Reward credit cards sorted by the value of annual cashback/gift card rewards for an average US family.

You can find a more frequently updated version of the list below on iCardReward.com. You can also subscribed to the Cashback miles and points deals forum to get email alerts about the latest cashback deals.

This is the first iteration in making a list of US credit cards sorted by annual CashBack. The main challenge is to find info about average spending in "credit-card-friendly" categories. Right now, I use info about average US family spending pattern for 2005 from Bureau of Labor Statistics ( see a PDF file here ). Those spending categories can not always be directly converted into credit card reward categories. I will keep working on finding a more relevant info.

Here is the list of BLS spending categories and corresponding average annual amounts for 2005 that I used.

Housekeeping supplies $611
Household operations $801
Alcohol $426
Tobacco $319
Entertainment $2388
Other vehicle expenses $2339
Gas $2013
Utilities $3183
General $808
Public transportation $448
Education $940
Groceries $3297
Personal care $541
Healthcare $2664
Apparel $1886
Reading $126
House furniture and equipment $1767
Insurance $381
Restaurants $2634

Total: $27572

I included only the value of CashBack rebates and gift cards available either directly from a credit card company or via Points.com. The CashBack predictions were made for the first year of credit card ownership, meaning that first year's annual fee, program fees, sign-up bonuses, spending bonuses were applied to the final reward value. No partial rewards were considered. In other words, if you accumulated 4999 points and you need 5000 points for the cheapest available gift card, the value of annual CashBack was considered $0 and the card was not included in the list. For HSBC Weekend card, I used average weekly CashBack rate of 1.29%.

I have done this mostly for personal credit cards for now. I will add lists of business credit cards and student credit cards later.


Anyway, here is a sorted list of ~50 US reward credit cards sorted this way. Click on the links below to see credit card prediction reports for the card of your interest.


