Maybe it's time to trash the Citi 2X cash back card!!

[ObviouslyNotAGolfer]

My wife and I never carry a balance. We have zero debt of any kind and my CC companies hate me for it 😎😛. EVERY day I receive spam mail from Citi offering me a loan or a balance transfer deal or something of that kind. I have zero interest in being in debt, thanks, but no thanks!

Since 2016, I have enjoyed receiving 2% back on purchases with them. I usually use it in summer of every year to defray our vacation expenses.

Now today I received this

You will continue to earn 1% cash back on purchases and 1% cash back as you pay for those purchases. Beginning 03/28/2022, cash back will be earned in the form of ThankYou® Points instead of cash rewards — this means each billing cycle you will earn 1 point per $1 spent on purchases and an additional point for every $1 paid on those purchases.

Well, maybe it's time for something else! I am not all that interested in travel rewards cards, although we love to travel. I don't care about American, Delta, United, or the like. I don't care about Mariott, Hilton either. We usually end up flying Aer Lingus or Air France and staying in interesting AirBNBs! Either that, or we take road trips to the SF Bay area.

Can anyone suggest an alternative for someone like me who just wants cash back? We have an AMEX blue card that is good for groceries (6%), gas (3%), but not so great for other stuff (1%).

I probably won't cancel the Citi because I've had them FOREVER, and, of course it will hurt my credit ('Murica!).

Any good alternatives? We have zero debt, a good/decent income, and excellent credit! Thanks!

[Gronnie]

You can still redeem for cash. We'll see how much longer that lasts.

[NotJen]

What’s the cash redemption value of ThankYou points?  If it’s 1 cent per point, then everything is basically the same.  If it’s less, then it’s obviously a bad deal.

I got the same notice for my Double Cash card, but I never use it so I hadn’t investigated it.

According to DoC, it’s a positive change, since you won’t have to wait to get to $25 to redeem, and redemption is 1 cent per point:  https://www.doctorofcredit.com/citi-double-cash-card-will-offer-rewards-as-thankyou-points-remove-25-redemption-minimum/

[afox]

have been using the fidelity visa signature card for at least 10 years, maybe 15 it is and has always been 2% cash back automatically deposited to the investment acct. of your choice, no annual fee, no points or gimmicks, amazingly it never shows up on the lists of "best credit cards for rewards", assume they just dont pay to play that advertising game...

[ObviouslyNotAGolfer]

You can still redeem for cash. We'll see how much longer that lasts.

Thanks. I am not sure I understand this. I also read on the link provided by NotJen (below your post) that, You’ll still have the option to redeem for cash,. Does this mean that your rewards by default are ThankYou points, and you have to jump through an extra hoop to convert to cash? IF so, this is clearly a step in the direction of eliminating cash rewards altogether.

[NotJen]

You can still redeem for cash. We'll see how much longer that lasts.

Thanks. I am not sure I understand this. I also read on the link provided by NotJen (below your post) that, You’ll still have the option to redeem for cash,. Does this mean that your rewards by default are ThankYou points, and you have to jump through an extra hoop to convert to cash? IF so, this is clearly a step in the direction of eliminating cash rewards altogether.

I’m not sure why you think cash rewards will be eliminated.  Plenty of cards earn “points” that directly convert to cash back.  Nothing is guaranteed to last forever, but I don’t see cash redemptions for reward points going away.

How did you redeem before?  Did you go to a form and select how many $s to apply as a statement credit?  It should be similar with TYP, you go to a form and select how many points to redeem, and the cash value will be applied as a statement credit.   Now you’ll just have additional options, if you want them.

[ObviouslyNotAGolfer]

You can still redeem for cash. We'll see how much longer that lasts.

Thanks. I am not sure I understand this. I also read on the link provided by NotJen (below your post) that, You’ll still have the option to redeem for cash,. Does this mean that your rewards by default are ThankYou points, and you have to jump through an extra hoop to convert to cash? IF so, this is clearly a step in the direction of eliminating cash rewards altogether.

