Compare cashback rates across apps to pick the best rebate.
A higher cashback rate only wins once it has covered its subscription fee. Annual rebate is spend times rate, so the fee-paying app needs enough volume for the extra percentage points to outrun the fee. The break-even spend — fee divided by the rate difference — is the threshold that decides it, and it is usually far higher than people assume.
Net cashback comparison
Net rebate = annual spend x rate/100 - annual fee; break-even spend = annual fee / ((rate B - rate A)/100)
Only above the break-even spend shown here. Below it the fee eats the extra percentage points and the free app nets more.
Considerably. Many apps cap rebates per category or per month, so check the cap against your monthly spend before trusting the headline rate.
Treat them separately. They are one-off amounts that flatter the first year and disappear from the second onwards.