| Cashback | Annual fee | Promo BT APR | Promo period for BT | Max. BT fee | Promo purchase APR | Promo period for purchases | Bank name | Card name
511.0 | $39 | N/A | N/A | $0 | | | Capital One | Capital One® No Hassle Miles(SM) Ultra-For Professionals
442.85 | $0 | 0% | 12 | $75 | 0% | 6 | Discover | Discover® More(SM) Card - Clear
425.0 | $0 | 0% | up-to 6 | $99 | N/A | N/A | Chase | BP Visa® Card
400.0 | $75 | N/A | N/A | $5 | | | Citibank | Citi PremierPass® Elite Level
400.0 | $45** | 9.99% | 6 | N/A | 2.90% | 6 | American Express | Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express
375.0 | $0 | 0% | 12 | N/A | N/A | N/A | FIA Card Services, N.A. | Fidelity Investments Rewards Visa Signature® Card with WorldPoints®
368.66 | $0 | 1.99% | 30 | N/A | 0% | 3 | American Express | TrueEarnings® Card from Costco and American Express
355.6788 | $0 | 0% | 12 | N/A | 0% | 12 | HSBC | HSBC Weekend Card®
350.0 | $0 | 0% | up-to 12 | $5 | N/A | N/A | Citibank | Citi PremierPass®
344.65 | $0 | 0% | 12 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Bank of America | Bank of America Accelerated Cash Rewards™ American Express® Card
| Cashback | Annual fee | Promo BT APR | Promo period for BT | Max. BT fee | Promo purchase APR | Promo period for purchases | Bank name | Card name
338.515 | $0 | 4.99% | Until Paid | $99 | 0% | 12 | American Express | Blue Cash® from American Express
331.0775 | $0 | 0% | up-to 6 | $99 | 0% | up-to 6 | Chase | Chase PerfectCard™ MasterCard®
330.864 | $0 | 0% | up-to 12 | $5 | N/A | N/A | Citibank | Citi CashReturns(SM) MasterCard®
330.0 | $0 | N/A | N/A | $0 | | | Capital One | Capital One® No Hassle Miles(SM) Rewards - Good Credit
330.0 | $0 | N/A | N/A | $0 | | | Capital One | Capital One® No Hassle Miles(SM) Rewards - Excellent Credit
328.82 | $0 | N/A | N/A | $0 | | | Capital One | Capital One® No Hassle Cash(SM) Rewards - Good Credit
325.72 | $35** | N/A | N/A | $0 | | | American Express | One from American Express®
325.72 | $0 | 0% | 12 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Bank of America | Bank of America® Cash Rewards Platinum Plus® MasterCard® Credit Card
325.0 | $0 | 0% | up-to 12 | $5 | N/A | N/A | Citibank | Citi® Diamond Preferred® Rewards Card
321.0 | $29 | N/A | N/A | $0 | 0% | until February 2009 | Capital One | Capital One® No Hassle Points(SM) Rewards
| Cashback | Annual fee | Promo BT APR | Promo period for BT | Max. BT fee | Promo purchase APR | Promo period for purchases | Bank name | Card name
315.65 | $29 | N/A | N/A | $0 | 0% | until February 2009 | Capital One | Capital One® No Hassle Cash(SM) Rewards
310.0 | $0 | N/A | N/A | $0 | | | Capital One | Capital One® No Hassle Miles(SM) Rewards For Travel & Gas
304.97 | $0 | 0% | 12 | $75 | 0% | 6 | Discover | Discover® Open Road(SM) Card
287.5 | $0 | 0% | 12 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Bank of America | Bank of America Accelerated Rewards™ American Express® Card
280.0 | $0 | N/A | N/A | $0 | | | Capital One | Capital One® No Hassle Points(SM) Rewards - Excellent Credit
275.72 | $0 | 5.99% | Until Paid | $0 | 0% | up-to 12 | American Express | Clear from American Express®
275.72 | $0 | 1.9% | 12 | $75 | N/A | N/A | FIA Card Services, N.A. | Total Merrill(SM) Cash Back Visa® Card
275.72 | $0 | 0% | 6 | $0 | N/A | N/A | IberiaBank | IberiaBank Visa® Gold Cash Back Rewards Card
275.72 | $0 | 0% | 12 | N/A | 0% | 12 | HSBC | HSBC Platinum MasterCard® with Cash Back Rewards
275.0 | $0 | 4.99% | Until Paid | $99 | 0% | up-to 15 | American Express | Blue from American Express®
| Cashback | Annual fee | Promo BT APR | Promo period for BT | Max. BT fee | Promo purchase APR | Promo period for purchases | Bank name | Card name
275.0 | $0 | 0% | 6 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Bank of America | Financial Rewards® Visa® Platinum Plus® Card
275.0 | $0 | 0% | up-to 12 | $99 | 0% | up-to 12 | Chase | Chase Free Cash Rewards(SM) Visa® Card
271.0 | $0 | 0% | up-to 12 | $99 | 0% | up-to 12 | Chase | Chase TravelPlus Visa® Card
262.5 | $0 | 0% | 12 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Bank of America | Home Advantage™ MasterCard® from Bank of America
262.5 | $0 | 0% | 12 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Bank of America | The Nature Conservancy Platinum Plus® Visa® Credit Card
262.5 | $0 | 0% | 12 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Bank of America | Bank of America Visa Signature® WorldPoints™ Rewards
262.5 | $0 | 0% | 12 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Bank of America | Bank of America WorldPoints™ Platinum Plus® Visa® Card
262.5 | $0 | 0% | 12 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Bank of America | Ducks Unlimited WorldPoints® Platinum Plus® Visa® Card
262.5 | $0 | 0% | 12 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Bank of America | Bank of America World MasterCard® with WorldPoints™
262.5 | $0 | 0% | 12 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Bank of America | Bank of America WorldPoints® Platinum Plus® MasterCard®
| Cashback | Annual fee | Promo BT APR | Promo period for BT | Max. BT fee | Promo purchase APR | Promo period for purchases | Bank name | Card name
262.5 | $0 | 0% | 12 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Bank of America | Rainbow Platinum Plus® Visa® Card
262.5 | $0 | 0% | 12 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Bank of America | BoatU.S.™ WorldPoints® Platinum Plus® Visa® Card
256.955 | $0 | 3.99% | 12 | $75 | 3.99% | 6 | Discover | Discover® Motiva(SM) Card
250.0 | $0 | 1.9% | 12 | $75 | N/A | N/A | FIA Card Services, N.A. | MERRILL+® Card
250.0 | $0 | 0% | 6 | $75 | 0% | 6 | Discover | Miles by Discover® Card
250.0 | $0 | 0% | up-to 12 | $5 | N/A | N/A | Citibank | AT&T Universal Savings and Rewards Card
250.0 | $0 | 0% | 12 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Bank of America | Wyndham Rewards MasterCard(SM)
250.0 | $0 | 0% | up-to 12 | $99 | 0% | up-to 12 | Chase | Chase Flexible Rewards(SM) Platinum Visa®
220.0 | $85** | N/A | N/A | $5 | | | Citibank | Citi® Platinum Select® / AAdvantage® World MasterCard®
200.0 | $0 | 2.9% | 6 | N/A | 2.90% | 6 | American Express | Hilton HHonors® Platinum Credit Card from American Express
| Cashback | Annual fee | Promo BT APR | Promo period for BT | Max. BT fee | Promo purchase APR | Promo period for purchases | Bank name | Card name
185.0 | $0 | 0% | 12 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Bank of America | Major League Baseball® Extra Bases™ Credit Card
175.0 | $50** | N/A | N/A | $5 | | | Citibank | Citi® Gold/AAdvantage® World MasterCard®
110.0 | $90 | N/A | N/A | N/A | | | U.S. Bank | WorldPerks® Visa® Signature Card
100.0 | $0 | N/A | N/A | $5 | 2.99% | 6 | Citibank | Citi® Hilton HHonors® Visa® Signature Card
95.0 | $55 | N/A | N/A | N/A | | | U.S. Bank | WorldPerks® Visa® Platinum Card
75.0 | $0 | N/A | N/A | $5 | | | Citibank | Citi® Bronze® / AAdvantage® World MasterCard®
* - Balance transfer APR is valid only if the balance transfer is requested in credit card application
** - First annual fee is waived
*** - We are not allowed to show you the maximal fee for balance transfers. However, we did take the fee into account when we did calculations and sorted credit cards.
**** - Only the minimally possible APR is shown. Your rate will be determined by the bank based on your credit history, household income and other factors.

