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Gregory Karp is a former NerdWallet writer and an expert in personal finance and credit cards. A journalist for more than 30 years, he has been a newspaper reporter and editor, authored two personal finance books and created the "Spending Smart" syndicated newspaper column. His awards include national recognition several times from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing.
Erin is a credit card and travel rewards expert at NerdWallet, based in Baltimore, Maryland. She has spent nearly two decades showing readers unique ways to maximize their investments and personal finances. Prior to joining NerdWallet, Erin worked on dozens of newsletters and magazines in the areas of investing, health, business and travel with Agora Publishing. Her love of travel led to a passion for credit card and loyalty rewards to subsidize trips, and she thrives on teaching others how to harness the power of credit card rewards. When she's not writing or editing, Erin is planning her next adventure for her family of four using points and miles. Erin recommends this card as the cornerstone for all travelers looking to build up their rewards portfolio - see it here.
Erica Corbin joined NerdWallet in 2020 as an assistant assigning editor at large. She previously wrote and edited content at companies such as GOBankingRates and Nasdaq. Her work has been syndicated to USA Today, Yahoo Finance, MSN and more. She also has worked as a freelance writer and editor for over a decade for various clients and publications across industries, with particular emphasis on entertainment reporting. Erica believes that money, like most topics, is best discussed with understanding, transparency and a healthy dose of humor.
Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.
Cash-back credit cards aren’t known for the kind of huge bonus offers for new cardholders that you see on travel credit cards . But these promotions — sometimes called sign-up bonuses or welcome offers — can still be valuable. Bonus offers in the range of $150 to $100 have become common on cash-back cards. For cards with annual fee, the bonus offers can be even richer.
In the long run, a good rewards rate is more important than a one-time welcome offer. But if you’re looking for a new cash-back credit card with potential for a cash freebie, here are some highly rated cash-back cards with sizable new-cardholder promotions.
» MORE: NerdWallet’s best cash-back credit cards
» MORE: How to choose a cash-back credit card
Welcome offer: Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
Cash-back rewards: Unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.
» MORE: Credit cards that earn 2% cash back or more on purchases
Welcome offer: Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in eligible purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.
Cash-back rewards: 4 points per $1 spent on dining, 2 points per $1 spent at grocery stores, gas stations, EV charging stations and on eligible streaming services, and 1 point per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases.
Some cards, including the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card and the Chase Freedom Flex® , technically earn points that can be used as cash back. We generally consider them to be cash-back cards if you can redeem points for 1 cent each.
Welcome offer: $200 online cash rewards bonus after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening. .
Cash-back rewards: 3% back on a category of your choice (chosen from a list), 2% back on grocery stores and wholesale clubs for the first $2,500 of combined bonus category/ grocery store/wholesale club spending per quarter; then 1% back on these purchases. 1% back on all other purchases.
Welcome offer: Earn a $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months. Terms Apply.
Cash-back rewards: 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 in spending per year, 3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases on up to $6,000 in spending per year, 3% cash back on U.S. gas stations on up to $6,000 in spending per year, and 1% cash back on everything else. Terms apply ( see rates and fees ).
Welcome offer: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
Cash-back rewards: 5% cash back in quarterly bonus categories on up to $1,500 in combined spending each quarter (activation of bonus categories is required), 5% back on travel booked through Chase, 3% back on dining, 3% back on drugstore purchases, 1% on all other purchases. For all cardholders, through March 31, 2025, 5% back on qualifying Lyft services purchased through the Lyft app.
Welcome offer: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!
Cash-back rewards: 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase, 3% back at restaurants and drugstores, and 1.5% on all other non-bonus-category purchases.
» MORE: When a 1.5% cash back credit card beats 2% cash back
Welcome offer: Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
Cash-back rewards: 5% on up to $500 spent per billing cycle in your highest spend category out of 10 categories, including grocery stores, restaurants, streaming services and more. 1% cash back thereafter, and on all other purchases. Cash back is earned in the form of ThankYou® Points which can be redeemed as a direct deposit, check or a statement credit, or for gift cards, travel and Shop with Points at Amazon.com.
Welcome offer: Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
Cash-back rewards: 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target), plus 1% on other purchases.
Annual fee: $0 (see rates and fees).
Welcome offer: Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months. Terms Apply.
Cash-back rewards: 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 in spending per year, 6% back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% back on transit including U.S. gas stations, plus 1% cash back on everything else. Terms apply ( see rates and fees ).
Annual fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
Welcome offer: Earn a one-time $300 cash bonus after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
Cash-back rewards: 4% cash back on dining and entertainment, including streaming services, 3% at grocery stores, and 1% on other purchases.
» MORE: How to choose a cash-back credit card
These bonuses depend on how much you spend on the card, and some are paid out at the end of your first year. They can be among the most valuable welcome offers.
Welcome offer: INTRO OFFER: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers – only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. You could turn $150 cash back into $300.
Cash-back rewards: 5% cash back in rotating categories that you activate (on up to $1,500 in purchases per quarter) and 1% cash back on all other purchases. Previous bonus categories have included things like restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations and more.
» MORE: Best 5% cash back credit cards
Welcome offer: INTRO OFFER: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers – only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a dollar-for-dollar match.
Cash-back rewards: Earn 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Welcome offer: Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Cash-back rewards: Earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business.
Welcome offer: Earn $350 when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening.
Cash-back rewards: Earn 5% cash back on up to $25,000 a year in spending at office supply stores and on cable, internet and phone service, 2% cash back on up to $25,000 a year in spending at gas stations and restaurants, and 1% cash back on all other spending.
» MORE: How do cash back credit cards work?
*Information related to the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card.
Teen Patti Game Whether you want to pay less interest or earn more rewards, the right card's out there. Just answer a few questions and we'll narrow the search for you.