Best credit cards for groceries for June 2023

Citi Custom Cash Card: Best for customizable rewards

• What we love about the Custom Cash Card:  It’s one of the only rewards cards that adapts to fit your spending habits. You earn one of the highest rates around in the eligible category you spend the most in, which could be grocery store purchases.
• Who this card is good for: Cash back fans looking for a supplemental rewards card. The Custom Cash card only lets you earn rewards in one high-earning category each billing cycle, so to get the best value, combine it with a flat-rate rewards card or a card that offers bonus rewards in other categories that fit your spending habits.
• Alternatives: If you only want to carry one credit card in your wallet, a general-purpose rewards card with multiple bonus categories may offer better value. The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express comes with an annual fee, but the cost can easily be offset thanks to the card’s high rewards rates in U.S. supermarkets, select U.S. streaming services, U.S. gas stations and transit.

Read our full Citi Custom Cash℠ Card review.

Jump back to offer details.

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express: Best for everyday value

• What we love about the Blue Cash Preferred: It earns the highest cash back rate available in U.S. supermarket purchases. Spending $500 per month in that category alone will earn you $360 cash back per year—enough to cover the card’s annual fee three times over.
• Who this card is good for: Big grocery spenders who can also take advantage of the card’s other bonus categories to cover the annual fee. You need to spend about $300 a month at U.S. supermarkets to cover the annual fee and get better value than you would with a card that earned 3 percent back but charged no annual fee.
• Alternatives: If you spend modestly at U.S. supermarkets and want to avoid a card with an annual fee, the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express offers triple points in multiple categories, including U.S. supermarket purchases.

Read our full Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express review.

Jump back to offer details

Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best for food + entertainment

• What we love about the SavorOne Cash Rewards card: You can earn unlimited 3 percent cash back in a number of food and entertainment categories — including both grocery store and restaurant purchases — with no spending caps and no annual fee.
• Who this card is good for: People who want to stick with one card that earns rewards on grocery shopping, dining, entertainment and more while avoiding an annual fee.
• Alternatives: The U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card gives you the freedom to pick two categories — from fast food, home utilities, department stores and more — that earn high cash back rates. Plus, you can still earn unlimited 2 percent back in an everyday category of your choice, including grocery stores and restaurants.

Read our full Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card review.

Jump back to offer details

Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards credit card: Best for wholesale clubs

• What we love about the Customized Cash Rewards card: This card offers more flexibility than traditional rewards credit cards. You can not only choose your bonus category from a long list, but also swap your choice category to another eligible one each calendar month.
• Who this card is good for: Since you can earn bonus rewards at wholesale clubs and grocery stores, this card is a solid option for household shoppers who frequent both. Most rewards cards exclude wholesale clubs from their grocery store bonus category.
• Alternatives: Big spenders may get better value out of a flat-rate card like the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card. It’s a low-maintenance rewards card that earns unlimited 2 percent cash rewards on purchases. There are no spending caps and no categories to track, making it a more convenient option if you’re looking for a simple way to earn rewards.

Read our full Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards credit card review.

Jump back to offer details

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: Best for online grocery purchases

• What we love about the Sapphire Preferred Card: This versatile card makes it easy to quickly rack up travel rewards thanks to its solid rewards rate on a variety of everyday purchases, including dining, select online grocery purchases and select streaming services.
• Who this card is good for: Frequent travelers who want to earn rewards on more than just travel purchases. The card’s bonus rewards rate on online groceries and dining should make it easier to rack up points than it would be with a travel card that only rewards airfare and hotel bookings.
• Alternatives: Depending on your spending habits, the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express may be a better fit. For the same annual fee, you get double the rewards rate at U.S. supermarkets compared to the Sapphire Preferred card. Plus, your rewards rate applies to all U.S. supermarket spending, not just online groceries.

Read our full Chase Sapphire Preferred Card review.

Jump back to offer details

American Express Gold Card: Best for travel rewards on groceries

• What we love about the Amex Gold Card: Its high rewards rate at both U.S. supermarkets and restaurants, combined with annual dining credits and enhanced travel benefits, make the Amex Gold a powerful mid-level travel card for foodies and household shoppers.
• Who this card is good for: Big spenders who want to turn their food, dining and airfare purchases into travel rewards. As part of the American Express Membership Rewards program, the Amex Gold offers various redemption options best suited to frequent travelers.
• Alternatives: If you’re just looking for a way to earn rewards on dining and grocery purchases, you don’t need to pay a $250 annual fee. The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card doesn’t come with perks like dining credits, but it still packs a punch. For a $95 annual fee, you earn bonus rewards in a variety of categories, including an unlimited 4 percent cash back on dining and entertainment purchases and 3 percent cash back at grocery stores.

Read our full American Express Gold Card review.

Jump back to offer details

Chase Freedom Flex: Best for backup grocery rewards

• What we love about the Chase Freedom Flex: It has high earning rates in fixed and rotating bonus categories. This unique combination of year-round and seasonal categories gives users a variety of ways to quickly earn cash back.
• Who this card is good for: Rewards strategists. Many of the Freedom Flex card’s most rewarding categories only earn at a high rate for three months out of the year, and you need to track spending and plan out purchases in advance to maximize your rewards. 
• Alternatives: If you don’t want to activate and track so many rewards categories or worry about spending limits, the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card is a solid choice. It earns a flat rate on purchases, which will appeal to people who don’t want to jump through so many hoops to earn rewards.

