Best Credit Cards for Groceries in 2024

It is common for grocery credit cards to offer 2% to 3% cash back or 2X to 3X points per dollar on grocery purchases. However, some cards help you maximize your reward-earning potential by offering even better cash back/reward rates. For instance, our top pick, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, offers 6% cash back on grocery purchases at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per year). So, if you spend $7,000 on grocery purchases in a year, you get $360 as cash back for the first $6,000, and you get 1% cash back for the $1,000 you spend over the limit, which amounts to an added $10. Plus, the card comes with other bonus categories too.

Narrowing down on the best credit card for groceries requires paying attention to your individual spending patterns and requirements. We’ve selected the top of the lot after considering aspects such as credit scores required to apply, reward earn rates, annual fees, APRs and additional benefits. For more recommendations, please scroll further down the page.

The links in the table above and some of the links on this page will take you to one of our partner's sites, where you can compare and apply for a selected credit card.

• Best Grocery Credit Cards to Earn Cash Back
• Best Grocery Credit Cards to Earn Rewards
• Quick Tips for Comparing Credit Cards
• How Do Grocery Credit Cards Work?

Experts at MoneyGeek have reviewed and compared the best cards for groceries across parameters such as reward earn rates, annual fees, interest rates and added perks. If we feel there’s a possible drawback you need to know of, we mention it upfront.

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express - Great for earning cash back on groceries, streaming subscriptions, transit and gas purchases in the U.S.
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express lets you earn 6% cash back on groceries at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 in purchases per year. That's up $360 as cash back on grocery purchases up to this limit, after which you still earn 1% cash back. It also offers 6% cash back on payments made toward select U.S. streaming subscriptions. It comes with 3% cash back on transit and on gas at U.S. gas stations. All other purchases earn 1% cash back. Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout. While American Express waives this card’s annual fee for the first year, you need to pay $95 per year going forward.

Citi® Double Cash Card - Good for earning cash back on everyday purchases without paying annual fees
The Citi® Double Cash Card gives you the ability to earn up to 2% cash back on all purchases — 1% when you make a purchase and 1% when you make your payments on time. There is no limit to how much cash back you may earn. So, if you spend $10,000 in a year and make all your payments on time, you'll earn $200 as cash back. This card comes with no annual fee.

U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card - Ideal for earning rewards on groceries, dining, streaming services and at gas/EV charging stations
The U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card offers 4X points per dollar on dining (including takeout and delivery). Grocery store, grocery delivery, streaming service, gas station and EV charging station purchases earn 2X points per dollar. All other purchases earn 1X points per dollar. Let’s say you spend $2,000 per year on dining and around $6,000 combined on the other bonus categories. In this case, you’ll earn a total of 20,000 points (8,000 + 12,000), which translates to $200 as cash back. This card charges no annual fees.

Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card - Good for earning cash back on all purchases
The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card offers unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases, which means there is no need to keep track of bonus categories. So, if you spend a total of $10,000 in a year, you will get $200 in cash back. This card does not charge any annual fees.

Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card - Perfect for earning cash back on groceries, dining, entertainment and streaming services
The SavorOne Rewards Card from Capital One offers unlimited 3% cash back at grocery stores, entertainment, dining, and popular streaming services. All other purchases earn 1% cash back. If your combined spending across all the bonus categories stands at $9,000 per year, you can expect to receive $270 as cash back. You pay no annual fee for this card.

Citi Custom Cash℠ Card - Perfect for earning high cash back on categories that can change from one month to the next
The Citi Custom Cash℠ Card offers 5% cash back on up to $500 spent on your highest eligible spend category each month. All other purchases earn 1% cash back. Categories through which you may earn 5% cash back include grocery stores, restaurants, select streaming services, live entertainment, gas stations, select travel, select transit, home improvement stores, drugstores and fitness clubs. If you receive 5% cash on $500 spent toward a bonus category each month, it amounts to $300 in a year. This card comes with no annual fees.

