Best 2% cash-back cards of November 2023

The saying goes that cash is king, and the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is our pick for king of the 2% rewards cards. In addition to a healthy welcome bonus and easy-to-redeem rewards, the Active Cash comes with cellphone protection and solid intro APR periods on purchases and balance transfers.

• Annual fee: $0.
• Rewards: Earn 2% cash rewards on purchases (unlimited).
• Welcome bonus: Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first three months of account opening.
• Foreign transaction fees: 3%.
• Other benefits and drawbacks: The card offers valuable cellphone protection. With this, you are entitled to up to $600 of cellphone protection against damage or theft when you pay your monthly bill with your eligible Wells Fargo card (subject to a $25 deductible, up to two claims per 12-month period). This can mean the difference between a new phone being stuck with your old, cracked one. Otherwise, the card’s benefits are pretty much limited to minor convenience and security perks.

The Citi Double Cash® Card is an excellent option for those looking to tackle large debt from another card and earn great rewards after paying off the balance transfer. It features a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months. After that, the standard variable APR will be 19.24% to 29.24%. An intro balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3%, whichever is greater, applies to transfers completed in the first 4 months. After that, the fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).

• Annual fee: $0.
• Rewards: Earn 2% cash back on purchases — 1% when purchases are made and another 1% when they’re paid off, plus, for a limited time, 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/24.
• Welcome bonus: $200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening.
• Foreign transaction fees: 3%.
• Other benefits and drawbacks: Apart from fairly standard convenience benefits, the card offers access to the Citi Entertainment program, which provides premier access to tickets for upcoming events.

For those who spend $10,000 per month or less on a credit card, the Alliant Cashback Visa® Signature Credit Card * The information for the Alliant Cashback Visa® Signature Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. offers flat-rate value you’re unlikely to find anywhere else. This card offers the highest ongoing cash-back rate that we’re aware of with no category restrictions. Just know you must join the credit union to get the card (joining is fairly straightforward) and maintain Alliant High-Rate Checking with one electronic deposit per month, an average daily balance of $1,000 or more and electronic statements.

• Annual fee: $0.
• Rewards: Earn 2.5% cash back on up to $10,000 spent each billing cycle with qualifying accounts and all other purchases earn 1.5%.
• Welcome bonus: None.
• Foreign transaction fees: None.
• Other benefits and drawbacks: The bonus on the first 10,000 in spending works out to $250 in rewards per month. Depending on your spending habits, you may be able to exceed that number with consistent 2% cash back — but only if you’re spending quite a bit. The card also comes with a decent suite of benefits such as purchase security, travel accident insurance, auto rental collision damage waiver and extended warranty protection.

If you already use SoFi — for instance, maybe you’ve refinanced your student loans with them, or use their platform to manage your crypto investments — it’s likely the SoFi Unlimited Credit Card * The information for the SoFi Unlimited Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. will integrate well into your financial life. But if you don’t use SoFi or have never heard of them before, this card might not be the right choice for you. The best value per point is obtained by redeeming your credit card rewards to a SoFi Invest Account, a SoFi Money Account, SoFi checking or savings, or toward an outstanding balance on a SoFi student or personal loan. You can redeem points for statement credits, but they’re worth just half a cent that way.

• Annual fee: $0.
• Rewards: 3% cash back when booking trips through SoFi Travel and 2% cash back on all other purchases.
• Welcome bonus: None.
• Foreign transaction fees: $0.
• Other benefits and drawbacks: Cellphone protection when you pay your bill with this card, monthly $5 Lyft credits, complimentary ShopRunner membership, three-month complimentary DashPass trial.

The TD Double Up℠ Credit Card * The information for the TD Double Up℠ Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. earns 2% cash back on all eligible purchases. If you are brand loyal to TD bank, this card will probably be a decent option for you. If not, look elsewhere.

• Annual fee: $0.
• Rewards: Earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases.
• Welcome bonus: Earn a $100 statement credit after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.
  Foreign transaction fees: 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars.
• Other benefits and drawbacks: The TD Double Up Credit Card comes with a solid array of benefits, including cellphone protection, purchase security, extended warranty protection, travel and emergency assistance services and lost luggage reimbursement. Additionally, cardholders get three months of free Skillshare membership plus 20% off an annual membership—as well as three months of free Shipt membership with 50% off for the following nine months, plus free delivery on orders over $35. With these benefits all in one place, the TD Double Up Card is a great option if you bank with TD.

The PayPal Cashback Mastercard® * The information for the PayPal Cashback Mastercard® has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. ‘s bonus category — cash back when you check out with PayPal — isn’t likely to be helpful to most users, but for those with consistent PayPal transactions, the card may be worth making your daily driver.

• Annual fee: $0.
• Rewards: Earn 3% cash back when checking out with PayPal and 2% cash back on all other purchases.
• Welcome bonus: None.
• Foreign transaction fees: 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars.
• Other benefits and drawbacks: The primary benefit the PayPal Cashback Mastercard offers to regular PayPal users is the ease of accessing your credit card rewards via your PayPal account. So, if you use PayPal frequently to buy and sell, this could be an enticing perk. Rewards don’t expire, but otherwise the card doesn’t offer much beyond its digital convenience benefits.

The PenFed Power Cash Rewards Visa Signature® Card * The information for the PenFed Power Cash Rewards Visa Signature® Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. is a 2% cash-back card, but unlike many in the category, you have to be a PenFed Honors Advantage Member in order to receive the full cash back. If you don’t meet that requirement, the card earns a lower cash back on all purchases.

• Annual fee: $0.
• Rewards: Earn 2% cash back on all purchases for PenFed Honors Advantage members and 1.5% cash back for everyone else.
• Welcome bonus: Earn a $100 statement credit after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.
• Foreign transaction fees: None.
• Other benefits and drawbacks: The PenFed Power Cash Rewards Visa has few extra benefits beyond its convenience and digital wallet features — but with no foreign transaction fees and the fact that it’s on the Visa payment network, which is widely accepted both domestically and internationally, this card is a fine choice if you’re planning a trip abroad.

The Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Credit Card * The information for the Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. makes it easy to turn your credit card rewards into investments, since you can redeem what you earn into eligible Fidelity accounts such as IRAs and 529 college savings plans. However, if you’re not already invested with Fidelity, this card might not be a good fit — rewards have less value when redeemed in other ways.

You’ll also want to leave this card at home if traveling abroad. The 1% of each foreign transaction foreign transaction fee is less than the 3% that some cards charge, but a no-foreign-transaction-fee option is even better.

• Annual fee: $0.
• Rewards: 2% cash back on eligible purchases.
• Welcome bonus: None.
• Foreign transaction fees: 1% of each foreign transaction.
• Other benefits and drawbacks: Purchase security, roadside dispatch, lost luggage reimbursement. Plus, there’s an opportunity to boost your rewards rate to 2.25%, 2.5% or 3% cash back through the Fidelity Rewards+® program for Wealth Management clients. However, note that this requires a minimum of $250,000 in eligible assets, so might be difficult to achieve.