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Amex dominates the board, offering great options for cash back and travel rewards.
If you spend a lot on groceries every month, you’ll be happy to know that the right credit card could help you save.
Several cards reward you handsomely for groceries, offering cash back, points or even discounts. These products tend to offer solid rewards for gas as well.
The best cashback rate on groceries: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
$200 statement credit after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new card within the first 3 months.
6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%) - that means spending $60 a week at U.S. supermarkets could earn over $180 back per year.
3% cash back at U.S. gas stations. 1% cash back on other purchases.
Over 1.5 million more places in the U.S. started accepting American Express® Cards in 2017.
Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be easily redeemed for statement credits, gift cards, and merchandise.
Target REDcard and Amazon give the highest rewards for specific stores. However, American Express sweeps the board in groceries at general US stores. This provider offers strong rewards in this category, letting you earn cash back or Membership Rewards points.
$200 statement credit after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new card within the first 3 months.
6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%) - that means spending $60 a week at U.S. supermarkets could earn over $180 back per year.
3% cash back at U.S. gas stations. 1% cash back on other purchases.
Over 1.5 million more places in the U.S. started accepting American Express® Cards in 2017.
Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be easily redeemed for statement credits, gift cards, and merchandise.
This card offers a fantastic cashback rate on groceries, but it has an annual fee. That said, you may want to get it if you can squeeze as much of the 6% cash back from your grocery spending as possible.
Assuming you use the card only for groceries, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is a better choice than the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express once you spend more than $3,167 a year, or more than $264 a month.
Welcome offer: $200 back. To earn it, make $1,000 in purchases on your card within the first three months of your account opening. It’s an above-average welcome offer, though you’ll find a few cashback cards that offer better ones.
Rewards: Up to 6% cash back. Earn 6% cash back at US supermarkets on up to $6,000 in purchases per year and 1% after. This is a stellar cashback rate on groceries — the best on the market. Earn 3% cash back at US gas stations and 1% back on other eligible purchases.
Intro APR. Enjoy a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months following your account opening and 14.99% to 25.99% variable after. A solid intro APR for purchases and balance transfers.
Annual fee: $95. If you don’t spend much in the card’s bonus categories, you’ll find this fee to be a big drag on your rewards.
Penalty APR. Late or returned payments may come with an indefinite 29.99% variable penalty APR.
Consider this card if you spend moderately on groceries. Assuming you use it only for that category, it’s the right choice if you spend less than $3,167 a year, or less than $264 a month. If you spend more than that, you might earn more rewards from the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express.
Annual fee: None. This is a good pick if you want a card that’s lighter on the budget.
Welcome offer: $150 back. To earn it, make $1,000 in purchases on your card within the first 3 months of card membership. It’s a good bonus with a relatively low spending requirement, though you’ll find cards that offer $150 bonuses for just $500 in spending within the first three months.
Rewards: Up to 3% cash back. Earn 3% cash back at US supermarkets on up to $6,000 in purchases per year, then 1%. Earn 2% cash back at US gas stations and eligible US department stores, and 1% back on other purchases.
Intro APR. Enjoy a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months following your account opening, and 14.99% to 25.99% variable after that. This is a strong intro APR — one of the best you’ll find for a grocery card.
Penalty APR. American Express may assess a 29.99% variable penalty APR to all of your balances if you make a late or returned payment.
Get the American Express® Gold Card in Limited Edition Rose Gold, only available until 1/9/2019.
Receive 20% back as a statement credit at U.S. Restaurants within the first 3 months, up to $100 back. Offer available to new Card Members who apply by 1/9/2019.
Plus, earn 25,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $2,000 on eligible purchases with your new card within the first 3 months.
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. restaurants. Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X).
Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with The Gold Card at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Shake Shack, and Ruth’s Chris Steak House. This is an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
$100 Airline Fee Credit: up to $100 in statement credits per calendar year for incidental fees at one selected qualifying airline.
Though it costs a hefty $250 a year, this card is a strong choice for travel and dining. Whether the annual fee is worth it depends on if you can squeeze all you can out of the rewards. You’ll find tremendous value in the card’s grocery rewards with 4 points per dollar spent at US supermarkets — 1x points after reaching the spending cap — is a generous rate. And the high bonus-purchase limit of $25,000 per calendar year means you can earn great rewards on heavy grocery spending.
