The 5 best credit cards for earning rewards on your grocery spending

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The 5 best credit cards for earning rewards on your grocery spending

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Cavan Images/Getty Images

Cavan Images/Getty Images

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  • Some rewards credit cards offer bonus points or cash back on purchases at the grocery store.
 Since this is a popular spending category, it's worth choosing a card that will reward you for this spending.
  • The American Express® Gold Card has the best earning rate on groceries at US supermarkets, but there are other solid options for cash back and earning Chase points.
  • Depending on your spending habits, a rewards credit card can deliver hundreds of dollars in value each year.


Everyone has to eat. When I go to the grocery store, I'm always sure to grab the credit card that will give me the best rewards. Right now, that's the American Express Gold card for me, but there are a handful of excellent cards that can help you maximize your rewards when spending at the supermarket.

Here are the best credit cards for grocery spending in 2019:

American Express Gold Card

Welcome bonus: Earn 35,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $2,000 in the first three months. Check the CardMatch tool to see if you're eligible for a higher bonus of 50,000 points with the same minimum spending requirement. (Note that the CardMatch offer can change at any time without notice.)

Annual fee: $250

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This card offers excellent travel rewards on most of your food purchases. At US supermarkets, the Gold card gives you 4 points per dollar up to $25,000 in combined annual purchases (then 1 point per dollar). It also gives you 4 points per dollar for restaurant purchases worldwide.

In addition to those dining and grocery rewards, it offers 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly with an airline or through amextravel.com. It also comes with dining credits and airline fee credits that make the card even more valuable. It charges a $250 annual fee, but if you take full advantage of all benefits you'll get a lot more in return.

Blue Cash Preferred from American Express

Welcome bonus: Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $1,000 in the first three months.

Annual fee: $95

This powerhouse cash-back card offers 6% cash back at US supermarkets up to $6,000 in combined annual purchases and 1% thereafter. If you spend $500 per month on groceries and take advantage of the full $6,000 in annual purchases, you'll earn $360 in cash back just from groceries.

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The card also offers 6% back on select US streaming services, 3% on transit, 3% at US gas stations, and 1% everywhere else. While it does charge a $95 annual fee, it's easy to see how you can earn much, much more every year in cash back if you use the card regularly.

Amazon Prime Rewards Card

Welcome bonus: Get an $80 Amazon.com gift card upon approval

Annual fee: $0 with Amazon Prime membership

The Amazon Prime Visa from Chase gives you 5% cash back on purchases at Amazon and Whole Foods. Amazon might not be a grocery store, but it does offer a ton of food and pantry goods on its website. If you live in a city with Prime Now or Amazon Fresh, you can get even more of your groceries from the country's biggest online retailer.

Once you factor in 5% back at Whole Foods, you can earn a lot of rewards on groceries. If you have this card and don't have a Prime Membership, it gives you 3% back instead of 5%. But with no annual fee, you shouldn't have any recurring costs as long as you pay off the card in full each month by the due date.

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American Express EveryDay Preferred

Welcome bonus: Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $1,000 in the first three months.

Annual fee: $95

This was my longtime personal primary card at the grocery store before switching to the Amex Gold card. This card was my main card for good reason: It gives you 3 points per dollar at US supermarkets (on up to $6,000 in purchases each year) by default, but if you make at least 30 purchases per calendar month you'll get a 50% bonus on all rewards you earn. That means you can earn up to 4.5 points per dollar at US supermarkets.

It also offers 2x points at gas stations and 1x everywhere else. But the 50% extra points bonus after 30 purchases per statement period makes it a serious point earner.

Chase Freedom Unlimited

Welcome bonus: Earn 3% cash back on all purchases in your first year on up to $20,000 spent. After that, earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases.

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Annual fee: $0

While the Chase Freedom Unlimited card does not offer a bonus at grocery stores, it doesn't need to. This card gives you 1.5% cash back on all purchases with no annual fee - and 3% on up to $20,000 spent in your first year if you're a new card holder. With this card, you never have to remember which card to use where or when you get a bonus. It's simple and just works.

If you also have a Chase Sapphire Preferred Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve, however, the cash back on this card can get supercharged. Chase allows you to convert Freedom Unlimited cash back to Ultimate Reward points at a ratio of 1 point to 1 cent in cash back. Because Ultimate Rewards points are so valuable, your effective cash-back rate can be higher than 1.5% if you follow this strategy.

Feed your wallet when feeding yourself

Food at home is one of the biggest spending categories most households contend with each month. As long as you can manage them well and pay them off in full each month, credit cards are a good way to earn cash back or travel rewards every time you head to the grocery store. With any of the cards above on hand, your groceries practically pay you!

Click here to visit CardMatch to see if you're targeted for the 50,000-point Amex Gold offer »

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