I’m not sure why you think cash rewards will be eliminated.  Plenty of cards earn “points” that directly convert to cash back.  Nothing is guaranteed to last forever, but I don’t see cash redemptions for reward points going away.

How did you redeem before?  Did you go to a form and select how many $s to apply as a statement credit?  It should be similar with TYP, you go to a form and select how many points to redeem, and the cash value will be applied as a statement credit.   Now you’ll just have additional options, if you want them.

Hi, I always redeemed as a statement credit. I read further in the e-mail Citi sent, and indeed it says:

Use your ThankYou Points to redeem for cash, as well as gift cards, travel, Shop with Points and more on thankyou.com or the Citi Mobile® App.** Redemption values vary depending on how you choose to redeem your ThankYou Points.   

Hence, I don't understand what the actual change is. Maybe it's just a minor one? I could not care less about messing around with less than 25$. I redeem only once a year, and it is always for 1200$ or more. (It will be more this time around because of all the funerals, junk clearance and all the other horrible stuff I've had to pay for in 2021)

Citi sends me so much crap e-mail all the time and I have such a distaste for cc companies, I did not read beyond their first sentence before I assumed that cash rewards were over.

[MudPuppy]

My Discover It card is the second best card I’ve ever had. Practical, straightforward, and great customer service. It has no annual fee.

The best card I ever had was Amex Platinum, which had great travel perks plus a ton of special deals each year, like a free calm subscription or a credit toward monthly internet and/or streaming services. I couldn’t stomach the annual fee in the era of Covid, since the travel perks cease to be perks when you aren’t traveling.

[Bradlinc4]

My guess would be that in the future Citi is setting them selves up to be able to devalue the points, but that they won't do this for some time.

[LD_TAndK]

I also received this letter from citi, I highly doubt they'll devalue thank you points.

I assume it's just a psychological trick to make customers feel they're getting 100x the value. Having 1000 points sounds like a lot more than $10. I also assume people are more willing to use Citi's rewards affiliate links when they're spending "points" as opposed to dollars, which Citi surely gets a kick-back for.

[seattlecyclone]

Hence, I don't understand what the actual change is. Maybe it's just a minor one?

If all you care about is getting cash back, then yes. You will be able to redeem your points for the same amount of cash as before, and you will have some other options too. Feel free to ignore those other options if you like.

[GodlessCommie]

Check out alliant credit union.

[solon]

I got the same email. It says, "When you redeem your ThankYou Points for cash back, you’ll receive the same value you did before. 1,000 ThankYou Points equals $10 in cash back."

I have two other cards already in the TYP program. They only pay half that, i.e. it takes 2000 points to get $10. Has anybody else noticed this?

[Catbert]

Hence, I don't understand what the actual change is. Maybe it's just a minor one?

If all you care about is getting cash back, then yes. You will be able to redeem your points for the same amount of cash as before, and you will have some other options too. Feel free to ignore those other options if you like.

+1.  No real change for OP. This change is an advantage to people who have other Citi  cards that earn TY points so you can combine points.

[Wile E. Coyote]

Hi, I always redeemed as a statement credit. I read further in the e-mail Citi sent, and indeed it says:

Use your ThankYou Points to redeem for cash, as well as gift cards, travel, Shop with Points and more on thankyou.com or the Citi Mobile® App.** Redemption values vary depending on how you choose to redeem your ThankYou Points.   

Hence, I don't understand what the actual change is. Maybe it's just a minor one? I could not care less about messing around with less than 25$. I redeem only once a year, and it is always for 1200$ or more. (It will be more this time around because of all the funerals, junk clearance and all the other horrible stuff I've had to pay for in 2021)

Citi sends me so much crap e-mail all the time and I have such a distaste for cc companies, I did not read beyond their first sentence before I assumed that cash rewards were over.

