Which card with 1.5% cashback is right for you?

If you’d rather earn cash or statements than points and miles, a cashback credit card is your best bet. Many cards offer cashback bonuses on certain purchases such as food and gas. But for those who want cashback on every purchase without having to deal with rotating categories or complex reward structures, a flat-rate credit card is a smart option.

There are several credit cards that offer 1.5% cashback for every purchase you make. However, this does not mean that each of these cards has the same value. Read on to find out more about 1.5% cashback cards and which one might be the best choice for your day to day shopping.

Comparison of cards with 1.5% cashback

Have you decided that a card with a fixed rate and a cashback of 1.5% is right for you? Now it’s time to find the right one for your wallet. As you will see below, most cards that offer 1.5% cashback do not charge an annual fee.

Here’s what we found when comparing the best 1.5% cashback cards available today:

Card	Interest rate	Welcome Bonus	Annual fee
American Express Cash Magnet® Card*	Cashback 1.5% from every purchase	$200 credit statement if you spend $2,000 within the first six months.	$0
Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards Credit Card	Cashback 1.5% on all purchases	$200 online cash bonus if you spend $1,000 within the first 90 days.	$0
The pursuit of unlimited freedom	1.5% cashback on all other purchases Plus: 5% back on Lyft purchases (until March 2025) 5% refund on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards 3% back on meals 3% back on purchases at the pharmacy	Get an additional 1.5% refund on everything you buy (up to $20,000 spent in the first year)	$0
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card	Cashback 1.5% from every purchase Plus: 5% off hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel	$200 if you spend $500 in the first three months.	$0
Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card	Cashback 1.5% from every purchase Plus: 5% off hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel	Nobody	$39
Navy Federal Credit Union cashRewards Card*	1.5% cashback on regular purchases	$200 bonus refund when you spend $2,000 within 90 days of opening an account.	$0
Ultimate Cash Back Card from Santander Bank*	Thereafter, earn unlimited cashback of 1.5% on qualifying purchases.	3% cashback on qualifying purchases within the first 12 months (on purchases up to $20,000)	$0
Visa Signature M&T Card*	1.5% cashback on regular purchases	10,000 reward points after making $1,000 purchases within the first three months	$0
USAA® Cash Rewards Visa Signature®* Preferred Card	1.5% cashback on regular purchases	Nobody	$0

Which card with 1.5% cashback is best for you?

Choosing the best card for you depends on what benefits you are most interested in. If you are set to receive a signup bonus, such as USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa Signature and QuicksilverOne are likely not eligible. suitable for you. To make things easier, we’ve broken down the options you should consider based on the factors that matter most to you.

Best for highest annual fee value

If you are interested in earning the highest annual rewards with a 1.5% cashback card, Chase Freedom Unlimited is your best bet. Not only does this Chase card offer 1.5% back on all non-categorised purchases, but you can also get 5% back on trips booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal and 3% back on restaurant and pharmacy purchases not to mention its 5%. rate on Lyft purchases through March 2025.

Its signup bonus and extra cardholder perks aren’t too bad either. First, Chase will automatically refund you an additional 1.5% on everything you buy in your first year, for spending up to $20,000. There are also several travel and shopping benefits, as well as a free DashPass membership for three months (then a 50 percent membership discount for the next nine months if you activate before the end of December 2024).

Best for paying for purchases or completing a balance transfer

Whether you’re looking to purchase a high-value item and pay it off over time, or you’re in the market to pay off existing credit card debt at 0 percent APR while earning 1.5 percent back on purchases, Bank of America Unlimited Cash Rewards, Capital One Quicksilver or Chase Freedom Unlimited should be your choice.

All three cards offer interest-free offers for 15 months on both purchases and balance transfers, albeit with varying ex post variable interest rates.

• The pursuit of unlimited freedom: 0 percent starting annual income for 15 months (16.49% to 25.24% variable annual income after)
• Bank of America Unlimited Cash Rewards: 0% APR at start for 15 billing cycles (15.49% to 25.49% variable APR after)
• Capital One Mercury: 0 percent starting annual income for 15 months (16.49% to 26.49% variable annual income after)

The only exception to note is that with a Bank of America card, balance transfers must be made within the first 60 days of opening an account or you will lose your initial rate.

Finally, Amex Cash Magnet also offers an introductory APR, but only on purchases:

• American Express money magnet: 0 percent starting annual interest rate for 15 months (from 15.49% to 25.49% variable annual interest rate after)

Best for Easy Sign Up Bonus

If you don’t want to spend a lot of money up front, but are very interested in getting a welcome bonus with a new card, you have several options.

Among the cards listed above, Quicksilver requires the lowest spending threshold to receive a $200-$500 signup bonus in the first three months of a card membership. The Freedom Unlimited bonus may also interest you, although you won’t earn it right away.

Should you consider a 2% cashback card instead?

It is important to note that there are several fixed rate reward cards that offer a higher rate than 1.5% cashback, namely cards with 2% cashback.

City Double Cash

The Citi® Double Cash Card effectively offers up to 2 percent cash back on all purchases: 1 percent when you make a purchase and another 1 percent when you pay for that purchase. This Citi card does not offer a signup bonus, so it is technically less valuable in the short term. But if you are looking for a great long term cashback card, this is a great option.

Wells Fargo Active Cash

With the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, you get 2% cash back on every purchase, and there’s also the chance to earn a $200 bonus after you spend $1,000 on purchases. And unlike Citi Double Cash, Active Cash doesn’t require you to jump through any hoops to earn your 2 percent cash rewards—you’ll earn when you spend.

bottom line

The 1.5 percent cash back rate is pretty standard among flat rate credit cards, and as you can see, there are plenty of options to choose from.

If you’re ready to take the next step, consider using a tool like CardMatch to see pre-qualified offers and other eligible products you might qualify for. While using this tool is not a guarantee of approval, it can give you a good idea of ​​which cards match your credit profile—and without compromising your credit score.

*All information about the American Express Cash Magnet Card, Navy Federal Credit Union cashRewards Card, Santander Bank Ultimate Cash Back Card, Visa Signature M&T Card, and USAA® Preferred Cash Rewards Visa Signature® Card has been independently collected by CreditCards.com. The Issuer has not provided the content and is not responsible for its accuracy.

Ana Staples is a Staff Reporter and Credit Officer Young Reporter for CreditCards.com covering product news and credit advice. She loves sharing financial experiences with her readers and believes that the right financial advice at the right time can make a real difference. In her spare time, Anastasia writes love stories and plans a trip to the French Riviera that she will take one day—when she has enough points, that is.

Dan Rafter has covered personal finance for over 15 years in publications ranging from The Washington Post and Chicago Tribune to Wise Bread, HSH.com and MoneyRates.com. His work has also been published online by Motley Fool, Fox Business, Huffington Post, Christian Science Monitor and Time.