Are 1.5% flat cash-back cards still worth getting?
Only with a reason — and several of these have one. A plain 1.5% card scores 8.5/10 with us, well behind cards with a higher flat rate, so the case for each card below rests on something besides the rate: a boost from your bank, who can get it, or a business card.
Every card here earns 1.5% on everything with no annual fee and no upkeep, which we score 8.5/10 — good, not great, because a higher flat rate exists. On the math alone, a card with a higher flat rate beats all of them.
What the math can't see is what comes with each card: one gets much better if you bank with them, one is only for credit union members who qualify, one is from a credit union anyone can join, and two are business cards. Those extras — not the advertised rate — are the reasons to pick from this page.
Data: MoneyRoom card catalog (details pending verification are flagged) · scores update daily · how the 0–10 Card Score works
The scores
How do they score?
| Card | Score | Annual fee | Overall return | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards | 8.5 / 10 | None | 1.5% | Run in calculator |
| Cash Rewards Visa Signature | 8.5 / 10 | None | 1.5% | Run in calculator |
| cashRewards | 8.5 / 10 | None | 1.5% | Run in calculator |
| PayPal Cashback Mastercard | 8.5 / 10 | None | 1.5% | Run in calculator |
| Power Cash Rewards | 8.5 / 10 | None | 1.5% | Run in calculator |
| Spark 1.5% Cash Select | 8.5 / 10 | None | 1.5% | Run in calculator |
| Unlimited Cash Rewards | 8.5 / 10 | None | 1.5% | Run in calculator |
Card by card
What actually separates them?
Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards
The business version: the same 1.5% base and the same Preferred Rewards boost, for businesses. If your company banks with Bank of America, the boost is the whole pitch.
Cash Rewards Visa Signature
A regional bank's basic card: 1.5% on everything for Regions customers who want cash back next to their checking account. Nothing fancy, nothing hidden.
cashRewards
Navy Federal's standard card at 1.5% — members only, like its higher-rate version, and worth it mainly if you're already a member and want everything in one app.
PayPal Cashback Mastercard
Needs an active PayPal account, and its main draw — a higher rate when you check out with PayPal — is exactly the kind of conditional rate our score doesn't count. At its guaranteed 1.5%, it's an ordinary flat-rate card.
Power Cash Rewards
PenFed's flat-rate card at 1.5%: credit union rates and service without a hard membership rule — anyone can join, and PenFed signs you up during the application, so there's nothing to join first.
Spark 1.5% Cash Select
A no-fee business card that works like the personal flat-rate cards: 1.5% on everything, with no account at the bank required.
Unlimited Cash Rewards
The one with hidden upside: 1.5% on its own, but Bank of America's Preferred Rewards raises it well above that for customers with enough in deposits or Merrill investments. The score uses the base rate, because the boost depends on your balances.
Choosing
How should you choose?
Ask one question first: can you get a higher flat rate instead? If yes, do that. If a card here still wins, it's because of what comes with it — the bank boost really changes the math for Bank of America households, the members-only credit union card makes sense if you already qualify, the open one asks nothing beyond the application, and the business cards are here in case you want your company's name on the card.
For a business, the no-fee card here competes directly with the flat-rate business card we scored on its own page — compare them before you apply.
Your own numbers
Which one wins on your spending?
The free Annual Fee Calculator loads any of these cards and checks it against what you'd actually use — no account needed. For flat-rate cards (the same rate on everything) the answer mostly depends on how much you spend, and only you know that.