The best credit card for groceries
On grocery purchases, 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: Supermarkets — not Walmart or Target.
The short version
- Earns the most: American Express Gold Card, $8.00 per $100, with a $325 annual fee.
- Best with no annual fee: American Express Amex EveryDay, $4.00 per $100.
- Is the fee worth it? Only if you spend over $8,200 a year on groceries, 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
US supermarkets only. Up to $25,000 per year, then the base rate
|
4x | 2.00¢ / pt | $8.00 |
| 2 |
Amex EveryDay Preferred
American Express, $95/yr
U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 a year. Up to $6,000 per year, then the base rate
|
3x | 2.00¢ / pt | $6.00 |
| 3 |
Blue Cash Preferred
American Express, $95/yr
US supermarkets only. Up to $6,000 per year, then the base rate
|
6% | 1.00¢ / pt | $6.00 |
| 4 |
Strata Premier
Citi, $95/yr
|
3x | 1.60¢ / pt | $4.80 |
| 5 |
Amex EveryDay
American Express, No annual fee
U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 a year. Up to $6,000 per year, then the base rate
|
2x | 2.00¢ / pt | $4.00 |
| 6 |
Blue Business Plus
American Express, No annual fee
2x on every purchase, with no bonus categories to track. Up to $50,000 per year, then the base rate
|
2x | 2.00¢ / pt | $4.00 |
| 7 |
Venture Rewards
Capital One, $95/yr
Base rate — no bonus category applies here
|
2x | 1.80¢ / pt | $3.60 |
| 8 |
Venture X
Capital One, $395/yr
Base rate — no bonus category applies here
|
2x | 1.80¢ / pt | $3.60 |
Cards that pay more only some of the year
Freedom and Freedom Flex and Discover it Cash Back pay a bonus on groceries 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 Groceries as your category; Up to $500 per billing cycle, then the base rate.
- Prime Visa (Amazon / Chase) — 5% only at Amazon, Whole Foods.
- Bilt Obsidian Card (Bilt) — 3x if you choose Groceries as your category; Up to $25,000 per year, then the base rate.
- Amazon Visa (Amazon / Chase) — 3% only at Amazon, Whole Foods.
- OnePay CashRewards Mastercard (OnePay / Synchrony) — 3% only at Walmart.
How to use this list
- Check the store codes as groceries. Issuers pay by how the store is registered, not by what you bought. This page counts: Supermarkets — not Walmart or Target.
- Start with cards you have. Your highest one in the table is your card for grocery purchases 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.