Best 2% Cash Back Credit Cards of 2023

Forget about rotating categories. Ignore cards with enhanced rewards on just some purchases. In this article, we list the best 2% cashback credit cards.

The “best” rewards cards will vary depending on how you use the card. They will also vary based on how many cards you want to use. What won't change is the card you should use for everyday purchases. And that card should give you at least 2% in rewards for every $1 you charge to the card.

With that, here's our list of the best 2% cash back credit cards.

Citi® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer

I've carried the Citi® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer for years. It pays 1% cash back on every purchase plus 1% when you pay for the purchase. Because we pay off our credit cards in full every month, we effectively earn 2% cash back on all purchases.

The card comes with other features we like as well. There is no annual fee. And if you need a balance transfer, this card offers 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 18.49% - 28.49%, based on your creditworthiness. That said, there are some downsides. It's not a great card to travel overseas with as it charges a foreign transaction fee. It also requires excellent credit to get approved.

• Welcome Bonus: None
• Rewards:  
  2% cash back

  All eligible purchases

  Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases.
• 0% APR: Get 0% APR on balance transfers for the first  18 months
• Annual Fee: $0
• Foreign Transaction Fee: 3% of the U.S. dollar amount of each purchase.

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Synchrony Premier World Mastercard®

The Synchrony Premier World Mastercard® is as simple as they come. You earn 2% cash back on all purchases. No rotating categories to worry about. In addition to the cash back rewards, the card offers Lyft credits, a Doordash membership and discount, identity theft protection, and $0 fraud liability.

It does not, however, come with other features offered by some of the cards on this page. For example, it doesn't come with a signup bonus or a 0% APR introductory rate.

• Welcome Bonus: None
• Rewards:
  2% cash back

  All eligible purchases

  Earn 2% cash back on every purchase
• 0% APR: None offered
• Annual Fee: $0
• Foreign Transaction Fee:   3% of each transaction converted to U.S. dollars

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Wells Fargo Active Cash Card

Wells Fargo recently launched the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card. This card pays 2% cash back on all purchases. No rotating categories. No waiting to pay your credit card bill to get the full two percent cash back. The card charges no annual fee, offers a signup bonus, and a 0% introductory APR.

• Welcome Bonus: Get $200 cash bonus rewards when you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months.
• Rewards:
  2% cash back

  All eligible purchases

  Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases
• 0% APR: 0% for 15 months on balance transfers (transfer fees apply) and for 15 months on purchases, then regular APR of 19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% applies.
• Annual fee: $0
• Foreign Transaction Fee: 3% of each transaction converted to U.S. dollars.

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Alliant Cashback Visa Signature Card

Alliant Cashback Visa® Signature Credit Card changed its cash back rewards structure and it now offers 2.5% cash back on the first $10,000 in qualifying purchases per billing cycle and 1.5% cash back on everything else.

However, to earn 2.5% cash back you'll also need to open an Alliant High Rate Checking account, receive at least one direct deposit per month, and maintain an average daily balance of at least $1,000. Furthermore, you only receive your cash back rewards as a statement credit or deposited into your checking account.

• Welcome Bonus: None offered
• Rewards:
  2.5% cash back

  All eligible purchases

  Earn up to 2.5% cash back on your first $10,000 of qualifying eligible purchases.

  1.5% cash back

  On all other purchases

  Unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other qualifying eligible purchases.
• 0% APR: None offered
• Annual Fee: $0
• Foreign Transaction Fee: None

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Fidelity Rewards Visa Signature Card

Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Credit Card rewards you with an unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases. There's no cap on rewards, and there's no annual fee.

So what's the catch? The rewards have to be paid into an eligible Fidelity account. That's not a problem if you already have a Fidelity account. If you don't have a Fidelity account, you can redeem your cash back rewards for travel or merchandise, but they're only worth 1% cash back.

