Which credit card earns more cash back overall?
Based on identical spending inputs, you’ll earn $123.60 cash back per year with Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards and $211.08 with USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express 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 Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards and USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express Card incorporate bonus rewards rates, spending caps, default rewards rates and annual fees, where applicable.
Is the Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards good?
Cash back credit card? Fixed-rate loan on plastic? The Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa is basically a reward-you-to-pay-off-your-debt card focused on three spending categories: Home, auto and health.
thumb_up Likes
- 3% rewards rate on an impressive range of home, auto and health-related purchases
- No security deposit required
- Predictable monthly payments and a fixed payoff date
- Balances subject to fixed-rate, potentially low APR
- Zero annual or penalty fees
thumb_down Dislikes
- No grace period on purchases or loans
- Statement credit is only rewards redemption option
- Welcome bonus requires opening a checking account
- No 0% intro APR on balance transfers
- Loans are not eligible for cash back
- 3% foreign transaction fee applies
- No authorized users allowed
| Category |
Default Rate |
Bonus Rate |
Bonus Spend Cap |
Bonus Spend Period (Months) |
| Gas |
1.00% |
- |
- |
- |
| Travel |
1.00% |
- |
- |
- |
| Dining |
1.00% |
- |
- |
- |
| Entertainment |
1.00% |
- |
- |
- |
| Pharmacy |
3.00% |
- |
- |
- |
| Groceries |
1.00% |
- |
- |
- |
| Other Purchases |
1.00% |
- |
- |
- |
Is the USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express Card good?
This USAA card's 5% cash back rate on gas and commissary purchases (and a much less exciting 2% on groceries) are fine if you're looking for a second card to ride shotgun. But reward spending caps and membership requirements limit its utility for civilian cardholders.
thumb_up Likes
- 5% cash back on gas and military base purchases (up to a point)
- 2% cash back on groceries (also up to a point)
- No foreign transaction fees
- Handy protection benefits for travel and purchases
thumb_down Dislikes
- $3K annual rewards spending cap on 5% and 2% categories
- The 1% cash back on everything else is 🙄
- No sign-up bonus
- USAA membership required
| Category |
Default Rate |
Bonus Rate |
Bonus Spend Cap |
Bonus Spend Period (Months) |
| Gas |
1.00% |
5.00% |
$3,000 |
12 |
| Travel |
1.00% |
- |
- |
- |
| Dining |
1.00% |
- |
- |
- |
| Entertainment |
1.00% |
- |
- |
- |
| Pharmacy |
1.00% |
- |
- |
- |
| Groceries |
1.00% |
2.00% |
$3,000 |
12 |
| Other Purchases |
1.00% |
- |
- |
- |
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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.)