Get 5% Cashback on REI Purchases, 1% Cashback on Other Purchases with the US Bank REI Visa Card

LINK

Terms:

5% rebate applies to net REI purchases including full-price and discount-price items, REI gift cards, services, fees and REI Adventures travel-invoiced trip payments.

1% rebate applies to net non-REI purchases only. Balance transfers, convenience checks, cash advances, finance charges and fees are not eligible.

Get 5% Cashback on Purchases at Supermarkets, Gas Stations, Drug Stores with Citibank and Associated Bank Cash Rebate Card

The best deal I could find is an unadvertised Associated Bank Cash Rebate Card. It is not advertised on their site and is offered in conjunction with Citi. The cash back rebate on gas is NOT a teaser rate but a permanent feature of the card. Here are the details:

- 5% cash rebate on supermarkets, gas stations, drug stores (drug stores = 5% back on prescriptions, another out-of-control expense).
- 1% on everything else.
- Max $300 Rebate Dollars every calendar year (equal to $500 in qualifying purchases/month)
- 0% BT for 9 months.
- No annual fee.

IMO this offer, so far in my search, has been the best "offer" that balances a non-teaser rate with a relatively high rebate limit.

To apply you have to call 1-877-577-9485 (the application process is automated so be prepared to spend around 10 minutes on the phone). To begin I simply pressed the button to say that I found out about the offer via some flyer.

As with all rebate cards the interest rate on purchases is high - prime + 7.99% for this one. It's important to try and pay off your balance each month.

Hope this helps someone - gas prices are horrible.

UPDATE: I just got off the phone with customer service and confirmed that the 5% cash back is NOT an introductory rate, it's good for the life of the card (that's the point, no more opening/closing accounts to take advantage of teaser rates).

Get 3% Cashback on Gas from Exxon & Mobil, 1% Cashback on Other Purchases with Citibank's ExxonMobil MasterCard

LINK

Terms from the card website:

Earn 3% rebates on purchases at 12,000 Exxon and Mobil stations.
Earn a 1% rebate on other purchases made wherever MasterCard is accepted.