I could be misremembering this, but I used to redeem for a statement credit, and then I realized that I was forgoing the 1% cashback on payments as statement credits didn't count as payments.  I could be wrong, but now I always do a direct deposit to my checking account and then pay my bill.  Nothing seems to have changed on my account, as far as I can tell.  I can still redeem for direct deposit or convert to TYP.

***Edit - here is the language from their terms that caused me to switch to taking direct deposit and not statement credit - "Cash Back on Payments: At the end of each billing cycle, you will earn cash rewards equal to 1% of the dollar amount of any eligible payments you make on your Card Account as long as there is a balance in your Purchase Tracker (see “Purchase Tracker” below). . . . The redemption of cash rewards for a statement credit is not an eligible payment."

[bacchi]

It's an accounting change. They can probably keep the points on the books for less than $.01 each, given a redemption for other than cash back.

[Bateaux]

Citidouble is my primary card.  I always do statement credits.  Hopefully they retain that

[EvenSteven]

Hi, I always redeemed as a statement credit. I read further in the e-mail Citi sent, and indeed it says:

Use your ThankYou Points to redeem for cash, as well as gift cards, travel, Shop with Points and more on thankyou.com or the Citi Mobile® App.** Redemption values vary depending on how you choose to redeem your ThankYou Points.   

Hence, I don't understand what the actual change is. Maybe it's just a minor one? I could not care less about messing around with less than 25$. I redeem only once a year, and it is always for 1200$ or more. (It will be more this time around because of all the funerals, junk clearance and all the other horrible stuff I've had to pay for in 2021)

Citi sends me so much crap e-mail all the time and I have such a distaste for cc companies, I did not read beyond their first sentence before I assumed that cash rewards were over.

I could be misremembering this, but I used to redeem for a statement credit, and then I realized that I was forgoing the 1% cashback on payments as statement credits didn't count as payments.  I could be wrong, but now I always do a direct deposit to my checking account and then pay my bill.  Nothing seems to have changed on my account, as far as I can tell.  I can still redeem for direct deposit or convert to TYP.

***Edit - here is the language from their terms that caused me to switch to taking direct deposit and not statement credit - "Cash Back on Payments: At the end of each billing cycle, you will earn cash rewards equal to 1% of the dollar amount of any eligible payments you make on your Card Account as long as there is a balance in your Purchase Tracker (see “Purchase Tracker” below). . . . The redemption of cash rewards for a statement credit is not an eligible payment."

It wouldn't be a difference of 1% of purchases, but 1% of 1% of purchases, or 1% of total cash back. I also believe that direct deposit to your bank account is taxable at your regular marginal rate, while the statement credit is tax free.

Edit: I've not done the direct deposit, so if they are treated the same tax wise I would love to be corrected.

[Wile E. Coyote]

It wouldn't be a difference of 1% of purchases, but 1% of 1% of purchases, or 1% of total cash back. I also believe that direct deposit to your bank account is taxable at your regular marginal rate, while the statement credit is tax free.

I don't follow your point here about 1% of 1%.  If you take a statement credit of $1,000 that $1,000 will not count as a payment.  If you take a direct deposit of $1,000 and then pay $1,000 of your balance from your checking account, that $1,000 will count as a payment and you will get 1% back on that payment.

As for the tax treatment, the treatment is the same regardless of whether you take it as a direct debit or statement credit. They are not taxble.

[EvenSteven]

It wouldn't be a difference of 1% of purchases, but 1% of 1% of purchases, or 1% of total cash back. I also believe that direct deposit to your bank account is taxable at your regular marginal rate, while the statement credit is tax free.

I don't follow your point here about 1% of 1%.  If you take a statement credit of $1,000 that $1,000 will not count as a payment.  If you take a direct deposit of $1,000 and then pay $1,000 of your balance from your checking account, that $1,000 will count as a payment and you will get 1% back on that payment.

As for the tax treatment, the treatment is the same regardless of whether you take it as a direct debit or statement credit. They are not taxble.

Good to hear about the tax treatment. I must have been thinking about the difference between credit card bonuses and bank account bonuses.

