Best 3% Cash Back Credit Cards 2024: Earn More on Top Spending

I love earning cash back. It’s a lucrative, uncomplicated way to get rewarded for everyday spending. But the key is picking cards with reward categories that align with your spending habits. Luckily, plenty of cards offer up to 3% cash back — or more — on common categories for many households.

Take the Wells Fargo Attune℠ Card, for example, which offers 4% on self-care, sports, recreation, and entertainment, and planet-friendly purchases, without any spending limits.

Of course, you also can’t go wrong with the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express if you’re a big spender on groceries and gas — you can earn 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (for first $6,000 per year, after that 1%) and on select U.S. streaming services, 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on eligible transit, and 1% cash back on other eligible purchases.

But ultimately, all the cards we’ve chosen for this list have something special to offer. Here are some of the best 3% cash back credit cards you could add to your wallet.

Best 3% cash back cards

• Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express
• Wells Fargo Attune℠ Card
• Chase Freedom Flex^®
• Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
• U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature^® Card

Compare cards that earn (at least) 3% cash back

Card name	Excellent for	Rewards rate
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express	Groceries	6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (for first $6,000 per year, after that 1%) and on select U.S. streaming services, 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on eligible transit, and 1% cash back on other eligible purchases
Wells Fargo Attune℠ Card	Entertainment and self-care	Earn unlimited 4% cash rewards on self-care, sports, recreation, and entertainment, and planet-friendly purchases and 1% on other purchases
Chase Freedom Flex®	Rotating categories	5% cash back on rotating quarterly categories you activate (on up to $1,500 spent) and travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery service); and 1% cash back on all other purchases
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card	Dining	3% cash back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), on dining, entertainment and popular streaming services; 5% back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply); 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases; and 1% cash back on all other purchases
U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card	Customized cash back	6% cash back on first $1,500 in combined eligible purchases each quarter with your choice of two retailers; 5.5% cash back on prepaid hotel and car reservations booked directly in the Rewards Travel Center; 3% cash back on the first $1,500 in eligible purchases in one everyday category; and 1.5% cash back on all other eligible purchases

Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is one of the best credit cards for groceries because it has some of the highest rates on the market for spending at U.S. supermarkets. In fact, if you spend $6,000 on purchases at U.S. supermarkets during the year, you’ll be eligible for $360 in cash back in the form of statement credits — more than enough to offset the modest annual fee.

Additional spending in other categories can make that cash back amount even bigger. For example, if you drive or take the bus a lot, you’ll earn an elevated rate on your spending. Overall, I think this card works well for someone who spends $500 or less a month on groceries.

But the annual fee might rule this card out for anyone who won’t be able to offset it. If you want a similar card that offers a lot of value on grocery spending, consider the Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express, which comes with a $0 annual fee and allows you to earn 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. online retail purchases (up to $6,000 per year on purchases in each category, then 1%); and 1% cash back on other eligible purchases.

Read our full Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express review.

Wells Fargo Attune℠ Card

The Wells Fargo Attune card is newer than the others on this list, but I predict it’ll be a game-changer. Earning not 3% but 4% cash back is rare enough, but when it’s on a variety of popular categories, and there’s no limit? It could be a crucial card for your wallet, especially if you love treating yourself.

I can’t think of another card that rewards you for going to a spa or joining a gym in addition to buying tickets for your favorite sporting events. And I certainly haven’t heard of a card that boosts your earnings for shopping at thrift stores.

There’s just one thing to keep in mind — you won’t always earn 4% when you expect to. This is because merchant codes might not match the bonus cash rewards categories, and it’s up to merchants, not Wells Fargo, to categorize transactions. For example, if a retailer offers secondhand clothes but it also sells new clothes or home goods, it might not categorize itself as a used merchandise store and could submit transactions under a code that doesn’t qualify for more cash rewards.

Read our full Wells Fargo Attune Card review.

