Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa Review: 3% Back in Unique Categories, No Annual Fee Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa Review: 3% Back in Unique Categories, No Annual Fee

Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa Review: 3% Back in Unique Categories, No Annual Fee

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A cash-back credit card with unique categories, the Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa® earns up to 3% back on things most cards don't. You'll earn the maximum 3% unlimited cash back on every purchase in Home, Health, and Auto categories. Up to 10% cash back from your favorite brands with Upgrade Shopping. There's no cap on how much you can earn back — but there is a catch.

The card operates similarly to a personal loan, where you get a specific credit amount to make purchases against for a fixed term and rate (Rates & Fees). Cash back is only earned as you pay back the card. After each “loan,” you may experience fluctuating credit availability based on your credit score and other factors at the time.

The ability to earn 3% back on large home, auto, and health purchases makes the Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa® a competitive credit card option, especially for large expenses.

Here's what you need to know about the Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa®.

Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa®
Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa®
Annual Fee$0
Welcome Bonus

$200 bonus after opening a Rewards Checking Plus account and making 3 debit card transactions*

*See card highlights for full bonus terms

The Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa® offers 3% cash back on purchases in home, auto, and health categories, and 1% cash back on all other purchases when paid back. It has no annual fee, provides credit lines from $500 to $25,000, and combines the flexibility of a credit card with the predictability of a personal loan. You can also earn up to 10% cash back with Upgrade Shopping powered by Dosh.
  • $200 bonus after opening a Rewards Checking Plus account and making 3 debit card transactions*
  • Earn 3% on Home, Auto, and Health categories and 1% on everything else after you make payments on your purchases
  • Credit lines from $500 to $25,000
  • No annual fee
*To qualify for the welcome bonus, you must open and fund a new Rewards Checking Plus account through Upgrade and make 3 qualifying debit card transactions from your Rewards Checking Plus account within 60 days of the date the Rewards Checking Plus account is opened. If you have previously opened a checking account through Upgrade or do not open a Rewards Checking Plus account as part of this application process, you are not eligible for this welcome bonus offer. Your Upgrade Card and Rewards Checking Plus account must be open and in good standing to receive a bonus. To qualify, debit card transactions must have settled and exclude ATM transactions. Please refer to the applicable Upgrade Visa® Debit Card Agreement and Disclosures for more information. Welcome bonus offers cannot be combined, substituted, or applied retroactively. The bonus will be applied to your Rewards Checking Plus account as a one-time payout credit within 60 days after meeting the conditions. This one-time bonus is available through this Upgrade Card offer and may not be available for other Upgrade Card offers.
  • 3% on Home, Auto, and Health categories
  • 1% on everything else

Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Pros

  • $0 annual fee (Rates & Fees).
  • Earn 3% unlimited cash back on every purchase in Home, Health, and Auto categories.
  • Credit lines between $500 and $25,000.

Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Cons

  • Up to 3% foreign transaction fee and Up to 5% balance transfer fee (Rates & Fees).
  • The available credit on this card varies depending on your credit score and other factors at any given time after the fixed term.
  • Cash back is only earned after you make payments to your account balance.

Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Welcome Offer

The Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa® comes with a $200 bonus after opening a Rewards Checking Plus account and making 3 debit card transactions within 60 days.

This offer is not valid if you already have a Rewards Checking Plus account or if you don't open a new account as part of the Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa® application.

Man Holding His Credit Card
Credit: Sora Shimazaki/Pexels

Related: Best Rewards Credit Card Offers This Month

Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Benefits

The Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa® is light on benefits, but the benefits it does have can be invaluable to the right cardholder.

No annual fee

The Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa® does not have an annual fee (Rates & Fees). However, this card does incur Up to 3% foreign transaction fees and Up to 5% balance transfer fees, so be mindful of using your card abroad or for balance transfers.

Visa Signature benefits

The Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa® is a Visa Signature product. Based on this designation alone, you're entitled to several travel and purchase protection benefits, such as:

  • Extended warranty
  • Price protection
  • Roadside dispatch
  • Travel and emergency assistance services
  • Visa's Zero Liability policy

Fixed interest rate on purchases

One of the best benefits of the Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa® is the card's fixed interest rates and terms.

Here's how it works: You're given a credit limit up to a certain dollar amount. All of your purchases up to that amount will be at a fixed rate that will not fluctuate (Rates & Fees).

After you've spent up to the predetermined credit limit, your available credit limit will be reassessed based on your credit score and other factors. Your subsequent credit limit may be more or less than the previous limit, and you will get a new fixed rate.

Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Earning Rates

The Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa® earns 3% unlimited cash back on every purchase in Home, Health, and Auto categories. Up to 10% cash back from your favorite brands with Upgrade Shopping. You earn cash back as you make payments toward the balance on your card.

Many expenses fall into the categories of home, auto, and health. For example, construction materials, hardware stores, and even plumbing contractors all qualify as home expenses.

Car rental agencies, automotive service shops, and mobile home dealers are among the expenses that qualify for 3% back as an auto purchase. And merchants such as Walgreens and Dick's Sporting Goods count for health purchases.

In other words, these categories are extremely broad, so you can earn 3% cash back at a wide variety of merchants.

