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Stephen is an established voice in the credit card space, with over 70 to his name. His work has been in publications like The Washington Post, and his Au Points and Awards Consulting Services is used...
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Whether you do major weekly grocery shopping to feed a family of 5 or just pop in to grab a rotisserie chicken on your way home from work for a solo meal, we all spend money at the grocery store.
Doesn’t it make perfect sense to be earning points/miles/cash-back for the spending you’re doing already? Looking ahead a year from now, you’ll still have spent money on groceries… but you could also have earned valuable rewards.
These are rewards you can use to subsidize a vacation, pay for school clothes, or enjoy a celebratory group dinner at a nice restaurant — it’s your choice!
At this point, you’re probably thinking about which credit card is best for spending on groceries and at supermarkets in general. After all, supermarkets sell more than just groceries, and there are probably other items you buy elsewhere that can be purchased at the supermarket.
We’ll happily answer that question and more in this article as we cover how to select the best credit card for earning rewards at grocery stores and supermarkets. We’ll also review how to maximize your earnings by buying things other than groceries at supermarkets.
What To Look For in a Credit Card for Grocery & Supermarket Spending
First, credit cards that reward supermarket purchases are not limited to earning rewards on those purchases. You’ll likely land on a card that has a broader range of bonus categories. This is a good thing.
While we’re focusing on earning the most rewards for grocery/supermarket spending in our article today, to maximize earnings, your credit card selection should have additional earning potential that matches your other spending priorities.
When selecting a credit card that earns grocery spending rewards, you’ll want to consider the following:
Does the card have an annual fee? Just because a credit card charges an annual fee doesn’t mean you should pass on that card. You might realize benefits that far exceed the value of the annual fee.
Are rewards capped at a certain amount? If so, you’ll want to calculate how much you’ll actually earn on the card at your anticipated spending levels.
Are there additional bonus categories on the card? Selecting a card that allows you to earn on more than 1 category is the best scenario.
Bottom Line: If you spend a lot on groceries, finding a credit card that rewards those purchases is important. But you’ll want to consider cards that have additional bonus earning categories that match your spending habits to maximize earnings.
The 8 Best Personal Credit Cards for Groceries and Supermarket Purchases
Card Summary
Before we deep-dive into our recommended rewards-earning cards, let’s focus on how these cards stack up when it comes to earning rewards on grocery and supermarket purchases.
Earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel portal through June 30, 2024.
The Amex Gold card is incredibly rewarding for spending at grocery stores. You’ll earn 4x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases.
This opportunity equals the ability to earn 100,000 Membership Rewards points each year, just for maximizing spending in 1 bonus category.
In addition, this card offers great rewards on flights (3x points per $1 spent on airfare booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel). When you’re traveling, make use of The Hotel Collection where you can get room upgrades and property credits.
You’ll even earn 4x points per dollar spent at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. — that can really add up if you dine out often!
Don’t be put off by the annual fee — there are statement credits for dining out at specific restaurants and food delivery, and more benefits to offset the fee allowing you to break even really quickly.
For example, the card offers up to $10 in monthly dining statement credits at participating partners like Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Milk Bar, select Shake Shack locations, and Wine.com.
Boosting the value proposition even further, you get up to $120 in Uber Cash every year (up to $10 per month), which can be used for Uber rides in the U.S. or Uber Eats orders in the U.S.
The Amex Gold card has no preset spending limit, which means you’re not limited by a traditional credit limit.
Hot Tip: Travel rewards credit cards often charge annual fees, but these cards also offer travel benefits that can more than offset the cost of that annual fee. Just be sure to select travel rewards credit cards with benefits you’ll actually use.
Why We Like Earning American Express Membership Rewards Points
If that doesn’t suit your tastes, you can get reduced redemption value when you use points for statement credits, cash-back, gift cards, charitable donations, and bookings made through Amex Travel.
2. Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express (Top Pick for Earning Cash Back)
American Express offers 2 cash-back cards that deliver excellent earnings on U.S. supermarket purchases. The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card is the more premium of the 2.
Despite its mild annual fee, the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card more than makes up for it with 6% back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%) and additional earnings at U.S. gas stations, select U.S. streaming subscriptions, and transit (taxis/rideshares, parking, tolls, trains, buses, and more).
To be specific, it also earns:
6% cash-back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions
3% cash-back at U.S. gas stations and on transit (includes rideshares, parking, tolls, taxis, and more)
1% cash-back on all other purchases
It also has fee-free authorized user cards (rates and fees).
3. Citi® Premier Card
The only Citi credit card in this guide is its flagship Citi Premier card. It has a ton of bonus categories:
3x ThankYou Points at supermarkets, restaurants, gas stations, air travel, and hotels
1x ThankYou points on all other purchases
The main selling point of the Citi Premier card is the abundant bonus categories, but you can also make use of the $100 annual hotel savings benefit whereby you can get $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through thankyou.com or at 1-800-THANKYOU.