Chase Freedom Flex^®

Each quarter, the Chase Freedom Flex offers different bonus cash back categories that earn up to 5% cash back (enrollment required). You’ll just need to make sure you check the calendar and activate your cash back before the quarter is over — otherwise, you won’t get the elevated rate. I like to set a calendar reminder so I don’t forget.

If you’re into traveling, the 5% cash back on Chase Travel℠ purchases is another excellent perk. Plus, if you’re willing to open up a couple of other Chase credit cards, you can take advantage of the Chase trifecta that lets you maximize your cash back across the board.

Overall, I think this card is good for someone who will remember to check and activate the quarterly categories. If you think you’ll likely forget, you might consider another card on this list that offers cash back without any hoops to jump through.

Read our full Chase Freedom Flex review.

Perspectives

Ben Walker, CEPF, CFEI®

Writer and Travel Enthusiast

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Ben Walker, CEPF, CFEI®, is credit cards specialist. For over a decade, he's leveraged credit card points and miles to travel the world. His expertise extends to other areas of personal finance — including loans, insurance, investing, and real estate — and you can find his insights on The Washington Post, Debt.com, Yahoo! Finance, and Fox Business.

WHY I LIKE THIS CARD

The Chase Freedom Flex is a must-have card for me because it has a high rewards rate and earns flexible Chase rewards. There are very few cards that can match its unique earning potential, though its rotating categories can be a double-edged benefit.

It's amazing when your everyday purchases align with the rotating categories, but not so much when they don't. Fortunately, it's not a big deal since the Freedom Flex has a $0 annual fee and is worth keeping over the long term.

Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card

With the Savor Cash Rewards from Capital One, people who are tired of being told to stop spending so much on takeout can rejoice. You’ll earn up to 3% cash back on your meals. I like to use this as an excuse to tip a little more and splurge on higher-priced plates.

And the best part? These 3% earnings are unlimited, so you don’t have to tiptoe around quarterly or annual caps. You might also get to take advantage of special Capital One Dining experiences — a perk available to Capital One consumer rewards credit cardholders, including Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card cardholders.

That said, other cards we’ve included on this list earn higher rates at U.S. supermarkets and on select U.S. streaming services, like the Blue Cash Preferred® Card. But since that card comes with an annual spending limit, I think the Savor Rewards is a good choice for when you exceed those limits. If you want to really go for it, pair the two together to maximize your rewards.

Read our full Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card review.

U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature^® Card

Do you wish you could choose which category you earn cash back in? This is how the U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards card works. You can earn 6% at your choice of two retailers (on the first $1,500 in combined eligible purchases each quarter) out of a list of 24 retailers, including options like Walmart, Target, and Amazon.com. This is more than you’d earn with a branded credit card like the Prime Visa.

You can also earn 3% on your choice of one everyday category (on the first $1,500 in eligible purchases each quarter), which can range from gas to bills and utilities to wholesale clubs (a category often excluded from bonus cash opportunities with other cards). I think this is a great feature because it lets you customize your earnings. For example, if you have another card that earns 5% on dining, like the Chase Freedom Flex, you can use the Shopper Cash Rewards to get 3% on gas to round out your spending.

Unfortunately, spending in all of these bonus cash back categories is limited to just $1,500 per quarter. This means you can earn a max of $90 and $45 cash back per category — or $360 and $180 per year. I think that makes this card best for someone who doesn’t spend a ton of money but still wants to earn big on specific purchases.

Read our full U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards Visa Signature review.

How cashback rewards work

When you use a cashback rewards card, you can effectively pay yourself back for purchases. For example, if you have a card that gives you 3% cashback rewards on gas and you spend $200 on gas this month, you’ll receive $6 back.

That might not seem like a lot, but when you think about how much you spend on all your purchases, 3% back can become a decent chunk of change.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average consumer spent $23,159 on food and transportation in 2023. If you’d earned 3% cash back on all those purchases, that'd be $694.77 extra in your bank account. Sounds pretty good, right?

Who should consider a 3% cash back card?

