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Earn as much as 5% back when you spend from the likes of American Express, Chase and Barclaycard.

Pretty much every time I spend money I am earning money. Ok, only a little bit but it all adds up. Don’t roll your eyes. It really does. The way I do this is through a cashback credit or debit card, or more accurately, through a couple of these cards.

Rates aren’t as good as they were a few years ago, and there are fewer cashback cards available, but even if you’re only getting 0.25% I think it’s worth having one or two in your wallet. Fortunately, it’s possible to get as much as 1.25% – and more on top with introductory offers.

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Cashback debit card vs credit card

In most instances the best option is the one that pays the best rate. And if you’re worried about managing a credit card it makes sense to use a debit card more.

However, there are reasons why I think it’s worth having a cashback credit card either as well or instead.

Primarily they’re handy if you are buying something that costs more than £100 and want the added consumer protection that comes with credit cards. They can also be useful abroad when hiring a car or when a hotel needs a holding deposit (though you’ll want to ensure it’s fee-free).

Points vs cashback

There are two types of credit card which earn you money as you spend. Cashback credit cards pay you back in cold, hard cash. Well, it’s usually credit to your card, but you get to spend that as you want. 

Reward cards are slightly different as you get points, which are usually then transferred into vouchers at the linked retailer.

There are more reward and points based credit cards than ones offering actual cash, and in some cases they’re better paying. But there are some useful benefits of choosing a cashback card.

First, you can use the money you make however you wish, without being tied into spending vouchers as specific stores or airlines. Second, there’s no redemption threshold which is something you often see on reward cards (e.g. you need to earn 500 points to get a £5 voucher).

Best cashback debit cards

There are a handful of debit cards which offer money back on your spending. I’ve not included cards which offer money back from time to time on a changing list of retailers. Occasionally there’ll be a short lived cashback offer, and we list them on our banking deals page.

Chase Bank

There’s only really one debit card that offers cashback that I’d go for and it’s Chase Bank. You’ll get 1% back on most of your purchases. Check out our full review here.

What you can earn:

• 1% on most purchases (capped at £15 a month)

Fees and details:

• No annual fee
• Mastercard
• Must pay in £1,500 in each proceeding month
• Read our Chase Bank review
• Read customer reviews of Chase on Smart Money People

Santander Edge

You can also earn money back at supermarkets and some commuting costs (petrol, trains, buses etc) via the Santander Edge debit card. Personally I wouldn’t bother as it you won’t earn on other spending. Check out my full review here.

What you can earn:

• 1% on supermarket and travel costs (capped at £10 a month)

Fees and details:

• No annual fee
• Mastercard
• Read our Santander Edge review
• Read customer reviews of Santander on Smart Money People

Trading 212

Trading 212 is an investing platform, but it also offers a cashback debit card on spending with uninvested cash. You’ll only get 0.5% (boosted to 1.5% until 1 January 2025) so it’s more a back up that replacement for the other options.

You’ll be charged for a physical card, though you can add virtual ones to your phone’s wallet. Here’s our full review of the card.

What you can earn:

• 1.5% back on spending until 1 January 2025, then 0.5% (capped at £20 a month)

Fees and details:

• No annual fee
• Mastercard
• Read our Trading 212 card review
• Read customer reviews of T212 on Smart Money People

Best Amex cashback credit cards

Most American Express cards will earn you points (more on these here), but there are two cards which will pay actual cash to your account.

American Express (Amex) Cashback Credit Card

Up to 1.25% back

Great for the highest cashback rates

This card will earn you 0.75% for every £1 you spent, increasing to 1.25% once your annual spend goes over £10,000. The welcome bonus is 5% on the first £2,500 spent in the first three months.

You’ll get paid in cash rather than points for spending on this card, giving you the flexibility to use the money saved through it how you want. It’s credited to your card around your 12-month anniversary.

Though this card comes with a £25 fee, there are frequent offers for newbies that will wipe this out. And you’re also able to get £25 (at the time of writing) extra back through applying for the card via cashback site TopCashback (check Quidco too).

What you can earn:

• 5% for the first three months (up to £2,500 spend) – worth up £125
• 0.75% on spend up to £10,000 – worth up to £75
• 1.25% on spend over £10,000 – no cap
• Additional cashback offers you can add to your card throughout the year via your account
• More on this and other American Express credit cards
• Read customer reviews of Amex over on Smart Money People

Fees and details:

• £25 annual fee
• Get a bonus £25 cashback when you go via a cashback site
• Not joined a cashback site? Get an extra £20 bonus when you sign up
• Got a friend with one? See if they’ve got a referral code to earn you both some cash

American Express (Amex) Cashback Everyday Credit Card

£100 bonus and up to 1% back

Good for lower spenders

Very similar to the Amex Cashback card except you get lower rates in exchange for no card fee. This could be a better option if you are likely to spend less than £5,000 a year on the card – though you must spend more than £3,000 a year to get any cashback.

What you can earn:

• 5% for the first three months (up to £2,000 spend) – worth up £100
• 0.5% after on spend up to £10,000 – worth up to £50
• 1% on spend over £10,000 – no cap

Fees and details:

• No annual fee
• You must spend at least £3,000 a year to qualify for cashback
• Get a bonus £15 cashback when you go via TopCashback
• Not joined a cashback site? Get an extra £10 to £20 bonus when you sign up
• Read customer reviews of Amex over on Smart Money People

Read more about other American Express cashback credit cards.

Visa cashback credit cards

There’s only one card of note issued by Visa, but it’s a good option to add to your wallet thanks to fee-free spending overseas.

Barclaycard Rewards

0.25% back

Great for regular travellers

There are a couple of benefits to this Barclaycard. First, you will earn the cashback and pay no fees on transactions abroad as well as in the UK.

Second it’s a Visa rather than Mastercard. That shouldn’t really matter, but in the past I’ve been to countries where for some reason only Visa worked.

What you can earn:

• 0.25% on every £1 spent
• No fees for using abroad
• No cap on annual cashback you can earn

Fees and details:

• No annual fee
• Visa
• Check eligibility for the Barclaycard Rewards credit card
• Read customer reviews of Barclays on Smart Money People

Mastercard cashback credit cards

Santander Edge credit card

Up to 2% back

Anyone with a Santander current account can apply for this card, which pays 2% back in year one and reduces to 1% in year two onwards.

However, there’s a £15 cap on how much you can earn each month, and a £3 monthly fee will eat into those earnings. Here’s our full analysis.

What you can earn:

• 2% for the first year
• 1% after

Fees and details:

• £3 monthly fee
• Mastercard
• Check eligibility for a Santander credit card
• Read customer reviews from Smart Money People

Natwest or RBS Reward credit card

Up to 1% back

If you have a Natwest or RBS Reward current account then this card is fee-free (otherwise best avoided), You’ll earn 1% back at the supermarket and 0.25% back elsewhere.

Personally, I don’t see the point as you can get 1% back at the supermarket with the Chase debit card or Amex Nectar AND other retailers.

There’s also a Travel Reward card that gives 1% back on holiday expenses such as flights and hotels though not everyday spending.

What you can earn:

• 1% on supermarket spending
• 0.25% on spending elsewhere

Fees and details:

• £24 annual fee (unless you have a Reward current account)
• Mastercard
• Check eligibility for a Natwest credit card
• Check eligibility for an RBS credit card
• Read customer reviews of Natwest on Smart Money People