A flat-rate card pays one published rate on purchases, instead of a rotating category. The cards below each publish a base rate of at least 2% cash back, 2 points, or 2 miles per dollar on an October 2026 product page.
Some of those rates need a membership, a deposit balance, or a payoff. The table records the condition next to the rate. It does not rank the cards. While the “2%” figure is uniform, the mechanisms for earning, unlocking, and redeeming these rewards vary significantly. These differences often create dependencies on specific banking platforms or subscription services. Some cards, like the Capital One Venture, earn 2X miles on purchases. The product page says miles can be used for travel, a statement credit, or a check, and transferred to 15+ loyalty programs. It lists a $95 annual fee.
What does this comparison include?
The set is every card on this site with a review and a published flat purchase rate of at least 2%. That includes Wells Fargo Active Cash, Citi Double Cash, SoFi Unlimited 2%, and TD Double Up.
It also includes U.S. Bank Smartly, which prints 2% and higher balance tiers. Capital One Venture prints 2 miles per dollar. Coinbase One Card prints a 2% Bitcoin-back tier. Robinhood Gold Card prints 3% and requires a Gold membership.
Business cards at 2% are in the 2% business-card comparison. How a purchase becomes points is in rewards mechanics.
What does each card publish?
| Card | Annual fee on the card | Published purchase rate | Condition on that rate | Foreign transaction fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Active Cash | $0 | 2% cash rewards | None stated on eligible purchases | 3% |
| Citi Double Cash | None | 1% on the purchase and 1% as it is paid | The second 1% posts as the purchase is paid | Percentage not displayed |
| SoFi Unlimited 2% | None | 2% cash back | None stated on the base rate | None |
| TD Double Up | None | 2% cash back | None stated on eligible purchases | 3% |
| U.S. Bank Smartly | $0 | 2%, or 2.5%, 3%, or 4% | Higher rates need a balance and a U.S. Bank deposit redemption | Not stated |
| Capital One Venture | $95 | 2 miles per dollar | Miles, not a cash percentage | None |
| Coinbase One Card | None with Coinbase One | 2%, 2.5%, 3%, or 4% Bitcoin back | Coinbase One, plus an asset balance for the tiers above 2% | None |
| Robinhood Gold Card | None | 3% cash back | Robinhood Gold membership required | Not stated |
What does Wells Fargo Active Cash publish?
Wells Fargo Active Cash lists unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases and a $0 annual fee. The page says cash rewards do not expire while the account is open. It does not list a category enrollment for the 2% rate. In contrast, the Citi Double Cash uses a dual-phase logic: 1% is earned at the time of purchase, and 1% is earned when that purchase is paid off. Citi’s page also states an additional 3% on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through Citi Travel, which it describes as 5% total when both base points and the payment point are included. The card has no annual fee. The pricing line for foreign purchases is present, but the percentage did not render on the page.
The card is a Visa. A question on the page states a 3% foreign transaction fee. The fee applies to each foreign transaction amount converted to U.S. dollars. A 3% fee is larger than the 2% reward on the same purchase.
The page also lists a $100 cash rewards bonus after $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. That bonus is separate from the ongoing 2% rate. The 2% line does not name a monthly cap. The Capital One Venture takes a different approach, earning 2X miles on all purchases and 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. The product page lists a $95 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees. It also states up to a $120 statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. The miles currency also permits transfers to 15+ travel loyalty programs.
Redemption is described as cash rewards. The page does not tie the 2% rate to a deposit account. The foreign transaction fee is the cost the page prints on a converted purchase.
What does Citi Double Cash publish?
While these cards are often marketed as “unlimited,” some include layers of conditional logic. As of October 2026, the U.S. Bank Smartly page states unlimited 2% cash back, a $0 annual fee, and a Smartly Earning Bonus on the first $10,000 in eligible net purchases each billing cycle. The stated totals are 2.5% with a qualifying balance of $10,000 to $49,999, 3% from $50,000 to $99,999, and 4% at $100,000 or more. The page requires a U.S. Bank Smartly Savings account plus qualifying balances in Smartly Checking and/or a Safe Debit account. It says those rates can be obtained when rewards are redeemed into an eligible U.S. Bank deposit account.
Citi Double Cash lists 2% cash back on purchases as two parts. The page states 1% when you buy and 1% as you pay. It states no category enrollment, no caps, and no annual fee for that 2%.
Cash back is earned as ThankYou Points. The page says each billing cycle earns ThankYou Points for the cash back. An extra 3% applies to hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through the Citi Travel portal. The page says that 3% is in addition to the 1% when you buy and the 1% as you pay, which it describes as 5% total on that travel.
The pricing line lists a foreign-purchase fee. The percentage is not displayed in that line. This article does not fill in a number the page does not show.
