The Case for Cash Back: Why Are Some People Still Not Using These Rewarding Cards?

There is no question that in today’s credit card world, cash-back is king. While travel cards still enjoy their time in the spotlight, it’s the cash-back card that gets all the glory. Being able to earn what could be considered “free” money is hard to pass up. 

As popular as these cards are, it begs the question as to why someone would choose to use a non-cash back credit card in 2025. For the most part, there are very few credit cards that offer no benefits, so a Redditor is asking in r/CreditCards why someone would use reward points instead. 

The Credit Card Question 

This Redditor’s question, which essentially asks why reward points are a good alternative, is well worth considering. If you believe cash is king, as many people do, there is every reason to think that cash-back credit cards are far more helpful. 

Rest assured that this debate has been going on for quite some time. Similar to the Mac versus PC debate, the cashback versus travel credit card debate is fiercely loyal to its preferred options. The idea that you can earn money for shopping as you usually would is hard to ignore. 

However, for those who love to travel and enjoy trying to achieve free trips, earning points might sound incredibly attractive. Let’s say you are someone who travels frequently for work, you might be able to rack up travel benefits quickly that you can then use for personal travel with your family. 

Why Cashback Cards Are Better

At the very top of the list of reasons why cashback cards are better, there are fewer hoops to jump through. If you have a travel credit card, you have to know how to spend properly. This may involve using a portal and potentially incurring an annual fee. Cashback cards are unlikely to have any of these “extras” that can cause immediate confusion, and this is before you get into blackout dates. 

In other words, the entire idea of a cash-back credit card, to the original poster’s point, is just how simple it is to use. You just shop as you usually would. Whether this is at a restaurant, Amazon, any clothing store, grocer, or even just filling up with gas, you are going to earn rewards. Given the sheer number of cash-back credit cards, you can easily earn hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars a year in points. 

As someone who uses a 2% cash-back credit card for almost every purchase, I can easily earn over $1,000 in cash-back rewards annually. The best part is that I see this total growing as we pay off the card every month. In other words, there is no need to sign up for a travel portal and start experimenting with dates, hotels, destinations, or any other factors that might affect how my points are redeemed. 

Why Travel Rewards Are Popular 

Even though travel reward cards are arguably more confusing to redeem, this doesn’t stop millions of users from trying. Whether you select an airline, hotel, or general travel card, there is no question that you can earn big rewards the more you spend.

The hope is that you can select a card that gives you the exact benefits you need. For example, many travelers prefer to stay at Marriott hotels, making a Marriott travel credit card a sensible choice. The more you stay, the more you can earn, which could be used for free nights in the future.

There is no question that travel cards can earn you thousands of dollars worth of benefits if used smartly. To this Redditor’s point, there is something worth noting about people who love free trips. Not everyone cares enough about cash back, as they would rather see the benefit in the form of a once-in-a-lifetime vacation they can take with the family at a big discount. 

For this reason alone, it’s easy to say to the original poster that ignoring travel cards is a mistake. Even if travel cards require a bit more work to cash in your benefits, there is no question that you can come out ahead. 

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