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Cashback credit cards

Find the right cashback credit card for you

  • Get rewarded on your spending
  • See the cards you’re likely to get
  • A small step towards Money Calm

Comparing cashback cards

Want to get rewarded on your spending? A cashback credit card earns you a little bit of cash every time you make a purchase or pay a bill. So if you’re careful, you can earn yourself hundreds of pounds every year – just by doing your normal shopping.

Cashback cards aren’t right for everyone. Because they come with such a benefit, you may be borrowing money at a much higher APR than most other credit cards – so they only suit the savviest spenders, people who are debt free and disciplined enough to pay their entire balance off in full every month. 

With such a huge range of cashback cards on the market, it can be difficult to know which ones you’re eligible for. That’s where MSM can help: when you compare cashback cards with us, we show you your chances of being accepted for a card before you apply.

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How much cashback will I get?

Cashback cards work like any other credit card: when you use them to spend money, you’re effectively borrowing from the card provider, who pays you back a percentage of what you spend – usually between 1% and 5%.

 

You can earn hundreds of pounds every year, but that will probably require you to use your credit card to pay every bill and supermarket trip. Most cashback cards cap the total reward you can earn each year, a while some providers want you to spend more than an annual minimum of several thousand pounds to earn anything at all.

    Is a cashback credit card worth it?

    Here’s what you need to think about before you apply for a cashback card:

    • 1 icon

      Will it work for you

      Cashback cards return a small percentage of what you spend, often monthly or annually. There’s usually an upper limit on what you can earn in a year, while many cards have a high rate that falls significantly after the first year or six months

    • 2 icon

      Would you get more from rewards

      There are some credit cards on the market which offer rewards instead of cashback. Because these rewards tie you to a particular brand, they’re usually slightly more generous, pound for pound, than generic cashback cards

    • 3 icon

      Can you pay it off

      Cashback cards almost always can come with higher APRs, so if you leave even a small balance unpaid, the interest you’ll be charged may wipe out any gains you make. It’s therefore best to pay your balance off in full every month

    • 4 icon

      Can you maximise your cashback

      You get the most out of cash rewards by spending over a certain threshold, so if you use it for all your everyday essentials such as bills and groceries, you’ll maximise your returns

    • 5 icon

      Do the Ts&Cs make it worthwhile

      Cashback cards often have a lot of finicky small print – many will only pay you annually, and some require you to spend a certain amount each month to even qualify for the reward in the first place. 

    • 6 icon

      Are there any fees

      The most generous cashback cards often come with an annual fee. You need to factor this into your spending to see if the cashback is worth the fees – some cards need you to spend thousands on them before you’ll see a benefit

    Alternatives to cashback credit cards

    Cashback cards can be great for the right spender under the correct circumstances, but they’re definitely not the right choice for everyone. There are credit cards available to suit all sorts of needs, so if there’s something specific you want it for, consider the following: 

    purchase card icon

    Purchase credit cards

    Offering low or no interest on spending for several months, these cards let you spread a large payment over the medium term

    balance transfer icon

    Balance transfer credit cards

    If you already have one or more outstanding credit card debts, a balance transfer card will let you consolidate that debt with a better APR

    travel icon

    Travel credit cards

    Most credit cards end up quite costly if you plan to use them while travelling. A specialist overseas card gives you better rates while spending abroad

    credit-builder icon

    Credit-builder cards

    A poor credit rating – or no credit history – can make it hard to be accepted for a card. Credit builders have low limits, and let you improve your score

    gift card icon

    Rewards cards

    Rewards cards offer benefits you can redeem at certain brands and retailers. These rewards are often worth slightly more than straight cashback

    How to compare cashback credit cards with MoneySuperMarket

    If you feel that a cashback credit card could be right for you, the next step is to use the MoneySuperMarket Eligibility Checker to see what cards are available – and which are most likely to approve you.

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    Tell us about yourself

    We’ll ask you a handful of simple questions about you and your financial circumstances, and what you need from a credit card

    search icon

    We browse the market

    We’ll sift through dozens of credit card offers from across the market, and then show you the cards we think will suit you best

    credit cards icon

    Pick the card you want

    You’ll be shown a range of credit cards, which you’ll then be able to sort according to APR, features and your chances of being approved

    With a pre-approved credit card, the deal you see is what you get

    When you apply for a credit card, it’s not always clear what deal you’ll be offered or whether you’ll be accepted. But when you’re pre-approved for a credit card, you know the deal you see is the deal you’ll get – you’ll know where you stand, with information that will help you make the right choice.

