Cash Back Credit Cards with no Annual Fee

When choosing a cash back credit card you should be aware of additional costs of an opportunity to earn additional 2-5% on your spending:

• Typically APR that applies to such cards is higher than you can get with your excellent credit.
• Some cash back cards charge an annual fee, so you should make enough in purchases to offset an annual fee with a cash back.

Luckily, most of the best cash back cards are now free. Here’s our list of the best no annual fee cash back cards:

Discover it Miles

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intro purchase APR 0% for 14 months	regular APR11.49 - 23.49% (V)
intro BT APR 10.99% for 14 months	3% BT fee
rewards 1.5 miles/1$

• earn unlimited miles at 1.5% rate on every purchase

 

good credit required

no annual fee

unlimited 1.5 miles per dollar

redeem for any travel or cash

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Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa

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intro purchase APR 0% for 12 months	regular APR13.74 - 25.74% (V)
intro BT APR 0% BT APR for 12 months	3% or $5 BT fee
rewards 1.5% flat rate cash back	$200 bonus for spending $1000

get $200 for spending $1000 on a card in the first 3 months 

excellent required

no annual fee

earn 1.5% flat rate cash back on all purchases

get $200 bonus for spending $1000 on the card in the first 3 months

0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months

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Capital One Spark Classic for Business

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intro purchase APR no intro offer	regular APR23.49 - 23.49% (V)
intro BT APR no intro offer	no BT fee
rewards 1%

fair credit required

no annual fee

good card for an average credit

1% cash back on all purchases

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Discover it Secured

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intro purchase APR no intro offer	regular APR23.49% (V)
intro BT APR 10.99% for 6 months	3% BT fee
rewards	$1-$2 cash back

• 1% cash back on all purchases
• 2% cash back on gas and dining with $1000 quarterly limit

 

bad credit required

no annual fee

25 days grace period

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Fidelity AmEx

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intro purchase APR no intro offer	regular APR13.99% (V)
intro BT APR 0% for 12 months	3% BT fee min $10
rewards 2% per dollar

• get 2% on all purchases 
• need to have Fidelity account - free, no minimum, no maintenance fee

excellent required

no annual fee

2% flat rate cash back

need to open Fidelity account (free)

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SunTrust Cash Back

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intro purchase APR 0% for 15 months	regular APR10.74 - 21.74% (V)
intro BT APR 0% for 15 months	3% BT fee min $10
rewards 1, 2, or 5% on $1	+10-25% bonus

• earn 5% back on gas and grocery with a $6.000 annual limit (2% then)
• 1% on all purchases
• 10-25% bonus on your cash back when redeemed electronically on your SanTrust checking account

excellent required

no annual fee

2-5% cash back on gas and groceries

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PNC CashBuilder Visa

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intro purchase APR no intro offer	regular APR13.49 - 22.49% (V)
intro BT APR 0% for 12 months	3% BT fee $5 min
rewards 1.25% 1.5% 1.75%

• earn 1.25% cash back if you spent up to $2,000 a month
• 1.5% if you spent $2,000-$4,000 a month or have a PNC Performance checking account
• 1.75% if you spent more than $4,000 or have a PNC Performance Select checking account

 

excellent required

no annual fee

1.25%-1.75 cash back rate

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Amazon Rewards

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intro purchase APR no intro offer	regular APR14.74 - 22.74% (V)
intro BT APR no intro offer	14.24-22.24%
rewards 1% 2% 3% on every $1	+$50 off at Amazon

• earn 3% back on Amazon purchases
• 2% on gas, dining out and drugstores
• 1% on everything else
• get $50 on your Amazon account upon cards approval

fair credit required

no annual fee

3% back on Amazon

2% back on gas, dining and drugstores

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Chase Freedom

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intro purchase APR 0% for 15 months	regular APR15.49 - 24.24% (V)
intro BT APR 0% for 15 months	3% BT fee $5 min
rewards 1% or 5% on every $1	+$100

• 5% cashback on quarterly categories ($1,500 quarterly limit, then 1%)
• get $100 bonus after spending $500 on the card in the first 3 months
• get $25 on first added authorized card user

 

fair credit required

no annual fee

0% intro APR

5% cash back on quarterly categories

$100 intro bonus

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BankAmericard Better Balance Rewards

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intro purchase APR 0% for 12 months	regular APR12.49 - 22.49% (V)
intro BT APR 0% for 12 months	3% min $10
rewards $25 every quarter	+$5 per quarter for checking account

• get $25 every quarter if you pay your balance faster than just minimum payments
• plus get additional $5 if you have a checking account with BoA
• cashback is posted to your account automatically

good credit required

no annual fee

good 0% intro APR offer

up to $30 cashback every quarter

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• show 5 more cards

Our long-time favorite is a Fidelity AmEx card that gives you back 2% on all purchases with no limit. The only inconvenience is the need to open Fidelity account, which is free and doesn’t charge you a maintenance fee.

Another card is Citi Double cash – you get 1% cash back on all purchases when and then 1% back after paying off your balance. That means a total 2% cash back on all purchases if you pay your balance in full.

One of the most rewarding options with high cash back categories is a US Bank Cash+ card that offers a top level 5% cash back on 2 categories of your choice and 2% on another category you choose.

With a credit card, it is necessary to know the amount of interest you pay to the bank if you keep a balance on a card. That interest in most cases will offset any benefits of having a cash back or rewards.

The basic rule is if you keep a balance, just go with a low APR credit card – it will save you more in the long run.