Best Cash Back Credit Cards of 2018

The Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® Card pays an unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases, which bumps up to 1.8% for mobile wallet purchases in the first year. It offers one of the highest sign-up bonuses of any cash-back card: Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months. Another unique benefit: up to $600 in protection on your cell phone (subject to a $25 deductible) against covered damage or theft when you pay your monthly cell phone bill with the card.

You can't redeem your cash back rewards until you've earned at least $25 for online redemptions, or $20 at a Wells Fargo ATM. Flat-rate cash back is hassle-free, but you'll miss out on the extra rewards offered by cards with bonus categories.

The Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® Card offers unique benefits, a great bonus and solid rewards, although maximizers may want to pair it with one or more cards that offer bonus rewards.

The $0 pays an unlimited 1.5% cash back on everything. And unlike other cards that restrict when and how you cash in your rewards, you can redeem cash back in any amount at any time. This card also comes with an outstanding introductory APR offer: 0% on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months, and then the ongoing APR of 14.74% - 24.74% Variable APR. There's a nifty sign-up bonus: One-time $150 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. The annual fee is $0.

No bonus categories. If you're a hardcore rewards maximizer, this might be best as a secondary card.

Few cards offer as compelling a mix of rewards rate, redemption simplicity, 0% intro period and sign-up bonus as the Capital One® Quicksilver® Card - 0% Intro APR for 15 Months.

The Discover it® Cash Back offers 5% cash back in categories that you activate, on up to $1,500 in spending per quarter. All other purchases earn 1% cash back. Past categories have included such common merchants as gas stations, restaurants, home improvement stores and Amazon.com, so there's a good chance of earning bonus cash back on spending you were going to do anyway. This card puts you in charge of your sign-up bonus. Instead of a flat amount paid once you spend a certain amount of money, the bonus is based on your spending and is awarded at the end of your first year: Discover will match ALL the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year, automatically. There's no signing up. And no limit to how much is matched.

Activating the bonus categories each quarter can be a hassle. If you forget, you don't get your 5% rewards. If you don’t spend enough to maximize the bonus categories each quarter, you might earn more rewards with another card.

It's pretty hard to beat 5% cash back, and the Discover it® Cash Back has historically offered bonus categories where many of us spend a lot. With a $0 annual fee, this card does well as either an everyday card or a backup.

This card offers 5% cash back on rotating bonus categories, which in recent years have included gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants and wholesale clubs. You earn an unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. The card comes with a cash sign-up bonus that’s fairly easy to reach: Earn a $150 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.

The Chase Freedom® requires you to opt in to the bonus category each quarter. You can opt in at any time and get the bonus for the entire quarter — but if you forget, you won’t get 5% cash back. If you don’t spend enough to maximize the bonus categories each quarter, you might earn more rewards with another card.

The Chase Freedom® has one of the best rewards rates out there without an annual fee or a complicated redemption process. If you spend a lot on the 5% bonus categories — and most people do — you’ll easily earn substantial cash back with this card.

This card’s 6% cash back rate at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 a year in spending, then 1%) makes it a longtime favorite with the Nerds, as does its 3% rate at U.S. gas stations and select U.S. department stores. All other purchases earn 1% back. By buying gift cards at the supermarket and using them at restaurants, retailers and other merchants, you can extend the 6% cash back far beyond just groceries. The new-cardmember bonus also adds to the appeal — and you may be eligible for an even better offer from American Express. Check out our American Express Pre-Qualified Offers page.

The annual fee is high for a cash back card, but if you spend at least $31 a week at the supermarket, the cash back will offset it. Because this card is an American Express, you may have trouble using it in some places.

If you spend at least $61 a week at the supermarket and are a regular at the gas pump, this is a great card. If you spend less than that, consider an alternative version of this card — the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express. It has a $0 annual fee, but the cash back rates are lower.

The combined 2% cash-back rate on the Citi^® Double Cash Card – $150 Cash Back Offer is best in class for a card with a $0* annual fee: You get 1% back on every dollar you spend and another 1% back for every dollar you pay back. But wait, there's more: You get a 0% intro APR period and even a good sign-up bonus: Earn $150 cash back bonus after $500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.

If you're into maximizing your cash back, you can earn higher reward rates in specific categories with different cards. There’s a minimum cash back redemption of $25.

The high cash-back rate alone is enough to make this one of the best rewards cards available. Throw in the sign-up bonus and the sheer simplicity of the rewards — no points, no bonus categories to keep track of — and it's close to a must-have.

The U.S. Bank Cash+™ Visa Signature® Card is a rotating category card with a twist: You get to pick your own bonus categories. You earn 5% cash back in two categories you choose, on up to $2,000 per quarter in combined spending (then 1%); unlimited 2% cash back in one other category of your choice; and 1% on all other spending. There's a good sign-up bonus, and the annual fee is $0.

Rotating category cards involve more work than flat-rate cards, and this one adds an extra layer of effort because you have to pick your categories each quarter. Forget to do so, and you'll earn only 1%.

The unique rewards system on the U.S. Bank Cash+™ Visa Signature® Card makes it worth considering for people who don't mind (or who even enjoy) actively managing their credit card accounts.

The HSBC Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card sets itself apart from other cards that offer a flat 1.5% cash back by giving you an annual 10% bonus on all cash rewards earned in the preceding year. That makes the effective rewards rate 1.65%. There's also a nice sign-up bonus, and the annual fee is $0.

As with all flat-rate cards, there's no opportunity to earn extra rewards on certain purchases.

With solid rewards, annual bonuses and no annual fee, the HSBC Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card is a good option for people with good credit.

The Alliant Cashback Visa® Signature Credit Card has an outstanding cash-back rate: unlimited 3% rewards on every purchase in the first year, then unlimited 2.5% cash back thereafter. The card also has no foreign transaction fee, making it a good option for international travel.

There's an annual fee of $0 the first year, then $59. After the first year, you'll have to spend $2,360 a year to make up for it. Also, you must be a member of Alliant Credit Union, although anyone can join with a $10 donation to Foster Care to Success.

The annual fee may be a turn-off for many, but this card was specifically designed for bigger spenders. If you spend more than $5,900 a year, it's a better deal than a 1.5% card with no annual fee; spend more than $11,800, and it's better than a no-fee 2% card.

The flat 1.5% cash back rate is pretty great, especially for people without perfect credit, and there’s no limit on the rewards you can earn. The rate is the same as that paid by the Capital One® Quicksilver® Card - 0% Intro APR for 15 Months, which is only for people with excellent credit. (That card has a $0 annual fee.) There are no foreign transaction fees, and Capital One may bump your credit limit up if you make your first five monthly payments on time.

The annual fee of $39 isn’t very high, but it will still cost you something to have this card. The ongoing APR is high, so you should plan on paying your balance in full each month; otherwise, the interest will wipe out your rewards.

The reality is that not everyone has a credit score above 800. The Nerds appreciate that Capital One offers a credit card with an extremely competitive 1.5% rewards rate for people still building their credit scores.