Insider’s experts choose the best products and services to help make smart decisions with your money (here’s how). In some cases, we receive a commission from our our partners, however, our opinions are our own. Terms apply to offers listed on this page.
Crystal Cox/Business Insider
- Opening and using a rewards credit card can help you earn extra cash back when you shop.
- Consider applying for cards with generous bonus offers, and pay attention to credit card bonus categories.
- Shopping portals like Rakuten can be particularly useful if you do a lot of your shopping online. They’re extremely easy to use, since you only need to click through before you make a purchase.
- Read Insider’s guide to the best cash-back credit cards.
If your goal is earning more cash back on your spending, you should know about all the tips and tricks that can boost your earnings without too much extra effort. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to earn cash back on regular purchases and monthly bills, and not all of them require a credit card.
That being said, having a cash-back credit card often allows you to “double-dip” on rewards, and you may be able to earn welcome bonus offers and score cardholder perks along the way. In fact, stacking credit card rewards with online deals is one of the best ways to save money when you shop.
Here are the best ways to earn more cash back this year.
Insider’s Featured Cash Back Credit Cards
Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and when you pay using PayPal, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases automatically.
Unlimited Cashback Match – Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year
Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases.
$200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening
5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
$200 after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening
We’re focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won’t be worth it if you’re paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it’s important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.
1. Earn a credit card welcome offer
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
Intro offer
$100 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card in the first 6 months of card membership and up to $150 back by earning 20% back as a statement credit on purchases when you shop with PayPal in the first 6 months
Rewards
Earn 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, online retail purchases, and at U.S. gas stations (on up to $6,000 in each category per year in purchases, then 1% cash back). Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
Intro offer
$100 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card in the first 6 months of card membership and up to $150 back by earning 20% back as a statement credit on purchases when you shop with PayPal in the first 6 months
Rewards
Earn 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, online retail purchases, and at U.S. gas stations (on up to $6,000 in each category per year in purchases, then 1% cash back). Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases.
On American Express’s website
Card Details
Rewards
Earn 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, online retail purchases, and at U.S. gas stations (on up to $6,000 in each category per year in purchases, then 1% cash back). Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Intro offer
$100 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card in the first 6 months of card membership and up to $150 back by earning 20% back as a statement credit on purchases when you shop with PayPal in the first 6 months
Recommended Credit
Good to Excellent
Regular APR
16.99% – 27.99% Variable
Intro APR
0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months from account opening
Pros & Cons
Highlights
Additional Reading
One of the easiest ways to earn cash back is by opening a credit card with a generous welcome offer. Many cash-back credit cards let you earn a few hundred bucks just for meeting a basic minimum spending requirement, and the “bonus” is on top of the cash back you earn for each dollar you spend.
Take the Chase Freedom Flex℠ credit card, for example. It offers a welcome bonus of $200 after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. But you’ll also earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent in rotating quarterly bonus categories (then 1%) when you activate, 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3% back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, and 1% back on everything else.
Another example is the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express. There’s no annual fee, and it’s currently offering a new welcome bonus of a $100 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card in the first 6 months of card membership and up to $150 back by earning 20% back as a statement credit on purchases when you shop with PayPal in the first 6 months.
You also earn 3% cash back on the first $6,000 you spend at U.S. supermarkets each calendar year (then 1%), 3% back at U.S. gas stations on the first $6,000 you spend each calendar year (then 1%), 3% back at U.S. online retailers on the first $6,000 you spend each calendar year (then 1%), and 1% back on other purchases (cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as statement credits).
2. Maximize earning categories on the cards you have
If you have cash-back cards that offer more points in certain categories, make sure you’re maxing them out. This includes cards that offer rewards in quarterly bonus categories like the Chase Freedom Flex℠ credit card and the Discover it® Cash Back (from October 1 to December 31, 2022, you can earn 5% cash back at Amazon.com and on digital wallets on up to $1,500 in purchases after enrollment, then 1%). But it also means maximizing rewards on cards that offer more cash back in fixed categories like dining or groceries.
Intro offer
Unlimited Cashback Match – Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year
Rewards
Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and when you pay using PayPal, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases automatically.
Intro offer
Unlimited Cashback Match – Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year
Rewards
Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and when you pay using PayPal, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases automatically.
Card Details
Rewards
Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and when you pay using PayPal, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases automatically.
Intro offer
Unlimited Cashback Match – Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year
Recommended Credit
Good to Excellent
Recommended credit score. Note that credit card lenders may use many different variations of credit score models when considering your application.
Show more
Regular APR
14.99% – 25.99% Variable
Intro APR
0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers
Editor’s Rating
Our editor’s ratings analyze fees, bonuses, rewards, and benefits to highlight the simplest and most valuable credit cards available.
Show more
Pros & Cons
Highlights
Additional Reading
Consider signing up for an online shopping portal like Rakuten, which lets you rack up cash rewards for each dollar you spend through the portal regardless of how much you pay.
