There is certainly no shortage of credit cards to be found, but many of them have now upped the ante by offering cash back or rewards to potential consumers to lure them in. Unfortunately there are so many that you have to do some digging to find the best ones so you can maximize your cash back. Quite simply, you need to get past the hype and find out the real truth of these cash back credit cards.

The fine print is plentiful on these cash back cards so you need to read it carefully. Some cards offer a flat percentage of rebates but there are others that offer "up to" a certain amount. This could mean that you may be better of with a 1% flat rebate if you charge a lower amount on your credit card each month because you might actually get more than if you get up to 2% on your other cash back credit card. They are called tiered amounts and they basically offer you a lower percentage if you don't spend a certain amount, and you would make more with a flat rate.

If you are already confused on the "up to" amounts then you should be forewarned. Some companies even put a cap on the amounts you can get. For example they may specify that you can get up to 2% or $500.00, whichever is less. They usually always cap miles on cash back credit cards as well so before you plan your 14 day trip to 7 different countries, make sure they haven't capped your miles.

There are many cash back credit card companies that reward you with cash and points, but charge you larger annual fees to be a member. Make sure that the credit card company that you want to get your cash back from doesn't have such a huge annual fee which will actually counteract the cash you get back.

Even with some of the disadvantages of a cash back credit cards, the pros do outweigh the cons in most instances. You will get some sort of reward in the form of cash, points, or miles to use at some of the places that you love, and that is always nice at the end of the year. You need to research them well and find out all the details before you sign up for the first one. Figure out where you love to spend your points and make sure they have vendors that are in your area, especially for free gas, food, and shopping trips.