About the Kiplinger Readers’ Choice Awards
The Kiplinger Readers’ Choice Awards aim to recognize and celebrate the best products and services in the personal finance arena. We asked you, our Kiplinger community, to help us name the products and services you think have delivered excellent value in the past year.
The survey results, which we’re sharing here in our second annual Readers’ Choice Awards, offer valuable insight into which providers shine when it comes to your everyday interactions and experiences with them. Our Awards recognize excellence in everything from credit cards, banks and brokers to insurers, tax software and financial apps. For each category, we’ve listed an overall winner that earned the highest score. We’ve also highlighted other products and services that earned above-average scores for various criteria we asked readers to assess.
By voting, our community has helped us form our guide to the very best financial products. These are the products and companies that you think stand out from the crowd.
Kiplinger Readers' Choice Awards: Best Cash Back Credit Cards Winners
Many of those who use a rewards credit card prefer simple, straightforward rewards in the form of cash back. That's no surprise, given that a cash back credit card is the simplest and most effective way to earn credit card rewards. We asked respondents to rate their cards on the strength of customer service, how likely they would be to recommend the card to others and how satisfied they are overall.
OVERALL WINNER: Fidelity Rewards Visa
Outstanding for:
- Most recommended
- Overall satisfaction
This card from Fidelity Investments is a consistent reader favorite, winning best overall cash-back credit card for the second year in a row. Our readers praised the card’s simple reward structure. “Zero effort to get the reward,” says one respondent.
Fidelity customers earn 2% cash back on each purchase with this card if they deposit rewards into qualifying Fidelity accounts, including brokerage and cash-management accounts, 529 college-savings plans, retirement accounts, and donor-advised funds.
“It helps with funding my Roth IRA each year,” says one respondent. You can also direct your rewards to a friend’s or family member’s account (excluding donor-advised funds).
American Express Blue Cash Preferred
Outstanding for:
- Customer service
- Most recommended
The Blue Cash Preferred card from American Express ($95 annual fee, waived the first year) provides 6% cash back on supermarket spending (up to the first $6,000 spent annually; 1% thereafter), as well as select streaming subscriptions; 3% on transit and fuel purchases; and 1% on other spending. “Even with the $95 yearly fee,” remarks one reader, “we still come out way ahead every year.”
Citi Double Cash Mastercard
Outstanding for:
- Most recommended
- Overall satisfaction
Many readers commented on this card’s ease of use and the simplicity of its rewards structure. “I have three different cards. This is my go-to 99% of the time,” says one respondent. The card offers a total of 2% cash back on all spending: 1% for each purchase you make and an additional 1% when you pay the bill
American Express EveryDay
Outstanding for:
- Customer service
Amex EveryDay earns kudos from our readers for customer service, with one respondent describing it as “always dependable.” Earn two Membership Rewards points for each dollar spent on the first $6,000 of supermarket purchases each year and one point per dollar on all other spending. If you use your card 20 or more times in a billing period, you get 20% more points on those purchases.
Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi
Outstanding for:
- Overall satisfaction
Readers who are loyal Costco Wholesale customers like this card for its ability to provide substantial cash back. “We recently got back a little over $500 from last year’s purchases,” one respondent says. The card requires a Costco membership (starting at $60 annually).
Get 4% back on gas and electric vehicle charging on the first $7,000 spent per year and then 1% thereafter. You also get 3% back on dining and eligible travel; 2% on purchases from Costco and Costco.com; and 1% back on all other purchases.
Discover It
Outstanding for:
- Customer service
Readers singled out this card for excellent customer service. One wrote, “The folks who man the phones are so patient and kind.” The card provides 5% cash back on the first $1,500 spent on rotating categories that change each quarter. Typical categories include grocery stores, gas and EV stations, and restaurants. Earn 1% back on all other purchases.
USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa Signature
Outstanding for:
- Customer service
USAA is a bank for current and former members of the military and their spouses and children. USAA members may apply for the card, which provides unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases. Our readers praise its customer service. “If you want 100% support, you want this card,” says one survey respondent.