Read our full Chase Freedom Flex review.

Capital One Walmart Rewards Mastercard: Best for budget shoppers

• What we love about the Walmart Rewards Mastercard: It can help make Walmart’s low prices even more affordable, especially if you order groceries online for pickup or delivery. The card’s 2-percent flat rate on in-store purchases isn’t too shabby either, considering most rewards cards only earn 1 percent cash back on purchases at superstores like Walmart. This card is also open to people with fair credit — another perk not typically found with rewards cards.
• Who this card is good for: Budget shoppers looking for the best deals or people impacted by the rising costs of groceries can make this card part of an effective strategy to combat inflation.
• Alternatives: If Walmart isn’t for you, a store card that offers high bonus rewards for shopping at your local superstore like Target or at a wholesale club could help keep the cost of groceries down. Consider the Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards credit card, which is one of the only cash back cards versatile enough to get you a nice flat rate at a variety of wholesale clubs.

Read our full Capital One Walmart Rewards Mastercard review.

Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express: Best for groceries and gas

• What we love about the Blue Cash Everyday card: This is one of the only no-annual-fee cards that offers rewards in popular everyday categories like groceries and gas, as well as valuable perks like credits for the Disney Bundle and Home Chef meal kits.
• Who this card is good for: This is a solid pick if your top spending areas are groceries, gas and online retail purchases. Just watch out for the spending caps on the highest cash back rates.
• Alternatives: If you want maximum value and no annual fee, the Citi Custom Cash Card earns one of the highest rates around in one eligible category, which includes groceries. Use the Custom Cash card for your supermarket purchases and pair it with another cash back card for your gas purchases, like the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card (earns points). Together, these two cards could help you rake in more cash back than your average credit card for gas and groceries. 

Read our full Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express review.

Grocery rewards cards earn cash back or points on purchases made at eligible grocery stores. But the best credit card for groceries will go even further, offering up valuable rewards for other major spending categories, including everyday staples like:

• Dining
• Gas
• Transit
• Travel
• Select streaming services
• Online purchases
• Home improvement stores

Types of grocery store credit cards

Bonus category rewards cards

Bonus category cards are rewards cards that offer higher rewards rates in select categories — typically anywhere from 3 percent to 5 percent. Cards that offer bonus grocery rewards offer cash back, points or miles on purchases made at retail stores with a merchant category code that classifies them as grocery stores and supermarkets. That includes favorites like Safeway, Albertsons, Kroger, Publix and many other local grocery stores.

Co-branded rewards cards

Co-branded cards carry the name of a retailer and a credit card issuer. Like traditional credit cards, you can use a co-branded grocery rewards card wherever credit cards are accepted, but they tend to earn the best rewards at the retailer named on the card.

These cards are helpful because not every store that sells groceries is considered a grocery store by issuers. Superstores like Walmart and wholesale clubs like Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s are often excluded from earning grocery store rewards on bonus category rewards cards. Co-branded rewards cards give you a chance to earn elevated rewards at these chains instead of the 1 point or 1 percent cash back typically offered by bonus category rewards cards when shopping at these stores.

Store credit cards

Store credit cards like the Target RedCard™ are closed-loop cards, which can only be used at the retail store that issues them. These store-only cards tend to carry higher APRs than other types of grocery store cards and may have deferred-interest promotions that can wreak havoc on your finances if you make a late payment or can’t pay off your balance before the promotion period ends.

According to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual cost of household groceries increased in 2021 to $5,259. That averages out to $438.25 a month spent on groceries—a big chunk of the average person’s budget.

When used responsibly, grocery rewards cards can help you save money by giving you back a percentage of your grocery spending in the form of cash back, points or travel miles. How much you can earn depends on your spending habits and the type of grocery rewards card you choose. Take a look at these examples to see how much you could save each year depending on which card type, rewards rate and annual fee you choose:

As you can see, even a grocery rewards card with an annual fee can provide plenty of value. The trick is to take advantage of the available rewards categories enough to offset the annual fee and continue earning more cash back so you don’t just break even.

According to dunnhumby’s sixth annual Retailer Preference Index, Aldi, Walmart and Market Basket are consistently among the top grocery stores that provide the best price, rewards and promotions for shoppers. These stores use cost-first strategies that focus on offering shoppers the best base prices on most of their groceries.

Amazon, Target and wholesale clubs like Sam’s Club also fared well with customers. They may not offer the lowest possible price on every item, but they tend to have store cards that come with benefits and rewards that can help drive down grocery prices and provide exceptional value to savvy budget shoppers.

Here’s a look at the rewards cards offered by some of the best and cheapest grocery stores.

Since the best grocery rewards credit cards are versatile and provide plenty of value even outside the supermarket, they’re ideal for just about anyone with a grocery budget. That includes college students, as well as small and large households that spend a lot on gas and groceries. Here’s a look at two of the key types of shoppers who can benefit from a grocery rewards card.

• Budget shoppers. Are you always on the lookout for a deal when you shop? If you like to use coupons and cash back apps when you shop, the rewards you earn with a grocery rewards card can also help you keep more of your hard-earned money.
• Food lovers. Some grocery rewards cards also double as the best credit cards for restaurants. So whether you cook at home, dine out or order in, your everyday food spending could earn you valuable cash back.

*Information about the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card, the Capital One Walmart Rewards® Mastercard® , the Sam’s Club® Mastercard®,Target RedCard™, BJ's Perks Plus® Mastercard® Credit Card, and Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply