Best Cash Back Credit Cards for September 2025

If you use a cash back card responsibly, you can earn a percentage back on all of your purchases. If you break it down it’s like you are receiving a discount on everything you buy. Depending on how you use a cash back card and what you use it for, you can earn anywhere from 1% to 6% back. There are flat-rate options that pay you the same cash back percentage on all of your purchases as well as options that pay you a higher rate on specific categories. In addition to ongoing cash back rewards there are also welcome bonus opportunities, low intro-APRs and many other additional perks and benefits to consider. Check out the best cash back credit cards from our partners.

Detailed Overview: Best Cash Back Credit Cards

** Information for the following card was not reviewed by Citi or provided by Citi.

What Is a Cash Back Card?

As the name suggests, cash back cards earn you a practical reward that just about everyone can benefit from — money. When you make purchases with a cash back card, you get back a specified percentage of what you spend in the form of cash. While other types of credit cards reward you with points or miles that you may only be able to use for certain purposes, cash back cards offer a level of simplicity that many cardholders appreciate.

Here’s an example: If a card offers 2% cash back on gas station purchases and you spend $60 to fill your tank, you’d get $1.20 back. How you receive your cash back rewards varies from card to card. Some may give it to you in the form of a statement credit, while others may pay you back in actual cash. Other cards may allow you to choose how you want to receive it.

As you compare cash back cards, you’ll notice that some offer flat cash back rates for all types of purchases, while others offer different cash back values depending on which category your purchase falls under. Some cards rotate which categories feature enhanced cash back rewards, with a new category offering extra cash back each quarter.

Types of Cash Back Credit Cards

Cash back credit cards can structure their rewards bonuses in several ways. Let’s examine three common types:

Flat rate – The simplest of all cash back cards, flat-rate cards give you the same percentage of cash back for all eligible purchases across all categories. A solid rate to look for in a flat-rate card is 1.5%, although there are a few cards that offer 2%. 

If your purchases are typically spread out among different categories or if you plan to use the same cash back card for most of your spending, a flat rate card may be the best choice for you. 

Tiered – Many cash back cards use a tiered structure when rewarding cash back, with certain types of purchases generating a higher cash back rate than others. For example, a card might give you 5% cash back on purchases at grocery stores, 3% cash back at restaurants and 1% cash back on everything else.

Tiered cards make it possible to rack up cash back rewards, especially if a large portion of your monthly spending falls into one or two categories. But you’ll want to take a close look at whether the high cash back rates have spending caps. Many cards will offer lucrative rewards on spending up to a certain limit, but once that limit is reached the rate falls to 1%.

Rotating bonus categories – Some cards put a spin on the tiered cash back structure by regularly changing which categories offer the highest cash back rates. Categories are often rotated on a quarterly basis during the calendar year. For example, a 5% cash back rate may apply to streaming services during the first three months of the year, and then that high rate may switch to gas station purchases for the next three-month period.

For some cards, you’ll need to activate each bonus category to receive the enhanced rate. This can usually be done on the card’s website, app, or by clicking on an email.

Common Cash Back Bonus Categories

There’s a wide range of cash back categories that may be featured by different cards, but three of the most common are:

Grocery stores – This category typically includes any purchase made at a supermarket, regardless of whether it is food or another item. However, many cards have restrictions on which stores qualify, and they often don’t count purchases made at warehouse clubs such as Sam’s Club and Costco or at superstores such as Target and Walmart.

Gas stations – For most cards, this category includes anything purchased at a gas station, whether it’s gas or supplies stocked in the gas station’s convenience store. As with the groceries category, purchases made at gas stations connected to a superstore often are excluded from this bonus category. It is becoming more common to see EV charging stations included in this category.

Restaurants/Dining – Cards may refer to this category as either “restaurants” or “dining,” and it typically consists of spending at eateries ranging from fast-food joints to the fanciest sit-down restaurant. Cards differ on whether third-party food delivery service spending qualifies in this category.

Pros and Cons of Using a Cash Back Card

A cash back card occupies the front sleeve of many wallets, and for good reason. It’s an absolute workhorse of a card that can save you money every day. But while it’s the best option for some, it may not be a great choice for others. Let’s look at the pros and cons:

PROS

Rewards you can actually use – Miles and points often can only be redeemed for specific uses, and even then you may be dealing with a maze of restrictions and blackout dates. But cash? Yep, everyone still accepts cash, including you when it comes to rewards. Sure, the right travel card might earn you a free flight from Los Angeles to Tahiti. Too bad you live in Pittsburgh.

