This is not an exhaustive list, just some highlights. Feel free to comment or suggest additions

This is one of the more interesting financial topics to the average user, IMO - cash reward credit cards. I'll provide links and info for several of the best of these cards. Please feel free to post or PM me with more info and I'll update the thread.

A few notes to start off with:
(1) I'm only including cash reward cards in this thread. There are a lot of other rewards cards, such as those that get you frequent flyer miles, gift certificates, etc. I like cash back the best, however, and those are the ones I know the most about.
(2) This list only include VISA, MasterCard, AMEX & Discover - no store-specific cards.
(3) There are lots of cards that get you 1% back, so in general I judge how good a card is using that 1% as a baseline. For that reason, I've only included cards in this list that beat the 1% baseline in some way.
(4) All of this is based on not carrying a credit card balance (that is, paying off the card every month). This is the best practice, and if you have a balance then you probably shouldn't be using these cards. Instead, you should look for the card with the lowest APR (reward cards typically have higher APRs).
(5) Cards have no annual fee unless otherwise stated.
(6) Remember, most cards have opt-out clauses in the membership agreements which lets them take back your rewards and raise your APR if you are late on payments. PAY ON TIME!

Here we go:


Emigrant Direct Platinum MasterCard

Card Info

• 1.4% cash back, deposited into your EmigrantDirect American Dreams Savings Account twice annually.
• Must maintain an average balance of at least $10,000 in their EmigrantDirect American Dream Savings Account(s) for the past 6 months in order to get the biannual cash back deposit
• If you have less than $10,000 in the account(s), you get 0.5% cash back deposited

American Express True Earnings Costco

Card Info

• 3% cash back for gas, 3% for restaurants, 2% back for traveling, 1% everywhere else, including at Costco
• No annual fee with your paid Costco membership - i.e., your membership gets charged to this card every year.
• Complete benefits list here

American Express Blue Cash

Cash Back Tiers

• $0 - $6500 = 0.5% for most spending, 1.0% for everyday purchases
• $6500.01 and above = 1.5% for most spending, 5.0% for everyday purchases
• If you spend exactly $50K (with no everyday purchases), you'll earn $685.00 which is a return of 1.37%
• "Everyday" purchases includes supermarkets, gas stations and drug stores that are not departments of superstores (Wal-Mart, Target) or warehouse clubs (Costco, Sam's). Home improvement stores are now excluded (NOTE: This has changed from the previous version of this card). Obviously the more everyday purchases you make the better you will do. The reward is credited to the account once per year on the anniversary of your sign-up date.
  COMMENTS:
  This is one of the best cards for people who spend a lot in a year. If you don't use it for any "everyday purchases", you need to spend $13K to earn 1% cash back. If you spend less than $13K yearly, it may be better to go with a different card. If you spend substantially with this card, you'll take advantage of the 1.5% cash back once you pass the $6500 tier.

PenFed Visa Platinum Rewards Card

Card Info:

• 5% cash back from gas purchase, 2% cash back from supermarket purchases
• 1.25% back on everything else; paid monthly (credited on each statement), no tiers (no limit as far as I can tell)
• No Annual Fee
• Currently 2.99% Balance Transfer (fixed for the life of the transferred balance!)
• Auto rental insurance
• Travel insurance
• Emergency card replacement
  
  COMMENTS:
  This is really one of the best all-around cards. Cash back, high percentage, credited monthly. On top of that, it's great for foreign travel because they only charge a 1% currency conversion fee (actually it's passed on from VISA) unlike many cards which charge 3% or more. You still get your 1.25% back on foreign purchases, so you have a net gain. To get this card you have to join the credit union, which you can do for free if you're ex-military or your family member is, or pay $20 to join the NMFA. Details here - link

National City Everyday Rewards Elite Visa

Card Info:

• Up to 4% cash back
• 4% on gasoline at the pump — Up to $250 in monthly purchases
• 3% on cinema and video rentals — Up to $150 in monthly purchases
• 2% on groceries, restaurants and fast food — Up to $750 in monthly purchases
• 1% - Up to 1% on everything else with no limits — Earn .25% on your first $10,000 in purchases every year; 1% thereafter with no limitations.
• Once you have accumulated $100 in rebates, we’ll automatically send you a check attached to your next monthly statement

