While I believe almost everyone should have a no-annual-fee 2 percent cash back credit card, there are some instances in which choosing a cash back card with a seemingly lower payout can actually provide more value, at least for a period of time. Here’s what you need to know.

When 1.5 percent is better with Chase

The Chase Freedom Unlimited®* has a base rewards rate of 1.5 percent cash back on all purchases, but it does even better in certain categories. Cardholders earn 5 percent cash back on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards and on Lyft rides (through March 2025), plus 3 percent cash back on dining and at drugstores. If you spend a lot in those categories, that could potentially boost your overall cash back earnings over 2 percent.

You want to earn heightened rewards on travel redemptions

If you also have a Chase card that allows you to transfer Ultimate Rewards points to Chase airline and hotel partners — like the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card — you can get even more value from your Freedom Unlimited rewards. That’s because you can combine Ultimate Rewards points earned across various cards, and when you transfer points to airlines and hotels, you might be able to get significantly more than the standard 1 cent per point.

Bankrate estimates Ultimate Rewards points are worth up to 2 cents apiece toward high-value transfer partner travel. Sometimes you can get even more value if you find a sweet spot in an airline or hotel award chart. If you earn the base 1.5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on your Freedom Unlimited (the card technically earns points that can be redeemed for cash back) and pair it with a transferable points card and get 2 cents per point, you’ve achieved an effective 3 percent return on that spending — double the standard cash back value.

You want credit card and travel protections

The Freedom Unlimited also has generous purchase protection, extended warranty coverage and trip cancellation and interruption insurance. It’s a really versatile card that’s one of the most valuable no-annual-fee options on the market.

When 1.5 percent is better with Bank of America

Bank of America has two credit cards with no annual fee that give 1.5 percent cash back on every purchase. The simplest is the Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards Card, which does exactly that. There’s also the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card, which comes with the added stipulation that cardholders must redeem for statement credits that offset eligible travel or dining purchases.

You’re interested in maximizing your rewards value through the Preferred Rewards program

On both cards, your 1.5 percent rewards rate could grow to as much as 2.625 percent if you have at least $100,000 in deposits or investments with Bank of America or Merrill Lynch. The bank’s Preferred Rewards program boosts your credit card rewards by 75 percent at the highest tiers, by 50 percent if you have between $50,000 and $99,999 in eligible deposits or investments and by 25 percent if you have between $20,000 and $49,999. If you’re a loyal customer, that means you could get 2.625 percent, 2.25 percent or 1.875 percent, respectively, in cash back or statement credits.

The information about the Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards credit card and Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card was last updated on June 30, 2023.

When 1.5 percent is better with Discover

You want a no-fuss travel card that offers cash back redemptions

Discover’s typical welcome offer is to match all of the cash back a new cardholder earns at the end of the first year. With the Discover it® Miles card, that means an effective 3 percent cash back on everything for the first 12 months.

And while the Discover it® Miles is marketed as a travel card, and these miles can be used to offset eligible travel purchases, they can also be used for more straightforward cash back redemptions. Regardless of how you redeem, you get 1 cent per mile. What seems like a 1.5 percent cash back card actually gives an effective 3 percent cash back on all purchases made at the end of that first year.

The bottom line

Don’t get me wrong — I still love 2 percent cash back cards with no annual fee, such as the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card (earns 2 percent cash rewards on purchases), the Citi® Double Cash Card (which technically gives 1 percent cash back when you make a purchase and another 1 percent when you pay it off) and the PayPal Cashback Mastercard®*. These all offer a solid, straightforward return.

If you want to keep it really simple, you could achieve a favorable outcome by using one of them for all of your spending. Or if you’re willing to take on a bit more complexity in exchange for a higher benefit, you can incorporate other cards with better rewards in certain categories (but lower in others, which is where the 2 percent cash back cards factor in as a strong foundation).

But, as you can see, there are also some instances in which a 1.5 percent cash back card could potentially be even better.

Have a question about credit cards? E-mail me at ted.rossman@bankrate.com and I’d be happy to help.

*The information about the Chase Freedom Unlimited® and PayPal Cashback Mastercard® has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.