earning method, it makes sense to cash out as often as allowed by the reward program. The "accumulated" method pays the cash-out tier's percentage rate for all spending. The accumulated method pays better than "as you spend," assuming the tier spending levels and percentages are the same. However, you'll likely wait longer, maybe years, between reward redemptions to earn the better rate of return. Check the "Rewards Cap" column to ensure reaching the top tier is realistic. Rewards often have an expiration date in cumulative cash back programs. Bonus Categories The card may offer more cash back for various spending categories. The percentage shown is the total cash back these purchases earn; it is not in addition to the standard cash back percentage shown in the first column. "Rotating" indicates the spending category is only available during certain months of the year. Knowzy publishes the bonus category calendar for each card under its footnote. Earn better returns by timing your purchases to coincide with bonus category months. "Average" (the percentage on the right side of the slash) applies to rotating categories. It indicates the percentage of cash back if you were to spend consistently in the rotating bonus category over a year. The average percentage is calculated by dividing the actual bonus cash back percentage by 12 (months) and multiplying the result by the number of months the bonus is available. For example, Chase Freedom offers 5% cash back on groceries for 3 months out of the year. 5 percent divided by 12 is 0.42 and 1/3 percent times 3 is 1.25 percent. You must sign up for rotating bonus categories in most rewards programs. Failure to sign up means your purchases will earn the standard cash back percentage. The credit card company usually allows you to sign up a month before the offering the bonus category. The merchant, not the credit card company, declares the category to which it belongs. You can look up what category a retailer reports itself as on Visa's web site (of course, the category may vary for MasterCard, American Express or Discover). Bonus Mall Many companies offer additional cash back at major online retailers. Where available, we provide a link to the complete list of stores and cash back bonus. To earn the additional cash rebate, you must start shopping from the credit card's bonus mall; you do not earn the bonus if you go directly to the online store. Cash Out Event Describes when you can turn your accumulated rewards into cash. Most cards have a minimum threshold, such as $25 in earned rewards, before you can cash out. Others, like American Express Blue Cash, automatically give you a statement once per year. CaptialOne's No Hassle Rewards lets you cash out any time. Reward Caps If rewards expire or are limited to a certain amount, it is listed here. Some cash back cards, like CitiBank's Platinum Select, limit the total amount of cash rewards you can earn in a year. Others, like Chase and Discover, limit the amount you can earn in bonus categories. On a few cards, the cash you earn can expire if you don't redeem it in a timely fashion. Footnotes 1 Chase Freedom offers 5% cash back on all categories listed in the chart. However, Chase only offers each category for 3 months out of the year. This means each category averages 1.25% cash back unless purchases are timed for better returns. 2 See full details on the Chase Freedom 5% bonus cash back categories. 3 This is not a complete set of categories. Knowzy is still trying to get the complete 2010 bonus category calendar from Citi's public affairs department. CitiCard offers as much 5% cash back in categories that rotate throughout the year. 1.25% represents the average cash back bonus over the course of a year. Timing purchases to coincide with bonus categories will yield better returns. Learn more about how the average is calculated in the Legend section under Bonus Categories. You must enroll in the cash back bonus program every 3 months. 4 You can earn no more than $300 in rewards per year ($30,000 in spending). This limit doesn't apply to bonus mall purchases- they always earn rewards. You must make at least one purchase every 12 months in order to maintain your rewards balance. 5 Purchases from stores categorized as "warehouse clubs" always earn 0.25%, regardless of spending tier. Call Discover at 1-800-347-7896 for the current, complete list of stores. As of March 11, 2012, these stores are: Walmart Walmart Neighborhood Market Sam's Club Costco BJ's Wholesale Club Supermercado Amigos Core Mark Grocery stores affiliated with these warehouse clubs also earn 0.25% cash back. Affiliated gas stations earn the full reward. 6 Discover More offers 5% cash back on all categories listed in the chart but not for the entire year. The percentage listed represents the cash back bonus when averaged out over the year. Timing purchases to coincide with bonus categories will yield better returns. Learn more about how the average is calculated in the Legend section under Bonus Categories. You must sign up for each set of categories to earn the 5% cash back bonus. 7 Discover limits the total reward you can earn in the 5% Cashback Bonus categories. After the cap is reached, purchases in these categories earn the standard cash back rate, which is 1% if your spending has exceeded $3,000 for the year or 0.25% if you've spent less. Full calendar and more details on Discover's bonus category program are on Knowzy's 5% Cash Back Bonus Categories for Discover More Card. 9 2% cash back bonus only applies to the first $250 in spending on gas and restaurants per month. Any spending in these categories beyond $250 earns the standard cash back rate of 1% (or 0.25% if total spending for the year is below $3,000). 