There are no foreign transaction fees or additional fees for authorized users.
Why We Like Earning Citi ThankYou Rewards Points
The Citi Premier card earns ThankYou Rewards Points, which are a transferable currency worth around 1.6 cents each, by our valuations.
As always, the best way to redeem these points is to transfer them to travel partners for award travel; but if that’s not what you’re interested in, you can use ThankYou Points for gift cards, statement credits, travel booked through the Citi Travel, at Amazon.com, or at BestBuy.com.
4. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Capital One’s flagship credit card is the Capital One Venture X card. Laden with travel benefits, this card is also one of the best to use for your spending.
It follows this earning structure:
10x Capital One miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
5x Capital One miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
2x Capital One miles on all other purchases
So when you spend at grocery stores or supermarkets, you’ll earn 2x miles.
The Capital One Venture X card is rounded out with purchase protection, extended warranty, no foreign transaction fees, and up to 4 authorized users for no additional annual fee.
Why We Like Earning Capital One Miles
The Capital One Miles ecosystem is one of the most exciting; as one of the newest points systems available, these miles are worth 1.8 cents each. Earning 2x miles would be equivalent to a 3.6% return on spending.
You can use Capital One miles for cash-back, statement credits, travel booked through Capital One Travel, merchandise, and even gift cards.
Bottom Line: Having a credit card that earns at least 2% cash-back or 2 points per $1 spent on groceries is great. But it’s even better if the card has additional bonus earning categories or flat-rate earnings on every purchase you make.
5. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
If you want the simplicity of not having to keep track of or register for ongoing bonus categories and don’t need the flashy luxury travel benefits from the Capital One Venture X card, the Capital One Venture card still earns 2x miles per dollar spenton every purchase.
The benefits list on this card is pretty lean, but it includez additional cards for no fee and access to American Express Experiences (rates and fees).
You’ll still get up to $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit, 2 free visits to Capital One Lounges or Plaza Premium Lounges every year, and these additional earning categories:
5x Capital One miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
While you’re traveling, you’ll enjoy benefits such as Hertz Five Star status, travel insurance, and rental car coverage.
To wrap up this card, it has purchase protection, extended warranty, zero fraud liability, no foreign transaction fees, no added fees for authorized users, and virtual card numbers from Eno.
6. Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
If you’d prefer to have a credit card that’s less expensive to own (this card doesn’t have an annual fee) but you still want those U.S. supermarket rewards (3% back at U.S. supermarkets, up to $6,000 in purchases each year), try the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card.
You’ll also earn 3% cash-back at U.S. gas stations (up to $6,000 in purchases each year), 3% cash-back at U.S. online retailers (up to $6,000 in purchases each year), and 1% cash-back everywhere else.
The benefits list on this card isn’t huge, but there are some bright spots — additional cards are included for no fee, you’ll get access to American Express Experiences (rates and fees), and there are monthly credits for eligible Disney Bundle subscriptions (enrollment required) and Home Chef purchases (enrollment required).
7. Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
The freshly updated Chase Sapphire Preferred card now offers 3x Ultimate Rewards points per $1 spenton online grocery purchases. So if you find yourself doing mostly online grocery shopping, this is a fantastic choice for you.
It doesn’t end there — after every account anniversary year, you will get a 10% annual points bonus.
Lastly, this card has amazing travel insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and authorized users for no added fees.
Why We Like Earning Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
We love earning Chase Ultimate Rewards points because we value them at a whopping 2 cents per point.
So if you earn 3x points (including the 10% annual points bonus and the 3x points on online grocery purchases), your return on spending would be a staggering 6.2%.
There are other ways to redeem your points like cash-back, gift cards, charity, and at Amazon.com, but you won’t get anywhere near the best redemption value possible.
8. Chase Freedom Unlimited®
One of the best no-annual-fee credit cards in the business, the Freedom Unlimited card has a ton to offer to its cardholders.
The Freedom Unlimited card earns 1.5% cash-back all non-bonus purchases, which includes groceries, but those earnings become more valuable when paired with a premium Chase card such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
That’s because the cash-back can be transferred to your Ultimate Rewards earning card as points. Earning 1.5% cash-back and then converting your rewards to 1.5x Ultimate Rewards points is equal to a return on spending of 3%!
In addition, you’ll notice that you can also earn 5% cash-back on travel booked through the Chase travel portal, 3% cash-back at drugstores, and 3% cash-back at restaurants.