Schwab Bank Invest First Visa Credit Card

Card Info:

• 2.0% of your credit card purchases will be credited monthly to your SchwabOne brokerage account
• No Annual Fee
• Must open (or already have) a Schwab One brokerage account account in order to receive rewards. If you open the card first, it will store your rewards until you open a brokerage account. You can just deposit some cash in the brokerage account and then withdraw it and leave a few dollars in. There's no minimum balance.
• No foreign currency transaction fee
• No limit to earned cash back
• Basically this is the best all-around card out there, hands-down.

Fidelity Retirement Rewards American Express

Card Info:

• You'll earn 2.0 points for each $1 spents
• No Annual Fee
• There’s no limit to the rewards you can earn.
• Must open (or already have) a Fidelity investment account in order to receive rewards
• For every $2,500 in purchases you make, you earn 5,000 points which can be automatically redeemed for a $50 current year contribution to your Fidelity IRA account or other Fidelity account. Or, redeem your points for WorldPoints rewards.

Fidelity Investment Rewards Visa

Card Info:

• You'll earn 1.5 points for each $1 spent on the first $15,000 in purchases per year, and 2 points per $1 in purchases thereafter.
• Once you reach 5,000 points, points can be automatically converted into a deposit in your eligible designated Fidelity account. Or, redeem your points for WorldPoints rewards.
• No Annual Fee
• Must open (or already have) a Fidelity investment account in order to receive rewards
• Eligible registrations include all non-retirement registrations, Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, Rollover IRA, SEP IRA and all Fidelity-managed 529 Plans are eligible.

Citi Dividend Platinum Select Card (MasterCard)

• 1% back on all purchases with the card
• 2% back on supermarket, gas station, drugstore, convenience store, and utility (phone, cable, etc) purchases (5% for first 6 months at those places)
• sent as a check at your request once you have $50 in rewards - call them by phone or request it online. Check are only sent if you contact them.
• Capped at $300 in rewards per year ($30K in spending at 1% reward, less if you take advantage fo the 2% reward purchases)
• As an added bonus, CitiBank cards let you have a function called "virtual account numbers" if you signup for their online access (free). This lets you create credit card numbers that are assigned to your account. You can specify a dollar amount limit on them too. Very useful for when you're buying something at a "shady" site, or are worried that some sort of subscription service will keep charging you.
• NOTE: Is this card still available? Not Sure.

Chase Freedom (VISA or MasterCard)

• 1% back on all purchases
• 3% back where you spend the most (whatever 3 bonus categories where you spend the most each month)
• Bonus categories include grocery, gas, fast food, telecom, cable/internet, video, department stores, dry cleaners, drugstores, etc (look on the website for more)
• This makes it a good card to have and just pay your utilities with every month, for instance.
• rewards can be redeemed in $50 increments. If you earn $200, they'll give you a bonus $50 (meaning 1.25%/3.75% cash back)
  COMMENTS:
  This is a great card to have in your arsenal, particularly if you schedule your purchases with it properly.

Discover More or Open Road Cards

• More Card: 5% Cashback Bonus in travel, fashion, gas, restaurants and more
• Open Road Card; 5% Cashback Bonus in gas and auto maintenance
• 5-20% Cashback Bonus through Discover's online shopping site (www.shopdiscover.com)
• 1% Cashback Bonus on all other card purchases

Thank you. This is a nice compilation. I am thinking of applying for a new credit card...just not sure which one. This will most certainly help.

Thank you very much

Paypal debit card pays 1.5%, not credit though good for known large purchases.

I have the stockback card....highly recommend....no cap

niktboos - with the stockback card, do you have the cash back option or the mutual fund option? I'm curious how the cash back option works - do you get a yearly check? Are there any benefits to choosing the mutual fund option vs. the cash back (other than the difference between investing and cash)? For instance, do you get extra percentages off, or anything like that? I couldn't tell from the website if there were any substantial differences between these options.

