Best credit cards for groceries: Everything from unlimited cash back to big travel rewards

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Grocery bills are a common expense in many household budgets, and using one of the best credit cards for travel to pay for your supermarket shopping can be a really easy way to earn cash back or points. But many of the best rewards credit cards don’t earn extra points for purchases at supermarkets.

With the coronavirus outbreak, most of us are limiting our expenditures to essentials, like groceries. And if you want to get the most back for your purchases, these cards are all solid options.

Best credit card for Groceries

• The Platinum Card® from American Express: Best for new cardmembers earning Amex Membership Rewards points
• Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: Best for cash back
• American Express® Gold Card: Best for big spenders earning travel rewards
• Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express: Best for cash back with no annual fee (see rates & fees)
• Citi® Double Cash Card: Best for unlimited cash back with no annual fee

The information for the Amex EveryDay Preferred and Citi Double Cash Card has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Summary of the Best grocery credit cards

Best grocery credit cards

The Platinum Card® from American Express

Best for new cardmembers earning Amex Membership Rewards points

With the Amex Platinum card, you can earn 75,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in your first six months of card membership. You’ll also earn 10x points on eligible purchases on your new card at U.S. gas stations and U.S. supermarkets, on up to $15,000 in combined purchases, during your first six months of card membership. That’s an additional 9 points on top of the 1 point you earn for these purchases.

It’s this benefit that makes The Platinum Amex card such a fantastic deal when it comes to grocery spending. And the earnings don’t stop there. You’ll also get:

• 5x Membership Rewards on airfare (booked either directly with the airline or through Amex Travel; on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year as of Jan. 1, 2021)
• 5x Membership Rewards points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel
• One point per dollar on everything else
• Terms apply

The card has a $550 annual fee, which is not waived (see rates & fees). If you use the perks and credits, you’ll easily come out ahead and find the Amex Platinum’s annual fee worth it.

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

Best for cash back

With the Amex Blue Case Preferred, you’ll earn a $350 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new card within the first six months of card membership. On top of all that, it earns 6% cash back on the first $6,000 spent at U.S. supermarkets each calendar year, then 1%. Terms apply.

The Blue Cash Preferred’s benefits go far beyond U.S. supermarket purchases. You’ll also earn 3% back at U.S. gas stations and on transit. The transit category includes Uber, Lyft, taxis, trains, tolls, subway, buses and ferries. The card also earns 6% back on select U.S. streaming services, but if you pay for your streaming service as part of a bundle the transaction may not qualify.

There is a $95 annual fee (see rates & fees). But even if you only open the Blue Cash Preferred for its grocery bonus category you’d still be coming out ahead every year because maxing out that bonus earns you $360. That’s a solid return for a credit card that earns cash back. Also, a big part of what makes cash back worth it for so many is the simplicity of being able to use it for any expense.

American Express® Gold Card

Best for big spenders earning travel rewards

You can earn 60,000 Amex Membership Rewards points after spending $4,000 in the first six months after opening the Amex Gold card.

If you’re a heavy spender on groceries, you can’t beat the American Express Gold card. It earns 4x Amex points at U.S. supermarkets on the first $25,000 spent per calendar year, then 1x. The card also earns an uncapped 4x Amex points on dining at restaurants, 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com and one point on all other purchases.

This is also a top choice for credit cards for restaurants because it earns up to $120 in dining credits each year — you’ll get up to $10 in credit per month when you use your card at participating restaurant partners. (enrollment required). And it has no foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees).

There is a $250 annual fee (see rates and fees). But there are so many great ways to use Amex points to get outsized value for your rewards. If you spend a lot in those categories and want to earn travel rewards, this is the right card for you.

At a value of two cents per point, the intro bonus is worth $700 in travel. With the cards dining and airline credits (up to $220 per year, combined), and after paying the $250 annual fee the first year value is $670.

Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express

Best for cash back with no annual fee

The Blue Cash Everyday Amex is currently offering a $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card within the first six months of card membership.

The Blue Cash Everyday also earns 3% back on the first $6,000 spent at U.S. supermarkets each calendar year, then 1%. That makes it a great option for anyone looking to earn a bonus on grocery spending without paying an annual fee (see rates and fees). Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed for statement credits.

That said, this card earns half the bonus cash back rate as the Blue Cash Preferred on the first $6,000 spent at U.S. supermarkets. That equates to earning $85 less per year in cash back once you pay the Blue Cash Preferred’s $95 annual fee(rates and fees). So this card is a better option only if you can’t qualify for the Blue Cash Preferred or can’t justify paying that card’s annual fee because you won’t max out the U.S. supermarkets bonus category every year.

Citi® Double Cash Card

Best for unlimited cash back with no annual fee

This card currently has no intro bonus offer, but the Citi Double Cash card earns 2% cash back, 1% when you buy and 1% as you pay.

This is one of the best cards to use for everyday spending that doesn’t fall into another card’s bonus category. Because most cards only earn 1% on non-bonused spending with the Citi Double Cash you’re essentially doubling your return on those purchases. Not bad for a card with no annual fee. And it’s especially nice because you don’t have to hassle with bonus categories.

Plus, if you have the Citi Prestige® Card or Citi Premier® Card you can transfer the rewards you earn with the Citi Double Cash to Citi’s travel partners

The information for the Citi Prestige has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Store-specific card options

Most of the cards on this list are issued by Amex and according to its terms superstores (including Target, Walmart and Amazon) and wholesale clubs (like Costco and BJs) won’t earn bonus points. So if you do most of your grocery spending at these stores you may want to look into opening a card specifically for these purchases.

Here are a few good options:

Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card

This card is issued by Chase, so it is subject to the 5/24 rule, which means you won’t be eligible for it if you’ve opened 5+ card from any bank in the past 24 months. You’ll also need to be an Amazon Prime member to qualify. It earns 5% back at Amazon and Whole Foods, making it one of the best credit cards for Amazon purchases.

It also earns 2% back at restaurants, gas stations and drugstores and 1% back on all other purchases.

Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi

There are plenty of good credit cards to use at Costco, including this one. With it you’ll earn 4% cash back on the first $7,000 on eligible gas purchases at Costco and gas stations worldwide each annual reward period (1% thereafter). It also earns 3% cash back at restaurants worldwide and on eligible travel purchases. When you make purchases at Costco you’ll earn 2% cash back and 1% cash back on all other eligible purchases.

Target REDcard™ Credit Card

The Target REDcard gets you a 5% discount on all qualifying target purchases. So even though you’re not earning rewards it’s a great option if you do most of your grocery shopping at Target. You’ll also get free shipping on most purchases made on the Target website.

The information for the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card, Target REDcard credit card and Costco Anywhere Visa card has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

For rates and fees of the Amex Gold Card, please click here. 

For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred Card, please click here.

For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday Card, please click here.