With Rakuten, you can earn a bonus just for signing up. From there, you can earn as much as 10% cash back at participating stores like Macys.com, Overstock.com, and PetSmart.com. The participating stores and earning rates change all the time, but it’s always worth checking with Rakuten before you make a purchase on the web.
Other similar cash-back portals to look into include TopCashback, Swagbucks, and Ibotta. Ibotta is particularly popular because it includes an app that lets you earn cash back whether you shop online or in participating brick-and-mortar stores.
4. Register your credit card with a cash-back app
Some cash-back apps award you with more cash back when you register your credit card. Dosh is a good option in this space, and so is Drop.
With either app, you’ll sign up for a free account and connect your cards. When you use a connected credit card to shop at a participating store, you’ll automatically earn cash back in your rewards account. You may also be able to earn more bonus rewards with special in-app offers.
With Dosh, you can transfer rewards to your bank, Paypal, or Venmo once you’ve racked up at least $25. Redemptions with Drop also start at $25, and you can redeem your rewards at places like Amazon.com, Starbucks, and Netflix.
5. Pay for everything with your credit card
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
Intro offer
$200 cash rewards bonus after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Rewards
Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
Intro offer
$200 cash rewards bonus after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Rewards
Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.
Card Details
Rewards
Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.
Intro offer
$200 cash rewards bonus after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Recommended Credit
Good to Excellent
Regular APR
17.99%, 22.99%, or 27.99% Variable
Intro APR
0% intro APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers for 15 months from account opening
Pros & Cons
Highlights
Additional Reading
A final way to maximize your cash back is to make sure you’re paying for everything you can with a cash-back credit card. This includes daily expenses like groceries and gas, but you should also focus on covering monthly bills like utilities, insurance, rent, and any other big expenses you pay each month. Some people can even pay for daycare or college tuition with a credit card without having to pay an extra charge, so this is also worth exploring.
If you don’t want to keep track of bonus categories, a credit card that earns a flat rewards rate on all purchases is your best option. For example, the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card earns 2% cash rewards on everything you buy, and it comes with a good welcome bonus offer too: $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
There’s also the Citi® Double Cash Card, which earns 1 point per dollar (worth 1% cash back) when you make a purchase and 1 point per dollar (1% cash back) when you pay it off. It’s currently offering $200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening.
You’ll earn considerably more cash back if you use a cash-back card to make as many of your purchases as possible, but you should never charge more to a credit card than you can pay off. The key to using rewards credit cards responsibly is to treat them like debit cards, so don’t use them as an excuse to overspend.
Related Post
Insider’s experts choose the best products and services to help make smart decisions with your money (here’s how). In some cases, we receive a commission from our our partners, however, our opinions are our own. Terms apply to offers listed on this page.
Crystal Cox/Business Insider
- Opening and using a rewards credit card can help you earn extra cash back when you shop.
- Consider applying for cards with generous bonus offers, and pay attention to credit card bonus categories.
- Shopping portals like Rakuten can be particularly useful if you do a lot of your shopping online. They’re extremely easy to use, since you only need to click through before you make a purchase.
- Read Insider’s guide to the best cash-back credit cards.
If your goal is earning more cash back on your spending, you should know about all the tips and tricks that can boost your earnings without too much extra effort. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to earn cash back on regular purchases and monthly bills, and not all of them require a credit card.
That being said, having a cash-back credit card often allows you to “double-dip” on rewards, and you may be able to earn welcome bonus offers and score cardholder perks along the way. In fact, stacking credit card rewards with online deals is one of the best ways to save money when you shop.
Here are the best ways to earn more cash back this year.
Insider’s Featured Cash Back Credit Cards
Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and when you pay using PayPal, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases automatically.
Unlimited Cashback Match – Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year
Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases.
$200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening
5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
$200 after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening
We’re focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won’t be worth it if you’re paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it’s important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.
1. Earn a credit card welcome offer
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
Intro offer
$100 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card in the first 6 months of card membership and up to $150 back by earning 20% back as a statement credit on purchases when you shop with PayPal in the first 6 months
Rewards
Earn 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, online retail purchases, and at U.S. gas stations (on up to $6,000 in each category per year in purchases, then 1% cash back). Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
Intro offer
$100 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card in the first 6 months of card membership and up to $150 back by earning 20% back as a statement credit on purchases when you shop with PayPal in the first 6 months
Rewards
Earn 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, online retail purchases, and at U.S. gas stations (on up to $6,000 in each category per year in purchases, then 1% cash back). Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases.
On American Express’s website
Card Details
Rewards
Earn 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, online retail purchases, and at U.S. gas stations (on up to $6,000 in each category per year in purchases, then 1% cash back). Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Intro offer
$100 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card in the first 6 months of card membership and up to $150 back by earning 20% back as a statement credit on purchases when you shop with PayPal in the first 6 months
Recommended Credit
Good to Excellent
Regular APR
16.99% – 27.99% Variable
Intro APR
0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months from account opening
Pros & Cons
Highlights
Additional Reading
One of the easiest ways to earn cash back is by opening a credit card with a generous welcome offer. Many cash-back credit cards let you earn a few hundred bucks just for meeting a basic minimum spending requirement, and the “bonus” is on top of the cash back you earn for each dollar you spend.
