(Image credit: Future)
For the fourth year, we’re pleased to present the winners of our annual Readers’ Choice Awards. In a survey we conducted on Kiplinger.com in January and February, more than 4,200 readers rated the financial products and services they use in 13 categories, from credit cards and banks to brokers, wealth managers and annuity providers. The results here offer valuable insight into the everyday experiences that Kiplinger readers have with their financial providers.
Respondents made their judgments on such criteria such as their interactions with customer service, the likelihood they would recommend the product or service to others, and their overall satisfaction with it. They also had the option to leave comments about their providers, and we have shared some of them here (remarks may be lightly edited for length and clarity).
For each category, we’ve listed an overall winner that earned the highest total score as well as other providers that earned above-average ratings for the various criteria that readers assessed. Our thanks to all of you who participated in the survey.
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Kiplinger Readers’ Choice Awards 2026: Best Cash-Back Credit Cards
If you favor simplicity with your credit-card rewards, consider these top choices among cash-back cards. We asked survey respondents to rate their primary cash-back card based on the quality of their interactions with customer service, how likely they are to recommend the card to others and their overall satisfaction with the card.
OVERALL WINNER: Fidelity Rewards Visa
Outstanding for:
- Customer service
- Most recommended
- Overall satisfaction
The Fidelity Rewards Signature Visa earns top honors among cash-back cards for the fourth consecutive year.
As one reader says, “it’s simple and straightforward,” offering 2% back on all purchases, provided you deposit the rewards into a qualifying Fidelity account, such as a health savings account, brokerage account, IRA, donor-advised fund or 529 college-savings plan.
You can even deposit your rewards into an eligible account belonging to a friend or family member, such as a grandchild’s 529 plan. And travelers receive a credit of up to $100 when they use the card to pay the application fee for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, providing expedited security screening at the airport.
Discover It
Outstanding for:
- Customer service
- Most recommended
- Overall satisfaction
Discover It’s perks have kept some customers satisfied for decades. Says one reader, “We’ve used Discover for over 30 years. There have been changes, but their low APRs, top-notch customer service, added features, and quarterly 5% rewards categories (which are timely, such as gas during summer months) are the best. We do use other cards, but only for specific purposes. Discover is our main card, and we hope to keep it that way.”
Discover It’s main draw is the 5% back it offers on up to $1,500 spent each quarter in rotating categories. All other purchases earn 1% back.
Costco Anywhere Visa by Citi
Outstanding for:
- Most recommended
- Overall satisfaction
Readers love the Costco Anywhere Visa by Citi card for its simplicity and generous rewards. One reader notes, “This card has always offered a great rewards system with multiple cash-back tiers, appropriately high credit limits, and easy fraud alerts and resolution.”
With Costco’s credit card, you’ll earn 5% cash back on fuel purchases at Costco stations and 4% back on other gas and electric-vehicle charging (these rewards apply to the first $7,000 in combined annual spending; once you reach that threshold, gas EV-charging purchases get 1% back).
You’ll also earn 3% back on restaurant and travel purchases (including Costco Travel), 2% on other Costco purchases, and 1% on everything else.
U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa
Outstanding for:
- Customer service
- Overall satisfaction
Cardholders choose two categories that earn 5% back on the first $2,000 in combined quarterly spending. Eligible categories include fast food, home utilities, department stores, cell phone services, electronics, furniture stores and more.
You also pick one among three possible categories to earn 2% back: grocery stores, restaurants or gas stations. All other purchases earn 1% back.
American Express Blue Cash Everyday
Outstanding for:
Readers appreciate American Express’s responsive service: “Great customer service with a real person to speak with!” one survey respondent says.
Cardholders earn 3% back at supermarkets and gas stations and on online purchases from U.S. retailers; the 3% rewards are capped at $6,000 spent in each category. All other spending, including that in excess of the $6,000 limit, earns 1% back. See rates and fees.
Citi Double Cash
Outstanding for:
Citi Double Cash is well-liked for its simple structure, without multiple categories to track. “Extremely easy to use,” one reader commented. Says another, “Very easy to redeem cash back in a variety of ways.”
Cardholders earn an unlimited 1% back when they make a purchase and another 1% back when they pay the bill, for a total 2% on their spending. Plus, you can get 5% cash back on attractions, car rentals and hotels booked through the portal.
Kiplinger Readers’ Choice Awards Categories
How Readers Chose the Winners
Kiplinger readers were invited to take the Readers’ Choice Awards survey on Kiplinger.com between January 22 and February 19, 2026. The survey asked respondents to choose the financial product or service that they most frequently use in 13 categories: brokerage firms, wealth managers, IRA providers, cash-back credit cards, travel rewards credit cards, airline credit card rewards programs, national banks, internet banks, annuity providers, homeowners insurers, auto insurers, tax software and peer-to-peer payment services.
We asked readers to rate each provider they selected on a scale of one to 10 based on a few criteria. In many categories, readers rated the strength of customer service, how likely they would be to recommend the product or service to others, and how satisfied they are overall with the provider. In some categories, we included more nuanced criteria. With wealth management firms, we asked respondents to rate the trustworthiness of a firm’s advisers and the quality of its financial advice and retirement-planning services. For IRA providers, respondents assessed the mix of investment choices available to them. For peer-to-peer payment apps and tax software, respondents evaluated ease of use, and for auto and home insurance companies, readers judged the competitiveness of rates and strength of the claims experience.
We calculated an average (mean) score for each criterion with each provider. We also calculated an overall mean score for all providers for each criterion we asked readers to judge. We compared individual provider mean scores with the overall mean, and the three highest-scoring providers that had a score above the overall mean won an “outstanding” accolade; in cases of a tie, more than three providers are named, and if fewer than three qualifying providers achieved an above-average score, only those providers are named “outstanding.” In each category, providers are generally listed in descending order by the number of criteria for which they received the “outstanding” designation — so a product or company that is deemed “outstanding” in three areas, for example, is listed before a provider with one or two “outstanding” awards.
To choose an overall winner in each category, we added together the mean scores for each criterion rated for each product or service. The provider with the highest total score in each category took the prize for overall winner.
