Best Credit Cards for Groceries

Introduction to Grocery Credit Cards

If you spend a lot of money on groceries, using a rewards credit card that offers bonus rewards at the supermarket makes sense to maximize this necessary expense. Fortunately, the best credit cards offer bonus points, miles, or cash back at the grocery store — and some even don't charge an annual fee.

These are our top credit card picks for earning the most rewards at grocery stores.

Compare the Top Credit Cards for Groceries 

 

Grocery Credit Card Reviews

A good credit card for groceries should earn more than 1% back on supermarket purchases, and should offer other benefits such as purchase protection and additional bonus categories. The ones reviewed here are the best grocery credit cards right now, according to Business Insider's team of credit card experts. 

Best for Earning Points at U.S. Supermarkets: American Express® Gold Card

 

The American Express® Gold Card is an excellent all-around choice for foodies, offering 4x points on up to $25,000 in combined annual purchases (then 1x) at U.S. supermarkets. It also earns 4x points at restaurants (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1x), 3x points on airfare booked with the airline or through American Express Travel, 2x points on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com, and 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases.

In addition, cardholders can enroll to receive up to $120 per year in dining credits (up to $10 per month) with participating restaurants and food delivery services, and up to $120 per year (up to $10 per month) in Uber Cash credits for U.S. purchases (you must have the latest version of the Uber App and your eligible Amex Gold Card must be a method of payment in your Uber account). The card charges a $325 annual fee, but if you take advantage of these credits and other perks, you can more than offset the yearly cost.

Read our Amex Gold Card review for more information on this card. 

Best for Online Grocery Purchases: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

 

The pandemic shifted consumer grocery shopping habits, with many still preferring to order groceries online for curbside pickup or delivery. As part of a refresh, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card now offers 3x points for online grocery purchases.

You'll earn bonus points when you use your card to pay for grocery pickup and delivery orders that are placed online with grocery stores, specialty food stores, meal kit delivery services, or delivery service merchants that classify as grocery store merchants (excluding membership and subscription fees).

Purchases from Target, Walmart, wholesale clubs, liquor stores, and merchants that specialize in only a few grocery items do not qualify. Pharmacy purchases (even from those located in supermarkets), gift cards, gift boxes, and gift baskets aren't eligible, either. 

Read our Chase Sapphire Preferred Card review.

Best for Earning Bonus Points on Groceries and Much More: Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

 

The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card might not be the first card that comes to mind for groceries, but if you're looking for an all-purpose card that earns bonus rewards in lots of categories — including the supermarket — it's an excellent choice.

The card comes with a welcome bonus of 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening. Outside of the bonus earning period, you'll earn 3x points at supermarkets, gas stations, restaurants, hotels, and on airfare, and 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases. Citi ThankYou points are often underrated, but they're incredibly versatile — you can transfer points to airline and hotel partners, use them to book travel through the Citi ThankYou Travel portal, or redeem them for gift cards, cash back, merchandise, and more.

Read our Citi Premier Card review.

Best if Groceries is Your Highest Spending Category: Citi Custom Cash℠ Card

 

The Citi Custom Cash℠ Card is unique in that it automatically earns 5x points (5% back) in your highest eligible category each billing cycle, on up to $500 in spending (then 1x). Qualifying categories include grocery stores (as well as restaurants, gas stations, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs, and live entertainment).

There's no annual fee, and the card offers a solid welcome bonus: $200 cash back, fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening. It's a good choice if your spending habits change occasionally, or if you prefer a hands-off approach and don't want to keep tabs on activating or tracking bonus categories.

Read our Citi Custom Cash Card review.

Best Credit Card for Cash Back on Groceries at U.S. Supermarkets: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

If you prefer earning cash back on your grocery spending, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is your winner. It earns 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 in purchases each year (then 1%) — so by maximizing this category alone by spending, on average, $500 a month on groceries, you can earn $360 in cash back each year.

The card also offers 6% back on select U.S. streaming services, 3% on transit, 3% at U.S. gas stations, and 1% on all other purchases. There's an annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, then $95, but if you spend a lot in the card's bonus categories, you can make up for the cost easily (cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as statement credits or at Amazon.com checkout).

Read our American Express Blue Cash Preferred review.

Best for Cash Back on Groceries With No Annual Fee: Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card

 

If you like earning cash back without paying an annual fee, the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card is an easy choice — especially since there are no caps or geographic restrictions on what you can earn.

Cardholders earn an unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through the Capital One Travel Portal, 3% cash back on groceries (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target), dining, entertainment, and streaming services, and 1% back on everything else.

The card offers a decent welcome bonus: $200 cash back after you spend $500 on purchases within three months from account opening, and it doesn't add foreign transaction fees, so it's a good choice if you're traveling abroad.

Read our Capital One Savor Cash Card review.

