topic Re: Cash back cards for fair to good credit in Credit Cards

Cash back cards for fair to good credit

750andup2 — Wed, 25 May 2022 06:01:52 GMT

Scores at 680,695,699 , just closed on a home, 2 secured cards, 2 store cards. Only negative ding was over 4 years ago, which i paid off after the late payments. Have 1 credit builder loan 500/2500 remaining, which i plan to pay off, as soon as my mortgage payments kick in. Auto loan being applied to this week through a credit union. Being offered the US bank triple cash rewards card on cardmatch, $500 sign on bonus and the 3% for gas, retraunts, and cell phones seems tempting. What card would you all suggest that offers more than 2% on everything with my credit scores? The Amex BCP also seems great but only for groceries. Any other cash back card or two cards that I can try to get approved for?

Re: Cash back cards for fair to good credit

rosco75 — Wed, 25 May 2022 16:49:50 GMT

You should look into the Discover IT card

Re: Cash back cards for fair to good credit

Aim_High — Wed, 25 May 2022 19:36:14 GMT

Just a few questions/comments, @750andup2.

Are those all actual FICO or Vantage scores? Especially with where you're sitting, that may make a huge difference in approval odds.
Cardmatch, CreditKarma, or other websites aren't true prequalifications. They are marketing. Just because they match you doesn't increase your approval odds. It's always best to check with each lender you plan to apply (if they have a prequalification tool.)
You said you want a card that offers "MORE than 2% on everything." Did you mean in year one or permanently? The Discover IT that @rosco75 mentioned does double your cash back at the end of year one and can be lucrative depending on your spending. You'd get 2% (1+1) on everything and 10% (5+5) on quarterly category spending, equaling over 2%. After year one though, you're back to averaging much lower if you use the card for a daily driver with the 1% base. There's a very short list of cards that offer MORE than 2% on everything / permanently right now and I think your approval odds on any of them are probably low. Some also have large deposit requirements or banking activity requirements. Even flat 2% cards can be a little more selective. I think the easiest underwriting may be on the Synchrony PayPal Mastercard. If you lower the bar down to 1.5% cards, the market opens up substantially and the underwriting eases a bit with some of those lenders. That would include the Capital One Quicksilver, for one example. Many banks and even smaller credit unions now offer a 1.5% cash back card now. I would suggest looking into a lender where you have a banking relationship.
From my experience, those scores may not get an approval for AMEX for a Blue Cash Preferred. The revolver cards have the toughest underwriting.
Others can chime in on US Bank but I think your approval odds with them might also be low. They tend to be a little tough to crack, especially if you're not a banking customer.
If you're eligible for membership with Navy Federal CU, they have more lenient underwriting and some great cards. Their cashRewards card has a $200 SUB and pays 1.75% on all purchases if you have direct deposit.

Re: Cash back cards for fair to good credit

PNWRambler — Wed, 25 May 2022 21:48:00 GMT

BCP is good for groceries but not every store. They're picky about which grocery stores they consider eligible so double-check that the stores you frequent are on their list before applying.

As far as a card that gives MORE than 2% back, it's going to be split approach between multiple cards & their categories. I don't think any one card gives over 2% on all purchases.

Discover and Chase Freedom Flex are great for the 5% revolving categories.

Chase Sapphire Preferred is 3% on restaurants.

BCE is 3% on some supermarkets, BCP is 6%.

Citi Custom Cash does 5% on your top spending category (of their pre-selected categories).

Costco has 4% gas. PenFed Platinum Rewards has 5% on gas. Chase Freedom Unlimited does 5% for the first year.

Re: Cash back cards for fair to good credit

Aim_High — Wed, 25 May 2022 22:09:56 GMT

@PNWRambler wrote:

As far as a card that gives MORE than 2% back, it's going to be split approach between multiple cards & their categories. I don't think any one card gives over 2% on all purchases.

There are actually several of those, @PNWRambler! OP's profile doesn't seem to fit any of them at first glance, however, so discussing them in-depth here would be a moot point. They've been discussed in many other threads. Besides the AOD FCU Visa Signature that still rewards 3% on all purchases for those grandfathered-in, there are a few others in the +2% range. See >this thread< for more discussion.

Re: Cash back cards for fair to good credit

PNWRambler — Wed, 25 May 2022 22:14:58 GMT

@Aim_High wrote:

There are actually several of those, @PNWRambler! OP's profile doesn't seem to fit any of them at first glance, however, so discussing them in-depth here would be a moot point. They've been discussed in many other threads. Besides the AOD FCU Visa Signature that still rewards 3% on all purchases for those grandfathered-in, there are a few others in the +2% range. See >this thread< for more discussion.

Really? Good to know! I've seen several that do 1.5 - 2% back but I've never seen one that's more than 2% on all purchases. I will have to look into this further now.

Re: Cash back cards for fair to good credit

750andup2 — Thu, 26 May 2022 01:16:40 GMT

Thank you all. The scores are FICO scores from our mortgage disclosure a few weeks ago. I'd love to qualify for some of the 5% revolvers, but afraid that's not an option at the moment with current scores. I took Aim's advice and opened up a NFCU account (Dad was an AF reserve) today and will apply for their cash back card. I needed something permanent at or near 2% for all purchases as I add higher percentage revolvers for specific items as my credit improves. NFCU requires a direct deposit into account, which i'm ok with. Hopefully they have venmo! Also a checking account with a bank like Bank of America and its customized cash reward program with preferred tiers maybe a good option for me as I wait for the goodies. Wow, 3% Cashback on all, nice they allowed people to grandfather into that.

Re: Cash back cards for fair to good credit

750andup2 — Thu, 26 May 2022 01:23:36 GMT

sorry meant Zelle, not Venmo

Re: Cash back cards for fair to good credit

quikj9 — Thu, 26 May 2022 02:17:12 GMT

@750andup2 I'd argue that your scores are plenty high enough for the 5% revolvers.

I think you'd have a good shot at a Discover card. You can run the prequal first. It's a soft pull, so no harm done.

I got my Freedom Flex with scores lower than yours, so you might have a shot with that one too.

Re: Cash back cards for fair to good credit

sportsguy83 — Thu, 26 May 2022 05:58:14 GMT

Two cards I think you should be able to be approved for are the previously mentioned Discover IT and the FNBO Evergreen - this "just" offers 2% cash back. I have similar scores and more recent late payments and I was recently pre approved for the Evergreen.

The other 5% revolvers mentioned I'm not sure about. I haven't applied for a Chase or Citi card for years so I'm not sure what their standards are these days. I agree with @Aim_High I don't you would be approved at US Bank with those scores unless you already have an existing banking relationship.

Re: Cash back cards for fair to good credit

Jessie — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 23:30:10 GMT

See if you can get preapproved for a card that requires good credit, since you'll have a lot better options. WalletHub says Wells Fargo Active Cash is the best option, since there's no annual fee and you get 2% cash back on everything. Chase Freedom Unlimited is another top choice, and Citi Double Cash is more of a tweener between fair/good credit. If you want to play it safe, the Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa seems to be best for fair credit. Good luck!

Re: Cash back cards for fair to good credit

Deedee_ — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 10:28:28 GMT

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