We are an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. Our
goal is to help you make smarter financial decisions by providing you
with interactive tools and financial calculators, publishing original
and objective content, by enabling you to conduct research and compare
information for free - so that you can make financial decisions with
confidence.
Bankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to,
American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and
Discover.
Holly Johnson writes expert content on personal finance, credit cards, loyalty and insurance topics. In addition to writing for Bankrate and CreditCards.com, Johnson does ongoing work for clients that include CNN, Forbes Advisor, LendingTree, Time Magazine and more.
Liza Carrasquillo is an editor on the Bankrate credit cards team who focuses on providing accurate educational content to those at all stages of their credit card journey.
The advice in this article is offered by the
team independent of any bank or credit card issuer.
This article may contain
from our partners, and terms may apply to offers linked or accessed through this page.
as of posting date, but offers mentioned may have expired.
The Bankrate promise
At Bankrate, we have a mission to demystify the credit cards industry — regardless or where you are in your journey — and make it one
you can navigate with confidence. Our team is full of a diverse range of experts from credit card pros to data analysts and, most importantly,
people who shop for credit cards just like you. With this combination of expertise and perspectives, we keep close tabs on the credit
card industry year-round to:
Meet you wherever you are in your credit card journey to guide your information search and help you understand your options.
Consistently provide up-to-date, reliable market information so you're well-equipped to make confident decisions.
Reduce industry jargon so you get the clearest form of information possible, so you can make the right decision for you.
At Bankrate, we focus on the points consumers care about most: rewards, welcome offers and bonuses, APR, and overall customer experience.
Any issuers discussed on our site are vetted based on the value they provide to consumers at each of these levels. At each step of the way,
we fact-check ourselves to prioritize accuracy so we can continue to be here for your every next.
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Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first.
Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right
financial decisions.
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We value your trust. Our mission is to provide readers with accurate and unbiased information, and we have
editorial standards in place to ensure that happens. Our editors and reporters thoroughly fact-check editorial
content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate. We maintain a firewall between our advertisers and
our editorial team. Our editorial team does not receive direct compensation from our advertisers.
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Bankrate’s editorial team writes on behalf of YOU – the reader. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you
make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced
by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked
to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and
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so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and
reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial
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staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers.
We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and
useful tools to you by explaining how we make money.
Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison
service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and
services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore,
this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within
listing categories, except where prohibited by law for our mortgage, home equity
and other home lending products. Other factors, such as our own proprietary
website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your
self-selected credit score range, can also impact how and where products appear
on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range of offers, Bankrate does not
include information about every financial or credit product or service.
A 1.5 percent cash back card can help you earn rewards on every purchase while enjoying benefits like extended warranties, travel insurance and no foreign transaction fees.
But not all 1.5 percent cash back cards are created equally, varying by annual fee, welcome bonus, additional cash back categories and redemption opportunities.
Carefully weigh each card against your spending habits, credit rating and financial goals when comparing these flat-rate cards.
Cash back credit cards earn rewards in several different ways, with some offering a generous flat cash back rate on all purchases and others offering more cash back in specific or rotating categories.
Cards that earn a flat rate of 1.5 percent cash back on all general purchases can fall into either category, meaning that they can give the cardholder a boosted flat rate of rewards plus rotating category rewards or simply the flat rate of 1.5 percent on its own.
These types of flat-rate rewards cards can come with intro APR offers and welcome bonuses, both of which can make their offers even more valuable. And many 1.5 percent cash back credit cards also come with no annual fee. If you’re interested in one of these cards, check out our guide for how to choose the right 1.5 percent cash back card for you.
How to choose the right 1.5 percent cash back card for your wallet
Before you start looking at credit card applications, follow these steps to narrow down your options:
The best rewards credit cards require good to excellent credit, yet you can find 1.5 percent cash back cards for consumers with fair credit, poor credit or no credit as well. Ultimately, it’s helpful to know your credit score before you apply so that you put your energy toward those with a higher chance of approval.
You can check your credit score for free by using Experian’s free credit monitoring service, which provides your FICO 8 credit score in exchange for sending you personalized offers and ads, or by using a free service through another bank or credit card issuer. Capital One, Discover and American Express all offer ways to check your credit score for free, even if you’re not a cardholder.
