The best credit card for dining out
On restaurant bills, American Express Gold Card earns the most: $8.00 per $100, $2.00 more than the next card.
Rate × what the points are worth, so points and cash back compare in dollars. Counts as: Restaurants, bars, coffee shops.
The short version
- Earns the most: American Express Gold Card, $8.00 per $100, with a $325 annual fee.
- Best with no annual fee: Bilt Mastercard, $6.00 per $100.
- Is the fee worth it? Only if you spend over $16,300 a year on dining out, counting this category alone. Below that, the free card wins.
| # | Card | EarnsThe rate the card advertises here, in its own currency: cash back, points or miles. | Point valueWhat one point or mile in this currency is worth, in cents: the median of the published valuations we read. Every ranking multiplies by it. | Per $100What $100 of spending earns, in dollars: the rate multiplied by what the currency is worth. This is what the table is ranked by. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Gold Card
American Express, $325/yr
Up to $50,000 per year, then the base rate
|
4x | 2.00¢ / pt | $8.00 |
| 2 |
Bilt Mastercard
Bilt, No annual fee
|
3x | 2.00¢ / pt | $6.00 |
| 3 |
Sapphire Preferred
Chase, $95/yr
|
3x | 2.00¢ / pt | $6.00 |
| 4 |
Classic Green Card
American Express, $150/yr
Restaurants worldwide, including takeout
|
3x | 2.00¢ / pt | $6.00 |
| 5 |
Sapphire Reserve
Chase, $795/yr
|
3x | 2.00¢ / pt | $6.00 |
| 6 |
Strata Premier
Citi, $95/yr
|
3x | 1.60¢ / pt | $4.80 |
| 7 |
Strata Elite
Citi, $595/yr
6x on Friday and Saturday 6pm–6am ET
|
3x | 1.60¢ / pt | $4.80 |
| 8 |
Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite
Bank of America, $395/yr
Eligible dining
|
3x | 1.55¢ / pt | $4.65 |
Cards that pay more only some of the year
Freedom and Freedom Flex and Discover it Cash Back pay a bonus on dining out only in quarters the issuer picks it, and only after you activate it. Not ranked above, since you may not have that rate this quarter.
Cards that pay more here with a condition attached
Not ranked above because each needs a chosen category or a specific store. If that fits how you shop, these can beat the table.
- Custom Cash (Citi) — 5x if you choose Restaurants & Bars as your category; Up to $500 per billing cycle, then the base rate.
- Customized Cash Rewards (Bank of America) — 3% if you choose Restaurants & Bars as your category; Up to $2,500 per quarter, then the base rate.
- Cash+ Visa Signature (U.S. Bank) — 5% if you choose Restaurants & Bars as one of your categories; Up to $2,000 per quarter, then the base rate.
- Bilt Obsidian Card (Bilt) — 3x if you choose Restaurants & Bars as your category.
- World of Hyatt Business Card (Chase) — 2x if you choose Restaurants & Bars as one of your categories.
- Business Gold Card (American Express) — 4x if you choose Restaurants & Bars as one of your categories; Up to $150,000 per year, then the base rate.
How to use this list
- Check the store codes as dining out. Issuers pay by how the store is registered, not by what you bought. This page counts: Restaurants, bars, coffee shops.
- Start with cards you have. Your highest one in the table is your card for restaurant bills today.
- Read the notes under each card. A cap or "US only" can change the answer.
- Then consider a new card, judged on your whole year of spending.
Why dollars and not multipliers
A multiplier means nothing until you know what a point is worth. Every rate here is converted at a published valuation first, which is why the order can differ from the advertised multipliers.
Point values: published industry valuations, most recently read 2026-09. We track The Points Guy, Upgraded Points, NerdWallet, Frequent Miler and AwardWallet.