Six of the best credit cards for cashback

These credit cards offer perks like points and money back for those everyday expenses, like groceries, that add up over time.

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Kevin Lamarque/Reuters/File
A credit card user displays her cards in Washington in this February 22, 2010, file photo. Some credit cards offer perks like points or cash in exchange for frequent purchases.

Credit cards offer a broad range of perks and benefits, from points that you can redeem for free hotel nights and award travel to merchandise and cold, hard cash. Although many cardholders find the most value in earning points and miles for their purchases, others prefer to earn cash that they can use toward any purchase they choose, whether it's the electric bill, dinner, or a travel expense.

For consumers choosing cashback rewards cards, these are six of the best credit cards for cashback that are currently available.

BankAmericard Cash Rewards

Bonuses: $100 cash rewards bonus; 0% APR for purchases and balance transfers for 12 billing cycles; 10% (or more) Bank of America rewards bonus

The BankAmericard Cash Rewards card awards 3% for gas and 2% for groceries on up to $1,500 in combined purchases per quarter. You also earn 1% cashback for all other purchases. If you tend to spend more on gasoline than you do on groceries, the BankAmericard Cash Rewards credit card is a good alternative to the Blue Cash Everyday, especially if you are already a Bank of Americacustomer.

The BankAmericard Cash card also offers a $100 cash rewards bonus to new cardholders who use the card for at least $500 in purchases within the first 90 days. There is also a 0% introductory APR for purchases and balance transfers for 12 months. In addition, Bank of America awards a minimum 10% bonus on rewards every time you redeem your cashback into your Bank of America checking or savings account.

Chase Freedom

Bonuses: 0% APR for purchases and balance transfers for 15 billing cycles; $150 sign-up bonus

The Chase Freedom credit card is consistently rated as one of the best cashback credit cards on the market for a number of reasons. If your spending varies and doesn't normally fall into one primary category, such as dining or groceries, Chase Freedom provides an opportunity to earn as much as 5% cashback, up to $1,500 in purchases, on various categories that rotate every quarter, plus 1% cashback on all other purchases. The bonus categories for 2016 are gas stations and local commuter transportation, groceries, restaurants, and holiday shopping, with the possibility of additional categories throughout each season.

Further, new cardholders only need to make $500 in purchases within the first three months to earn a $150 cash bonus. If you make your first purchase and add an authorized user within the first three months, you earn an additional $25, boosting your total bonus to $175. This is one of the highest sign-up bonuses offered by a no-annual-fee rewards card.

Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards

Bonuses: $100 sign-up bonus; 0% intro APR for purchases and balance transfers; no foreign transaction fee

If your spending varies but you would rather avoid categories that change every quarter, the Capital One Quicksilver Cash card is one of the best flat-rate cash rewards cards available. Although you only earn 1.5% cashback on your purchases, this covers all purchases, without requiring you to remember to enroll in categories that change every three months. For cardholders avoiding the hassle of signing up for special spending categories, the Quicksilver card awards more than the default 1% earned from the "other" category.

The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards card also offers a $100 sign-up bonus if you make $500 in purchases within the first three months, and a 0% introductory APR for purchases and balance transfers. The Quicksilver card is also one of the rare no-annual-fee cashback cards that also has no foreign transaction fee. This makes it an ideal cashback card for foreign purchases.

American Express Blue Cash Everyday

Bonuses: $100 statement credit; 0% intro APR for purchases and balance transfers

Cashback rewards cards that award bonus cashback for day-to-day purchases such as gasoline and groceries are rare. The American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card, however, provides an opportunity to earn 3% cashback at U.S. supermarkets, up to $6,000 per year in purchases; 2% cashback at U.S. gas stations and select U.S. department stores; and 1% cashback on other purchases. Once you reach the annual cap on groceries, those purchases earn 1% cashback for the remainder of the year. The Blue Cash Everyday Card also offers new cardholders a $100 statement credit if they make $1,000 in purchases within the first three months, as well as an introductory APR of 0% for purchases and balance transfers for 12 months.

If your spending frequently falls into the categories mentioned above, you might want to consider the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express. Although this card comes with a $75 annual fee, it awards 6% cashback for groceries, up to $6,000 in purchases per year, 3% cashback at U.S. gas stations and certain department stores, and 1% cashback on everything else.

Citi Double Cash

Bonuses: 0% APR for purchases and balance transfers for 15 months

One of the newer cashback credit cards making waves is the Citi Double Cash. Instead of awarding all cashback when you make your purchases, you first earn 1% on every purchase and then another 1% cashback when you make your payment, whether in full or just the minimum. The total 2% rate is among the highest rates awarded by a flat-rate cashback card.

The Citi Double Cash credit card does not offer a sign-up bonus, but new cardholders can take advantage of a 0% APR for purchases and balance transfers for 15 months.

TD Cash Rewards Visa

Bonuses: $200 sign-up bonus; 0% intro APR for balance transfers

Another one of the newer cards to make the list of best cashback credit cards is the TD Cash Rewards Visa. This card is particularly ideal if your purchases frequently fall into the "dining" category, which can also include coffee shops, fast food restaurants, and convenience stores. You earn two points for each dollar spent on these purchases, which is equal to 2% cashback, and one point for all other purchases.

The TD Cash Rewards Visa also currently offers one of the most valuable sign-up bonuses for a no-annual-fee credit card. If you make at least $1,500 in purchases within the first 90 days, you can receive a bonus worth $200. There is also an introductory APR of 0% on balance transfers for your first 12 billing cycles.

This article first appeared at DealNews.

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