The 1.25% cashback for Principal Visa is only toward one of their products:

Contributions to a Principal Mutual Fund
Principal payment on a Principal Bank Consumer Loan
Principal payment on a Principal Mortgage Loan
Deposit in a Principal Bank deposit account
Contribution to a Principal Variable Annuity contract
Contribution to a Principal Variable Life policy

It said "Take your rewards as cash or invest them in a mutual fund* - it's up to you."

Updated, thanks. I believe you can always just cash out the mutual fund, so I don't think it's functionally that different. There may be penalties/fees depending on when you cash out, though.

I saw that, but they seem to have been recently updating the website. Previously their restaurant discount seemed to require signing up for some "IDine" program which didn't appear to be automatic. It wasn't clear to me whether it required you to choose the mutual fund option in order to get the restaurant discounts.

Also, BTW, the restaurant discount is listed as 10% on the main page but when you search through the link restaurants appear to offer discounts in the 10%-20% range. I think there may have been recent changes to the rewards program with this card.

I use and recomend the Bank One Free Cash Rewards card.

Free Cash Rewards

Pays 1% on all purchases in $25 increments.
1 point per dollar spent.
Get 1000 free points upon signing up.
No annual fee.
Also option of getting retailer gift checks (BestBuy, CircuitCity, etc..) instead of cash. Your choice.

Please update the Principal section:

Reward will be applied to your credit card balance if no other product has been selected.

You do not need any of the other products. I don't have any of them and every quarter I receive my reward on my credit card.

mephisto - thanks for the great info. As I (obviously) don't have all of these credit cards, I'll need good feedback like that from users who have them to make sure the details are accurate.

Please add the following card:

Advanta Business Platinum with Cash Back - LINK

Tiers are as follows:
0.25% on the first $5,000 in purchases
0.50% on purchases between $5,001 and $10,000
0.75% on purchases between $10,001 and $15,000
1.00% on purchases between $15,001 and $25,000
1.50% on purchases between $25,001 and $50,000
2.00% on purchases over $50,000.

No limit to the rewards you can earn. Every other cash back card I know/have has annual rewards limits. This is an excellent card for the big spender

BTW: Annual limit for Principal Visa is either $500 or $600, not sure right now.

I added it. Thanks belmedic

Added - thanks mephisto.

My understanding is you get 1% rewards either in cash or in mutual fund, and if you spend at one of the iDine participating restaurants, you get 10%-20% on top of the 1%. All you need to do is signup iDine and register up to 3 credit cards (including your StockBack card), pay using one of them, and the reward tracking is done automatically.

I have signed up iDine for a while but the participating restaurants in my area are quite pricey. Even after 10% rewards they not places that I would go very often.

Good to know. In my area many of the restaurants on the list are ones I've been to and are not that pricey. So I'm considering signing up for this card.

Two days ago I was on that website and the front page said "get 10-20% at select restaurants". Today it says "earn 11% back when you dine". That's my basis for saying that I think the reward program is changing, I may be misinformed but the recent website updates makes it look like that to me.

Based on what you're saying there's no basis to my worries that you have to choose the mutual fund option to get the IDine discount, which is good.

Almost forgot the obvious - Discover Platinum and Classic

--------------------------------------------------
For Cardmembers who participate in the Cashback Bonus® Program, the award percentage applied to calculate the accrued Cashback Bonus award on the total qualified purchases at the end of each billing period is as follows:

.25% (.0025), if the purchase is part of the first $1,500 in purchases during the anniversary year, or, if the purchases are made at select warehouse clubs or discount stores, and

.50% (.0050), if the purchase is part of the second $1,500 in purchases during the anniversary year, and

1.0% (.01), if the purchase is part of the purchases in excess of $3,000 during the anniversary year

All purchases made at BJ's Wholesale Club, Costco and Sam's Club including any purchases made at these warehouse clubs' Internet sites and Wal-Mart (including any Wal-Mart Internet sites) will accumulate a fixed rate of .25% (.0025). However, purchases made at gas stations at these warehouse club and discount store locations will not be subject to this fixed rate and will continue to accumulate a Cashback Bonus award of up to 1% based on your annual level and type of purchases.