10 Tiers are based on the balance maintained in a companion savings account, not on spending. The required Emigrant Direct American Dream savings account must have an average balance of over $10,000 for 6 months to qualify for 1.4% cash back on purchases made with the Emigrant Direct World MasterCard. 11 Groceries no longer earn 2% beginning March 1, 2011. 12 If you link your Fidelity American Express to a Fidelity brokerage account or a Fidelity Cash Management (money market account), you can earn 2% without spending tiers. You must accumulate $50 or more in rewards to cash out to a Fidelity account. Fidelity Cash Management has no minimum deposit to open or monthly fees. 13 Eligibility to join the PenFed credit union doesn't guarantee you will be approved for the Platinum Rewards Cashback card. Approval is based on your credit worthiness. See footnote 6 in Chart 2 to learn more about becoming eligible to apply for the card. 14 Joining the Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU) doesn't guarantee your approval for the cashRewards card. Approval is based on your creditworthiness. See footnote 8 in Chart 2 to learn more about becoming eligible to apply for the card. 16 CapitalOne conceals the retailers offering a cash back bonus in its Perk Central mall. You must log in to a CapitalOne online account to see the list. The majority of stores in the ShopDiscover mall also participate in CapitalOne's Perk Central. 17 Discover doesn't announce their quarterly bonus category spending limits until shortly before the categories are offered to customers. The chart uses the previous year's spending limits when the current year's limits are not available. Historically, these limits do not change drastically from year-to-year, if at all. 18 Bank of America pays a bonus of 10% of the redemption value when redeemed into a linked BofA checking or savings account. For example, if you redeem $50 in rewards, Bank of America deposits $55 in your account. 19 Only the first $1,500 in bonus category spending per quarter earns 3% or 2% cash back. This is a $45 cash back bonus maximum every three months. You earn 1% cash back for spending in bonus categories after exceeding the $1,500 cap. 20 Every year on your sign-up anniversary date, CapitalOne pays a bonus of 50% of last year's earnings. For example, if you earned $200 in cash rewards in a year, CapitalOne credits you another $100 in rewards at the end of the year. It's equivalent to 1.5% cash back but with a long wait between redemptions for 0.5% of the 1.5%. 21 You must have excellent credit for CapitalOne Cash. The Cash Rewards for Newcomers and Journey Student Rewards cards offer 1% back to applicants with "Average Credit." 22 Earn $500 cash back by spending over $5,000 in the first 3 months on your new Citi Dividend World MasterCard. This is a limited time offer. If that's too rich for you or you missed your chance to apply, the $100 cash back cash back offer only requires you to spend $500 on your Dividend World card in the first three months. 23 You must have a Chase checking account to earn an extra 10% and 10 cents per card swipe. You must enroll in the Chase "10 and 10" program to receive the benefit. The extra cash back begins 90 days after enrolling, according to a Chase customer service representative.

Cash Back Reward Cards Offering 1% or Better
Chart #2: Credit Card Offer Details
Card	Prerequisites?	Intro. Offer	Fine Print	Sign Up
American Express
Blue Cash Everyday	None	6 or 12 mo. 0% intro rate	Pricing & Terms
Bank of America
Cash Rewards	None	12 mo. 0% intro rate 12 mo. 0% balance transfer rate $250 cash back³	Pricing & Terms
Visa Signature	None	12 mo. 0% intro rate $50 cash back¹²	Pricing & Terms
CapitalOne
Cash	None	$100 cash back¹² 12 mo. 0% intro rate 12 mo. 0% balance transfer rate	Pricing & Terms, Rewards Program	Excellent Credit¹
Chase
Amazon.com Rewards Visa Card	None	$30 credit	Pricing & Terms, Reward Program
Freedom	None	$100 cash back¹⁰ 12.99% to 22.99% APR 15 mo. 0% intro. rate 15 mo. 0% balance transfer rate	Pricing & Terms
Sapphire	None	$100 cash back	Pricing & Terms
CitiBank
Dividend Platinum Select MasterCard for College Students	Must be enrolled in college for student card.	7 mo. 0% intro. rate 5% cash back for groceries, drug stores, gas & utilities for 6 mo.	Pricing & Terms, Rewards Program	Student
Dividend World MasterCard	None	15 mo. 0% intro. rate 15 mo. 0% balance transfer rate $100 or $500 cash back¹¹	Pricing & Terms, Rewards Program	$500 Cash Back¹¹ $100 Cash Back¹¹
Discover
More Card^*	Must be enrolled in college for student card.	Good Credit: 15 mo. 0% intro. rate 15 mo. 0% balance transfer rate Student: 9 mo. 0% intro. rate	Pricing & Terms	Good Credit Student
Motiva Card^*	None	15 mo. 3.99% intro rate 15 mo. 3.99% balance transfer rate	Pricing & Terms
Open Road^*	Must be enrolled in college for student card.	Standard: 15 mo. 0% intro rate 15 mo. 0% balance transfer rate Student: 9 mo. 0% intro. rate	Pricing & Terms	Standard Student
Emigrant Direct
World MasterCard	None	$25 back after first purchase 6 mo. 0% intro rate 6 mo. 0% balance transfer rate	Pricing & Terms, Rewards Program
Fidelity