Earn $750 cash-back after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
Annual fee of $0
1.5% cash-back on all purchases
0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months; variable 18.24% - 24.24% thereafter
1. The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
The Amex Blue Business Plus is the small business owner’s best friend. You’ll accumulate 2x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on everyday business purchases, up to $50,000 per calendar year.
That’s equal to a return on spending of 4.4%! After that $50,000 cap, your rewards will drop down to 1x Membership Rewards points.
This card comes with benefits such as no additional fees for employee cards, and Expanded Buying Power (rates and fees).
2. Capital One Spark Miles for Business
The Capital One Spark Miles card is an exceptional choice for business owners who spend more on their business (including groceries and at supermarkets) and need uncapped rewards.
This card is great for business owners if you want streamlined rewards to earn transferable points — you’ll get 2x Capital One miles on every purchase!
That’s equivalent to a return on spending of 3.6%, based on our valuations.
It’ll also earn you 5x miles on rental cars and hotels booked through Capital One Travel and offers up to $100 Global Entry/TSA Precheck application fee credit.
Expect not to pay any foreign transaction fees or employee card fees. There’s also purchase protection, extended warranty, zero liability fraud protection, and virtual cards from Eno.
3. Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
The Ink Business Unlimited card is an awesome choice because of its attractive (and simple) earning potential, a huge welcome bonus, and more.
You’ll earn an unlimited 1.5% cash-back on all your purchases, which is convertible to 1.5x Ultimate Rewards points if you have a credit card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, Chase Sapphire Reserve card, or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.
Having one of those credit cards in addition to the Ink Business Unlimited card would net you a return on spending of 3% instead of 1.5%!
Looking at the card’s other benefits, you’ll find purchase protection, extended warranty, primary car rental insurance, zero liability fraud protection, no fees for employee cards, and more.
Maximizing Grocery Store Rewards
Most grocery stores sell more than groceries. Here are some ideas on how to maximize earnings each time you make a shopping trip to your local supermarket.
Maximize Earnings With Gift Card Purchases
Nearly every major grocery store sells gift cards. Whether you’re able to buy the gift cards with your credit card and earn rewards will depend on the store’s policy.
The list of gift cards you’ll find sold at grocery stores is nearly endless, and can include the following:
The store’s own gift card (Safeway, Giant, Albertsons, etc.)
If your grocery store allows you to purchase with a credit card, you may be able to purchase Visa, Mastercard, and American Express gift cards that can be used to pay other bills such as insurance, utilities, and medical bills.
Keep in mind that Visa, Mastercard, and American Express gift cards carry fees, so you would only purchase them to meet initial minimum spending requirements for card welcome bonuses — or when the amount of any rewards earned exceed the amount of the fees.
Purchasing gift cards (at grocery stores) that you’ll use in the future, for your own purchases or as gifts, is a way to earn more rewards on the spending you’re doing already.
Be sure to start with a small purchase and check your statement to ensure you’re earning rewards prior to making any significant gift card purchases.
Bottom Line: If your supermarket will allow you to purchase gift cards with your credit card, you may be able to earn even greater rewards.
Earn More at the Grocery Store With These Additional Purchases
Perhaps you have a local grocery store that’s more like a department store: it has everything you need including clothing, electronics, outdoor furniture, and much more.
To maximize your supermarket rewards, consider purchasing items you wouldn’t earn rewards on elsewhere.
Here are some of the items grocery stores may carry in addition to groceries:
Automotive items
Baby gear
Bakery, deli, and catering for office functions/parties
Bedding
Clothing
Home decor
Lawn maintenance supplies
Patio furniture
Pet supplies
Pharmacy, medicine, wellness
Tools
Bottom Line: If you’re earning rewards on your supermarket purchases, consider purchasing additional items at supermarkets that you would have normally purchased elsewhere without earning rewards.
Final Thoughts
According to the most recent 2022 USDA statistics, the average household family of 4 spends between $1,267 and $1,645 per month on food at home.
Let’s ballpark that to an estimate of $1,500 per month for an annual expense of $18,000 spent each year (not including eating out, which is another expense that could be earning rewards). If you’re spending that much money on groceries (or other supermarket purchases) and not earning rewards, it makes sense to consider a credit card that earns on those purchases.
You’ll need the discipline to pay off your card each month, of course, but you’ll end up with cash-back, points, or miles that can be turned into something of value you wouldn’t have had otherwise.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
Enrollment required through Capital One website or mobile app. Upon enrollment, eligible cardholders will remain at upgraded status level through December 31, 2024. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply.
The information regarding the Chase Freedom Unlimited® was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. The information regarding the Chase Freedom Flex℠ was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
Information regarding the Capital One Spark Miles for Business was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here. For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, click here. For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday® from American Express, click here. For rates and fees of The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, click here.
