From personal experience...Discover card...is the best for regular shopping and household needs. I retain and use 2 cards on a regular monthly basis...Discover and Master Card. I gave up Amex when I stopped traveling. If you have a high FICA score you can almost name your own %. Discovers is 5% cash back bonus. I'm not aware of a 6% card...but I'll be watching the replies to your question.

I'm watching, too. I get points that I rarely think to use (just checked - a bit over a million right now) but cash back could be huge at the numbers you're talking about.

I have looked at Nerd Wallet, etc., but am having difficulty finding 'best' given my parameters. I don't care what the interest rate is because I don't use credit. I want my mundane purchases to earn money -- groceries, household expenses, the Big A, etc. -- not gasoline, travel, restaurants.

Top of some lists is Wells Fargo. Terrible reputation. This may be the sole positive for this institution.

No annual fee would be good, but not an absolute requirement. Amex Blue is generous, but has a $95 fee after one year.

The promotions are one-timers, so IDK if that's a biggie. (Get $250 if you spend X amount in X days.) Hah, I should keep rotate between cards every year?

We switched from AmEx to Capitol One Visa as our primary card several years back because they didn't charge a foreign transaction fee, no annual fee and 1.5% cash back on all purchases. I've seen other cards with higher cash back % but it was limited to certain types of purchases - gas, groceries, tickets, etc.

We could probably do better, but I'm not motivated enough to do the research. I would never pay an annual fee for a card with our current spending patterns.

Capital One Visa works well for me, too. I have a Chase Visa card that's also good, but I don't use it very often and can't recall the cash back amount.

I have a Citi Double Cash card: no annual fee, 2% back on everything. https://www.nerdwallet.com/reviews/credit-cards/citi-double-cash

Is Cash Back equally available if one pays account in full each billing, or carries balances owing month to month?

ole joyful

Discover and Chase Visa.

Yes, OJ, points are determined by how much one spends using a particular card—it has nothing to do with whether one has a balance or not. We’ve been using Discover for this in the last year or so, and recently cashed in points for several hundred dollars, accrued from the last few years.

I wonder how much you'd have to put on a card to qualify for more than 5% cash back, or to have a fee suspended. Probably a lot more than we charge!

No fees on our Discover.as long as you use it smartly and pay it off each month. Cash back depends on the month and the special they have going. It's not worth my time to think about one way or the other. We have the highest FICA number there is and again it's not worth the waste of brain power. I would not touch a Chase card --every time you use it they sell your name/info to the highest bidder.

I think you mean FICO. FICA is the name for the several federal social security payroll taxes.

I just got a notice from Citicard that they have a new custom cash card. You get 5% back on your top eligible spending category per billing cycle for up to 500.00 spen . They ahve 10 different categories. All other purchases give you 1% back. Intro offer is 0 interest for fifteen months. be aware that promotional plans don't payout cashback or points.

I have a lot of Citibank cards as well as Discover, Chase Visa etc. I find that even some of their store card partners are worth it. For example my Tractor Supply Citicard offers 3% cashback on all vet services.

I also think people don't always familiarize themselves with additional CC perks. For instance so many pay for roadside assistance not knowing that many cards offer it at competitive, only when you need it, rates. Since they have contracts with several tow services response time is much faster than some of the "clubs".

I just went onto Discover. I don't know if it's all their cards but the one the website steered me to has unpublished and changing quarterly maximums, special point spending rules which change monthly and which you have to activate to get. Ugh. I guess some people enjoy navigating this sort of thing but that's not me.

My BOA Visa card pays me 2.2% rewards on ALL purchases each month and then another 0.5% of the previous year's total purchase amount each January. I get around $500 worth of points each year and cash in the points to get gift cards as Christmas presents.

Discover sounded good until I saw that *they* choose what category will earn 5% in a given quarter, and then only up to a dollar limit ($1500/quarter). I can't buy all my groceries Jan. - Mar. Their second quarter is restaurants and wholesale clubs -- zero interest to me.

Back to the drawing board.

1. Maybe Amex Blue Cash Preferred: 6% at supermarkets to $6000 a year. $250 welcome after you spend $3000 in 6 mos. No fee first year, then $95 (if you stick around).

2. Amex also has a no fee Blue Cash Everyday: 3% at supermarkets to $6000; 3% for online purchases to $6000. $200 welcome after you spend $3000 in 6 mos.

3. Chase Freedom: 3% on anything up to $20,000. All this for Year 1, then 1.5%.

I'd have to play 'credit card musical chairs' to avoid the Amex $95 fee or the Chase drop to 1.5% cash back after Year 1.

Does anyone have a better idea for me than No. 2?

FOAS...I think Discovers website is confusing. You don't need to opt for any of their quarterly selections. I've had their card for 30+ years and I've never made any personal selections. I don't even remember signing up for their cash back program but obviously...I must have. My FICO [thanks Elmer] score is consistently 850 but I don't think that has much to do with my 5% cash back program. My monthly statement reads after siting the additional options for this quarter..."Plus, earn cash back on all other purchases - automatically." I think they offer the quarterly options as an incentive to use the Discover card at those options cited. This quarter it's restaurants and wholesale clubs. I haven't eaten in a restaurant in eons but I do shop at a wholesale club.

I suggest you rethink your decision. Unless they've drastically changed their program... you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. But...that's MPO. 😊

Winter, this is what I saw:

winter -- I think food and I are confused about just what earns the touted 5% cash back. Can you tell from your statement if you've earned 5% on anything and everything? Just some things? Not as much as 5% on some?