Please note: Costco has limited Discover Card acceptance.

http://www.discovercard.com/discover/data/...hbackinfo.shtml
--------------------------------------------------
Get Up to Double Your Award with Select Cashback Bonus Partners:

http://www.discovercard.com/discover/data/.../partners.shtml

One more card to add is....

Fool.com Rewards card

I also looked at this one prior to signing up for Bank One card.

1% straight cash back on all purchases
9.9 fixed APR
Reward check is mailed 1 time per year
Issued through MBNA for Fool.com.

Not a bad card, but I liked the idea of being able to cash out @ $25 increments with the Bank One card versus once yearly on this card.

One other difference I've found, although when using these card it should not make a difference, is Fool.com card uses Average Daily Balance where the Bank One card uses Two Cycle Average Daily balance. Only really pertinent if you were going to carry a balance, but that would defeat the benefits of these type of cards. :lol:

Thanks for the info, kevie. I was hoping someone would put up some info on the Discover cards for me

Thanks, I've updated. I like Fool.com, but that card is ridiculous looking and I wouldn't be caught dead with it in my wallet.

I've added a new card, the American Express Business Cash Rebate Card. Bumping for the updated info and to give people a chance to review credit card choices again.

I have the original amex cash back but that new business amex cash back at 2.5 and 5 looks so good I must act. Thank You

bump for this great thread.

Costco Platinum Amex (non-business) Cash Rebate Card = 2% cash back

The points you earned will be converted into coctco credit to spend in costco every Febuary. And the card itself serves as a costco membership card (I am not sure about this one yet, because the costco website says something like "this card is for members only", so does that mean you have to be a costco member first?)
Anyway, if that card can be used as a costco membership card, then you shall save another $45 each year.

No, you still have to pay for the membership. It just allows you to show this special credit card for entry (on the back of the card can have your costco membership picture and number for use) instead of the normal costco card.

Rasheed

i dont have any cashback rewards, but i do have a chase icard which gives me 1% back in the form of webcertificates once i hit $10 in rewards.

//krunk (^_^x)

Updated - thanks, tolik. BTW, I don't think this is the best card. You can pretty much always do better with the Amex BLUE Cash card. You get to $100 reward at $10333.33 (compared to $11000 with NO everyday spend purchases with the BLUE Cash). If you got free Costco membership (which you apparently don't) then it would be a better value. The extra 0.5% for carrying a balance, as mentioned above, is not worth it. Also, according to the website, the yearly reward comes in the form of a Costco certificate. Maybe it can be converted back to cash?

So all things being equal, I would take BLUE Cash over this. This does beat a standard 1% card if you purchase more than $10333.33 yearly, though.

That's my question. If not, then the card is not qualified for this thread.

The best card in my dreams:
1, cash back, quarterly, if not monthly.
2, costco or Sam's club membership free.
3, CDW included,
4, BVG,
5, no annual fee.

I would go for such a card even if its APR is 25%.

Citi sent me an invitation to get 5% cash back on all my purchases through February 2004 (with a limit of $100 cash back) on my Citi Platinum Select Mastercard. I will only use my American Express Cash Rebate card for gas now. Maybe they will let new card holders in?

Bank of America offered to add a 1% rebate and a same-store BVG to their credit card but it cost $80/year and why would anyone pricematch to the same store anyway?

bank one changed the reward term:(something are similar the discover)

Reward Tiers:

.25% (.0025), if the purchase is part of the first $1,500 in purchases during the anniversary year, or, if the purchases are made at select warehouse clubs or discount stores, and

.50% (.0050), if the purchase is part of the second $1,500 in purchases during the anniversary year, and

1.0% (.01), if the purchase is part of the purchases in excess of $3,000 during the anniversary year

ion36 - can you post where you found that information, and a link if possible. From what I see, the Bank One card's website shows the same terms as in my OP. Did you get this in the mail recently from Bank One? If so, perhaps they haven't updated the website yet.

