Households That Run Every Bill Through One Card and Pay It Off Monthly Are Getting Paid for Spending They Already Do

Résumé détaillé

Your groceries, gas, and insurance premiums leave your account every month, and most households collect nothing for them. One card can change that, but a single habit decides whether you profit or lose, and some bills carry a hidden fee.

Groceries, gas, streaming subscriptions, utilities and insurance premiums get paid every month whether anyone earns anything on them or not. The average U.S. household spent $81,905 in 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey. Families that put their recurring bills through one rewards card collect cash back on money that was leaving the account anyway. That only works if the statement gets paid in full every month, a rule covered in detail below.

A cash back card returns a share of each purchase as a statement credit, a bank deposit or redeemable points. Cards generally come in two designs. Flat-rate cards pay the same rate on every purchase, which keeps a one-card setup simple. Bonus category cards pay a higher rate in specific categories, such as groceries or gas, and a lower base rate on everything else. Category cards pay more when a household's spending is concentrated in those categories. Before you choose, compare the design against your own statements rather than the marketing.

On taxes, cash back earned through purchases is generally treated as a discount on what you bought rather than taxable income (though bonuses can be treated differently). Rewards that don't require spending, such as some sign-up or referral payouts, may be reported as income. Keep any tax form an issuer sends you.

Pull out the card you use most. What does it actually earn you? If the answer is a point here and there, FinanceBuzz experts found something better: up to 5% cash back at places you actually shop, doubled at the end of your entire first year. It now comes with a $200 bonus after you spend $500 in the first 2 months. Add in no annual fee, 0% intro APR into 2028, and $0 liability on unauthorized charges. Learn More >>>

Read the rewards program terms, too. In its 2025 complaint report, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said consumers "took issue with provisions in fine print that made receiving and using rewards more challenging" and…

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Début de l'article, extrait de Yahoo Finance. Pour lire la suite, ouvrez l'article chez le média.