Woman carrying flowers at a farmer's market.
Credit: Brett Sayles/Pexels

Redeeming Points With the Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa®

Cash-back rewards earned with the Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa® are applied to your balance after your next scheduled monthly payment. In the event that you don't have a balance, you can receive your cash back as a deposit to the bank account on file.

Cash back does not reduce the amount owed on your regular monthly payments.

Application Restrictions

There's not much known about the application restrictions for the Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa®, unfortunately. It's unclear how many credit cards from Upgrade you can have at one time or how long you should wait before applying for your next card.

However, you'll likely be a competitive applicant if you have a healthy credit score and sufficient time has passed since your last credit card application. Moreover, Upgrade will let you “See if you have an offer with no impact to your credit score” when you click to apply. This feature is helpful if you're unsure if you qualify for the Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa®.

The only firm restriction we know of is whether you have previously opened a Rewards Checking Plus account. If so, you'll be ineligible for this card's welcome bonus.

Woman holding a phone and looking at her laptop.
Credit: Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels

Cards That Compete With the Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa®

The Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa® is a unique card, but it's not for everyone. If it's piqued your interest, but you don't think it's right for you, consider these three options:

  • If you prefer to earn a higher rate of cash back, check out the Chase Freedom Flex℠. This no-annual-fee card earns 5% on rotating bonus categories (up to $1,500 per quarter), 5% on travel purchased through Chase, 3% on dining at restaurants and drugstore purchases and 1% on other eligible purchases. Additionally, the card offers 0% introductory APR on balance transfers for 15 months. After that, the balance transfer fee is $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.. Learn more in our full Freedom Flex review.
  • If you want a card that earns travel rewards, consider the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. This card earns an unlimited 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day. 5 Miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Redeem miles for travel by transferring them to travel partners or by applying them to qualifying travel purchases made with your card. You can also redeem miles for cash back, as a statement credit, or as gift cards. To learn more, check out our full Capital One Venture review.
  • If you want a simple cash-back card that's great for balance transfers, the Citi Double Cash® Card is worth a look. Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked with Citi Travel. You'll also get 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months — There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5) To learn more, read our full review on the Citi Double Cash.
Chase Freedom Flex℠
Chase Freedom Flex℠
Welcome Bonus Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee$0
Credit ScoreExcellent, Good
  • Earn 5% on up to $1,500 on combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate
  • Earn 5% on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
  • Earn 3% on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services
  • Earn 3% on drugstore purchases
  • Earn 1% on all other purchases
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Welcome Offer 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee$95
Credit ScoreExcellent, Good
  • 5X miles per dollar on purchases through Capital One Entertainment (through 12/31/2025)
  • 5X miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
  • 2X miles per dollar on all other purchases
Citi Double Cash® Card
Citi Double Cash® Card
Welcome Offer Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back. Plus, get a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months. (After that, the (Variable) APR will be 18.24% - 28.24% based on your creditworthiness.)
Annual Fee$0
Credit ScoreExcellent, Good, Fair
  • Earn 2% cash back on every purchase—1% when you buy and 1% when you pay. Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/25. Citi cash rewards now also convert to ThankYou points at 1:1 ($10 = 100 ThankYou points).

Related: Best Credit Cards With No Annual Fee and 0% Introductory APR

Bottom Line

The Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa® is the card to have when you need to make a large home, auto, or health purchase. The ability to earn 3% cash back on home and auto repairs, for example, can add up quickly. Plus, a fixed rate on those often large expenses can help with it comes to paying back your card.

However, this card may not be right for you if you want a more traditional credit card. So it's a good idea to know what you plan to use this card for before applying.

Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa®
Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa®
Annual Fee$0
Welcome Bonus

$200 bonus after opening a Rewards Checking Plus account and making 3 debit card transactions*

*See card highlights for full bonus terms

The Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa® offers 3% cash back on purchases in home, auto, and health categories, and 1% cash back on all other purchases when paid back. It has no annual fee, provides credit lines from $500 to $25,000, and combines the flexibility of a credit card with the predictability of a personal loan. You can also earn up to 10% cash back with Upgrade Shopping powered by Dosh.
  • $200 bonus after opening a Rewards Checking Plus account and making 3 debit card transactions*
  • Earn 3% on Home, Auto, and Health categories and 1% on everything else after you make payments on your purchases
  • Credit lines from $500 to $25,000
  • No annual fee
*To qualify for the welcome bonus, you must open and fund a new Rewards Checking Plus account through Upgrade and make 3 qualifying debit card transactions from your Rewards Checking Plus account within 60 days of the date the Rewards Checking Plus account is opened. If you have previously opened a checking account through Upgrade or do not open a Rewards Checking Plus account as part of this application process, you are not eligible for this welcome bonus offer. Your Upgrade Card and Rewards Checking Plus account must be open and in good standing to receive a bonus. To qualify, debit card transactions must have settled and exclude ATM transactions. Please refer to the applicable Upgrade Visa® Debit Card Agreement and Disclosures for more information. Welcome bonus offers cannot be combined, substituted, or applied retroactively. The bonus will be applied to your Rewards Checking Plus account as a one-time payout credit within 60 days after meeting the conditions. This one-time bonus is available through this Upgrade Card offer and may not be available for other Upgrade Card offers.
  • 3% on Home, Auto, and Health categories
  • 1% on everything else

For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa® (Rates & Fees)

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