Can you get cash back with a credit card at an ATM?

Jennifer Doss is a credit card analyst and the senior managing editor of CardRatings.com. She has worked as both a print and online journalist and has over a decade of experience in the media industry. Her published work has covered a broad range of topics, from finance and technology to travel and dining. Through extensive travel experiences and her personal interest in food, she has come to appreciate the unique rewards and benefits of responsible credit card use, and enjoys helping people understand the ins and outs of the industry. As a finance expert, she strives to provide user-friendly online resources that help everyday people get the most out of their credit cards.

Updated: December 9, 2022

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Yes, you can get cash back with a credit card in the form of cash-back rewards or through a cash advance. Most credit cards, however, do not allow you to get cash back at the register when you make a purchase (with one notable exception: see below).

Key takeaways

• Use cash-back rewards credit cards to earn cash back you can redeem later
• You don’t need a PIN to complete a cash advance and get cash back with a credit card
• Discover cards are an exception and do allow cash back at the checkouts of some retailers
• A cash advance allows you to get cash back using your credit card
• Cash advances often charge fees and higher interest rates

Whether you can get cash back when you buy something with a credit card actually depends on what you mean by “cash back.”

No, you generally can’t get cash back with a credit card at the register when you buy something, but, as mentioned earlier, you can earn cash-back rewards with a credit card or take a cash advance. While credit cards are great for a lot of things, using them as a way to put cash in your wallet right away when making a purchase at a cash register isn’t one of them. Debit cards have become so familiar, we’re accustomed to punching in our PINs and asking for cash back at the grocery store. Credit cards don’t offer quite the same amount of flexibility. 

You can, however, use a credit card for a cash advance; you’ll just have to pay for the privilege. We’ll talk more about this in a moment. First let’s address the way you can get cash back, in a way, when you buy something.

How to get cash back from credit card

One meaning of “cash back” is definitely a possibility with your credit cards. If you’re interested in earning rewards on your everyday spending, there are certainly myriad options that allow you to collect points or otherwise rack up “cash back” when you make purchases at stores, gas pumps, online and just about anywhere you use your credit cards.

Cash back credit cards can even be tailored to provide you with the highest possible cash back to fit your lifestyle. In other words, if you spend a lot of money monthly on gas, you’ll want to look for a cash back credit card that offers you particularly high rewards earning potential at gas stations. If you’re a regular grocery store spender, the same logic applies: Look for a cash back card that offers higher rewards for spending at grocery stores.

While cash back credit cards don’t provide instant cash in your hand at a cash register, they do offer plenty of opportunity to earn cash back for buying something with your credit card, there’s just a bit of a delayed-gratification factor to consider.

A few popular cash-back credit card options

• CardName – Earn an extra 1.5% cash back on purchases (up to $20,000 spent) during your first year, worth up to $300 cash back. On an ongoing basis, earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, 3% at restaurants and drugstores, and 1.5% on all other eligible purchases; no annual fee.
• CardName – Enjoy an intro 0% APR on balance transfers for 18 months (then, RegAPR); earn 1% when you make a purchases and another 1% when you pay your bill on time (at least the minimum balance due) for a total of 2% cash back on purchases; no annual fee. Citi is a CardRatings advertiser.
• CardName – Earn a one-time $200 bonus after spending $500 on purchases within your first three months; earn 1.5% cash back on all your purchases; enjoy an introductory 15 months no interest on purchases and balance transfers (then, RegAPR; 3% fee on the amounts transferred within the first 15 months); no annual fee.
• CardName – Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new card within the first six months. On an ongoing basis, earn 6% back on up to $6,000 spent at U.S. supermarkets annually (then 1%) and 6% back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions; 3% back at U.S. gas stations and on transit purchases including rideshares, train fares, tolls, parking and more; and 1% on other purchases; AnnualFees American Express is a CardRatings advertiser; See Rates and Fees

This is a sample of the cash back rewards cards out there; if you don’t see one you like, research additional cash back credit card options.

Can you get cash back at stores with a credit card?

No, you can’t use your credit card for cash back at stores; this is a transaction generally reserved for debit cards and, in fact, is only possible at some stores even then. 

In general, you’ll want to use a debit card for cash back, whether via a transaction at an eligible store or through an ATM withdrawal. There is, however, one major credit card issuer that does allow cash back at checkout. We cover this more below. 

What is a credit card cash advance?

A cash advance is a transaction through which you draw upon your credit card’s line of credit to withdrawal cash, whether through an ATM or with a teller at a financial institution. Though it can be easy to confuse the two, the main difference between cash back and a cash advance is that cash back rewards are something that can be earned with certain credit cards. A cash advance is a feature offered by most cards which allows you to withdrawal cash. Usually, the amount of cash available for cash advances will be less than your full credit limit available for purchases. In other words, if you have a $10,000 credit limit, you’re unlikely to be allowed to withdrawal a full $10,000 as a cash advance. 

According to most industry analysts who watch these kinds of statistics, cash advances have declined in popularity over the past few years. So many merchants accept credit cards, it’s often easier to transact with plastic than with greenbacks, anyway.

Even the best credit cards charge certain fees, so should you require cash in an emergency, here’s what you might end up paying:

• Cash advance fee. Many banks now charge an upfront fee of up to 5% when you convert part of your credit limit into cash.
• Immediate finance charges. Unlike purchases, most cash advances immediately start racking up interest. Many banks charge higher APRs for cash advances than for purchases.
• Network access fee. Your bank and the ATM network could each charge you a service fee of a few dollars for handling your cash advance.
• Teller processing fee. If you make your cash advance request from a live person at a bank or at a travel services agency, you can expect to pay an even higher service charge.

You can also get cash from your credit card by using convenience checks. Most of us use these to take advantage of balance transfer offers when we want to pay off a debt that’s not linked to a major online bill payment service. Convenience checks often carry their own fees of up to 5% of face value.

One final – but not necessarily recommended – method to get cash from your credit card involves reloading prepaid debit cards at particular retail locations. However, merchants can dictate whether they process this kind of transaction as a cash advance. If you find one that doesn’t, you can pay a flat fee for the reload card, then withdraw the cash from a participating ATM. Due to the potential for fraud, many merchants decline to sell prepaid card reload packs to customers using anything other than ATM cards or cash.

Used sparingly, this can be an inexpensive way to tap some cash from a credit card without paying hefty fees. Some cards may charge various fees for activation or usage, so be sure you fully understand the fees attached to the prepaid card.

Can you get cash back with a credit card without a PIN?

You can use your credit card for cash back without a PIN if you head into a bank branch and complete the transaction with a teller. Note that you’ll need the card as well as a government issued ID in order to do this and, as mentioned above, there could be a fee associated with making your request through a person rather than an ATM.

To use an ATM for a cash advance, you will need a PIN. You’ll save yourself a potential fee for going through a person, but you could still be on the hook for the other fees mentioned above.

An exception to the rule: Discover cards offer cash back at the register

In a break from the usual, Discover cardholders CAN receive cash back, up to $120 in a 24-hour period at dozens of retailers. With this option, you can get cash back with a credit card at Walmart, Kroger, Dollar General and many other retailers

This “cash over your purchases” amount is subject to the same APR as your regular purchases (not the higher APR that many cash advances are subject to). If you make sure and pay off your credit card statement balance each month, this essentially means that you’re making a cash withdrawal for free. It is convenient, for sure, but make sure you don’t treat it like “free money.” You will pay interest on the amount you get back if you don’t pay off your statement balance each billing cycle. 

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