[ummonk]

Anecdotally, it feels like credit card cash back rewards have gone up a bit over time. 2% cash back was not normal until several years ago.

I'd guess that market competition would drive up rewards as new entrants pass back more of the savings to consumers.

[chrsstrm]

Those "rewards" aren't savings on fees, passed on to the customer, they are increased fees that are absorbed by merchants. Rewards cards carry higher fees the same way corporate cards have higher fees and the same way Amex in general has higher fees. Larger merchants can have a consistent effective rate on processing fees if their business has a good mix of non-rewards and debit cards (lower rates) in their transactions, but many smaller merchants take a bath on fees if too many of their customers use rewards cards. You'll also see many smaller merchants decline to take an Amex because it simply costs them too much. Your 2% on groceries or 3% cash back on gas doesn't materialize out of thin air and it sure as hell isn't coming out of the processor's or issuing bank's pockets, it is being paid for by the merchants you shop at.