A 3% cash back card is an excellent choice for most spenders willing to put just a little extra thought into the best card to use in any given situation. Since none of these cards offer elevated cash back on everything, you’ll need to be a little strategic about which credit card you pull out when you go to spend.

Remember that many of these 3% credit cards have stipulations, like spending limits or category restrictions. With that in mind, you’ll need to research which categories are on offer (when enrollment is required) and track your annual or quarterly spending. Not everyone has the time or patience for this, but it can be extremely worthwhile if you do.

As an example, you might apply for the American Express Blue Cash Preferred® and plan to spend a maximum of $6,000 at U.S. supermarkets. But what if you know you’ll probably spend over $6,000 on groceries for the entire year? In that case, you could check if one of your cash back credit cards with bonus categories, like the Chase Freedom Flex Card, provides more cash back for grocery stores. For that quarter, you could use the Chase card. The rest of the time, you use the American Express Blue Cash Preferred®.

Who we wouldn’t recommend a 3% cash back card for

If you think a 3% cash back credit card will make you feel pressured to spend more than you’re comfortable with, it’s not a good choice for you. Cash back credit cards should help you earn on purchases you’re already planning to make — not inspire you to buy more than you need.

As I explained above, you also need to be dedicated to managing your spending habits. If you don’t feel like opening up multiple credit cards — or you don’t have the credit score to do so — you’d be better off with a flat-rate cash back card offering something like 1.5% cash back on all your purchases.

How to choose a cash back credit card

1. Determine which categories you spend the most money in. Review your spending habits by checking past credit card and bank statements and compare these against a card's details. Match the category you spend the most in with a card that offers a good rewards rate for that category.
2. Look at your credit history. Many of the best 3% cash back credit cards, including several we've reviewed here, require a good-to-excellent credit score. If you're working toward improving your creditworthiness, check out the best credit cards for fair credit.
3. Be honest with yourself. How likely are you to be organized about your credit card spending? Are you willing to think about spending caps and rotating bonus categories, or would you do better with a set-it-and-forget-it method? For example, earning 5% in rotating bonus categories might sound nice, but it's useless if you never remember to log in each quarter to check the categories and enroll in higher earning categories.

FAQs

Bottom line

No matter which 3% cash back card you choose, use it responsibly by paying your balance in full each month. Don’t make extra purchases just to earn the cash back — the rewards you earn probably won't come close to canceling out the interest you would pay for carrying a balance.

To choose the best 3% cash back card for you, create a spending plan to assess your everyday expenses, then find a card that offers at least 3% back on the purchases you make the most. Make sure you only use your credit cards to buy what you planned to buy — and pay off the balance every month.

Once you get into the habit of maximizing your cashback rewards, you’ll be surprised at how easily you can earn.

Cash Back at U.S. Supermarkets

Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express

5.0

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express

Learn How to Apply

See rates and fees | Terms Apply

Current Offer

Earn a $250 statement credit after spending $3,000 on eligible purchases in the first 6 months

Annual Fee

$0 intro annual fee for the first year, $95 per year thereafter

Rewards Rate

6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (for first $6,000 per year, after that 1%) and on select U.S. streaming services, 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on eligible transit, and 1% cash back on other eligible purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• High cashback rates at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, eligible transit, and U.S. streaming subscriptions (cash back is in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit)
• Introductory APR for purchases and balance transfers
• $7 monthly statement credit toward an eligible Disney bundle subscription (subject to auto renewal) of $9.99 or more (enrollment required)

Drawbacks

• Cap on highest reward category limits what you can earn
• Welcome offer is a little lackluster compared to other cards
• Has foreign transaction fee

Card Details

• Earn a $250 statement credit after spending $3,000 on eligible purchases in the first 6 months
• 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (for first $6,000 per year, after that 1%) and on select U.S. streaming services, 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on eligible transit, and 1% cash back on other eligible purchases
• Intro purchase 0% APR offer: 0% for 12 months then 18.24% - 29.24% (variable)
• Intro balance transfer 0% APR offer: 0% for 12 months then 18.24% - 29.24% (variable)
• Terms apply