Welcome offer: Statement credit for eligible dining, plus Membership Rewards points. Get 20% back as statement credit for the first 3 months of card membership when you use your card at US restaurants. You’ll receive up to $100 back during this promotion. Also, earn 50,000 Membership Rewards points after you make $2,000 in purchases with your card within the first 3 months of your account opening.
Rewards: Up to 4x points. Earn 4x points at US restaurants. And earn 4x points at US supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1x. On flights booked directly with airlines or on American Express Travel, earn 3x points. And on everything else, you’ll earn 1x points.
Dining and airline fee credit. After enrolling, use your American Express® Gold Card at participating restaurants and earn $10 in statement credits each month. You could earn up to $120 in statement credits every year. Also, get a $100 airline fee credit per calendar year on one qualifying airline of your choice. You can use it for charges such as in-flight meals and checked bags.
Benefits for The Hotel Collection. When you use your card to book The Hotel Collection properties on American Express Travel, you’ll receive exclusive benefits that include a $75 hotel credit and room upgrade if available.
Annual fee: $250. This is the most expensive card on our list. However, it comes with valuable dining and travel credits that could heavily offset the annual fee. Plus, you can earn excellent rewards on US groceries given the card’s high bonus-spending cap.
It’s a charge card. You’ll need to pay off your balance in full every month. There’s an exception for charges of $100 or more, on which you can pay the minimum, the full amount due or an amount in between. American Express calls this Pay Over Time.
Relatively high APR for Pay Over Time purchases. There’s just one APR for these purchases: 20.24% variable.
Penalty APR. American Express may assess a 29.99% variable APR to all of your balances if you make a late or returned payment.
Target may be your all-in-one-stop for groceries, household supplies and apparel. If that’s the case, the Target REDcard™ Credit Card is a smart choice with its 5% discount on Target purchases.
Annual fee: None.
5% discount on Target purchases. This is like getting 5% cash back on every Target purchase online and in stores — a superb rate for groceries and gifts.
Free shipping on most items when you shop at Target.com. Normally, orders under $35 come with a $5.99 flat fee for shipping, with this card you’ll get it for free. Plus, eligible orders over $35 will get free two-day shipping.
Extended returns. On qualifying purchases at Target stores or Target.com, you’ll get an extra 30 days to make returns.
Receive your Target REDcard™ Credit Card discount on top of Cartwheel and Target Subscriptions savings. You can stack multiple discounts on your Target and Target.com purchases.
Target REDcard™ Credit Card perks. Get early access to products, promotions, special items and events, offers and a 10% off coupon on your Target REDcard™ Credit Card anniversary.
High APR. The card comes with only one APR for purchases: 24.9% variable. That’s a high rate, so consider paying off your balance in full every month.
Consider this card if you make more than 20 purchases with your card each billing cycle and want travel rewards for your grocery spending.
To get the most value from your points, transfer them to select airline and hotel partners. If you’d rather not take the time to do this, consider one of the cashback cards above. They offer simple but strong rewards.
The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card is a good pick if you spend approximately $3,800 or less every year on groceries, or $317 a month. If you spend more than that, you may earn better rewards with Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card.
Annual fee: None. You won’t have an annual fee eating into your rewards.
Welcome offer: 10,000 Membership Rewards Points. To earn them, make $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of your account opening. If you use your Membership Rewards for point transfers to certain hotel and airline partners, this bonus could be worth over $200. It likely has a lower value if you redeem points for other rewards such as statement credit.
Intro APR. Enjoy a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months following your account opening, and 14.99% to 25.99% variable after that. A solid intro APR, and it gets even better with the balance-transfer-fee promotion.
$0 balance transfer fee for transfers you request within the first 60 days of your account opening. Few cards offer $0 balance-transfer-fee promotions, so this is an excellent benefit.
Rewards: Up to 2x Membership Rewards points. Earn 2x points at US supermarkets on up to $6,000 in annual purchases. After that and on all other eligible purchases, earn 1x points.
Earn 20% more points when you make 20 or more purchases with your card in a billing period. If you can consistently meet this purchase requirement, you’ll receive a nice bonus on your points.