American Express® Gold Card - Great for people with considerable dining and grocery expenses
The American Express® Gold Card offers 4X points per dollar on spending on U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000) at U.S. supermarkets per year. Spending at restaurants globally, as well as on delivery and takeout in the U.S., also comes with 4X points per dollar, up to $50,000 per calendar year. After that, earn 1X points. You earn 3X points per dollar on flights booked with Amex Travel or directly with airlines. If you spend a combined $25,000 on groceries and dining each year, you get 100,000 points. When redeemed through Amex Travel, this can amount to a $1,000 airline ticket. This card comes with a $250 annual fee.

Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card - Great for earning rewards on groceries and other bonus categories without paying annual fees
The Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card offers 5X points per dollar on gas and EV charging station purchases. Purchases at supermarkets (including most Walmart and Target locations), at restaurants, and on streaming, cable, TV and radio services earn 3X points per dollar. All other purchases earn 1X points per dollar. Let’s say you spend an average of $3,000 on gas and $7,000 at supermarkets and restaurants in a year. This gets you 36,000 reward points (15,000 + 21,000). When redeemed for flights or hotel stays, these can be worth up to 1.7 cents per point, amounting to a total of $612. This card does not charge any annual fees.

Citi Premier® Card - Ideal for earning rewards at supermarkets, gas stations, restaurants and on travel
With the Citi Premier® Card, you earn 3X points at supermarkets, gas stations and restaurants, as well as on air travel and hotel stays. If you spend a total of $10,000 on these bonus categories in a year, you earn 30,000 Thank You points. If you redeem these to cover the cost of airline, hotel or cruise purchases or as cash or gift cards, you can expect to receive a value of roughly 1 cent per point, or $300. Transferring your points to participating airline loyalty programs may offer higher value. This card comes with a $95 annual fee.

Citi Rewards+® Card - Ideal for earning rewards at supermarkets and gas stations without needing to pay an annual fee
This is another card from Citi that makes it to the list of the best credit cards for groceries and gas, given that it has no annual fees. It lets you earn 2X points at supermarkets and gas stations for the first $6,000 you spend each year. If you spend an average of $10,000 on these categories each year, you receive a total of 16,000 Thank You points (12,000 + 4,000). If you choose to redeem these in the form of cash or to purchase gift cards, you get a value of 1 cent per dollar. It’s the same if you use your points to cover hotel stays or airfares. In all these cases, 16,000 points translate to $160.

Our lists of the best credit cards are based on publicly available data from card issuers and other reputable sources like the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB).

We review each card's fees, interest rates, rewards, benefits, and more to assign a rating for each feature. These ratings are stack ranked and weighted for each card category to determine our top selections for each type of user.

Because card details change regularly, we revisit our data each month to update our ratings, recommendations, and other card information as needed. Learn more about our data collection and ranking process.

Comparing grocery credit cards requires paying attention to multiple aspects. For instance, getting a credit card with reward miles might limit your options when it comes to redeeming your miles for rewards.

• Creditworthiness: The best credit cards for groceries are typically made available for people with good to excellent credit scores. However, people with average/fair credit also get options from which to choose. These include the Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card and the Credit One Bank® Platinum X5 Visa® Card.
• Reward earn rate: While some cards offer higher cashback/reward earn rates on grocery shopping, you need to determine if they come with annual limits. For example, the 6% cash back on groceries at U.S. supermarkets from the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express applies only to the first $6,000 in grocery purchases each year. All the money you spend after this limit comes with 1% cash back. The Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card, on the other hand, lets you earn unlimited 3% cash back at grocery stores.
• Annual fee: This aspect requires your attention if you don’t see yourself spending too much on groceries throughout the year. For example, if a 2% cash back card comes with a $99 annual fee, you’ll need to spend at least $4,950 on eligible purchases through the course of the year just to offset the fee. You'll have to spend even more to catch up to other cards that don't charge an annual fee.
• APR: You need to look at a card’s annual percentage rate (APR) if you don’t plan to pay off your balances in full each month. If you’re going to keep revolving balances in your account, you might be better off focusing on low APR cards instead of a rewards credit card. (APR vs. APY: What's the Difference?)
• Introductory offers: The best grocery credit cards tend to come with spending-based introductory offers that let you earn reward points, miles or cash back. For example, a card might offer 20,000 reward points if you spend $1,500 on purchases within three months from account opening.
• Added perks: Added perks that you may expect from different grocery rewards and cash back cards include statement credits toward payments to specific service providers, free additional cards, complimentary insurance coverage, travel-related benefits and extended warranties.