What I meant about the percentages is on a $100.00 purchase, you get 1% for the purchase and 1% for the payment, so that would be $2.00.

If you took the 1% for the payment and applied it to the statement credit instead of cash, you would be getting 1% for the purchase and 1% of the remaining balance paid, or $1.99.

So the difference is 2% cash back with direct deposit, or 1.99% cash back with statement credits.

[PDXTabs]

I happen to enjoy my CapitalOne Quicksilver which has 1.5% cash back, no fee, and no foreign transaction fees.

[Wile E. Coyote]

Good to hear about the tax treatment. I must have been thinking about the difference between credit card bonuses and bank account bonuses.

What I meant about the percentages is on a $100.00 purchase, you get 1% for the purchase and 1% for the payment, so that would be $2.00.

If you took the 1% for the payment and applied it to the statement credit instead of cash, you would be getting 1% for the purchase and 1% of the remaining balance paid, or $1.99.

So the difference is 2% cash back with direct deposit, or 1.99% cash back with statement credits.

You are thinking about this too narrowly.  You are giving up 1% on every dollar that you apply as a statement credit. That may not seem like much, but why give it up when you don't have to.  It's no extra effort at all.

[EvenSteven]

Good to hear about the tax treatment. I must have been thinking about the difference between credit card bonuses and bank account bonuses.

What I meant about the percentages is on a $100.00 purchase, you get 1% for the purchase and 1% for the payment, so that would be $2.00.

If you took the 1% for the payment and applied it to the statement credit instead of cash, you would be getting 1% for the purchase and 1% of the remaining balance paid, or $1.99.

So the difference is 2% cash back with direct deposit, or 1.99% cash back with statement credits.

You are thinking about this too narrowly.  You are giving up 1% on every dollar that you apply as a statement credit. That may not seem like much, but why give it up when you don't have to.  It's no extra effort at all.

I think we are saying the same thing: 1% of every dollar applied to a statement credit would amount to a difference of .01% of the purchase amount, or 2% vs 1.99% cash back. I'm going to consider us in agreement.

[Woodshark]

My guess would be that in the future Citi is setting them selves up to be able to devalue the points, but that they won't do this for some time.

I got the same letter and this was my thinking also. As a precaution I'll probably not let my new renamed "ThankYou Points" get above $200 before I redeem them for cash/credit

[SquarePeg]

Maybe investigate Visa cards available through credit unions you have access to? I have a Visa from my credit union that pays 1% cash back across the board. No fussing around with manual steps with "points" and redemptions -- if I charge $1000, they credit $10 and I pay off the balance of $990.

[Gronnie]

Maybe investigate Visa cards available through credit unions you have access to? I have a Visa from my credit union that pays 1% cash back across the board. No fussing around with manual steps with "points" and redemptions -- if I charge $1000, they credit $10 and I pay off the balance of $990.

1% is the absolute bare minimum. That card is awful.

[SquarePeg]

1% is the absolute bare minimum. That card is awful.

Well okay then... I'm feeling pretty ignorant now but I guess that's a MMM-style facepunch so maybe this is a learning opportunity.

Can you point me in the direction of something less awful? I'll help out by mentioning things I like about this card:

Not having to manually do stuff to get the money
Not being locked in/directed toward specific companies/sectors/types of goods to get the higher cash back rates
No annual fee
Not being part of a giant mega commercial bank

Also:
I don't travel much, so airline miles aren't of much value to me.
I like the simplicity of not having a bunch of cards/accounts to keep track of.
That $1000 figure is actually about my usual monthly spend, so doubling the percentage back would only be another $10/month for me, so if I routinely have to spend any time to get it, I might not feel like it's worth it. (Of course, here I am composing posts on MMM, so, maybe I would.)

Any suggestions?

[EvenSteven]

1% is the absolute bare minimum. That card is awful.

Well okay then... I'm feeling pretty ignorant now but I guess that's a MMM-style facepunch so maybe this is a learning opportunity.