I too am intrested in this info as I just received this months statement, and no change of terms were included. (I am still getting 1%)
I also rechecked the website and found they are still offering a full 1% cash back.
Please advise where you came upon this info as I am very intrested since this is the primary rewards card I use. Thanks!

CHase also has a card called freedom card which has a 5% cash back on all gas purchases. I think it also gives you a 1% discount on all purchases but I never had time to check to see if they do that. All you need to do is to call 1-800-993-2097 and apply. With gas prices going through the roof-it seems like a good idea.

AAA's MBNA card gives you 5% instant rebate @ the pump for your gas purchases, also 1 pt/dollar for you to redeem @ AAA branches (?). It's not a cash rebate card, but apply it through certain web sites (today on my MSN there was such link), and you will have free gifts, such as DVD player, from MSN (?), and receive a $30 bonus dollar from MBNA. I know this is not a cash rebate card, but the bonus dollar sounds like cash for me.

I'm not certain, but I think you're referring to the Chase PerfectCard, which is in the OP. Everything I see about the Chase Freedom Card from a quick Google search points to them being the same card.

As a side note for anyone who has an Amex Cash Rebate card - I just got a postcard in the mail that says card users will get 5% at everyday spend stores starting Sept 15 through either Oct 15 or Nov 15 (can't recall the end date exactly, but if others need to know it then I'll post it). Just a heads up for those with the card.

Received a mail from bank one for existing card holder: (free reward program)

Pays 1% on all purchases in $25 increments.
1 point per dollar spent.
No annual fee.
Also option of getting retailer gift checks (BestBuy, CircuitCity, etc..) instead of cash.?Your choice.

I figured this one out.....Bank One offers 2 different cash reward cards. The one I have, and recomended here is the "Free Cash" card. It pays a fulll 1% on all purchases (in $25 increments) either in cash or gift cards.
They also offer the "Cash$in" card. It pays on a tiered program similar to the Discover card. Mystery solved! :lol:

Dell & Staples as the everyday purchases?!?! Man, this is the card for me!
Has anyone who does not have a business tried applying for this? It's one thing to make up a business name when ordering items online, but quite another thing when you are applying for credit. Any suggestions?

Garsh - I put this in my OP about another business card -

Your concern is exactly what's held me back from applying for the Amex Business Cash Rebate card. If they want the type of business, name, sales, etc, then they really want more details than Dell does on their Small Business site (in which we can just put our own name as the business name and nothing more). However, I already have another AmEx card and I constantly get pre-approved offers to sign up for their Small Business cards (not the rewards one, but others). It seems it wouldn't be that hard to go ahead and apply for one. Maybe you could make up a business you would like to have, or something realistic (like computer consulting). I wonder what it costs to "register" a business name (LLC, Inc, etc). If you just did that then you might have a legitimate business (albeit one with zero sales).

You don't need to work very hard with Amex. Just give your own name as Business Name. When the guy from Amex calls you, just tell him you are some consultant.

I got my card that way.

Thanks for the info, sanxxx. I was hoping to hear from someone who had gotten the card with a "fake" business to see that it's OK. I presumed it wouldn't be a problem, since I get pre-approved small business card offers from Amex all the time.

It looks like principle bank now has a tiered rebate schedule:

Rebate Spending levels

2.0%=$25,000-$40,000

1.5%=$15,000-$25,000

1.0%= $5,000-$15,000

0.5%=Less than $5,000

Thanks Dr. Ido, I updated the OP with the new info for the Principal Bank card.

I didn't see it in the thread so I thought I'd mention the Bank of America Gold Rewards card. I'm not sure of all the details, but I used to use a Blue Cash and I switched to the BoA Gold Rewards since it's Visa (can be used a lot more places than AmEx) and I can do all my online banking in one spot (with my BoA checking).

Can you give me a link to that card, Gaines? All I found on their website is something called the "Money Return Platinum Visa", which just gives 10% of your interest charges back (which is obviously a bad idea, since if you're carrying a balance you should be looking for the card with the lowest interest rate, not the best cash rewards). If you can give me a link to details about the card, I'll post it in the OP.