- 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
- 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.
-
670 – 850
Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
2% Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases
The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is a great card for anyone’s budget -- it’s got one of the highest flat rewards rates across all credit cards. You’ll earn 2% cash rewards regardless of purchase category.
Most flat-rate cards top out at 1% or even 1.5% rewards rates. There are a handful of cards that allow you to earn up to 3% across all purchases, but they often require you to meet large spending thresholds. But this card has no annual fee, no spending thresholds and no rewards limit, making it a worry-free option.
The rewards aren’t the only notable aspects of this card. You can take advantage of a competitive introductory APR and welcome bonus, too. Read on for more program details and for suggestions on other cards you may want to consider.
Cash rewards and redemption
We feature Wells Fargo on our lists for best credit cards with no annual fee and for cash-back credit cards because of its high flat cash-rewards rate and simple rewards structure.
While most credit cards offer a 1% or even 1.5% cash-back rate on all purchases, this card offers an unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases. There is a caveat though -- you can redeem your cash rewards for “cash” in $25 increments over the phone or online, and at a minimum of $20 via a Wells Fargo ATM or debit card. “Cash” redemption can take the form of a credit on your billing statement, a deposit into a qualifying Wells Fargo checking or savings account or via a paper check.
As a way around the minimum threshold, you can redeem your rewards for particular purchases as small as $1 as long as you have enough cash rewards to cover the purchase in full. Alternatively, you can redeem your rewards as travel, charitable donations, gift cards (in $25 increments) or merchandise through your account.
Welcome bonus
You can earn a $200 cash rewards welcome bonus after spending $1,000 in purchases with your Wells Fargo Active Cash Card within the first three months of account opening. While this welcome bonus doesn’t have the highest nominal value on the market, nor the lowest spending threshold to unlock it, it’s a very good ratio of rewards to spending. If you’re specifically interested in finding a great intro offer value, check out our picks for the best welcome bonuses.
The cash-rewards welcome bonus will be redeemable through your account one or two billing periods after it is earned.
Introductory APR
Another big draw of the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card is the introductory 0% APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers, which lasts for 15 months from account opening. After that, your variable APR will be 19.49%, 24.49%, or 29.49%, depending on your credit. This feature makes the card a good option if you want to finance a large purchase and spread out the payments -- but be wary of making charges you can’t afford.
While your 0% intro APR on purchases is valid for the first 15 months from account opening, you can only make a qualifying balance transfer within 120 days of account opening for the 0% introductory APR to apply. But you don’t get 15 months from the date of balance transfer -- the clock starts ticking when you get approved for the card.
For example, if your balance transfer is initiated three months after opening the account, you’ll only be enjoying the remaining 12 months of 0% introductory APR on that balance (19.49%, 24.49%, or 29.49% variable APR thereafter). And if your balance transfer isn’t initiated until five months after account opening, you won’t receive any introductory 0% APR on that balance, since it’s outside the 120 day window.
Other features
There aren’t many hidden perks with this card -- what you see is what you get. The cash rewards, welcome bonus and introductory APR cover the bases. You do get up to $600 in cell phone damage or theft protection after a $25 deductible, as long as you pay your bill with your Wells Fargo Active Cash Card.
Comparable cards
Citi® Double Cash Card
The Citi Double Cash Card is similar to the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card -- both offer a flat 2% cash-rewards rate. With the Double Cash Card, however, you earn 1% when you make the purchase and the other 1% when you make the payment. So while you can earn the same rewards rate, it’s not as straightforward or immediate. You also get 18 months of 0% introductory APR on balance transfers with the Double Cash Card (then a variable APR of 18.49% to 28.49%; balance transfers must be completed within the first four months of account opening). While this is longer than the time frame of the Wells Fargo offer, it doesn’t apply to purchases.
For more details, see our full review of the Citi Double Cash Card.
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
The Chase Freedom Unlimited is a great cash-back card for most people. Though its cash-back program is a little more involved than Wells Fargo, many may be able to net more rewards overall. You’ll get 5% cash back on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3% cash back on dining and drugstores, and 1.5% on all other purchases. While the catch-all rate is a little lower than that of the Active Cash Card, the bumps on other spending categories may make up for it. You can also earn a valuable welcome bonus and comparable introductory APR with this card.
Check out all of the details in our full review of the Chase Freedom Unlimited.
How Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card compares to other cards
- 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.
- Intro Offer
-
$200 Earn a $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
- Annual fee
- $0
- APR
- 18.74%-29.74% Variable
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% on purchases for 15 months
- 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
-
1% – 3% 3% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%.; 3% Cash Back on U.S. online retail purchases, on up to $6,000 per year, then 1%.; 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%.; 1% Cash Back on other purchases.
FAQs
Cash-back credit cards offer cardholders rewards on their spending in the form of statement credits or cash. A statement credit is a reduction in the amount due to the credit card company on your monthly bill. Note that rewards are not always available the month you earn them -- they are usually applied to your balance by credit card issuers after one or two billing cycles.
The redemption process for cash-back credit cards is either automatic or very simple. Some cards automatically apply cash rewards to your statement balance each month. Others require you to log in and redeem available rewards points for statement credits. Most points don’t expire, but you will lose them if you close the account before redeeming them.
Cash-back credit cards generally fall into four primary categories: flat-rate, tiered, rotating or choose your own.
Flat-rate cards offer the same rate for every purchase. Tiered cards offer a different rewards rate for different categories of spending. Rotating category cards offer different rewards each quarter, determined by the card issuer. Choose-your-own category cards allow you to choose your rewards category.
To choose the best cash-back credit card for you, the most important thing is to have a clear idea of how you’re already spending money each month. Once you identify the categories where you have the highest, most consistent spending, use the charts in our list to determine which card will net you the highest return. Consider other features of the cards, too, such as APR, sign-on bonuses and foreign transaction fees -- make sure you get something that fits with your lifestyle and spending habits.
Your credit card choice may also be affected by your credit score. Most of the cards we recommend require a good or excellent credit score, which is typically around 670 or higher. If you don’t meet the credit criteria required, there are credit cards available that are specifically for those trying to rebuild credit, like secured credit cards. Alternatively, you can look into the best credit cards for no credit and the best credit cards for bad credit.
Our approach
We review the cards that are in the highest demand and offer the best benefits. We scour the fine print so there aren’t any surprises when you open an account. We find the key factors that make a card stand out and compare them with other top cards. That way, readers can opt for a different card with similar features if our pick isn’t right for them. Our reviews are regularly checked and updated to incorporate new recommendations, as well as to reflect changes in offers and the market.
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.