Can you point me in the direction of something less awful? I'll help out by mentioning things I like about this card:

Not having to manually do stuff to get the money
Not being locked in/directed toward specific companies/sectors/types of goods to get the higher cash back rates
No annual fee
Not being part of a giant mega commercial bank

Also:
I don't travel much, so airline miles aren't of much value to me.
I like the simplicity of not having a bunch of cards/accounts to keep track of.
That $1000 figure is actually about my usual monthly spend, so doubling the percentage back would only be another $10/month for me, so if I routinely have to spend any time to get it, I might not feel like it's worth it. (Of course, here I am composing posts on MMM, so, maybe I would.)

Any suggestions?

I feel like we have, while not identical, similar desires in credit cards. Here is what I do:

Groceries and gas: 6% cash back with amex blue preferred. (Actually about 4.4% cash back after $95 yearly fee.)
House hold supplies and some groceries: 5% cash back with Target card
Restaurants: 5% cash back with citi custom cash
Everything else: 2% cash back with citi double cash

The downsides:
4 cards in the wallet (but no rotating categories to deal with)
Have to log in to your account to redeem, which is an extra 3 clicks when paying your card off monthly

[Jack0Life]

Maybe investigate Visa cards available through credit unions you have access to? I have a Visa from my credit union that pays 1% cash back across the board. No fussing around with manual steps with "points" and redemptions -- if I charge $1000, they credit $10 and I pay off the balance of $990.

1% is the absolute bare minimum. That card is awful.

LOL. I thought the same. I just didn't say it out loud.

[Jack0Life]

1% is the absolute bare minimum. That card is awful.

Well okay then... I'm feeling pretty ignorant now but I guess that's a MMM-style facepunch so maybe this is a learning opportunity.

Can you point me in the direction of something less awful? I'll help out by mentioning things I like about this card:

Not having to manually do stuff to get the money
Not being locked in/directed toward specific companies/sectors/types of goods to get the higher cash back rates
No annual fee
Not being part of a giant mega commercial bank

Also:
I don't travel much, so airline miles aren't of much value to me.
I like the simplicity of not having a bunch of cards/accounts to keep track of.
That $1000 figure is actually about my usual monthly spend, so doubling the percentage back would only be another $10/month for me, so if I routinely have to spend any time to get it, I might not feel like it's worth it. (Of course, here I am composing posts on MMM, so, maybe I would.)

Any suggestions?

Yeah at worst get the Freedom Unlimited. 1.5% back on everything. No annual fee.
But there's more. $200 bonus for signing up. 5% on gas purchase first year.
3% on restaurant and drugstore purchases.

[Psychstache]

1% is the absolute bare minimum. That card is awful.

Well okay then... I'm feeling pretty ignorant now but I guess that's a MMM-style facepunch so maybe this is a learning opportunity.

Can you point me in the direction of something less awful? I'll help out by mentioning things I like about this card:

Not having to manually do stuff to get the money
Not being locked in/directed toward specific companies/sectors/types of goods to get the higher cash back rates
No annual fee
Not being part of a giant mega commercial bank

Also:
I don't travel much, so airline miles aren't of much value to me.
I like the simplicity of not having a bunch of cards/accounts to keep track of.
That $1000 figure is actually about my usual monthly spend, so doubling the percentage back would only be another $10/month for me, so if I routinely have to spend any time to get it, I might not feel like it's worth it. (Of course, here I am composing posts on MMM, so, maybe I would.)

Any suggestions?

Yeah at worst get the Freedom Unlimited. 1.5% back on everything. No annual fee.
But there's more. $200 bonus for signing up. 5% on gas purchase first year.
3% on restaurant and drugstore purchases.

Fidelity Visa is another option. 2% back on everything. Bonus for me is that I can use the rewards to fund my Fidelity IRA/HSA.

