Which Cash-Back Credit Cards Offer a Good Welcome Bonus?

Many highly rated cards offer new customers bonuses of $150 or more for meeting a spending requirement.
Erin Hurd
Gregory Karp
By Gregory Karp and  Erin Hurd 
Updated
Edited by Erica Corbin

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Cash-back credit cards aren’t known for huge new cardholder sign-up bonuses like travel credit cards. But a bonus promotion, which some issuers call a welcome offer, can be valuable because it amps up your cash rewards in the first year of ownership if you can meet the spending requirement.

Among cash-back cards, some offer no sign-up bonuses while others are modest, in the range of $25 to $100. But some cards, especially those with an annual fee, offer bonuses worth $150, $200, $250 or more.

In the long run, a better rewards rate is more important than a one-time welcome offer. But if you’re looking for a new cash-back credit card with potential for a cash freebie, here are highly rated cash-back cards with sizable new-cardholder promotions.

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Cash bonuses with annual fee

Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card*

Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
NerdWallet rating 
  • Welcome offer: Earn a one-time $300 cash bonus after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.

  • Cash-back rewards: 4% cash back on dining and entertainment, including streaming services, 3% at grocery stores, and 1% on other purchases.

  • Annual fee: $95.

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
NerdWallet rating 
  • Welcome offer: Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months. Terms Apply.

  • Cash-back rewards: 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 in spending per year, 6% back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% back on transit including U.S. gas stations, plus 1% cash back on everything else. Terms apply (see rates and fees).

  • Annual fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.

Cash bonuses, no annual fee

🤓Nerdy Tip

Some cards technically earn points that can be used as cash back. We generally consider them to be cash-back cards if you can redeem points for 1 cent each.

Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

Wells Fargo Active Cash Card
NerdWallet rating 
  • Welcome offer: Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.

  • Cash-back rewards: Unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.

  • Annual fee: $0.

Chase Freedom Flex℠

  • Welcome offer: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.

Chase Freedom Flex
NerdWallet rating 
  • Cash-back rewards: 5% cash back in quarterly bonus categories on up to $1,500 in combined spending each quarter (activation of bonus categories is required), 5% back on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3% back on dining, 3% back on drugstore purchases, 1% on all other purchases. For all cardholders, through March 31, 2025, 5% back on qualifying Lyft services purchased through the Lyft app.

  • Annual fee: $0.

U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card

U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card
NerdWallet rating 
  • Welcome offer: Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in eligible purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.

  • Cash-back rewards: 4 points per $1 spent on dining, 2 points per $1 spent at grocery stores, gas stations, EV charging stations and on eligible streaming services, and 1 point per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases.

  • Annual fee: $0.

Citi Custom Cash® Card

Citi Custom Cash® Card
NerdWallet rating 
  • Welcome offer: Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.

  • Cash-back rewards: 5% on up to $500 spent per billing cycle in your highest spend category out of 10 categories, including grocery stores, restaurants, streaming services and more. 1% cash back thereafter, and on all other purchases. Cash back is earned in the form of ThankYou® Points which can be redeemed as a direct deposit, check or a statement credit, or for gift cards, travel and Shop with Points at Amazon.com.

  • Annual fee: $0.

Navy Federal Credit Union® More Rewards American Express® Credit Card

Navy Federal Credit Union® More Rewards American Express® Credit Card
NerdWallet rating 
  • Welcome offer: Earn 30,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 within 90 days of account opening. Expires on Apr. 30, 2024.

  • Cash-back rewards: 3 points per $1 spent on groceries, gas, dining and transit. 1 point per dollar spent on everything else.

  • Annual fee: $0.

Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card

  • Welcome offer: $200 online cash rewards bonus after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening..

Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card
NerdWallet rating 
  • Cash-back rewards: 3% back on a category of your choice (chosen from a list), 2% back on grocery stores and wholesale clubs for the first $2,500 of combined bonus category/ grocery store/wholesale club spending per quarter; then 1% back on these purchases. 1% back on all other purchases.

  • Annual fee: $0.

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

  • Welcome offer: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!

Chase Freedom Unlimited Credit Card
NerdWallet rating 
  • Cash-back rewards: 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3% back at restaurants and drugstores, and 1.5% on all other non-bonus-category purchases.

  • Annual fee: $0.

Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card

Capital One® SavorOneSM Cash Rewards Credit Card
NerdWallet rating 
  • Welcome offer: Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.

  • Cash-back rewards: 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target), plus 1% on other purchases.

  • Annual fee: $0.

Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express

Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
NerdWallet rating 
  • Welcome offer: Earn a $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months. Terms Apply.

  • Cash-back rewards: 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 in spending per year, 3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases on up to $6,000 in spending per year, 3% cash back on U.S. gas stations on up to $6,000 in spending per year, and 1% cash back on everything else. Terms apply (see rates and fees).

  • Annual fee: $0.

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Bonuses that vary with spending

These bonuses depend on how much you spend on the card, and some are paid out at the end of your first year. They can be among the most valuable welcome offers.

Discover it® Cash Back

Discover it® Cash Back
NerdWallet rating 
  • Welcome offer: INTRO OFFER: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers – only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. You could turn $150 cash back into $300.

  • Cash-back rewards: 5% cash back in rotating categories that you activate (on up to $1,500 in purchases per quarter) and 1% cash back on all other purchases. Previous bonus categories have included things like restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations and more.

  • Annual fee: $0.

Capital One® Walmart Rewards™ Mastercard®

  • Welcome offer: Earn 5% back on purchases in Walmart stores when you use this card in Walmart Pay for the first 12 months after approval.

  • Cash-back rewards: 5% back on purchases at Walmart.com and items purchased through the Walmart app; 2% back for in-store purchases, including those made at Murphy USA and Walmart gas stations; 2% back on travel and at restaurants; and 1% back on all other purchases.

  • Annual fee: $0.

Discover it® Chrome

Discover it® chrome
NerdWallet rating 
  • Welcome offer: INTRO OFFER: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers – only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a dollar-for-dollar match.

  • Cash-back rewards: Earn 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter and 1% cash back on all other purchases.

  • Annual fee: $0.

Small businesses card bonuses

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card Credit Card
NerdWallet rating 
  • Welcome offer: Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

  • Cash-back rewards: Earn 5% cash back on up to $25,000 a year in spending at office supply stores and on cable, internet and phone service, 2% cash back on up to $25,000 a year in spending at gas stations and restaurants, and 1% cash back on all other spending.

  • Annual fee: $0.

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

Ink Business Unlimited℠ Credit Card
NerdWallet rating 
  • Welcome offer: Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

  • Cash-back rewards: Earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business.

  • Annual fee: $0.


To view rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, see this page.
To view rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, see this page.

*Information related to the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card.

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