Penalty APR. All of your balances may end up with a 29.99% variable APR if you make a late or returned payment.
This card becomes more valuable than the once you pass $3,800 in grocery spending per year, or about $317 a month.
If you’d prefer not to do the math, stick with this rule of thumb: the closer you get to your $6,000-per-year spending cap on bonus grocery points, the more valuable this card becomes.
Welcome offer: 15,000 Membership Rewards Points. To earn them, make $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of card membership. Using your Membership Rewards for point transfers to certain airline and hotel partners, could make this worth over $300. You’ll typically get a lower value if you redeem points for other rewards such as statement credit.
Rewards: Up to 3x points. Earn 3x points at US supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, and then 1x points after that. Earn 2x points at US gas stations and 1x points on all other purchases.
Earn 50% extra points when you use your card 30 or more times on purchases in a billing period. This perk skyrockets the value of the Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card. Leverage it and you could find yourself with an attractive haul of Membership Rewards points.
Intro APR. Enjoy a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months following your account opening, and 14.99% to 24.99% variable after that. This is a solid intro APR for purchases and balance transfers.
Annual fee: $95. Look out for the annual fee when calculating the rewards you’ll earn.
Take advantage of the 50%-point boost. This card is most effective if you get the 50% point boost each billing period. If you don’t think you’ll consistently make 30 or more purchases on your card each billing period, consider another card.
Penalty APR. You may be assessed a 29.99% variable penalty APR to all of your balances if you make a late or returned payment.
The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card offers 5% back — an excellent rate — at Whole Foods Market. You must have an eligible Prime membership to apply.
Annual fee: None. You can only apply for this card if you have an eligible Prime membership.
Signup bonus: $70 Amazon.com gift card immediately upon approval. A fairly competitive signup bonus given you don’t have to spend anything to get it.
Rewards: Up to 5% cash back. Earn 5% back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market. Earn 2% back at restaurants, gas stations and drugstores. And earn 1% back on all other purchases.
Must have an eligible Prime membership. An annual Prime membership costs $119 a year. A Prime Student membership costs $59 a year.
How to compare credit cards for grocery stores
Comparing these cards can get confusing — especially with so many products from one provider. Here are a few factors to consider that might help you pick the winner.
Annual fee. Consider whether you want to pay an annual fee for your card. For some people, an annual fee is a dealbreaker. If this is the most important factor for you, you could narrow your options very quickly.
How much you spend on groceries. If you spend little on groceries, lean toward the no-annual-fee cards. If you spend a lot, you might get more rewards out of the annual-fee options.
Where you shop. The Target REDcard™ Credit Card is a formidable contender, but only if you use it at its designated store. Take a serious look at the card if you’re willing to do all of your grocery shopping at Target. If you like to shop for groceries outside of Target, one of the American Express cards will likely be a better fit.
Whether you want an intro APR. Most of Amex’s grocery cards offer decent intro APRs on purchases and balance transfers. The American Express® Gold Card doesn’t have an intro APR.
Welcome offer. Annual-fee cards tend to have more valuable welcome offers than no-annual-fee cards — though you’ll likely have to spend more to qualify. The Target REDcard™ Credit Card doesn’t have a welcome offer.
Bottom line
The two most important factors to consider may be each card’s annual fee and how much you spend on groceries. If you’re thinking about an American Express card, consider which type of rewards you want: cash back or membership rewards points. Points can be more valuable, but cash back is simpler.
Frequently asked questions
Cashback rewards are usually simpler to understand and manage. It’s easy to see how much your rewards are worth, and there are typically just a few redemption options.
Meanwhile, a travel card might give you points or miles that you could redeem for a number of things, such as statement credit, airfare, hotel bookings, gift cards and charitable donations.
Plus, your rewards could be worth different values depending on what you redeem them for. To squeeze the most from your points or miles, you need to do the math or dig into research on your card’s reward values.
It has a substantial impact on the value of your rewards. If you earn $100 in points from your card but you’re paying a $95 annual fee, you’re effectively earning only $5 in rewards.
No. If you make late or returned payments from time to time, strongly consider a provider that doesn’t assess a penalty APR. It’s no fun having a steep 29.99% variable APR — a common penalty rate — on all of your balances.
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