[Phenix]

Not nearly enough love for the Fidelity Visa card.  Simple 2% cash back and every once in a while they send out an email for bonus cash back.
As stated above, they probably don't pay to be named "one of the best" so you never see them on any lists.
100% recommend the Fidelity Visa, especially if you already have accounts with Fidelity.  Every month I transfer my rewards to my cash management account and buy FZROX.

[solon]

With the Fidelity card, can you get cash back, or do you have to buy a Fidelity investment?

[Phenix]

With the Fidelity card, can you get cash back, or do you have to buy a Fidelity investment?

It has to go to a Fidelity account to get the 2%.  If you're not already set up at Fidelity, it probably wouldn't be worth it, but for the many around here that are, it's very easy.

[solon]

With the Fidelity card, can you get cash back, or do you have to buy a Fidelity investment?

It has to go to a Fidelity account to get the 2%.  If you're not already set up at Fidelity, it probably wouldn't be worth it, but for the many around here that are, it's very easy.

But I could put it my cash management account, and then transfer it out, right?

[Phenix]

With the Fidelity card, can you get cash back, or do you have to buy a Fidelity investment?

It has to go to a Fidelity account to get the 2%.  If you're not already set up at Fidelity, it probably wouldn't be worth it, but for the many around here that are, it's very easy.

But I could put it my cash management account, and then transfer it out, right?

That is correct.

[neo von retorch]

Groceries and gas: 6% cash back with amex blue preferred. (Actually about 4.4% cash back after $95 yearly fee.)
House hold supplies and some groceries: 5% cash back with Target card
Restaurants: 5% cash back with citi custom cash
Everything else: 2% cash back with citi double cash

The downsides:
4 cards in the wallet (but no rotating categories to deal with)
Have to log in to your account to redeem, which is an extra 3 clicks when paying your card off monthly

Unless your American Express Blue Cash Preferred is different than mine, gas is actually 3% on that card. But the 6% on groceries overall makes it worth the $95/annual fee.

But yes otherwise I have a similar profile. We eat out so little that I decided to let that fall to my 2% card. For a while, Capital One Savor gave us 4%. But I decided not to have to track an extra card. Perhaps if we go back to eating out more or go on a trip, we'll start using it again.

Amazon Visa gets 3% at Amazon (5% if you pay for Prime).

Used Citi Double Cash until our credit union started offering a straight 2% on everything card.

[RedmondStash]

Check the Doctor of Credit site for good cash-back credit cards.

https://www.doctorofcredit.com/

[solon]

When I try to redeem points for a statement credit, it tells me I need twice as many points as the Citi Double Cash email says I will need.

(This isn't for my Citi Double Cash card, but another Citi card that earns TY points.)

Has anyone else seen this?

[NotJen]

When I try to redeem points for a statement credit, it tells me I need twice as many points as the Citi Double Cash email says I will need.

(This isn't for my Citi Double Cash card, but another Citi card that earns TY points.)

Has anyone else seen this?

Redemption rates are different for different Citi cards.

[Holocene]

I was using the Fidelity Visa 2% card as my main cash back card.  It was simple and I was happy with it.  I've recently started wading into the Bank of America ecosystem.  If you're willing to park at least $100k in Merrill Edge and have a BOA checking account, they offer some decent cards.  You can own low cost ETFs at Merrill Edge.  Once you do this, you can get 2.626% cash back on everything with the Unlimited Cash Rewards card (1.5% base + 75% bonus).  They also have a Customized Cash Rewards card that can get 5.25% (3% base + 75% bonus) on a category you choose up to $2500 per quarter.  Categories are: gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores, or home improvement/furnishings.  And you can change your category once per month.  It automatically stays the same until you change it so it's easier to deal with than rotating category cards.  Online shopping is a nice category for me.  I'm also experimenting with buying $500 Visa debit cards online to get the 5.25% bonus and then hoping to use these to pay taxes that charge a fixed fee for debit rather than a % for credit.  We'll see how that goes.

