- Intro Offer
-
No current offer
- Annual fee
- $0
- APR
- 15.24% – 25.24% (Variable)
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
-
800 – 850
Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
1.5% – 2.5% 2.5 percent cash back on all purchases (on up to $10,000 in qualifying purchases each billing cycle, then 1.5 percent) with a qualifying Tier One Rewards status; Unlimited 1.5 percent cash back with Tier Two Rewards status
Some banks offer better credit card rewards to cardholders who maintain active checking or savings accounts. Bank of America, for example, offers better rewards and interest rates to consumers with Bank of America checking accounts and Merrill investment accounts.
Alliant Credit Union, one of CNET’s best online banks of 2023, offers a similar opportunity. If you successfully apply for the Alliant Cashback Visa® Signature Credit Card*, you’ll automatically earn 1.5% cash back on every qualifying purchase. But if you pair your Alliant Cashback Visa Signature Credit Card with an active Alliant High-Rate Checking account that meets a few deposit and transaction requirements, you can earn 2.5% cash back on the first $10,000 in qualifying eligible purchases per billing cycle -- a higher rate than many of the best cash-back credit cards.
How to earn more rewards
The Alliant Cashback Visa Signature Credit Card offers two tiers of rewards:
- Tier One Rewards: 2.5% cash back on the first $10,000 in qualifying eligible purchases per billing cycle, 1.5% cash back on all other qualifying eligible purchases
- Tier Two Rewards: 1.5% cash back on all qualifying eligible purchases
To earn Tier One Rewards, you need an active Alliant High-Rate Checking account with a minimum average daily balance of at least $1,000. You also need to make at least one electronic deposit, such as a direct deposit or ATM deposit, per month. Lastly, you need to opt in to receive eStatements.
If you do not have an active Alliant High-Rate Checking account that meets the above requirements, you’ll earn Tier Two Rewards.
Your rewards status is dependent upon meeting the requirements in the previous calendar month. If your average daily checking account balance drops below $1,000 for one month, you’ll earn Tier Two Rewards the following month. If you get your average daily checking account balance back up to the $1,000 minimum (while continuing to meet the other checking account requirements), you’ll earn Tier One Rewards the following month.
You have two options when it comes to redeeming your Alliant Cashback Visa Signature Credit Card rewards. You can apply your rewards as a statement credit towards your credit card bill, or you can deposit your rewards into an Alliant checking account or savings account.
100-day welcome bonus
For most credit card welcome bonuses, you need to spend enough money within a specific timeframe to earn a predetermined payout. But the Alliant Cashback Visa Signature Card offers a different welcome bonus structure.
New cardholders automatically earn Tier One Rewards for the first 100 days after account opening. This gives you the opportunity to earn 2.5% cash back on the first $10,000 in purchases per billing cycle for the first 100 days. That means you could potentially earn up to $250 each billing cycle during the 100 day timeframe.
No annual fee and no foreign transaction fees
The Alliant Cashback Visa Signature Credit Card does not charge an annual fee. The card doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, either -- giving you the opportunity to use your card while you travel without incurring extra fees.
Alternative cards
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
If you want 2% cash rewards on purchases, take a look at the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card. This flat-rate card offers one of the best rewards rates in the industry, giving you the opportunity to earn 2% cash rewards for your purchases -- with no bank account requirements or spending limits.
New cardholders can also earn a welcome bonus worth $200 cash rewards after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first three months, which is slightly less rewarding than what the Alliant Cashback card offers. Plus, you won’t have to pay an annual fee and can take advantage of the introductory APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers.
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card* is another solid cash-back card, offering 1.5% cash back on all purchases, an introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers, and a $200 welcome bonus for new cardholders who spend $500 in the first three months.
The Quicksilver’s travel bonuses set this no-annual-fee card apart from its competitors. Cardholders have the opportunity to earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel -- and if you use your Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card abroad, you won’t have to pay foreign transaction fees.
How Alliant Cashback Visa® Signature Card compares to other cards
- Intro Offer
-
No current offer
- Annual fee
- $0
- APR
- 15.24% – 25.24% (Variable)
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
- Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
1.5% – 2.5% 2.5 percent cash back on all purchases (on up to $10,000 in qualifying purchases each billing cycle, then 1.5 percent) with a qualifying Tier One Rewards status; Unlimited 1.5 percent cash back with Tier Two Rewards status
- Intro Offer
-
$200 cash rewards Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months
- Annual fee
- $0
- APR
- 19.49%, 24.49%, or 29.49% variable APR
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
- Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
2% Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases
- Intro Offer
-
No current offer
- Annual fee
- $0
- APR
- 18.49% – 28.49% (Variable)
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
- Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
2% Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases.
FAQs
Flat-rate cash back cards offer the same cash back percentage on every purchase. If you want to use the same credit card every time you shop, dine and travel, a flat-rate cash back card could be the simplest way to get the job done.
However, some people prefer to use multiple rewards credit cards, such as a top grocery credit card or a top travel credit card. You can maximize your cash back by using one credit card for groceries, another credit card for travel, another credit card for dining and so on -- saving your flat-rate cash back card for all purchases that won’t earn higher rewards on another credit card.
You can apply for as many credit cards as you want -- as long as you wait at least 90 days between credit card applications. That way, you don’t have to worry about lenders declining your application. You also don’t have to worry about the damage that back-to-back credit checks can do to your credit score.
The Alliant Cashback Visa Signature card is a good option for people who want to take advantage of the extra rewards opportunities available for Alliant High-Rate Checking account holders.
*All information about the Alliant Cashback Visa Signature Credit Card and the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
The editorial content on this page is based solely on objective, independent assessments by our writers and is not influenced by advertising or partnerships. It has not been provided or commissioned by any third party. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products or services offered by our partners.