Featured Image Credit: Upgraded Points
Frequently Asked Questions
If you spend a lot on groceries, the best card for earning rewards on grocery/supermarket purchases will be one that delivers the most rewards for the amount you spend. You’ll have to start by estimating how much you spend annually and do the math.
We love the Amex Gold card, Amex Blue Cash Preferred card, Citi Premier card, Capital One Venture X card, Capital One Venture card, Amex Blue Cash Everyday card, Chase Sapphire Preferred card, and Freedom Unlimited card.
If you’re shopping at grocery stores and supermarkets for business, the best choices are the Amex Blue Business Plus card, Capital One Spark Miles card, and Ink Business Unlimited card.
No, Walmart does not normally count as a grocery store and will not earn bonus rewards. Occasionally, however, you will find Walmart listed as a bonus category on credit cards that have quarterly rotating bonus categories.
You’ll normally have to register in advance to be eligible, but once you have one of these credit cards you will receive reminder notices to do so. An example of a credit card with quarterly bonus categories is the Chase Freedom Flex℠ Credit Card.
Credit cards that reward purchases at supermarkets do so by giving you cash-back, points, or miles for spending on the credit card for those purchases.
For example, if you have a credit card that pays 3% cash-back on groceries and you spend $200 on groceries, you’ll receive cash-back of $6.
Many credit cards that reward grocery purchases also reward other spending such as at gas stations, department stores, and restaurants.
Over the course of a year, you could earn several hundred dollars in rewards just for the spending you’re already doing.
It is possible to get a credit card even if you have bad credit. Secured credit cards are designed specifically for those who have no credit or bad credit.
Because you’ll be building or rebuilding credit, the credit card issuer requires you to put down a security deposit that they will hold while they extend credit to you.
Stephen is an established voice in the credit card space, with over 70 to his name. His work has been in publications like The Washington Post, and his Au Points and Awards Consulting Services is used by hundreds of clients.
Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.
8 comments
Lance D Brady
October 01, 2019
Which 3 cards were you referring to in your hot tip for maximizing all the categories to get that money back? I know one was obviously the Freedom but the other two I did not know unless I missed something. Thanks for the great article.
Hi Lance. Thanks for reading and for the kind words. I was referring to the Discover cards and the Freedom, however, the Discover cards, which are excellent for quarterly supermarket categories had to be removed from the table for compliance reasons.
Brent
February 16, 2020
Christine, you are not clear on what the third card is.. I guess there are TWO Discover IT cards.. but you do not mention that in the article.. in fact you mention Freedom and Discover IT… then you say that there are 3 cards. This is what Lance wanted more clarification on.
Hi Brent. You are correct that the Discover cards are the other 2 cards but they had to be removed from the table due to compliance reasons. I’ll update my previous answer to
reflect this. Thanks so much.
Virginia Darr
May 01, 2020
What supermarkets does American Express give you 4x the points for? What do I have to do to get the extra points?
![The 11 Best Credit Cards for Groceries & Supermarket Spending [2023]](https://upgradedpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Freedom-Unlimited-and-Citi-Double-Cash-Supermarket-2-Upgraded-Points-LLC.jpg?auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=1420&height=650&fit=crop)
8 comments
Lance D Brady
October 01, 2019
Which 3 cards were you referring to in your hot tip for maximizing all the categories to get that money back? I know one was obviously the Freedom but the other two I did not know unless I missed something. Thanks for the great article.
Christine Krzyszton
October 02, 2019
Hi Lance. Thanks for reading and for the kind words. I was referring to the Discover cards and the Freedom, however, the Discover cards, which are excellent for quarterly supermarket categories had to be removed from the table for compliance reasons.
Brent
February 16, 2020
Christine, you are not clear on what the third card is.. I guess there are TWO Discover IT cards.. but you do not mention that in the article.. in fact you mention Freedom and Discover IT… then you say that there are 3 cards. This is what Lance wanted more clarification on.
Christine Krzyszton
February 16, 2020
Hi Brent. You are correct that the Discover cards are the other 2 cards but they had to be removed from the table due to compliance reasons. I’ll update my previous answer to
reflect this. Thanks so much.
Virginia Darr
May 01, 2020
What supermarkets does American Express give you 4x the points for? What do I have to do to get the extra points?
Christine Krzyszton
May 01, 2020
Hi Virginia. The earnings are automatic, no need to register. Here is a link to the list of supermarkets:https://www.americanexpress.com/us/rewards-info/retail.html
Joshua Han
October 05, 2020
Do all grocery store purchases earn grocery store bonuses or just certain items purchased at grocery stores?
Christine Krzyszton
October 05, 2020
Hi Joshua. If a store has a supermarket/grocery store merchant code, all purchases made there would receive bonus earnings. Thanks for your question.
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