Best for Whole Foods and Amazon: Prime Visa

 

Amazon Prime members can take the sting out of their Whole Foods grocery bill when they use the Amazon Prime Visa. With a Prime membership, cardholders earn 10% back or more on a rotating selection of items and categories on Amazon.com, 5% back on travel booked through Chase Travel℠, Whole Foods, and Amazon purchases (including Amazon Fresh), 2% back at restaurants, gas stations, and local transit and commuting (including rideshare), and 1% back on all other purchases.

If you don't have a Amazon Prime membership, the card earns 3% back instead of 5%. There are no annual fees or foreign transaction fees, so this card is a good pick if you spend a lot at Whole Foods and Amazon. If you shop at other supermarkets, though, you'll likely do better with a card that earns a bonus at all grocery stores.

Read our Amazon Prime Visa Card review.

Best for Amex Points With a Sub-$100 Annual Fee: Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card

The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card earns 3x points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 in spending per year (then 1x). It also earns 2x points at U.S. gas stations, and 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases.

The card has a trick up its sleeve, too. If you make at least 30 purchases on the card in a billing cycle, you'll get a 50% bonus on all the points you've earned, effectively bumping the rate to 4.5x points at U.S. supermarkets (up to spending limits). The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card also comes with a much more manageable annual fee of $95 compared to that of the Amex Gold Card.

Read our Amex EveryDay Preferred Card review.

Stores that Earn Bonus Rewards on Credit Cards for Groceries

Each bank has a slightly different definition of what counts as a grocery store purchase when it comes to earning bonus rewards. Be aware that most credit card networks do not consider superstores like Walmart or Target, or warehouse clubs like Costco, as part of the grocery category, so you won't earn extra points or cash back on those purchases.

There are other restrictions to keep in mind. For example, American Express only awards bonus points or cash back at "U.S. supermarkets" and not retailers abroad. It defines supermarkets as retailers that offer a wide variety of food and household products such as meat, fresh produce, dairy, canned and packaged goods, household cleaners, pharmacy products, and pet supplies. This does not include superstores, convenience stores, warehouse clubs, or meal-kit delivery services.

Meanwhile, Chase's definition includes supermarkets, merchants that offer a full-service grocery line of merchandise including a deli and bakery, and smaller grocery stores. Larger stores that sell a wide variety of goods and groceries, like warehouse clubs, discount stores, drugstores, and merchants that specialize in only a few grocery items aren't included, but delivery service merchants (like Instacart) are included if they classify as a grocery store merchant.

Best Credit Card for Groceries Frequently Asked Questions

Why You Should Trust Us: How We Chose the Best Credit Cards for Groceries

Business Insider's editorial team evaluates all credit cards with financial objectivity. We narrowed down our list of the best credit cards for grocery shopping by evaluating several factors:

• Ease of use — Does the card have a straightforward rewards program? Are there any restrictions on earning bonus rewards?
• Earning potential — What bonus do you earn at the supermarket with this card, and are there other bonus categories that reward everyday spending?
• Annual fee — Some rewards credit cards have no annual fee, but for those that do charge one, are there additional benefits that make it worth it?
• Cards for various types of consumers — We chose cards to reflect different types of spending, from families looking to earn the most cash back to those who prefer shopping online.

Learn more about how we rate and review credit cards at Business Insider.

Jasmin Baron

Jasmin Baron is a credit cards writer and editor who has contributed her knowledge to sites like The Points Guy, Million Mile Secrets, and Business Insider.Her expertise in maximizing travel rewards grew from over two decades of experience in the aviation industry, including 18 years working as a pilot and flight instructor in her native Canada.

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Angela Fung

Marketing Compliance and Operations Manager

Angela Fung is the marketing compliance and operations manager for Business Insider’s personal finance team. She is a personal finance expert and has been a part of Business Insider for nearly four years. ExperienceAngela leads the compliance team in identifying and reducing risk for readers, the editorial team, and external partners. Her team aims to provide readers with accurate, up-to-date information about financial products and maintain reader trust. She ensures regulatory and partner marketing guidelines are upheld for partners and adheres to the personal finance team’s editorial standards so they can maintain editorial independence. Angela likes helping readers better understand personal finance so that they can build a strong foundation for their financial plan and, hopefully, give themselves the freedom to do more in other facets of their lives.ExpertiseAngela has expertise in and oversees compliance in the following areas of personal finance:

• Personal credit cards
• Business credit cards
• High-yield savings accounts
• CDs

She also has a thorough knowledge of federal regulation for consumer financial protection. A few examples include:

• Regulation Z, Truth in Lending
• Unfair, Deceptive, Or Abusive Acts Or Practices (UDAAP)
• Regulation N, Mortgage Acts and Practices Advertising Rule
• Endorsement Guidelines

EducationAngela graduated from the University of Chicago with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience. In her free time, she shoots lifestyle photography, volunteers at Meals for Unity, and plays tennis.

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