• Welcome Bonus: None offered
• Rewards:
  2% cash back

  All eligible purchases

  Earn unlimited 2% cash back on everyday spending
• 0% APR: None offered
• Annual Fee: $0
• Foreign Transaction Fee:  1% of each foreign transaction

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Capital One Spark Cash for Business

 Capital One Spark Cash Plus is another card I carried for years. Actually, I first started off with the Capital One spark miles for business. It paid 2x on every purchase, but only if you used it for travel. With Spark Cash, you get 2% cash back on every purchase. You also get a $200 cash bonus if you spend $200,000 or more in a calendar year, which will cover your annual fee. This is a charge card, not a credit card, which means you'll need to pay your balance in full every month.

• Welcome Bonus:

  Earn up to a $1,000 cash bonus; $500 once you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months, and $500 once you spend $50,000 in the first 6 months of account opening.

• Rewards:
  5% cash back

  Hotels

  Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels booked through Capital One Travel.

  5% cash back

  Rental Cars

  Earn unlimited 5% cash back on rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

  2% cash back

  On all other purchases

  Earn unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase, everywhere-with no limits or category restrictions.
• 0% APR: None offered
• Annual Fee: $150
• Foreign Transaction Fee: None

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Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

 In truth, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card card isn't a true 2% cash back card. Yes, you do earn two miles for every $1 spent. The miles are only worth one penny if you use them to pay for travel purchases, and slightly higher if you transfer them to Capital One's travel partners. Use the points for anything else, and the value is cut in half. As a result, it qualifies as a 2% rewards card only if you use the rewards for travel.  For frequent Travelers, however, this card can serve as a 2% credit card.

• Welcome Bonus: Get 75,000 bonus miles when you spend  $4,000 in the first  3 months.
• Rewards:
  5x miles

  Hotels

  Earn unlimited 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel

  2x miles

  All eligible purchases

  Earn unlimited 2 miles per dollar on every purchase
• 0% APR: Not offered
• Annual Fee: $95
• Foreign Transaction Fee: None

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PayPal Cashback MasterCard

PayPal Cashback Mastercard is a great card if you use PayPal to pay for purchases. You'll earn 3% cash back on those purchases and 2% cash back on everything else. Similar to the Fidelity card, the cash back from this card is deposited into a linked PayPal account. From there, however, you can transfer them to a linked bank account and use them however you'd like.

• Welcome Bonus: None offered
• Rewards:
  3% cash back

  All eligible purchases

  Earn 3% on Eligible Purchases you make using your Card Account through your PayPal account

  2% cash back

  On all other purchases

  Earn 2% cash back on all other purchases
• 0% APR: None offered
• Annual Fee: $0
• Foreign Transaction Fee: 3% of each transaction.

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Apple Card

Apple Card We give the Apple card an honorable mention. First, you get 3% cash back on all purchases from Apple. This includes not only hardware from an Apple store or online, such as iPhones, iPads and AirPods, but also subscriptions such as Apple Music and iCloud.

Beyond Apple purchases, it pays 2% cash back on all purchases made through Apple pay. If you swipe the card, however, you only earn 1% cash back.

Beyond rewards, the card has many great features. It doesn't charge an annual fee or just about any other fee for that matter. And the Apple card app on the iPhone is a thing of beauty. It helps you manage your spending and shows you the effect of interest charges if you don't pay off the card in full each month.

• Welcome Bonus: None offered
• Rewards:
  3% cash back

  Select Categories

  3% cash back on goods or services when you use your Apple Card with Apple Pay on purchases directly from Apple. These include purchases from Apple retail stores, the Apple online store, iTunes, Apple Music and other Apple-owned properties. App Store purchases (including In-App Purchases ).

  3% cash back

  Select Categories

  3% cash back on select merchants when you use your Apple Card with Apple Pay: Ace Hardware, Duane Reed, Exxon, Mobil, Nike, T-Mobile, Panera Bread, Uber, Uber Eats, Walgreens

  2% cash back

  All eligible purchases

  2% cash back on purchases when you use your Apple Card with Apple Pay.

  1% cash back

  On all other purchases

  1% cash back on purchases made with the Apple Card.
• 0% APR: None offered
• Annual Fee: $0
• Foreign Transaction Fee: None

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