Your monthly spend
Your best card
Grocery specialist
Earns $895 in year one rewards · $1,050 net after fees + welcome bonus.
Grocery specialist
Huge for families. Grocery + streaming lean is strong.
$1,050
net yr 1
Raw rewards
$895
Annual fee
− $95
Welcome bonus
$250
Year 2+: $800/yr (no welcome bonus)
Travel rewards premium
Best if you travel 2+ times/year. Otherwise 2% flat wins.
$920
net yr 1
Raw rewards
$415
Annual fee
− $95
Welcome bonus
$600
Year 2+: $320/yr (no welcome bonus)
Flat 2% cashback card
No categories to track. Simple, reliable.
$718
net yr 1
Raw rewards
$518
Annual fee
None
Welcome bonus
$200
Year 2+: $518/yr (no welcome bonus)
Dining + gas rotator
Rotating 5% categories can net more with effort.
$657
net yr 1
Raw rewards
$457
Annual fee
None
Welcome bonus
$200
Year 2+: $457/yr (no welcome bonus)
Fine print worth reading
Rewards only pay out if you pay in full each month. Carrying a balance at 22% APR wipes out 3% cashback on day one. Also: annual fee cards only beat 2% flat if your spend matches the bonus categories — check the math with your real monthly numbers.
How we rank them
Real spending beats marketing copy
A card advertising 6% grocery is only worth it if you actually spend $500+/month on groceries. We multiply your numbers by each card's category rate, not the advertised max.
Annual fee is subtracted every year
Welcome bonuses inflate year 1. We show year 1 net AND year 2+ steady state so you can see which card wins long term — often a different answer.
The assumption that kills all rewards
You must pay in full monthly. Carrying a balance at 22% APR on $5,000 eats $1,100/yr in interest — which wipes out even the best 5% categories.