Use your Casey's Platinum Mastercard to get 6% CASHBACK on Casey's Gas, 2% Cashback on Other Purchases for first 60 days, Barclays Bank Delaware

LINK

Terms:

Earn Double Rebates for 60 Days:

6% in rebates at Casey's locations
2% everywhere else


Barclays will provide rewards equal to 3% for all purchases made on a cardmembers Casey's Platinum MasterCard at participating Casey's locations and rewards equal to 1% on all purchases made anywhere else (excluding purchases made at any merchant that sells gasoline other than Casey's branded gasoline) provided the account is open and current at the time of purchase. For the first sixty (60) that an account is open, Rewards of 6% on Casey's purchases and 2% on all other purchases will be awarded to a cardmembers Casey's Platinum MasterCard account (excluding purchases made at any merchant that sells gasoline other than Casey's branded gasoline) provided the account is open and current. Rewards are not earned on gasoline and merchandise purchased from merchants that sell gasoline other than Casey's branded gasoline. There is no maximum reward allowance for purchases at Casey's branded locations. Reward accumulations will be reported monthly on your billing statement. Each time you accumulate at least $20 in rewards, you will receive a Reward Card in $20 increments that may be redeemed on a future Casey's purchase. Rewards are not transferable and points accumulated will expire after 12 months if not redeemed.

Get 3% Cashback in Travel Credits on Wireless, Telecom or Cable Service Purchases with Chase TravelBank MasterCard

LINK

Terms from the credit card website:


You will earn 3% in travel credits for each $1 of net purchases made at retail locations that classify their merchant location for MasterCard as a wireless or telecommunication service or cable/satellite provider. You will earn 1% in travel credits for each $1 you spend on all other net purchases. Travel credits will be deposited into your TravelBank account at continental.com where they will be available as TravelBank Cash. Purchases not eligible to receive the 3% in travel credits include purchases of telecommunications or electronic equipment such as telephones, fax machines, cellular phones, and televisions. Online and catalog purchases are not eligible to receive the 3% in travel credits unless the merchants have correctly identified and billed the transactions. We do not determine whether merchants correctly identify and bill transactions as being made in each particular category. However, we do reserve the right to determine which purchases qualify for the 3% in travel credits. You do not earn travel credits on balance transfers, cash advances, cash-like charges such as travelers checks, foreign currency, and money orders, any checks that are used to access your account, overdraft advances, interest, unauthorized or fraudulent charges, or fees of any kind, including fees for products that protect or insure the balances of your account. There is no maximum number of travel credits that you can accumulate in the program. See Rewards Program Rules and Regulations which will be mailed after your account is established.

Earn a $100 BONUS when you use the Discover Business Card

$100 bonus - Discover : Discover Business card

LINK

Terms:

Earn a $100 Cashback Bonus when you make $1000 in purchases within 3 months after your account is opened. Offer valid for new accounts only; limit one per account. We are not responsible for merchant delays in processing transactions. Promotional reward will be applied within 8 weeks. See Cashback Bonus Terms and Conditions for full details.

Get 5% Cashback on GAS, 1.25% Cashback on Other Purchases with Pentagon Federal Credit Union's Visa Platinum Cash Reward Card for Students

LINK

Terms from the card website:


# Earn 5.00% cash back from gas purchases paid at the pump
# Earn 1.25% cash back from all net purchases you make with the card during each billing cycle


Net purchases: new monthly purchases minus returns and credits. Rewards are available only for new monthly purchases made with the card: cash advances, checks drawn from the account, and balance transfers are excluded and do not earn credit toward rewards. Certain limitations apply to the Visa Platinum Rewards Program.

You can become eligible for CU membership via National Military Family Association (NMFA)

Get 5% Cashback in Gift Cards for purchases at Supermarkets, Drugstores and Gas Stations for 12 mos., 1% Cashback thereafter + $50 Signup Gift Card

Citibank : Citi Diamond Preferred Rewards Card

IDB note: 5% cashback rate corresponds to the value of a gift card that can be exchanged for 10,000 and above ThanYou points. See available gift cards here.


Terms:

Through the reward program, cardholders earn five points for every dollar spent on purchases made at supermarkets, drugstores, and gas stations for the first twelve months of cardmembership, one point thereafter, and one point for every dollar spent on all other purchases. Cardholders receive 6,000 bonus points after $100 in purchases are made within the first three months, which can be redeemed for a $50 gift card.

