Originally Posted by
carlosdca
I don't think there is any card that offers flat 5% on all spending.
Some offer 5% - 6% on certain spending categories and/or seasonally.
The best flat cash back rate on any spending I know of is citi double cash at 2%.
I think that having up to 3 cards and using them for what they are best at you can get average 3.5% cashback the most. But then it is a lot of work to keep track which one to use when, at least for me.
5% (or at least 4.5%) isn't that unreasonable if you are earning UR points. But you are right, categories definitely matter and vary what you should expect. I think your number of about 3.5% is pretty close to average for s simple two or three card setup.
I have Chase Sapphire Reserve which lets me redeem points for travel at 1.5 cents each if I use them for travel. That card also gets 3x points on dining and travel which is a good chunk of my spending. So at a minimum that is 4.5% on those dollars, higher if you value the UR points more because you can get good deals redeeming for J class space. Pair this with a Chase Freedom Unlimited at 1.5x points on everything = 2.25% minimum on miscellaneous spending, I probably average about 3.5-4% back on my everyday cc spending. Some people might value UR closer to 2 cents each and then that 3.5-4 becomes 4.5-5% pretty easy
For any dining or travel purchases I really would not want to earn only 1x AA miles if I could get 3x UR points