The second 1% is tied to payment of the purchase. A purchase that is not paid does not complete the second half of the published 2% on that purchase. The travel 3% is limited to the named bookings inside Citi Travel.
What does SoFi Unlimited 2% publish?
The TD Double Up page states unlimited 2% cash back on eligible purchases, a $0 annual fee, and a 3% foreign transaction fee. It does not describe a 1% base that becomes 2% only when rewards are deposited into a TD account. The published welcome offer is a $200 statement credit after $1,500 in purchases within 90 days of account opening.
The SoFi Unlimited 2% page states 2% cash back, no annual fee, and no foreign transaction fees. It says rewards points can be redeemed as cash, stock investments, or a statement credit.
The same page states there is no foreign transaction fee. A rewards note also describes redeeming points toward active SoFi accounts, including a SoFi checking or savings account. The base rate in the description is 2%, without a printed balance tier.
The page does not print a dollar price for a membership on this card. It does not print a cap on the 2% rate. The redemption list is the one in the page description: cash, stock, or a statement credit, plus the account redemption in the rewards note.
A purchase outside the United States does not add a foreign transaction fee on this page. The reward remains the published 2% unless a separate SoFi promotion, not stated as the base rate, applies. The Capital One Venture introduces a hybrid model. The product page says miles can be redeemed for travel, cash back, gift cards, and experiences, and transferred to 15+ travel loyalty programs. It lists a $95 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees.
What does TD Double Up publish?
TD Double Up lists unlimited 2% cash back on eligible purchases. The page says there are no rotating categories and no caps or limits on that rate. The fee table lists the annual fee as None.
The same fee table lists a foreign transaction fee of 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars. A 3% fee is larger than the 2% reward on a converted purchase. The page does not describe a 1% rate that becomes 2% only after a deposit into a TD account.
The welcome offer is $200 cash back as a statement credit after $1,500 in purchases within the first 90 days. The page also lists a 0% introductory APR on balance transfers for 15 billing cycles and on purchases for 12 billing cycles. After that, the variable purchase APR on the page is 18.49% to 28.49%.
The ongoing rate the page prints is 2% cash back. The foreign transaction fee is a separate line in the fee table. The $200 credit is a one-time offer tied to the $1,500 spend window.
What does U.S. Bank Smartly publish?
A significant limitation for many 2% cards is the foreign transaction fee. The Wells Fargo Active Cash page states a 3% fee on each foreign transaction amount converted to U.S. dollars, and a $0 annual fee with unlimited 2% cash rewards. The TD Double Up pricing box states a 3% foreign transaction fee. Citi Double Cash shows a foreign-purchase fee line, but the percentage did not render. Since a 3% fee is larger than a 2% reward, using the Wells Fargo or TD card internationally results in a net cost at the published rates.
The SoFi Unlimited 2% page states no foreign transaction fees and no annual fee. That leaves the 2% reward as a net gain on international spend at the published rate.
The Capital One Venture also charges no foreign transaction fees, so the 2X miles rate applies to international purchases. The page lists a $95 annual fee and up to a $120 statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
U.S. Bank Smartly is a Visa Signature card. The page lists unlimited 2% cash back on purchases and a $0 annual fee. It also lists a higher rate on the first $10,000 of eligible net purchases each billing cycle.
That higher rate needs a U.S. Bank Smartly Savings account plus a qualifying balance in a Smartly Checking account, a Safe Debit account, or both. The page shows 2.5% at a qualifying balance of $10,000 to $49,999. It shows 3% at $50,000 to $99,999, and 4% at $100,000 or more.
The page says these cash back rates can be obtained when rewards are redeemed into an eligible U.S. Bank deposit account. Spend above $10,000 in a billing cycle is outside the bonus window the page describes. The product page does not state a foreign transaction fee.
The 2% line is the rate without the balance bonus. The 2.5%, 3%, and 4% lines are totals, and each includes the Smartly earning bonus named on the page. The balance is a qualifying balance, not the card’s credit limit. The Robinhood Gold Card page states 3% cash back on all categories, no annual fee on the card, and no authorized-user fee. Robinhood Gold membership is required to hold the card. The card page does not state the Gold price or a foreign transaction fee.
The Coinbase One Card page states Bitcoin back tiers of 2%, 2.5%, 3%, and 4%, based on assets held on Coinbase, including USDC or USD. The 2.5%, 3%, and 4% tiers are capped at a combined $10,000 in eligible purchases per calendar month, then 2% for the rest of that month. Bookings through Coinbase One Card Travel earn 5% Bitcoin back outside that cap. The card has no annual fee with Coinbase One. Coinbase states that annual membership starts at $49.99 per year, and that the card has no foreign transaction fees. The card page does not publish dollar cutoffs for the asset tiers.
What does Capital One Venture publish?