Get 4%, 3%, 2%, & 1% Cashback for Gas, Movies, Food, & Other Purchases, Respectively with National City's Everyday Rewards Visa

LINK


Terms from the credit card website:

Up to 4% cash back on everyday purchases:
4% on gasoline at the pump
Up to $250 in eligible monthly net purchases

3% on cinema and movie rentals
Up to $150 in eligible monthly net purchases

2% on groceries, restaurants and fast food
Up to $750 in eligible monthly net purchases

Up to 1% on almost everything else
¼% on first $10,000 in eligible net purchases each year; 1% thereafter with no limits

Once you’ve accumulated $100 in rebates, we’ll automatically send you a check attached to your next monthly statement


2. Your Account will earn rebates on Eligible Net Purchases. "Eligible Net Purchases" means purchases of goods or services made by you or your authorized user through the use of your Everyday Rewards credit card, minus merchant credits and plus or minus appropriate purchase adjustments posted to your Account. The term "Eligible Net Purchases" does not include (A) finance charges, annual membership fees, non-qualifying balance transfers, transactions made at a financial institution (such as purchasing gift cards, money orders, travelers’ checks or making loan payments), cash advance transactions (including access checks, ATM disbursements, and automated teller or cash equivalent item transactions), insurance premiums, debt cancellation fees, late fees, overlimit fees and other fees and charges assessed on your Account; or ( purchases made at merchants with gambling, or gaming merchant category codes.
3. The rebate amount is calculated by multiplying each category of Eligible Net Purchases by the applicable rebate percentage, as follows:
Four percent (4%) for the first $250.00 in Eligible Net Purchases of gasoline at the pump made during any single billing period from merchants with gasoline station pump merchant category codes. Eligible Net Purchase amounts over $250.00 during any single billing period will not earn rebates.
Three percent (3%) for the first $150.00 in Eligible Net Purchases made during any single billing period from merchants with cinema and video rental merchant category codes. Eligible Net Purchase amounts over $150.00 during any single billing period will not earn rebates.
Two percent (2%) for the first $750.00 in Eligible Net Purchases made during any single billing period from merchants with grocery, restaurant and fast food merchant category codes. Eligible Net Purchase amounts over $750.00 during any single billing period will not earn rebates.
For Eligible Net Purchases made at merchants with all other merchant category codes during a billing year through the anniversary month that you joined the Program, one-quarter percent (.25%) for Eligible Net Purchases up to $10,000 and one percent (1%) for Eligible Net Purchases in excess of $10,000.

Get 1.25%-5% Cashback on Gas, Groceries and More with Pentagon Federal Credit Union's Visa Platinum Gas Cash Reward

LINK

IBD note: You can become eligible for CU membership via National Military Family Association (NMFA)


Terms from the card website:


Visa Platinum Gas Cash Reward

* Earn 2% cash back on supermarket purchases*
* Earn 5.00% cash back from gas purchases paid at the pump
* Earn 1.25% cash back from all purchases** you make with the card during each billing cycle
* Up to $50,000 limit
* No Annual Fee
* Cash Rewards credited each month
* No special restrictions to earn your cash rewards
* For a limited time only-- transfer your balances at 2.99% APR for the life of the transferred balance!†
A balance transfer fee of 1% (min. $10-max. $100) applies to this transaction

2.5% cashback on your taxes when you pay them with a credit card

You can get ~ 2.5% cashback on your tax return payment if you make a payment with Citibank CashReturns card via online payment services such as pay1040.com and officialpayments.com within 3 months after credit card approval. You will be charged ~ 2.5% for making the payment by the payment companies. Since Citibank CashReturns card offers 5% cashback during the first 3 months, your net cashback will be ~2.5%.

Get 5% cashback on dining, entertainment, and health club purchases, 1% cashback on other purchases with Capital One credit card

LINK


IBD note: You can exchange 5000 miles for a $50 gift card to Amazon.com, Sears, Staples, etc.
Five miles per dollar translates into 5% cashback for mile balance 5000 and up.




Card features:

• 5 points per dollar spent on health club, dining, and entertainment purchases, and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases
  
• No limit on points you can earn and points won't expire for the life of your account
  
• 5 different reward redemption options: Travel, Cash, Merchandise, Charitable Donations, or Gift Cards
  
• Manage your finances with a year-end summary of purchases