The Six Best Cashback Credit Cards of 2026

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These are the six best cashback credit cards of 2026. I considered ranking them, but everyone’s cashback needs are different, and all of these cards are strong. Instead, I’ll point out who each card is best for, who it isn’t for, and a few general notes. You can hardly go wrong with any of them.

1. Amazon Prime Visa (Chase)

Signup bonus: $150 Amazon gift card just for opening the card.

Earnings:

• 5% cash back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, and Whole Foods
• 2% cash back at gas stations, restaurants, local transit, and commuting
• 1% cash back on everything else

Benefits: No foreign transaction fees, which is uncommon on a card like this.

Verdict: If you shop at Amazon frequently, this is a card you need. It works as an automatic 5% discount on Amazon purchases, plus another 5% at Whole Foods. With no annual fee, it is close to a no-brainer for any Amazon regular.

2. Citi Double Cash

Signup bonus: $200 after you spend $1,500 within the first six months. There is also a promotional 0% APR for 18 months on balance transfers.

Earnings: 2% cash back on all purchases, with no limit.

Verdict: This is probably the easiest sleeper pick on the list because there is little to think about. You get 2% back on everything and pay no annual fee. If you like to keep things simple, this is your card.

Cashback Portals

If you’re not sure you want a cashback credit card, or if you can’t get one, you can still earn cash back through cashback portals. There are many to choose from, and my favorite is Rakuten. Whenever I shop online, I check Rakuten first to see if the retailer offers additional cash back. If it does, I click through and earn cash back just for doing so.

The best part is that portal cash back stacks on top of your card’s rewards. Say you have the Citi Double Cash, which earns 2% on all purchases. You open Rakuten to shop at Nike, which is currently offering 6% cash back. That’s 6% from Rakuten plus 2% from the card, for 8% cash back in total. Rakuten works with hundreds, maybe thousands, of retailers, not just Nike.

In some cases you can also earn cash back in stores by linking your credit card and paying with it. Rakuten currently has a new user bonus. The publicly available offer is modest, typically $30 for spending $30. There is also a much higher offer, which I’d call an all-time high, that gives you $50 for spending $50. If you’re already planning a purchase, it makes sense to buy through Rakuten and get some of your money back.

3. Chase Freedom Unlimited

Signup bonus: $200 after you spend $500 within the first 3 months. You also get a promotional 0% APR for the first 15 months on new purchases and balance transfers.

Earnings:

• 5% cash back on travel booked through the Chase Travel Portal
• 3% cash back on drugstore purchases
• 3% cash back on dining
• 1.5% cash back on everything else

Benefits:

• 2% cash back on all Lyft purchases until September 2027
• 6 months of complimentary DashPass, which includes $10 per quarter off non-restaurant DoorDash orders until December 2027

Stepping Into the Chase Ecosystem

The Freedom Unlimited also gives you a way into the broader Chase ecosystem, which includes cards like the Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve. Those cards carry annual fees, while the Freedom Unlimited does not.

Those cards also let you convert your cash back into transferable points. In the points and miles world, transferable points are how people book free hotels and business class flights. You don’t need to worry about that when you first get the Freedom Unlimited. It simply gives you an entry point and starts your banking relationship with Chase. You don’t have to get the other cards, but the option is there.

Verdict: I love the 3% on dining. This card offers elevated cash back in certain categories, so it takes a little more effort than a flat-rate card. Most of us start with cashback cards and later become interested in travel perks and flight rewards, and this card is a great stepping stone to those higher tier cards without having to learn an entirely new bank’s ecosystem.

4. Citi Custom Cash

Signup bonus: $200 after you spend $1,500 within the first six months, plus a promotional 0% APR for the first 18 months on balance transfers.

Earnings: 5% cash back on your highest spend category, up to $500 of spend per month. Spending beyond that in your top category earns 1%, and all other purchases earn 1%.

Verdict: This card is a great fit if there is one category where you spend heavily and want 5% back on it. Gas is a good example. You could use the card only for gas, or only for restaurants, whatever your category may be. That keeps things clean and locks in 5% cash back from the start.

5. American Express Blue Cash Preferred

Signup bonus: $200 back after you spend $3,000 within the first 6 months, plus a 0% promotional APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 months.

Earnings:

• 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 of spend per year
• 6% cash back on select streaming
• 3% cash back on transit
• 3% cash back on gas
• 1% cash back on all other purchases

Benefits: A $120 Disney streaming credit, issued as $10 per month, which can be used for Disney Plus, Hulu, or ESPN.

Annual fee: $95, waived the first year. This is the only card on this list with an annual fee.

Verdict: This is probably the heaviest hitter on the list thanks to the 6% on groceries, but it is also the only one with an annual fee. I recommend getting the card for the first year while the fee is waived, then checking whether you are getting full value from the grocery, streaming, and gas categories. If you are, keep the card and pay the fee. If not, you can cancel it or downgrade to the Blue Cash Everyday card.

6. Fidelity Visa Signature Card

Signup bonus: $0.

Earnings: 2% cash back on everything, with no limit.

Benefits: No foreign transaction fee, plus a credit toward TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. TSA PreCheck offers expedited airport security, so you can keep your belt and shoes on. Global Entry offers expedited entry back into the U.S., letting you skip the standard customs and immigration lines.

Verdict: I love this card, especially for anyone who is travel curious. The no foreign transaction fee and the TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit are perks that usually come with cards that have annual fees of $100, $200, or $500. Getting them on a card with no annual fee is a big plus.

Final Thoughts

Which card is best for you comes down to how you spend. Cash back is also the easiest card benefit to understand, because you should never spend money without getting something in return. You still get the product, but you should get something back as well, whether that is 1%, 1.5%, 2%, 5%, or 6% cash back.

If you’re smart, you’ll stack a cashback portal on top of your card. I’ve seen people earn 15 to 20% cash back this way, which is remarkable. All it takes is making sure you use these online portals.

I changed “groceries” to “U.S. supermarkets” for the Blue Cash Preferred, since that is how Amex defines the category. If you’d rather keep your original wording, swap it back. I can also put this in a file if you’d like.