Capital One Venture lists a $95 annual fee and unlimited 2 miles per dollar on purchases. It also lists 5 miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. The page does not print a 5-mile rate on flights.
The page states there is no foreign transaction fee. It lists a statement credit of up to $120 for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. The credit is once every four years, when the application fee is charged to the card.
Miles can be transferred to a choice of 15 or more travel loyalty programs. The page says transferred rewards then follow the receiving program’s terms. A mile is not printed as a cash percentage. The 2-mile rate is the flat purchase rate. The $95 fee is charged on the card whether or not the miles are transferred. Users who already hold the balances the U.S. Bank Smartly page uses for its bonus tiers can receive the 2.5%, 3%, or 4% rates that page states. The tradeoff is a lack of financial flexibility and a dependency on one platform’s interface and support. The SoFi Unlimited 2% page does not describe a balance-based rate above 2%.
The flight line on the page describes price tools, not an earn rate. Hotel, vacation-rental, and rental-car bookings through Capital One Travel are the 5-mile category. Other purchases stay at 2 miles per dollar.
What does the Coinbase One Card publish?
Coinbase One Card lists no annual fee with Coinbase One, and no foreign transaction fee. Coinbase One membership starts at $49.99 a year. The page says cards are issued by First Electronic Bank and names Coinbase and Cardless in the travel terms.
Bitcoin back is tiered at 2%, 2.5%, 3%, and 4%. The tier uses Assets on Coinbase at the time of the purchase. The page does not print dollar cutoffs for those asset tiers. For the first 60 days, the asset figure is the real-time balance. After that, it is the average daily end-of-day balance over the past 30 days.
| Card Name | Accrual Phase | Primary Redemption Path | Key Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Active Cash | Single Phase (2%) | Flexible / Bank Deposit | 3% Foreign Fee |
| Citi Double Cash | Dual Phase (1%+1%) | ThankYou Points / Deposit | Payment Condition |
| SoFi Unlimited 2% | Single Phase (2%) | Cash, stock, or statement credit | No spend cap stated on the product page |
| TD Double Up | Single Phase (2%) | Statement credit | 3% Foreign Fee |
| U.S. Bank Smartly | Single Phase (2%+) | U.S. Bank Deposit | Savings plus checking or debit; $10,000 cycle cap on the bonus |
| Capital One Venture | Single Phase (2X) | Travel Credit / Transfers | $95 Annual Fee |
| Coinbase One Card | Single Phase (2% to 4%) | BTC in Coinbase Account | One membership; $10,000 monthly cap on boosted tiers |
The 2.5%, 3%, and 4% tiers are capped at a combined $10,000 of eligible purchases per calendar month. Further purchases that month earn 2%. Bookings through Coinbase One Card Travel earn 5% Bitcoin back on the purchase, in place of the standard tiers. The footnote says those travel purchases do not count toward the cap.
The card pays Bitcoin back, not a dollar statement credit, in the rates above. The $49.99 figure is the starting membership price, not a fee printed on the card itself.
What does the Robinhood Gold Card publish?
Robinhood Gold Card lists 3% cash back on all categories. The page lists no annual fee on the card and no authorized-user fee. Robinhood Gold membership is required for the card.
The page does not state the price of Gold. It does not state a foreign transaction fee. It does not print a monthly cap on the 3% rate. The 3% line is the reason the card is in a comparison of flat rates at or above 2%.
The membership is a condition of the card, not a line in the card’s annual-fee field. A reader cannot compute a net rate from this page alone, because the Gold price is not on it. The cash-back line that is on the page is 3% across categories.
The card is included here as a published flat rate above 2%. The missing Gold price and the missing foreign-transaction line stay blank. They are not filled from another Robinhood page.
What limits a flat rate at or above 2%?
A foreign transaction fee can exceed the reward on a converted purchase. Active Cash and TD Double Up each print that fee at 3%. SoFi, Venture, and the Coinbase One Card print no foreign transaction fee. Citi lists a foreign-purchase fee and does not display the percentage. Smartly and the Robinhood Gold Card do not state one.
Citi’s second 1% posts as the purchase is paid. Smartly’s rates above 2% use a balance and a redemption into a U.S. Bank deposit account, and they apply to the first $10,000 of eligible net purchases in a billing cycle. Coinbase tiers above 2% use an asset balance and a $10,000 monthly cap. Venture’s flat earn is 2 miles per dollar, and the card has a $95 annual fee.
Robinhood prints 3% and requires Gold, without printing the Gold price. Coinbase prints Bitcoin back and a membership that starts at $49.99 a year. Merchant category codes matter when a card adds a category rate beside the flat rate, as Citi, Venture, and the Coinbase travel portal do. While not a 2% card, the Robinhood Gold Card is a participant in the high-rate flat cashback market with its 3% mechanism. The card page states no annual fee and requires Robinhood Gold membership. Its system is tied to the Robinhood account.
