The Best Personal Cash Back Credit Card

Advertiser disclosure.

[disclaimer]

If you’re looking for a credit card with the best cash, you’re in the right place. In this article we’re going to be comparing our two favorite cash back credit cards the Chase Freedom Unlimited and Citi Double Cash Card.

Let’s start with the Chase Freedom Unlimited card. Here are 7 things you might not know about this card.

1. Earn 1.5% cash back on everything

For every $1 you spend, you get 1.5 cents back. No categories, no trying to play the points game, this 1.5% cash back applies to every purchase you make. That means you get paid for your smart spending.

Spend $1,000 a month? Earn $180 in cash back every year.

Spend $2,000 a month? Earn $360 in cash back every year.

Spend $5,000 a month? Earn $900 in cash back every year.

You’re going to buy groceries, pay for electricity, and buy books anyways. Might as well get some cash back for doing that.

2. Early spend bonus

Spend $500 in the first 3 months and get a $150 bonus in addition to your regular 1.5% cash back.

3. Rewards don’t expire

Your cash back doesn’t expire. Treat it like a savings account and let your rewards add up. Then when you’re ready, use your bonus to buy something nice (or treat it as an investment bonus to buy stock in your favorite company…maybe even a credit card company).

4. Get your rewards anytime

There’s no minimum you have to spend to redeem your cash back. Whether you earn $1 or $10,000, you can redeem your rewards.

5. Shop with chase? Earn more

A little-known fact about this card is that Chase has an online portal that lets you “shop with Chase” where you can earn up to 15% cash back on your purchases. Some of the stores include: Home Depot, Macy’s, Walmart, Nike, and Best Buy.

6. You’re protected

Identity theft is scary. If your card is stolen, you won’t be responsible for unauthorized purchases with zero liability protection.

7. Your products are protected

Let’s say you buy a new watch, but it gets stolen. With Chase’s Purchase Protection, you’re protected against theft or accidental damages up to 120 days, $500 per claim, and $50,000 per account. Restrictions apply.

Plus, Chase will automatically extend the manufacturer’s warranty on certain products you buy for an extra year. Again, restrictions do apply.

Now, let’s take a look at The Citi Double Cash Back card.

1. Earn 1% when you buy and 1% when you pay

This card has a unique approach to cash back unlike most cards. You get 1% cash back every time you make a purchase, and then you get another 1% cash back when you pay off your card.

A couple things to be aware of:

• You need at least $25 in rewards before you can redeem your cash.
• If you don’t use your card for 12-months, your rewards expire and your cash back disappears.

2. Early spend bonus

Unfortunately, this card doesn’t give you an early spend bonus like the Chase Freedom Card.

3. Limited perks

The Citi Double Rewards offers very few additional perks beyond their 2% cash back potential.

Final thoughts.

The Citi Double Cash Card offers the potential to pay you 2% cash back which is more than the Chase Freedom Unlimited which pays you 1.5% cash back. However, the Chase Freedom Unlimited comes with more many more rewards and a potential $150 early spend bonus that The Citi Double Cash Card doesn’t offer.

To put some numbers on it, you would need to spend $30,000 with The Citi Double Cash Card before you get enough cash back to to make up for the Chase Freedom Unlimited early spend bonus you didn’t get.

Take a look, $150/(0.5%) = $30,000.

So, unless you plan on spending more than $30,000 on your credit card over the next year or two, the Chase Freedom Unlimited is the best personal credit card for those of you looking for cash back.

You don’t have to worry about playing the points game with rotating categories, or fight to get the best rewards. You get 1.5% cash back on all of your purchases, no fees, an awesome early spend bonus, and valuable perks.

If you’re going to spend money, you might as well get rewarded with cash back for doing that. And Chase Freedom Unlimited gives you the most cash back for using them.

Minority Mindset has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Minority Mindset and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.