Cash Back Credit Cards

What is cash back and how does it compare to points & miles? “Cash back” is one of the three main rewards currencies, along with points and miles. When you have a credit card with cash back, a certain percentage of each purchase you make is returned to you via check, statement credit or gift card. The main advantage of cash back rewards is that they earned and redeemed in terms of dollars (and not points and miles that must be converted into corresponding amounts of specific goods or services). As a result, cashback rewards are not only the easiest to understand, but perhaps more importantly, cannot be devalued and can be used for any type of purchase. On the other hand, points and miles may allow you to get more bang for your buck IF you redeem often and toward the card’s intended purpose (e.g. if you have a Starwood Hotels Credit Card, you’ll get significantly more value on points redeemed for Starwood nights than, say, an iPad).

Are there different types of credit cards with cash back? There are indeed different types of cash rewards credit cards, and they tend to differentiate from each other for one of three reasons. First of all, they differ based on credit level. For example, cash back credit cards for people with fair credit offer different terms than most excellent credit cash back credit cards, and so on.

Second, some cash rebate credit cards are intended for specific consumer segments. Cash back student credit cards are a prime example of this. Despite the fact that college students typically have limited credit, the cash rewards credit cards they’re offered are different than those for people with no or limited credit. Most issuers are eager to establish relationships with college students and the competition leads to better rewards for this consumer demographic. Small business owners also have their own cash back cards, as their needs and spending habits differ from the general consumer population.

Third, some credit cards with cash back only allow you to earn the most cash possible if you make purchases through affiliated companies. This type of card is most common in the gas, airline and hotel rewards categories.

Obviously, within these general types of cashback credit cards, individual offers will also differ from one another due to earning rates, tiered rewards structures and caps.

What to look for on a cash back credit card application? While cash is undoubtedly the most straightforward rewards currency, you must keep an eye out for the following things if you are to effectively evaluate cash back credit card offers and maximize the value of the card you ultimately open:

1. Tiers: With some cards, you earn cash back at a particular rate until you’ve spent a certain amount of money or a specific amount of time elapses, at which point another cash back earning rate (sometimes higher than the original rate, sometimes lower) kicks in. For example, you might get 5% cash back on dining for the first six months that you’re a cardholder and only 1% thereafter. Rewards tiers can thereby seriously affect the value provided by any cash credit card.
2. Caps: Some cash reward credit card offers also limit the amount of cash back you can earn, be it in certain spending categories, per month, per quarter, per year or some combination thereof. For instance, a card offering 3% cash back on gas purchases might only offer it for the first $200 you spend on gas per month.
3. Enrollment: You might be required to enroll in a card’s rewards program in order to earn additional rewards on rotating spending categories. For example, cash back rewards credit cards often advertise up to 5% cash back on major expenses such as dining, travel and gas. However, unless you sign up for these heightened rewards (usually on a quarterly basis) you will only get the card’s base cash back earning rate, usually 1%. These enrollment requirements are the credit card companies’ way of advertising particularly lucrative rewards without actually giving them to everyone that opens a card.
4. Bonus: Many cash back cards offer initial rewards bonuses (i.e. extra cash back just for signing up, making a single purchase or spending a certain amount in the first few months). Others provide annual rewards bonuses, which amplify your accumulated rewards at the end of the year by a certain percentage.

How does one compare credit cards with cash back rewards? It’s important to note from the outset that you shouldn't even consider opening a cash back card, or any type of rewards credit card for that matter, if you don't pay your bill in full every month, as minimizing finance charges should be your primary focus. With that being said, your goal in comparing cash back credit cards is to find the single card that will be most lucrative in light of your individual spending habits. To this end, ask yourself the following questions each time you evaluate cash back credit card offers:

1. What is the cash back earning rate for my biggest spending categories?
2. What is the cash back rate across all purchases?
3. Are any of the cash back pitfalls touched on above part of this credit card offer?

Whichever cash back rewards card allows you to maximize the value of your rewards without changing your current purchasing patterns is the card for you.

How does the Island Approach apply to cash back credit cards? No one said that you’re only allowed to open one rewards credit card. Actually, according to the Island Approach, you’d be well advised to have 2-3 different rewards cards, provided, of course, that you pay your bills in full every month. The theory behind this is that while you won’t be able to find a single rewards card offering the best available rewards on every purchase category, you can find a few different cards that collectively do so. We therefore suggest getting the cash rebate credit card with the highest earning rate across all spending categories and using it to make everyday purchases. Then augment the earning potential of this card by identifying rewards cards that offer at least twice that much on your largest spending categories.