Take the Chase Freedom Flex℠ credit card, for example. It offers a welcome bonus of $200 after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. But you’ll also earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent in rotating quarterly bonus categories (then 1%) when you activate, 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3% back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, and 1% back on everything else.
Another example is the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express. There’s no annual fee, and it’s currently offering a new welcome bonus of a $100 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card in the first 6 months of card membership and up to $150 back by earning 20% back as a statement credit on purchases when you shop with PayPal in the first 6 months.
You also earn 3% cash back on the first $6,000 you spend at U.S. supermarkets each calendar year (then 1%), 3% back at U.S. gas stations on the first $6,000 you spend each calendar year (then 1%), 3% back at U.S. online retailers on the first $6,000 you spend each calendar year (then 1%), and 1% back on other purchases (cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as statement credits).
2. Maximize earning categories on the cards you have
If you have cash-back cards that offer more points in certain categories, make sure you’re maxing them out. This includes cards that offer rewards in quarterly bonus categories like the Chase Freedom Flex℠ credit card and the Discover it® Cash Back (from October 1 to December 31, 2022, you can earn 5% cash back at Amazon.com and on digital wallets on up to $1,500 in purchases after enrollment, then 1%). But it also means maximizing rewards on cards that offer more cash back in fixed categories like dining or groceries.
Intro offer
Unlimited Cashback Match – Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year
Rewards
Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and when you pay using PayPal, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases automatically.
Intro offer
Unlimited Cashback Match – Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year
Rewards
Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and when you pay using PayPal, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases automatically.
Card Details
Rewards
Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and when you pay using PayPal, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases automatically.
Intro offer
Unlimited Cashback Match – Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year
Recommended Credit
Good to Excellent
Recommended credit score. Note that credit card lenders may use many different variations of credit score models when considering your application.
Show more
Regular APR
14.99% – 25.99% Variable
Intro APR
0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers
Editor’s Rating
Our editor’s ratings analyze fees, bonuses, rewards, and benefits to highlight the simplest and most valuable credit cards available.
Show more
Pros & Cons
Highlights
Additional Reading
Consider signing up for an online shopping portal like Rakuten, which lets you rack up cash rewards for each dollar you spend through the portal regardless of how much you pay.
With Rakuten, you can earn a bonus just for signing up. From there, you can earn as much as 10% cash back at participating stores like Macys.com, Overstock.com, and PetSmart.com. The participating stores and earning rates change all the time, but it’s always worth checking with Rakuten before you make a purchase on the web.
Other similar cash-back portals to look into include TopCashback, Swagbucks, and Ibotta. Ibotta is particularly popular because it includes an app that lets you earn cash back whether you shop online or in participating brick-and-mortar stores.
4. Register your credit card with a cash-back app
Some cash-back apps award you with more cash back when you register your credit card. Dosh is a good option in this space, and so is Drop.
With either app, you’ll sign up for a free account and connect your cards. When you use a connected credit card to shop at a participating store, you’ll automatically earn cash back in your rewards account. You may also be able to earn more bonus rewards with special in-app offers.
With Dosh, you can transfer rewards to your bank, Paypal, or Venmo once you’ve racked up at least $25. Redemptions with Drop also start at $25, and you can redeem your rewards at places like Amazon.com, Starbucks, and Netflix.
5. Pay for everything with your credit card
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
Intro offer
$200 cash rewards bonus after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Rewards
Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
Intro offer
$200 cash rewards bonus after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Rewards
Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.
Card Details
Rewards
Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.
Intro offer
$200 cash rewards bonus after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Recommended Credit
Good to Excellent
Regular APR
17.99%, 22.99%, or 27.99% Variable
Intro APR
0% intro APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers for 15 months from account opening
Pros & Cons
Highlights
Additional Reading
A final way to maximize your cash back is to make sure you’re paying for everything you can with a cash-back credit card. This includes daily expenses like groceries and gas, but you should also focus on covering monthly bills like utilities, insurance, rent, and any other big expenses you pay each month. Some people can even pay for daycare or college tuition with a credit card without having to pay an extra charge, so this is also worth exploring.
If you don’t want to keep track of bonus categories, a credit card that earns a flat rewards rate on all purchases is your best option. For example, the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card earns 2% cash rewards on everything you buy, and it comes with a good welcome bonus offer too: $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
There’s also the Citi® Double Cash Card, which earns 1 point per dollar (worth 1% cash back) when you make a purchase and 1 point per dollar (1% cash back) when you pay it off. It’s currently offering $200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening.
You’ll earn considerably more cash back if you use a cash-back card to make as many of your purchases as possible, but you should never charge more to a credit card than you can pay off. The key to using rewards credit cards responsibly is to treat them like debit cards, so don’t use them as an excuse to overspend.
