Save Money On Your Grocery Bills With These 5 Amazing Cards

The Best Credit Cards For Groceries – Here Are The Top 5!

If there is one staple purchase category of every family, it is groceries. Routine trips to the grocery store happen week in, week out. Which makes having at least one of the best cards for grocery purchases in your wallet an absolute must. You’d think a plethora of cards would offer bonus earning on grocery store spending. However, that is not the case. One issuer offers most of the best credit cards for groceries. Here are the top five:

Some Of These Offers May Have Ended Or Changed

American Express Gold Card

The American Express Gold Card might be the hands-down best credit card for groceries. The changes to the card that went into effect earlier in 2019 made it a serious contender for my wallet, the $250 annual fee notwithstanding. The earning rate for grocery purchases was doubled, and the card now earns 4x Membership Rewards points at grocery stores (and restaurants) on up to $25,000 in spend each year.

The 4x earn is an effective return of 6.0%, assuming you value Membership Rewards points at 1.5 cents each. This isn’t their cash value, but if you know how to leverage the fantastic array of airline transfer partners, the card is a solid winner.

Here are the full benefits of the American Express Gold Card :

• Welcome offer of 35,000 Membership Rewards points after making $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of membership
• 4x points at restaurants
• 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (cumulative spend cap of $25,000)
• 3x points for flights booked directly with airlines or Amex Travel
• 1x points on all other purchases
• $100 airline incidental fee credit
• $120 annual dining credit (awarded as $10 monthly) for select restaurants
• No foreign transaction fees
• $250 annual fee (not waived)
• Learn More

Remember that American Express has a once-per-lifetime rule for welcome offers on their card products. If you’ve had the Gold Card or Premier Rewards Gold Card (former name), you’ll be ineligible for the offer.

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express

If earning cash rather than Membership Rewards points, American Express has you covered in this area as well. The Blue Cash Preferred earns a whopping 6% back on supermarket purchases, up to $6,000 in spend per year. If you max out the category, you’ll earn $360 in cash back.

The annual fee of $95 eats into the total earning a bit, which is the main drawback. But this will still leave you with $265 in your pocket every year without a lot of effort. Here are the full benefits of the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express:

• Welcome offer of $250 after spending $1,000 in purchases on the card within the first 3 months of card membership.
• 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per year)
• 6% cash back on select streaming services
• 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on transit
• 1% cash back on all other purchases
• Annual fee of $95
• Learn More

Again, remember the once per lifetime welcome offer restriction on Amex cards!

American Express EveryDay Preferred

If the American Express Gold Card is too rich for your blood, but you still desire to earn valuable Membership Rewards points, consider picking up the American Express EveryDay Preferred card. It earns 3x points at U.S. supermarkets, and you can boost this to 4.5 points per dollar if you make 30 or more transactions in a billing cycle.

Here is a rundown on the EveryDay Preferred and its benefits:

• Welcome offer of 20,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $1,000 in qualifying purchases on your card within the first 3 months (available via referral)
• 3x points at U.S. supermarkets
• 2x points at gas stations
• 50% extra points (on those earned that billing cycle) if you use your card on 30 or more purchases
• $95 annual fee
• Referral Link

If you’re more interested in an excellent card for grocery purchases without an annual fee, the American Express EveryDay card might be the one for you. It’s a weaker version of the EveryDay Preferred, but you can still earn up to 2.4x Membership Rewards per dollar spent at grocery stores.

The Hilton American Express Cards

Another great option for grocery spend is two of the Hilton co-branded cards. The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass card earns 6x Honors points at U.S. supermarkets (and restaurants and gas stations), and the basic no-fee Hilton Honors card earns 5x in the same categories. Here is a rundown on the Surpass:

• Welcome offer of 125,000 Honors points after spending $2,000 or more in the first 3 months of card membership
• 12x points at Hilton portfolio hotels
• 6x points at U.S. supermarkets, restaurants and gas stations
• 3x points everywhere else
• No foreign transaction fees
• $95 annual fee
• Learn More

The Surpass is the better value proposition here, even with the annual fee, as you can earn a free weekend night after spending $15,000 in purchases each year.

Off The Wall Bonus Option – Bank of America Asiana Airlines Visa

This card is likely out of far left-field for most, but let me explain why it is one of the best cards for grocery purchases. The Asiana Airlines Visa earns 2x miles at grocery stores, which may not sounds like a lot compared to other cards on the list. However, they have a very attractive award chart for premium cabin travel to both Europe and Asia.

The card has some other benefits that may be of interest. Here is a brief rundown:

• Welcome Offer of 30,000 miles after spending $3,000 or more within the first 90 days of membership
• 3x miles on purchases with Asiana Airlines
• 2x miles on gas and grocery purchases
• 1x miles everywhere else
• 2 annual Asiana Airlines lounge invitations
• 10,000 Bonus miles certificate annually
• $100 rebate annually on Asiana Airlines ticket purchases
• No foreign transaction fees
• $99 annual fee
• Direct Link

Future Contender

Starting on August 23, 2020 Citi Premier card holders will start earning 3X on supermarket and restaurant spend.  The card will also be losing its 1.25 cents per point travel portal redemption in April of 2021.  But there is some overlap where you can take advantage of both at the same time.  When you pair the Premier with the Citi DoubleCash you have a pretty formative one, two punch.

Bonus Store-Specific Cards: Costco and Target

I didn’t want to include any store-specific cards in the top five, as they may not be applicable to everyone. But if you’re a frequent Target shopper (including groceries), you can’t go wrong with the store card.

Here is a very brief rundown on the Target REDcard:

• 5% off at Target (exclusions apply)
• No annual fee
• They sometimes offer a bonus offer for signing up

Wrapping Up the Best Credit Cards for Groceries

There are other decent cards out there for grocery purchases, and some that you can make work for your situation (e.g. Altitude Reserve using Samsung Pay, if that is accepted). But in general, I find all of the above to be the best credit cards for groceries.

Disclosure: Miles to Memories has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Miles to Memories and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

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