Most cash back a year
tieOn your spending, Freedom Unlimited and the higher-paying of Double Cash and Active Cash differ by about $36 a year.
SwitchWize decision guide
Freedom Unlimited vs Double Cash vs Active Cash: which card pays you more cash back?
Double Cash and Active Cash pay the same flat 2%, so they earn the same on any spending. The real choice is Freedom Unlimited or a 2% card. That depends on how much you spend on dining and at drugstores.
What you can expect
- No login required
- No credit pull
- Assumptions shown
- Sources included
Quick answer
If your dining plus drugstore spending is more than half of everything else you buy, Freedom Unlimited pays more. If not, Double Cash or Active Cash pays more, and those two pay the same.
Double Cash and Active Cash both pay 2% on everything, so they tie. Freedom Unlimited pays 3% on dining and drugstores and 1.5% on the rest. Say you spend $400 on dining, $50 at drugstores and $1,500 on everything else each month. The 2% cards pay $468 a year. Freedom Unlimited pays $432.
See current cash back cardsIf freedom Unlimited
Pays more when a large share of your spending is dining, drugstores or trips booked through Chase Travel.
If double Cash
Pays 2% on everything. Earns the same as Active Cash on any spending.
If active Cash
Pays 2% on everything. Earns the same as Double Cash on any spending.
Key number to watch
Freedom Unlimited pays more once your dining and drugstore spending passes about $750 a month. You spend $450.
Test your situation
See your result in dollars
Change any number below to match your situation. No login is required. Saved decisions stay on this device, and signed-in users can revisit them across devices.
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Restaurants, takeout and food delivery. Look at last month’s card statement.
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Purchases at drugstores and pharmacies. Your card statement lists the store names.
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All other card spending, such as groceries, gas and bills. Leave out dining and drugstores.
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Only trips booked on Chase Travel, Chase’s own travel site. Trips booked anywhere else go in everything else.
Your answer so far
Double Cash and Active Cash pay about $36 a year more than Chase Freedom Unlimited on your spending. Freedom Unlimited pays more once your dining and drugstore spending passes about $750 a month. Double Cash and Active Cash earn the same on any spending.
See the full breakdownDouble Cash and Active Cash pay about $36 a year more than Chase Freedom Unlimited on your spending. Freedom Unlimited pays more once your dining and drugstore spending passes about $750 a month. Double Cash and Active Cash earn the same on any spending.
Freedom Unlimited
$432
cash back a year
Double Cash
$468
cash back a year
$36 vs. baseline
Active Cash
$468
cash back a year
$36 vs. baseline
Try a scenario
What could change this
Freedom Unlimited pays more once your dining and drugstore spending passes about $750 a month. You spend $450.
How certain: high
The higher travel rate counts only for trips booked through Chase Travel. Trips booked anywhere else earn 1.5% on Freedom Unlimited.
How certain: scenario dependent
Check these assumptions
- • The 5% Chase Travel rate counts only for trips booked through Chase Travel, Chase’s own travel site.
- • Citi Double Cash pays part of its cash back when you buy and the rest when you pay the bill.
What matters most
Double Cash or Active Cash
tieBoth pay the same rate on every purchase, so they earn the same on any spending. Other differences are not counted here.
Side-by-side comparison
Annual fee
- Freedom Unlimited
- $0
- Double Cash
- $0
- Active Cash
- $0
Dining
- Freedom Unlimited
- 3%
- Double Cash
- 2%
- Active Cash
- 2%
Drugstores
- Freedom Unlimited
- 3%
- Double Cash
- 2%
- Active Cash
- 2%
Travel booked through Chase Travel
The 5% counts only for trips booked through Chase Travel.
- Freedom Unlimited
- 5%
- Double Cash
- 2%
- Active Cash
- 2%
Everything else
The 2% cards earn more here.
- Freedom Unlimited
- 1.5%
- Double Cash
- 2%
- Active Cash
- 2%
How the cash back is paid
- Freedom Unlimited
- As points
- Double Cash
- 1% when you buy, 1% when you pay
- Active Cash
- As cash rewards
What could go wrong
Chase Freedom Unlimited
- What needs to work
- Enough of your spending is dining, drugstores or Chase Travel bookings.
- Common problem
- Picking it for the 3% rate when most spending earns 1.5%.
- What it could cost
- Half a cent less on every dollar outside dining, drugstores and Chase Travel.
- How to prepare
- Easy to change. There is no annual fee to lose.
Citi Double Cash
- What needs to work
- You pay your bill, since half the cash back comes when you pay.
- Common problem
- Carrying a balance and paying interest.