Investment Rewards American Express	None	None	FAQ, Rewards Program, Apply to read Pricing & Terms	Excellent Credit
Investment Rewards Visa Signature	None	None	FAQ, Rewards Program, Apply to read Pricing & Terms	Excellent Credit
First National Bank of Omaha
BucksBack Platinum Edition	None	6 mo. 0% intro rate	Pricing & Terms, Rewards Program
Maximum Rewards Platinum Edition	None	None	Pricing & Terms, Rewards Program
Visa Signature with Maximum Rewards	None	None	Pricing & Terms, Rewards Program
Iberiabank
Visa Gold^*	None	6 mo. 0% intro. rate	Pricing & Terms, Agreement, Enhancements	Excellent Credit
Navy Federal Credit Union
cashRewards	Credit union. Must meet eligibility requirements.⁸	None	Apply to read Pricing & Terms, Rewards Program	⁹
Pentagon Federal Credit Union
PenFed Visa Platinum Gas/Cash Rewards^*	Credit union. Must meet eligibility requirements.⁶	9.99% intro rate until June 30, 2014 24 month 1.99% balance transfer rate	Pricing & Terms	⁷
PNC Bank
CashBuilder	None	1.75% cash back for first month.	Pricing & Terms
Priceline
Priceline Rewards Visa Signature	None	$50 cash back 15 mo. 0% intro rate	Pricing & Terms, Rewards Info
Quorum Federal Credit Union
Visa Cash Back	Credit union. Must be eligible to join.	None	Pricing & Terms (Apply to read), Rewards Info
Sovereign Bank
Visa Signature / WorldPoints MasterCard	None	12 mo. 0% intro rate	Pricing & Terms, Rewards Info (Apply to read)
TD Bank
Cash Rewards Visa	None	6 mo. 0% intro. rate 2% cash back on dining, gas and groceries for 6 months	Pricing & Terms, Rewards Program
Union Bank
Maximum Rewards Platinum Edition	None	None	Pricing & Terms, Rewards Program
U.S. Bank
FlexPerks Cash Rewards Visa	None	6 mo. 0% intro. rate	Pricing & Terms
Wells Fargo
Cash Back Visa	Must be enrolled in college for student card.	Excellent Credit: 6 mo. 0% intro. rate 6 mo. 0% balance transfer rate Student: 6 mo. 6% - 14% intro. rate	Agreement, Rewards,Agreement (Student), Rewards (Student)	Standard Student
Legend Prerequisites You might need to meet certain requirements before you can apply for some cash back cards. Fidelity cards require a brokerage account. You must be eligible to join the Pentagon Federal Credit Union before you can apply for their card. Meeting the prerequisites does not guarantee your approval for the reward card; approval is based on your credit history. Introductory Offer More often than not, credit card companies offer an enticement to sign up with them. It might be a low or 0% introductory interest rate for a period, a balance transfer with favorable terms or even some cash. An introductory offer could be the deciding factor between two similar cards. Fine Print Includes links to cardmember agreements, details on reward programs, required disclosures, Schumer's box, legalese and any other small print the credit card company makes available online. Some companies are more forthcoming than others are. Footnotes 1 You must have excellent credit for CapitalOne Cash. The Cash Rewards for Newcomers and Journey Student Rewards cards offer 1% back to applicants with "Average Credit." 2 Requires an Emigrant Direct American Dream savings account, which is paying 1% interest as of January 11, 2011. The 1.4% cash back rate on the Emigrant Direct World MasterCard requires a $10,000 balance in the savings account. 3 You must spend $100 on the BankAmerica Cash Rewards card in the first 60 days to earn $50 bonus. 6 Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PenFed) is open to members of the military and their families, certain US government agencies and members and volunteers of the American Red Cross. Another option is joining National Military Family Association (NFMA) for a $20 annual fee. It is not necessary to maintain membership in NMFA once PenFed membership is established. Full details are on PenFed's How to Join page. 7 Eligibility to join the PenFed credit union doesn't guarantee you will be approved for the Platinum Rewards Cashback card. Approval is based on your credit worthiness. See footnote 6. 8 Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU) is open to members of the armed forces, including the National Guard, Department of Defense employees and family members. See complete details on the NFCU web site. 9 Joining the Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU) doesn't guarantee your approval for the cashRewards card. Approval is based on your creditworthiness. See footnote 8. 10 Must spend $500 in the first three months on the Chase Freedom card to qualify for $100 or $200 cash back. Reward shows up 6 to 8 weeks after it is earned. 11 Earn $500 cash back by spending over $5,000 in the first 3 months on your new Citi Dividend World MasterCard. This is a limited time offer. If that's too rich for you or you missed your chance to apply, the $100 cash back cash back offer only requires you to spend $500 on your Dividend World card in the first three months. 12 Must spend $500 in the first 90 days on the BankAmericard Cash Rewards Visa Signature card to qualify for $250 cash back. Reward appears as statement credit 8 to 12 weeks after it is earned. 13 Must spend $500 in the first 90 days on your CapitalOne Cash card to qualify for $100 cash back.

Talk About It

Do you know of any cash rebate cards we missed? Do you have experiences you'd like to share about a credit card company? Do you have questions about a card or reward program that we didn't answer?

Chime in on our Credit Card Chat page. We'd love to hear from you.