How Does Cash Back Work On Credit Cards?

804 viewsEconomicsOther

I’m researching to open my first proper card and still confused about how cash back works.

Say you buy a burger and get 2% cash back. Does it apply a 2% discount to the burger? Or do I earn 2% of the burger’s price?

Where does the money for the cash back come from? Does the cash back affect credit score?

In: Economics

13 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

There are transaction fees seller pays. So for example you pay with a card, seller gets 95%, bank gets 5%, then gives you 2% and keeps 3%.
Cashback incentivizes you using the card more, so the bank gets more transaction fees. And while it seems like a loss for the seller, he’ll just raise the price a bit to make up, and don’t have to deal with masses of cash he’d have to deposit at the bank/keep in safe/risk robbery.

You are viewing 1 out of 13 answers, click here to view all answers.