Low or no annual fees – Those pesky annual fees. Many are $95, but some reach up above $600. Sure, you can “make up for it” by compiling a bunch of perks, but who knows if you’ll use them? The beauty of cash back cards? Most have either no annual fee or a very low annual fee. Those that do have a fee typically offer additional perks to help offset the yearly cost.

Welcome bonuses – While cash back cards don’t always have the most lucrative welcome bonuses, they often have a lower spending requirement to qualify for the bonus.

Introductory APRs – Most cash back cards offer an introductory APR on purchases and/or balance transfers.

CONS

Lower value potential – Some cards open up the possibility of squeezing major value out of rewards points if they are used strategically. Cash back cards generally aren’t those cards.

When You Shouldn’t Get a Cash Back Card

Cash back cards are versatile everyday cards that can benefit a wide range of consumers. They reliably pay you back a small percentage for each purchase you make, and it’s easy to see the appeal of that. But they’re not the best option for everyone. Here’s when you may want to look elsewhere for a credit card:

You travel frequently – If you’re booking flights, hotels, rental cars and other travel services on a regular basis, you can almost certainly find more value in one of the many credit cards that cater to your lifestyle. The right travel or airline card can accelerate the pace at which you accumulate miles or points, and you probably won’t have any trouble redeeming those points on future trips. 

You live for the perks – Who doesn’t like elite status, right? There are plenty of cards that will get you exclusive reservations at top restaurants and free access to airport lounges. However, most cash back cards are relatively simple, with few bells and whistles. 

You plan to carry a balance – Some cash back cards feature 0% introductory APRs that can also make them good candidates for when you need to make a big purchase or transfer a balance from another card. In fact, a few on this list also made our best balance transfer cards list. But there are also many cash back cards that don’t offer a low introductory APR, meaning it may be difficult to pay off any balance you build up.

How To Compare Cash Back Credit Cards

There are several factors to consider when selecting a cash back card:

Annual fee – Most cash back cards have no annual fee or at least a low annual fee. However, don’t automatically rule out a card with a fee. Sometimes a generous cash back rate in the right categories could allow you to quickly make up for the cost of the fee.

Welcome bonus – Most cash back cards will offer a welcome bonus, usually in the form of cash back or a statement credit after you spend a certain amount within a specified timeframe. For example, a card might give you a $200 cash bonus after you spend $1,000 in the first three months. You’ll want to consider the size of the bonus, and then determine whether you plan to spend the amount needed to receive it.

Bonus categories – Of course, one of the main factors you’re probably interested in when it comes to a cash back card is how high of a rate you can get and what purchases will earn you that rate. After you check the rate structure, make sure to look at any spending caps that are imposed on enhanced rewards. For example, a card may offer 6% cash back on groceries on up to $6,000 spent during the year.

0% introductory APR period – If you think you may need to carry a balance or if you plan to make a balance transfer, you’ll want to check whether the card offers a 0% introductory APR, and for how long the introductory rate lasts. If you’re considering a balance transfer, you should also check whether the card charges a balance transfer fee.

How To Maximize Cash Back

Here are a few ways to get the most out of your cash back credit card:

Pay your balances in full each month – It doesn’t matter how strategically you use your cash back cards if you don’t pay your card off each month. The interest you’ll incur will likely cancel out those earnings.

Look for a welcome bonus – You might as well get a head start on your cash back. With so many cash back cards offering welcome bonuses, it doesn’t make much sense to ignore this opportunity. Just remember that most bonuses require you to spend a certain amount in a specified period of time in order to receive the cash reward.

Utilize rotating bonus categories – If you have a cash back card with rotating bonus categories, make sure you’re keeping track of which purchases can earn you the highest rate. You may be able to hold off on making some types of purchases until a larger bonus kicks in. Just be sure to activate your bonus categories if your card requires it.

Combine cards – You may be able to maximize your cash back rewards by carrying multiple cards and using the one with the highest rate on whichever type of purchase you’re making. This may take a little more planning and discipline, but it could pay off considerably.