I currently earn only 1% on one card, and that's shown on my statement. I have to call to have the credit applied.

@chisue - Please keep up the hard work! 🙂

So far I'd need option 1 for supermarkets, it would pay for itself even with fee, option 2 for online purchases until I max out, at which point move them to option 3 along with everything else. Once I've maxed that out move to my existing points cards. Ay ay ay!!!

Ha-ha, food! I went to the Amex site to find that they're evidently pushing most for the card that will earn a fee after Year 1. The Preferred 'Welcome, Sucker' is now $300, and the Everyday welcome has dropped to $150. (AI at work?)

Chisue...as far as I can tell from my statement[s] I've earned 5% on all my purchases. My use of my card is basically limited to on-line food shopping via Instacart' shopping; at my local wholesale club; shopping at the big A; and independent site shopping for products either not available at the aforementioned sites or at sites I'm familiar with from my independent shopping days some years ago.

I wasn't paying too much attention to my accrued points until recently. I had a slug of them and decided to cash them in. It was quite pleasantly eye opening...and appreciated. I elected to use the accrued funds to be applied to charges on my card. From that point on, I opted to have my monthly shopping points applied automatically to each months' billed items. I did this entire transaction over the internet at the Discover website. I don't do "telephone" unless it's an emergency. I'm severely sight impaired and using a telephone is a PITA for me.

As a rule, I, generally, don't put more than $500/month on my card and usually less than that. I'm a frugal old Yankee and aside from book purchasing...my needs are minimal. Although..my electrician does take Discover. My plumber won't take any credit cards. LOL Maybe he's wiser than all of us! But for convenience...and necessity...Discover and I are fond companions. On sites where I can't use their card...which are few and far between...I use my MC.

In answer to your question...I can't tell...which is primarily due to my sight issues. I just count the money back as a gift and go about my usual business. If my explanations above don't help...please continue with your questions and I'll try to answer them.

Discover cashback is not complicated. I get reminders through email when a new category is about to begin. One click and done. You don't even have to sign in. A reminder is also always there when you go online to pay your bill. One click and it's automatic whether you use it or not.

I double our reward type cards up. One for DH and one for me, with me as an authorized user on all of his since I do most of the shopping and handle all our finances. Discover also allows holders to have more than one card in their name if that's important to you.

The only way I can see a fee card being a good deal is for someone who uses a lot of airline miles or something like that. For the average consumer just spending a few hundred a month on a card not such a great deal.

Groceries are any grocery store. Does not include Walmart or warehouse stores.

Restaurants are any food or drink purchase, including drive through and fast food. Those pennies add up.

Online shopping is mostly Amazon for me and I have an Amazon card. If I use Chase of Discover for an online purchase promotional period my Amazon card is used as my gas card. Easy peasy.

You are still getting your smaller percentage back on any other purchases outside the category. I use my Discover card rewards for gift cards to purchase dog food. Discover discounts gift cards at 10% - 20%. Citi double cash gives you 10 points back on any gift card redemption up to the first 10,000 or something points used each year.

FOAS...Sorry! That's not what I get when I access my Discover website but that's probably because I opt in as an active member and the site is personal to me. Unfortunately...I can't read what you've posted. The font size is too small even with my magnifying glass usage. And thanks...not...to some recent ISP created issues...I can't enlarge it enough to read it. I tried to find equal info on my personal website and couldn't. Perhaps that's due to the fact that I've already opted for the cash back program. 🙄 I'm adverse to posting my actual transactions but suffice to say that anything $$$ free to me is a bonus worth the effort to receive it...as long as it's legal.

I'll continue to follow this thread to stay current.

I belatedly noticed above some negative comments about Chase.

I have a Chase Sapphire Reserve card which is an unbelievably awesome card. I comes with a panopoly of benefits too long to list. It has an expensive annual fee but the benefits more than reimburse the cost for people whose spending profiles are a good fit.

In brief:

-I got a 100,000 points bonus when I got the card, worth well over $1000 in spending value

-$300 annual reimbursement for travel spending

-3X points for all travel and restaurant charges

-50% bonus value for points used to pay for travel booked through Chase. This alone saves us many hundreds of dollars per year.

-free access to special airport lounges located nationwide and worldwide.

-special promotions for bonus points

-reimbursement for charges for Global Entry or TSA-Pre programs

When you call, you talk to a person who is trained and empowered to be helpful. They use common sense, not an inflexible rulebook.

It's not for everyone but it's a fantastic card. We've told many of our friends and family members about it and I believe all have been very pleased. It's best for people whose habits and spending patterns are enough to produce and enjoy the paybacks.

Elmer -- Your Chase card is great for you, but it's the oposite of what I need. I appears to me that you are the market for most of the cash back cards. Thing is, we're a different procile. We are *old*! We're not traveling. We rarely eat out. Our old car has laughably low mileage, and if we ever do buy another one, it probably will be electric.

I'm looking for a card providing the most 'cash back' credit for mundane living expenses -- groceries, household expenses, online purchases, medical expenses. We run up hefty charges, but they aren't glamorous.

Yes, chisue. My comment wasn't so much directed to your request but rather as a rebuttal to someone who made a disparaging remark above about Chase. All issuers offer different cards with different features. A blanket criticism was what got my attention, the person was obviously not well informed.