Which credit card earns more cash back overall?
Based on identical spending inputs, you’ll earn $225.60 cash back per year with Bank of America Unlimited Cash Rewards (Gold Tier) and $180.00 with Sallie Mae Evolve Credit Card. For context, the average annual rewards payout from the cashback credit cards in the investor.com database is $181.73.
The annual rewards payout assumes you charge $1,000 each month spread across the following spending categories: Dining ($145), Entertainment ($134), Gas ($140), Groceries ($198), Travel ($128), Pharmacy ($15), and Other ($240). The dollar amounts for each category are based on consumer spending data collected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (i.e., how much the average American spends proportionally across the major credit card rewards categories). But you can — and absolutely should! — customize the inputs based on your actual monthly spending habits, using our rewards calculator.
To ensure the most accurate results possible, the rewards calculations for Bank of America Unlimited Cash Rewards (Gold Tier) and Sallie Mae Evolve Credit Card incorporate bonus rewards rates, spending caps, default rewards rates and annual fees, where applicable.
Is the Bank of America Unlimited Cash Rewards (Gold Tier) good?
Cardholders who achieve Gold Tier status in BofA’s Preferred Rewards program get a not-as-impressive-as-it-sounds-at-first 25% rewards boost. That mild bump turns this 1.5% flat-rate cashback card into a 1.87% cashback card, which is … fine?
thumb_up Likes
- Unlimited cashback on all purchases (aka, no spending caps, no tracking required)
- 25% rewards booster (1.87% vs. 1.5%) for Preferred Rewards customers is … something
- $200 sign-up bonus
- Lengthy 18 month 0% intro APR on balance transfers
- Same 0% APR on purchases = pretty sweet
- No annual fee
- Preferred Rewards tiers qualify for additional banking/investing benefits
thumb_down Dislikes
- Requires a $20,000 combined balance minimum in BofA and/or Merrill Edge investing account to qualify for so-so rewards rate booster
- The Gold Tier rewards boost may take 30 days to kick in after enrolling in the Preferred Rewards program
- 3% foreign transaction fee
- 3% balance transfer fee
| Category |
Default Rate |
Bonus Rate |
Bonus Spend Cap |
Bonus Spend Period (Months) |
| Gas |
1.88% |
- |
- |
- |
| Travel |
1.88% |
- |
- |
- |
| Dining |
1.88% |
- |
- |
- |
| Entertainment |
1.88% |
- |
- |
- |
| Pharmacy |
1.88% |
- |
- |
- |
| Groceries |
1.88% |
- |
- |
- |
| Other Purchases |
1.88% |
- |
- |
- |
Is the Sallie Mae Evolve Credit Card good?
Impressive menu of rewards categories, Sallie. Impressive.
thumb_up Likes
- 2% cashback on your two biggest spending categories each month
- 1.5% cashback on everything else
- No caps on rewards spending
- 15-month 0% APR on purchases and transfers
- No annual fee
thumb_down Dislikes
- No sign-up bonus
- 3% foreign transaction fee is le yuck
- $25 minimum redemption requirement
- Higher bonus rates available elsewhere if you’re a planner
| Category |
Default Rate |
Bonus Rate |
Bonus Spend Cap |
Bonus Spend Period (Months) |
| Gas |
1.50% |
- |
- |
- |
| Travel |
1.50% |
- |
- |
- |
| Dining |
1.50% |
- |
- |
- |
| Entertainment |
1.50% |
- |
- |
- |
| Pharmacy |
1.50% |
- |
- |
- |
| Groceries |
1.50% |
- |
- |
- |
| Other Purchases |
1.50% |
- |
- |
- |
compare_arrows Compare credit cards
Select and compare two credit cards head to head to see which offers the most bang for your buck.
Read Next
Explore our other articles and reviews:
Methodology
The results of the investor.com Credit Card Rewards Calculator are based on the monthly spending amounts you enter and the annual dollar value of the rewards each credit card program pays per $1 spent. Credit card companies often express this payout amount as a percentage (e.g., 1.5% of every dollar spent) or on a points basis (e.g. ,1.5 points for every dollar spent). We converted all of them to a dollar amount (“Cash Back Per Year”) to make comparing offers easier.
To calculate the amount of cash back you could earn per year, we factored in:
- Spend category inputs: The default dollar values for each “Spend Category” in the Best Cashback Credit Cards tool — gas, groceries, travel, restaurant, entertainment, pharmacy, other — are based on average American spending data from the Consumer Expenditure Surveys from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. We also include additional spend categories (such as streaming services, online shopping, utilities, transit, Amazon and more) to help you see which rewards cards are most closely aligned with your actual spending patterns. We encourage you to customize the monthly spend inputs for the most accurate results.
- Tiered rewards rates: If a rewards credit card pays higher cashback rates on certain spending categories (also called “Bonus Rewards”), that difference is reflected in the total “Cash Back Per Year” tally.
- Rewards spending caps: Some cards impose category- or time-based limits (monthly, quarterly, annually) that affect the amount of rewards you can earn. For example, a card may pay 3% cash back on groceries on up to $1,000 of spending each quarter, then revert to the base/default rewards rate until the following quarter. We accounted for bonus spending caps and timeframe in the calculations.
- Default rewards rates: Purchases that exceed a spending cap are usually subject to a lower default rewards rate (e.g., 1% or 1.5%). We mathed that out too.
- Annual fees: If a rewards card charges an annual fee, we deducted that amount from the “Cash Back Per Year” total to provide a true accounting of a card’s annual rewards payout.
What’s not included in the “Cash Back Per Year” total is the cash value of any sign-up/introductory bonus. We highlight any Welcome Bonus separately. While sign-up bonuses can be the most lucrative part of getting a new cashback rewards credit card, not everyone will want or be able to do what it takes to earn the extra cash. (It usually requires spending a certain amount in a specified time period after the card is activated.)
