Best Cash Back Credit Cards
What is the best UK cash back credit card?
After reviewing hundreds of cards we’re left with three awesome options. The card you pick will depend on your financial situation and spending habits.
Unlike credit card comparison sites, all aspects of these cards have been manually reviewed in-depth to make sure you’re getting a great deal. We also continually check for any changes to the detail and continually monitor new card releases in order to bring you an up-to-date information.
Remember, the balance on your card should be paid off in full every month by Direct Debit to prevent interest rate charges outweighing the cash back you receive.
Here Are The Top 2 UK Cash Back Credit Cards:
The Capital One World MasterCard – Great 5% Intro Deal. Strict Criteria. Widely Accepted MasterCard
This card gives you a massive 5% for the first 99 days (max £100 cashback in that time). After that, rates are tiered, paying up to 1.25% cashback.
Tiers are as follows: 3 months @ 5% (max £100). 0.5% up to to £6k spending. 1% up to £6k-10k. 1.25% above £10k.
This card is great if you’re going to spend up to £2,000 is the next three months (any more and you won’t earn cash back due to the £100 cap) and continue to spend pretty heavily after that so you can break through to the upper tiers.
The card has no annual fee and as it’s a MasterCard, it’ll be accepted everywhere. However, the acceptance criteria is strict – you’ll need to have earn £20k+ and own your own home!
Apply now or read the detailed Capital One World MasterCard Review.
This table shows the cash back you’ll get with varying levels of annual spend:
| Annual spend | £3,000 | £5,000 | £10,000 | £20,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year one cashback | £49 | £81 | £145 | £233 |
| Years two+ cashback | £15 | £25 | £70 | £195 |
American Express Platinum Cashback – Good Long-Term Cash Back, £25 Annual Fee, AMEX Isn’t Accepted Everywhere
The American Express Platinum Cashback card pays you 2.5% cashback for the first three months up to £100 cash back (you’ll need to spend £4,000 to reach that). After that, all spending gets a nice 1.25% cashback.This card is appealing if you spend over £10k a year. If you do reach that milestone, you’ll get unlimited 2.5% cashback in your anniversary month.
The downers of this card are that is has a £25 annual fee and unlike MasterCard, AMEX isn’t accepted everywhere. If you shop at particular places, this site will help as it shows who accepts AMEX.
Minimum income for this card is a £30k household salary.
Apply now or read the detailed Amex Platinum Cashback Review.
This table shows the cash back you’ll get with varying levels of annual spend:
| Annual spend | £3,000 | £5,000 | £10,000 | £20,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year one cashback (after fee) | £22 | £53 | £131 | £275 |
| Years two+ cashback (after fee) | £13 | £38 | £110 | £246 |
Other Great UK Cash Back & Rewards Cards:
The cards mentioned above pay you for spending money on just about anything and you’re rewarded with cash. However, some cash back cards are a bit more particular about what’s eligible for cash back and others reward you in points, vouchers or goodies (these are reward cards). If you spend a lot of money at particular places, these can work out more beneficial. We’ve detailed our top picks for these types of cards below.
Pays 3% cash back on petrol (on up to £300/month spend), 2% in department stores & 1% in supermarkets. Has a £24 annual fee. Worthwhile if you spend a lot of your money on petrol and the rest in dept. stores and supermarkets. Read the full review or apply now.
Another great card from the guys at Capital One and this one is aimed at online shoppers! It gives great discounts such as 20% off at Ted Baker, 50% off selected events at viagogo.co.uk, 30% off zavvi.com and more. Read the full review or apply now.
Fancy getting air-miles instead of cash back? Airline credit cards reward you in air-miles that you can redeem for free flights, upgrades and more. Check out the best airline credit card to discover our top UK pick.
Spotted other great cash back or rewards cards? If so, let us know. We’re also continually on the hunt for great, new cards and will be updating this section soon. Subscribe to our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss out on new offers – simply add your details to the opt-in box to the right.
Click to see our comparison table for all credit cards