Ben Luthi is a freelance personal finance and travel writer. He started earning credit card rewards in 2013 and leveraged his passion into a writing career. He's contributed to dozens of other publications and companies in the financial and travel sp.
Ben Luthi ContributorBen Luthi is a freelance personal finance and travel writer. He started earning credit card rewards in 2013 and leveraged his passion into a writing career. He's contributed to dozens of other publications and companies in the financial and travel sp.
Written By Ben Luthi ContributorBen Luthi is a freelance personal finance and travel writer. He started earning credit card rewards in 2013 and leveraged his passion into a writing career. He's contributed to dozens of other publications and companies in the financial and travel sp.
Ben Luthi ContributorBen Luthi is a freelance personal finance and travel writer. He started earning credit card rewards in 2013 and leveraged his passion into a writing career. He's contributed to dozens of other publications and companies in the financial and travel sp.
Contributor Clint Proctor Lead Editor, Credit Cards & Travel RewardsClint Proctor is a lead editor with the credit cards and travel rewards team at Forbes Advisor. He has five years of experience in personal finance journalism and has contributed to a variety of leading national publishers including Business Insider.
Clint Proctor Lead Editor, Credit Cards & Travel RewardsClint Proctor is a lead editor with the credit cards and travel rewards team at Forbes Advisor. He has five years of experience in personal finance journalism and has contributed to a variety of leading national publishers including Business Insider.
Clint Proctor Lead Editor, Credit Cards & Travel RewardsClint Proctor is a lead editor with the credit cards and travel rewards team at Forbes Advisor. He has five years of experience in personal finance journalism and has contributed to a variety of leading national publishers including Business Insider.
Clint Proctor Lead Editor, Credit Cards & Travel RewardsClint Proctor is a lead editor with the credit cards and travel rewards team at Forbes Advisor. He has five years of experience in personal finance journalism and has contributed to a variety of leading national publishers including Business Insider.
| Lead Editor, Credit Cards & Travel Rewards
Updated: Jul 17, 2024, 6:27am
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The no annual fee Alliant Cashback Visa® Signature Credit Card * is a hard card to beat for those willing to join the credit union and meet certain requirements with an Alliance high-rate checking account. The rewards rate is stellar if you don’t mind jumping through the initial hoops. Earn 2.5% cash back on up to $10,000 in eligible purchases each billing cycle and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other eligible purchases.
Alliant Cashback Visa® Signature Credit Card *Our ratings take into account the card’s rewards, fees, rates along with the card’s category. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.
Welcome Bonus Annual Fee Regular APR 17.49% - 27.49% variable Credit ScoreCredit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
The Alliant Cashback Visa® Signature Credit Card * has a cash rewards rate that differentiates it from other top cash-back credit cards. The card earns 2.5% cash back on up to $10,000 in eligible purchases each billing cycle and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other eligible purchases. It also doesn’t require tracking spending categories to take advantage of the 2.5% reward rate.
For some consumers, though, the Alliant Signature card will fall a bit short of perfection. It’s designed for high spenders with excellent credit who are willing to open an Alliant high-rate checking account and keep a minimum of $1,000 in that account, plus have at least one direct deposit made to the account each month and set up e-statements.
For those who don’t fit this description, the card will earn 1.5% cash back, a rate easily bested by other cards. It’s worth noting that membership in Alliant’s credit union is required to open both a checking and credit card account. However, it’s easy for anyone to become a member by becoming an advocate for the Alliant Credit Union Foundation digital inclusion.
Why you can trust Forbes Advisor
Our credit card editors are committed to bringing you unbiased ratings and information. Our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. We use data-driven methodologies to evaluate financial products and companies, so all are measured equally. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and the credit card methodology for the ratings below.
Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That's 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases.
