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Cash rewards cards are the cards of choice among credit customers surveyed by Synergistics Research Corp. And no wonder. Even a $15 rebate can pay for a movie ticket and a box of popcorn. To determine which cards are most rewarding, Kiplinger's assumed that you spend $35 a week on gas, $100 a week on groceries and $1,000 a month on everything else, including $100 at the drugstore and $100 to watch movies, at home or at the theater.
Our winner: Chase Rewards Plus Visa, which gives a 5% rebate on all the basics -- gas, groceries and drugstore items -- plus 1% on other purchases. There's no fee, and the interest rate can be as low as 13.24%. Total annual rebate in our scenario: $493. You can choose cash, gift certificates or airline tickets. (Update: Chase is no longer accepting applications for this card.)
In second place is the Citi Dividend Platinum Select card. It also gives a 5% rebate on purchases of gas, groceries and drugstore items, plus 1% on everything else. But it has an annual rebate cap of $300. There's no fee for the card, which charges 17.49% interest.
Third-place finisher National City Everyday Rewards Elite Visa rebates 4% on gas, 3% on movies and video rentals, and 2% for food-related spending at grocery stores and restaurants. Everything else earns a 1% reward -- but only after you spend $10,000. Below that, you earn a measly 0.25%. In our scenario, you'd pocket $281. Prime borrowers qualify for a rate of 11.74%.
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