>>MORE: Flexible Points vs. Miles: Which Credit Card Reward is Better?

Grocery credit cards give cardholders the ability to earn points, cash back or miles when they spend on groceries. In many such cases, cards list groceries as a bonus category, through which you get to earn higher-than-usual rewards/cash back.

Some grocery cards place caps on maximum spending amounts that qualify for higher earn rates per quarter or year. Depending on the card you get, it might come with other bonus categories such as gas, dining, entertainment and travel.

If you get a co-branded grocery card, the higher earn rate might apply only when you make purchases at the store in question.

For example, the Capital One Walmart Rewards Card offers 5% cash back at Walmart.com; 2% cash back at Walmart stores, travel and restaurants; and 1% cash back on all other purchases.

This is also the case with Costco credit cards by Citi which offer higher earn rates on Costco purchases than at other big-box retail or grocery stores.

While redeeming the cash back you earn through a grocery credit card is fairly simple, this is not necessarily the case with points or miles. For instance, if you get a co-branded credit card, you might have to redeem your rewards through the merchant in question.

Stores that are considered grocery stores for credit cards vary based on any given card’s issuer. For instance, while American Express excludes warehouse clubs and superstores such as Costco from the grocery store category, this is not the case with Bank of America cards.

According to data released by Statista, the average U.S. household food expenditure stood at $7,316 in 2020. If you were to use a grocery credit card with 3% cash back, spending the average amount would earn you $219.48 as cashback. If you pay no annual fee toward this card and pay off your balances in full each month, all the cash back you earn is a bonus.

If you favor any one particular chain of stores over others, you might consider getting a co-branded grocery card to maximize your reward-earning potential. In such a scenario, you may benefit by using a cash back card with a flat or high earn rate for all other purchases.

If you wish to earn higher rewards on gas purchases, too, you may look for a grocery card that also includes gas as a bonus category. The Citi Premier® Card fits the bill of a good credit card for gas and groceries, given that it offers 3X points on both categories.

If you plan to get a grocery credit card with an annual fee, it would be worth your while only if you earn enough rewards/cash back to offset its cost. Grocery credit cards, like other rewards cards, tend to come with higher APRs than cards without rewards. As a result, if you plan to maintain revolving balances in your credit card account, you might benefit more by getting a low APR card.

How you get to redeem the points or cash back you earn through a grocery credit card depends not just on your card provider but also on the specific card.

For instance, the Citi Premier® Card and the Citi Rewards+® Card let you redeem your points for gift cards, travel rewards and for shopping online at Amazon.com or BestBuy.com. However, while you may transfer the points you earn through the Citi Premier® Card to partner airline frequent flyer programs, this is not an option with the Citi Rewards+® Card.

Citi lets you redeem the cash back you earn through the Double Cash Card as a statement credit, a direct deposit or a check, and also lets you convert it to points. However, with the same bank’s Costco Anywhere Visa Card, you may get the cash back you earn as an annual credit card reward certificate. This certificate can be redeemed for cash or merchandise at Costco Warehouses in the U.S., including Puerto Rico.

You may redeem the cash back you earn through the SavorOne Rewards Card from Capital One in the form of a statement credit or a check. Setting up automatic redemptions is possible and is a convenient way to redeem cash back rewards. You may also use your cash back to shop at Amazon.com or via PayPal.

Learning the answers to other commonly asked questions about grocery credit cards will help you easily select the card that works well for you.

Now that you know how grocery credit cards work, consider your spending habits and individual preferences before narrowing down on one that might work best for you. While you need to pay attention to the rewards or cash back you stand to earn, you also need to take into account factors such as annual fees, APRs and added benefits.

For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, please click here.

For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, please click here.