[nalor511]

have been using the fidelity visa signature card for at least 10 years, maybe 15 it is and has always been 2% cash back automatically deposited to the investment acct. of your choice, no annual fee, no points or gimmicks, amazingly it never shows up on the lists of "best credit cards for rewards", assume they just dont pay to play that advertising game...

This

[BikeFanatic]

Citibank is pushing /offering the custom cash back card, and this card you get 5% back on up to 500 dollars spend automatically on the category that you spend the most.
For me it is easy to max out groceries category, does not include Costco, and then I get 5% back which equals 20 or so dollars a month. With groceries I maximize the benefits by purchasing extras at the store, like non food items such as soap shampoo, cleaning supplies, pet items, and non alcoholic beverages.
I don’t have a high spend so the 5% on first 500 works for me and I use another card for gas and travel.

[neo von retorch]

Just adding some more info from this (discussed above), particularly the 6% on Streaming. (i.e. if you have this card, you might as well pay for any streaming services.)

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/card/blue-cash-preferred/

6% on groceries (max $6k / year) and streaming (Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Apple+, HBO Max, Spotify, etc.)
3% on gas (U.S.) (and transit  like bus, train, taxi, etc.)

If you max groceries ($500/month), $360 ($300 of which is above the 1%, or $240 above 2% - covering your $95 annual fee.)

[kenner]

Not trying to quote since a lot of people have already called out the cards I use that meet your qualifications and I'm sure I'd make a mess of it if I tried, but generally speaking:

• Amex Blue Preferred--6% groceries.  It would be 3% gas also, but in my case I get gas from the station associated with the grocery store since they give shoppers' discounts and it doesn't code correctly with Amex (this is a known thing per Amex's website, FYI)
• Chase Freedom--5% in rotating categories when I remember to use it, since it's a 0% annual fee I'm happy to keep it open and try to remember said categories, but if I fail it's not the end of the world.  For me I use these points for travel, not sure if there's a cash back option
• Discover--5% back in rotating categories when I remember to use them, same situation as the Chase Freedom except that I always get cash back
• Fidelity Rewards--2% back on everything straight to investment account, my 'everything else' card.  Although they still charge foreign transaction fees which may or may not matter to you, I just remember to take a different card when I travel internationally (assuming I can do so again at some point)

I've got a couple other cards mostly for travel, but those sound like they're not as useful to you.

[geekette]

Wells Fargo has a straight up 2% cash back card with no annual fee - and it currently has a new card bonus.

I dropped the Amex due to their troubles with actually honoring their cash back offerings in favor of Citi Custom Cash.  5% back on up to $500/month at the grocery store, and since I use a grocery store pharmacy, that counts too.  They're also currently offering a new card bonus.

[kenner]

Not trying to quote since a lot of people have already called out the cards I use that meet your qualifications and I'm sure I'd make a mess of it if I tried, but generally speaking:

• Amex Blue Preferred--6% groceries.  It would be 3% gas also, but in my case I get gas from the station associated with the grocery store since they give shoppers' discounts and it doesn't code correctly with Amex (this is a known thing per Amex's website, FYI)
• Chase Freedom--5% in rotating categories when I remember to use it, since it's a 0% annual fee I'm happy to keep it open and try to remember said categories, but if I fail it's not the end of the world.  For me I use these points for travel, not sure if there's a cash back option
• Discover--5% back in rotating categories when I remember to use them, same situation as the Chase Freedom except that I always get cash back
• Fidelity Rewards--2% back on everything straight to investment account, my 'everything else' card.  Although they still charge foreign transaction fees which may or may not matter to you, I just remember to take a different card when I travel internationally (assuming I can do so again at some point)

I've got a couple other cards mostly for travel, but those sound like they're not as useful to you.

Realize I should have added one more--Affinity Federal Credit Union has a rewards card with a standing 5% back at Amazon + random rotating other categories.  For people who have Amazon Prime and the Amazon CC I don't think it adds anything unless the rotating categories happen to line up with something useful, but I don't so it comes in handy for me around the holidays (in a case like last year it was actually 10% Oct-Dec which was very handy)