- What it could cost
- Interest charges larger than the cash back.
- How to prepare
- Easy to change. There is no annual fee to lose.
Wells Fargo Active Cash
- What needs to work
- You put most of your spending on it.
- Common problem
- Carrying a balance and paying interest.
- What it could cost
- Interest charges larger than the cash back.
- How to prepare
- Easy to change. There is no annual fee to lose.
A simple backup plan
Use two cards only if it pays
Freedom Unlimited for dining and drugstores, plus a 2% card for the rest, earns more than either alone. It also means two bills to pay.
- 1Add up last month’s dining, drugstore and other spending from your statement.
- 2Enter the monthly amounts in the calculator.
- 3If the cards pay within a few dollars of each other, pick the one that is easiest to manage.
- 4If you use two cards, pay both bills in full every month.
Educational illustration only. The right amount depends on your needs and timing.
What to do next
Question 1
Is your dining plus drugstore spending more than half of everything else?
Yes: Freedom Unlimited pays more.
No: Double Cash or Active Cash pays more.
Question 2
Do you book trips through Chase Travel?
Yes: Freedom Unlimited earns 5% on those trips. That makes it more likely to pay more.
No: Look only at dining, drugstores and everything else.
Question 3
Choosing between Double Cash and Active Cash?
Yes: They pay the same 2%. Choose on other things, such as card benefits.
No: Compare Freedom Unlimited with either one.
Plain-text decision tree. Is your dining plus drugstore spending more than half of everything else? If yes, Freedom Unlimited pays more. If no, Double Cash or Active Cash pays more. Do you book trips through Chase Travel? If yes, Freedom Unlimited earns 5% on those trips. That makes it more likely to pay more. If no, Look only at dining, drugstores and everything else. Choosing between Double Cash and Active Cash? If yes, They pay the same 2%. Choose on other things, such as card benefits. If no, Compare Freedom Unlimited with either one.
When to check again
- Your dining or drugstore spending changes a lot.
- You start booking trips through Chase Travel.
- Any of the three cards changes its rates or fee.
Methodology
The calculator turns your monthly spending into a yearly total for each category. It multiplies each category by each card’s rate and subtracts the annual fee. We count each $1 of cash back as worth $1.
Rates and fees come from each card’s own page, read on 2026-11-05. The starting spending is an example. Replace it with your own.
- • Welcome offers are left out. They are paid once and change often.
- • Double Cash and Active Cash may differ in ways this calculator does not count, such as other card benefits.
- • The card issuer decides which purchases count as dining or drugstores.
- • It assumes you pay the full balance each month.
- • It does not predict whether any issuer will approve you.
Card terms are checked every 30 days. The calculator stops giving an answer if the terms have not been checked in time. Editorial conclusions do not depend on affiliate availability.
Sources
Chase Freedom UnlimitedChecked November 5, 2026 · high confidence
$0 annual fee. 3% on dining and drugstores, 5% on travel bought through Chase Travel, 1.5% on other purchases.
Citi Double CashChecked November 5, 2026 · high confidence
$0 annual fee. 1% when you buy plus 1% as you pay, on every purchase.
Wells Fargo Active CashChecked November 5, 2026 · high confidence
$0 annual fee. 2% cash rewards on purchases.
Frequently asked questions
Which pays more: Freedom Unlimited, Double Cash or Active Cash?
It depends on your spending. Freedom Unlimited pays more when dining plus drugstores is more than half of everything else you buy. Otherwise Double Cash or Active Cash pays more.
Is Double Cash or Active Cash better?
On cash back alone they tie. Both pay 2% on every purchase and both have a $0 annual fee. They may differ in other ways, which this calculator does not count.
When does Freedom Unlimited beat a 2% card?
It earns 1 cent more per dollar on dining and drugstores and half a cent less on everything else. So it pays more once dining plus drugstores is more than half of your other spending. With $1,500 of other spending, that means more than $750 a month.
Does the 5% Chase Travel rate apply to all travel?
No. The 5% counts only for travel booked through Chase Travel, Chase’s own travel site. Trips booked with an airline or hotel directly earn 1.5% on Freedom Unlimited.
How does Double Cash pay 2%?
Citi pays 1% when you buy and another 1% when you pay for that purchase. Paying your bill in full each month gets you the whole 2%.
Do any of these cards charge an annual fee?
No. Freedom Unlimited, Double Cash and Active Cash each have a $0 annual fee, so the calculator compares cash back alone.
Are welcome offers included?
No. Welcome offers change often and are paid once. The calculator shows the cash back you would earn every year from your regular spending.