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    Apply with confidence

    When you’re pre-approved, the interest rate, interest-free period and fee (if there is one) are all confirmed – the only thing not guaranteed is your credit limit

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    Tailored to you

    You’ll see your personalised chance of approval for all credit cards, so you can easily compare your options

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    You’re in safe hands

    This helps protect your credit score as you’re less likely to be rejected when you apply

    Compare cashback credit cards from across the market

    MoneySuperMarket works with a range of household-name credit card providers, including

    company logo for Santandercompany logo for MBNAcompany logo for Amexcompany logo for barclayscompany logo for Capital Onecompany logo for Virgin moneycompany logo for Tesco bank

    A cashback credit card earns you a percentage back on everything you spend. If a card offers you 1% cashback, this means that for every pound you spend, you receive a penny.

    The money can be redeemed in several ways: either it’s mailed to you periodically as a check, or it is credited to you card balance, or it is deposited in a linked bank account.

    Cashback cards and rewards cards are very similar: the former gives you rewards in the form of money, while rewards cards give you other cash-like benefits, such as store loyalty points, Air Miles or vouchers for certain retailers.

     

    Both types of card work in the same way: the more you spend, the more you earn. Rewards cards tend to earn you slightly more value, because they tie you into spending what you earn at certain brands. This makes cashback cards more flexible but slightly less valuable.

     

    Cashback cards typically have APRs on the higher side, simply because they offer financial benefits and the card companies want to make money.

    This is what makes it so important to pay your balance off in full every month: if you don’t, you’ll almost certainly be charged more in interest from the high APR than you earned in benefits.

    Cashback credit cards do let withdraw cash but, as with all credit cards, it’s not an efficient way to get money. Credit card companies tend to charge substantial fees to use their cards at an ATM, so it’s best to avoid doing so.

    Can't find what you're looking for? Try looking at our news, views and in-depth credit cards guides

    Credit card guides - Credit card news

    Explore

    0% balance transfer credit cards - 0% purchase credit cards - Low fee balance transfer credit cards - Credit cards for bad credit - Credit Builder credit cards - Balance transfers and purchases - Reward credit cards - Low rate credit cards - Money transfer credit cards - Airline credit cards - Cashback credit cards - Credit card calculator - No-fee balance transfer cards - Premium Credit Cards - Interest free credit cards -MoneySuperMarket's exclusive - Platinum credit cards - MasterCard credit cards - Buying Mood Index - Charge cards

    Credit card companies

    American Express - Aqua - Asda - Bank of Scotland - Barclaycard - Capital One - Fluid - Halifax - HSBC - John Lewis - Lloyds Bank - Marbles - M&S - MasterCard  - MBNA - Nationwide -  NatWest - Ocean Finance - Post Office - RBS -  Sainsbury's - Santander - Tandem - Tesco - TSB - Vanquis - Virgin - Visa - 118 118 Money

    If you’re applying for a credit card, you might be able to find a better deal if you look through offers from different providers before taking one out. With MoneySuperMarket you’ll be able to search through multiple credit cards and compare them by a range of factors, including their interest rates and any benefits and rewards they come with.

    All you need to do is answer a few questions about yourself and your financial situation, and our Eligibility Checker will show your chances of being accepted for different credit cards. This won’t affect your credit score, so you can run a check without any worries.

    Once you know which card you want, you can normally apply by phone, online, or in person if the provider has a high street branch. However, when you do apply, the provider will usually run a hard credit check – which will show up on your credit report – to confirm whether they’ll give you the card. If you’re accepted they’ll tell you your credit limit and interest rate, and soon you’ll be ready to start using your credit card.

    MoneySuperMarket gives you lots of clever ways to save a lot, by doing very little.

    • Take control of your credit score by checking and improving it for free with Credit Monitor
    • Never overpay again with Energy Monitor, our energy monitoring service
    • Over 50 ways to Get Money Calm

    So how do we make our money? In a nutshell, when you use us to buy a product, we get a reward from the company you’re buying from.

    But you might have other questions. Do we provide access to all the companies operating in a given market? Do we have commercial relationships or ownership ties that might make us feature one company above another?

    We commit to providing you with clear and informative answers on all points such as this, so we have gathered the relevant information on this page.

    Contact moneysupermarket.com at Moneysupermarket House, St David's Park, Ewloe, Flintshire, CH5 3UZ. © Moneysupermarket.com Ltd 2021

    Following government advice, we have closed our offices in response to Covid-19. If you have submitted a subject access request (SAR) by post, then please be aware there may be a delay in processing your request. Online requests are still being processed, however, and our contact centre is fully operational.

    Wondering how we work with our partners, and how we make money? You can get more details on how we work and how we get paid here

    Moneysupermarket.com Limited is an appointed representative of Moneysupermarket.com Financial Group Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA FRN 303190). Please note, the following products are not regulated by the FCA; travel money, legal services, mobile phones, money transfer, broadband, energy (excluding boiler cover) and travel services (excluding travel insurance and car hire excess insurance).

    Moneysupermarket.com Financial Group Limited, registered in England No. 3157344. Registered Office: Moneysupermarket House, St. David's Park, Ewloe, CH5 3UZ. Telephone 0333 123 1972.

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