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American ExpressPartner Offer Apply Now →
On American Express's Website Rates & Fees / Terms Apply Welcome Bonus Annual Fee $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 Credit Score Excellent/Good Regular APR 19.24%-29.99% VariableCredit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
To qualify for Tier One Rewards, cardholders must have an Alliant high-rate checking account, maintain an average daily balance of $1,000 or more in that account, receive at least one direct deposit each calendar month and opt-in for e-statements. Tier One earns rewards at the following rates:
Anyone who doesn’t qualify for Tier One will earn rewards at the following rates with Tier Two:
Alliant allows cash-back redemptions when a minimum of $50 in cash back has been earned and the account is open and in good standing.
You can redeem your rewards in the form of a statement credit or a deposit into an Alliant checking or savings account.
Alliant is different from many card issuers in that unredeemed cash back has an expiration date. Cash back earned in a calendar year will expire on the December cycle date of the fourth calendar year after the year it was earned. So, unredeemed cash back earned in 2024 will expire on the December 2028 billing cycle date.
Forbes Advisor uses data from various government agencies to determine baseline income and spending averages across various categories. The 70th percentile of wage-earning households brings in $118,438 annually and can reasonably charge $39,337 in expenses to a credit card.
Someone in the Tier One earnings rate, who spreads their $39,337 in credit card spending throughout the year would earn 2.5% on that spending for a total of $983.43 in cash back, assuming that no one billing cycle tops $10,000 in purchases.
Someone in the Tier Two category earning 1.5% cash back would earn $590.05 for the year.
For someone with extremely high expenses that they can charge to a credit card on a monthly basis, it may be more rewarding to use a card with an unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases. One card to consider in this scenario is the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card.
You’d have to spend more than $20,000 a month on the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card to earn more than you would with Tier One earning on the Alliant Cashback Visa® Signature Credit Card * . But for those who regularly spend that amount, it makes sense to own one of the most rewarding cash-back cards.
Plus, the Wells Fargo Active Cash comes with a welcome bonus, which the Alliant card lacks. New cardholders can earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
Rewards earned with this card are part of the Wells Fargo Rewards program and have flexible redemption options, including for cash back, gift cards or purchases.
The Chase Freedom Flex® is a Forbes Advisor top pick for cash-back cards and cards without an annual fee. It comes with the following rewards rate: 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in categories that rotate quarterly (requires activation), 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on dining and drugstores and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Although the Freedom Flex’s earning structure is more complicated than the Alliant Cashback Visa Signature Card , cardholders with significant expenses that align with Chase’s quarterly rotating categories on travel, restaurants and drugstores may find that the Freedom Flex is a more rewarding option.
In the case of these two cards, it pays to do the math to see which card will earn you higher rewards before applying.
Finally, the Freedom Flex comes with a welcome bonus of a $200 bonus after spending $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
For someone who concentrates their credit card spending in a few household areas, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is worth a look. It carries a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 annual fee (Terms apply, see rates & fees). The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express offers cash-back rewards, but not at a flat rate. The card earns 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more) and 1% cash back on other eligible purchases. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
Unlike the Alliant card, the Blue Cash Preferred comes with a 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers requested within the first 60 days of account opening, followed by a variable APR of 19.24%-29.99% variable. A balance transfer fee of $5 or 3%, whichever is greater, applies. That could be a big benefit to someone looking for extra breathing room to pay down a big buy.
There’s also a welcome bonus of a $250 statement credit after spending $3,000 in eligible purchases within the first 6 months.
The Alliant Cashback Visa® Signature Credit Card * is designed for big spenders with excellent credit. For those who don’t fit into these categories, a different cash-back card is likely a better option.
For those willing to put a little time into juggling more than one card or keeping track of bonus categories and rotating categories, it’s possible to maximize cash back earned by pairing other cards with the Alliant Cashback Visa.
Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. Cards are graded based on numerous factors, including:
Card features we expect cardholders to use the most often are weighted more heavily in our ratings. Altogether, the factors came together to provide a star rating for each individual card.
To learn more about our rating and review methodology and editorial process, check out our guide on how Forbes Advisor rates credit cards .
To view rates and fees for Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express please visit this page.
*The information for the following card(s) has been collected independently by Forbes Advisor: Alliant Cashback Visa® Signature Credit Card . The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
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