The strongest cash back credit cards are designed for people with good to excellent credit, offering 0 percent intro APR offers for purchases and balance transfers as a perk. These offers can typically last 12 months or longer. Not only can these intro APRs help you save interest as you pay down large purchases, but they can also help you consolidate existing debt and pay it down faster.
If you want a card with a 0 percent intro APR offer, you’ll have to keep that in mind when shopping for a 1.5 percent cash back card. If you don’t have any debt to consolidate or a large purchase planned, this shouldn’t be as important to you.
Keep in mind: Intro APR offers last for a limited time, with variable APRs that apply after the intro expires. Have a plan for paying off any balances subject to the card’s regular APR before it takes effect.
Cards with a flat rate of 1.5 percent cash back can also come with boosted rewards in other categories, like travel booked via an issuer’s travel portal. Compare each card’s rewards structures to decide whether the extra boosted rewards are worth it for you.
You should also learn about the options available to you for redeeming your rewards. Some cards offer considerably more rewards flexibility than others. Some common rewards redemption options include:
Statement credits
Gift cards
Merchandise
Travel via an issuer’s travel portal
Charitable donations
Shopping redemptions via platforms like Amazon or PayPal
The redemptions you can make might also come down to the rewards program ecosystem your card is part of. For example, a 1.5 percent cash back card from Chase could be awarded as Ultimate Rewards points that you can transfer to your Chase travel rewards card.
Many cash back credit cards offer benefits like purchase protections against damage or theft, extended warranties or even basic travel insurance protections.Despite this, you’ll want to make sure you pick a 1.5 percent cash back card that offers perks you can actually use. If you rarely travel, for example, don’t let benefits like travel insurance tempt you into a card that isn’t the right fit for you.
Cards can come with plenty of fees, most notably annual fees and foreign transaction fees. Many cash back credit cards don’t charge an annual fee, with key exceptions when it comes to cards with high rewards rates and perks or those designed for people with poor to fair credit.
Before you pay an annual fee for a 1.5 percent cash back credit card, make sure you can get enough value in return to justify the card’s cost. This usually means earning enough rewards to offset the costs or getting extra value from any perks or statement credits that it offers.
If you plan to use your card for international travel or for purchases online made in a foreign currency, you’ll be better off with a card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees. Capital One credit cards never charge foreign transaction fees, for example.
Don’t forget to take your card’s annual percentage rates (APRs) into account, either. If you wind up carrying a balance on your card, the purchase APR will determine how much interest you have to pay, so make sure you’re comfortable with the APR range listed on the card application.
Finally, after deciding which cards have favorable rewards rates and benefits, compare their welcome offers. While some cards require you to spend $1,000 or more within the span of a few months to earn a bonus, others require just $500 in purchases over three months.
Ideally, pick a rewards credit card that offers the best welcome offer that you can easily earn by paying for regular purchases and bills with your card. If you don’t think you can meet the welcome offer’s spending requirements, remove it as a factor weighed into your decision.
Many cash back cards, including 1.5 percent cash back cards, offer preapprovals or prequalifications without performing a hard inquiry on your credit reports. Instead, issuers typically use a soft credit inquiry to decide whether you’re prequalified or preapproved.
You can go directly to the issuer’s website to get preapproved or use a third-party tool like Bankrate’s CardMatch. When using CardMatch, you’ll get personalized offers that match your credit score range. Once you’ve found out whether you’re preapproved, you can make a more informed decision about whether you want to apply for the card.
Keep in mind: Preapproval and prequalification does not guarantee that an issuer will approve you for a credit card. It simply lets you know whether you have a higher chance of being approved. The final say will still be up to the issuer, which will typically perform a hard credit inquiry before deciding.
Now that you’re ready to choose the best cash back card for your wallet, consider starting with our top picks. Here’s a breakdown of some of the best 1.5 percent cash back cards from each major issuer:
5% cash back on travel booked through Chase Travel℠, 5% cash back on Lyft rides (through March 2025), 3% back on dining and drugstore purchases and 1.5% cash back on other spending
Intro Offer: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
Good to excellent
$0
The bottom line
The best 1.5 percent cash back credit cards offer generous rewards and come with no annual fees, yet they vary quite a bit from there. For example, some of the cards that offer 1.5 percent cash back also offer higher rewards rates in additional categories, whereas others only offer a flat rate and are geared toward consumers with fair credit or no credit.
It’s also worth noting that there are cash back credit cards that offer a flat rate of 2 percent cash back with no annual fee required, which could be another option for you if you’re not concerned with earning other boosted rewards. Compare cash back credit cards based on their rewards rates, features and fees to find the best fit for your spending habits and financial needs.
Information about the American Express Cash Magnet® Card and Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured credit card has been collected independently by Bankrate. Card details have not been reviewed or approved by the issuer. The Bank of America content in this post was last updated on August 8, 2024.
Quick citation guide
Select a citation to automatically copy to clipboard.
APA:
D. Johnson, H. (2024, August 16). How to choose a 1.5 percent cash back card. Bankrate. Retrieved May 09, 2025, from https://www.bankrate.com/credit-cards/cash-back/1-point-5-percent-cash-back-card-how-to-choose/
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MLA:
D. Johnson, Holly. "How to choose a 1.5 percent cash back card." Bankrate. 16 August 2024, https://www.bankrate.com/credit-cards/cash-back/1-point-5-percent-cash-back-card-how-to-choose/.
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Chicago:
D. Johnson, Holly. "How to choose a 1.5 percent cash back card." Bankrate. August 16, 2024. https://www.bankrate.com/credit-cards/cash-back/1-point-5-percent-cash-back-card-how-to-choose/.
We are an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. Our
goal is to help you make smarter financial decisions by providing you
with interactive tools and financial calculators, publishing original
and objective content, by enabling you to conduct research and compare
information for free - so that you can make financial decisions with
confidence.
Bankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to,
American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and
Discover.
The Bankrate promise
At Bankrate, we have a mission to demystify the credit cards industry — regardless or where you are in your journey — and make it one
you can navigate with confidence. Our team is full of a diverse range of experts from credit card pros to data analysts and, most importantly,
people who shop for credit cards just like you. With this combination of expertise and perspectives, we keep close tabs on the credit
card industry year-round to:
Meet you wherever you are in your credit card journey to guide your information search and help you understand your options.
Consistently provide up-to-date, reliable market information so you're well-equipped to make confident decisions.
Reduce industry jargon so you get the clearest form of information possible, so you can make the right decision for you.
At Bankrate, we focus on the points consumers care about most: rewards, welcome offers and bonuses, APR, and overall customer experience.
Any issuers discussed on our site are vetted based on the value they provide to consumers at each of these levels. At each step of the way,
we fact-check ourselves to prioritize accuracy so we can continue to be here for your every next.
Editorial integrity
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first.
Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right
financial decisions.
Key Principles
We value your trust. Our mission is to provide readers with accurate and unbiased information, and we have
editorial standards in place to ensure that happens. Our editors and reporters thoroughly fact-check editorial
content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate. We maintain a firewall between our advertisers and
our editorial team. Our editorial team does not receive direct compensation from our advertisers.
Editorial Independence
Bankrate’s editorial team writes on behalf of YOU – the reader. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you
make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced
by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked
to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and
dependable information.
How we make money
You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master
your money for over four decades.
We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to
succeed throughout life’s financial journey.
Bankrate follows a strict
editorial policy,
so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and
reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial
decisions. The content created by our editorial
staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers.
We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and
useful tools to you by explaining how we make money.
Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison
service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and
services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore,
this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within
listing categories, except where prohibited by law for our mortgage, home equity
and other home lending products. Other factors, such as our own proprietary
website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your
self-selected credit score range, can also impact how and where products appear
on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range of offers, Bankrate does not
include information about every financial or credit product or service.
Quick citation guide
Select a citation to automatically copy to clipboard.
APA:
D. Johnson, H. (2024, August 16). How to choose a 1.5 percent cash back card. Bankrate. Retrieved May 09, 2025, from https://www.bankrate.com/credit-cards/cash-back/1-point-5-percent-cash-back-card-how-to-choose/
Copied to clipboard!
MLA:
D. Johnson, Holly. "How to choose a 1.5 percent cash back card." Bankrate. 16 August 2024, https://www.bankrate.com/credit-cards/cash-back/1-point-5-percent-cash-back-card-how-to-choose/.
Copied to clipboard!
Chicago:
D. Johnson, Holly. "How to choose a 1.5 percent cash back card." Bankrate. August 16, 2024. https://www.bankrate.com/credit-cards/cash-back/1-point-5-percent-cash-back-card-how-to-choose/.
