Best cards for groceries
Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express leads with 6% (up to $6,000/yr).
Rankings use issuer rates verified as of August 16, 2026.
Supermarkets. NOT superstores (Walmart/Target) or wholesale clubs — most issuers exclude those.
#16%6%Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
American Express · Amex · ≈5.17% after the cap · $95/yr · up to $6,000/yr
#25%5%AAA Daily Advantage Visa Signature Card
Bread Financial · Visa · No annual fee · up to $10,000/yr (combined)
#34x4xAmerican Express Gold Card
American Express · Amex · $325/yr · up to $25,000/yr
#43x3xAeroplan Card
Chase · Mastercard · $95/yr
#54x4xVerizon Visa Card
Synchrony · Visa · No annual fee
#63%3%AAA Travel Advantage Visa Signature Card
Bread Financial · Visa · No annual fee
#73%3%Capital One Savor Cash Rewards (formerly SavorOne)
Capital One · Mastercard · No annual fee
#83x3xHuntington Voice Rewards Credit Card
Huntington · Mastercard · No annual fee · Choose this category · up to $2,000/qtr (combined)
#93x3xNavy Federal More Rewards American Express Card
Navy Federal · Amex · No annual fee
#105x5xChoice Privileges Select Mastercard
Wells Fargo · Mastercard · $95/yr
#113x3xCiti Strata Premier Card
Citi · Mastercard · $95/yr
#124x4xWyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card
Barclays · Visa · $95/yr
How to choose
The gap at the top of this ranking is real. Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express pays 6% at supermarkets for a $95 annual fee, twice the rate of the strongest no-fee options. American Express Gold Card earns 4x with a much larger runway — up to $25,000 a year versus $6,000 — which matters if your household routinely outspends the leader's cap.
Don't take the multipliers at face value. Chase's Aeroplan Card earns 3x yet values out near 3.9%, while Choice Privileges Select Mastercard's flashier 5x is worth about 3% in cash terms and Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card's 4x about 2.8%. A point is only worth what you can redeem it for, and this ranking already prices that in — which is why the order looks nothing like the multipliers.
Scope matters as much as rate: these numbers apply at supermarkets, and most issuers exclude superstores like Walmart and Target as well as wholesale clubs. If your cart mostly fills at those stores, a top grocery card earns you little there. And if your grocery spend is modest, the no-fee 3% from Blue Cash Everyday or Capital One Savor may beat paying $95 for a capped 6%.
The math
On $600 a month of groceries, Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express returns about $372 a year at our valuations — a flat 2% card returns $144. Mind the ceiling: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express's top rate applies only up to $6,000/yr; past that, purchases drop to its lower rate.
Common questions
- What is the best credit card for groceries?
- Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express leads with 6% (up to $6,000/yr).
- How does SwipeCaddy pick the best groceries card?
- We rank each card by its reward rate times a conservative cash value of its points or miles — no inflated transfer valuations — and surface the fine print so the "best" rate is one you can actually get.
- Do grocery credit cards have spending caps?
- The two biggest earners do. Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express pays its 6% on up to $6,000 per year, and American Express Gold Card earns 4x on up to $25,000. The no-fee Blue Cash Everyday also has a spending cap with a lower rate after it. Estimate your annual grocery spend before choosing — a high rate you exhaust in months loses value fast.
- Do Walmart and Target count as groceries?
- Usually not. This ranking covers supermarkets, and most issuers exclude superstores like Walmart and Target, along with wholesale clubs, from the grocery category. Purchases there generally miss these boosted rates entirely. If those stores dominate your shopping, check the merchant pages for those stores and lean on a dependable flat-rate card instead.
Rankings reflect published earn rates and a conservative valuation of each rewards currency. SwipeCaddy earns no affiliate commission.
Related reading
- Why Walmart and Target don't count as groceries on your credit cardNo — at most issuers, Walmart and Target don't count as grocery stores for bonus categories. They're coded as superstores, and warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam's Club are excluded too, so a 6% grocery card typically earns its 1% base rate there. Use the store's own card or your best flat-rate card instead.
- The 5% fine print: spend caps on Citi Custom Cash, Freedom Flex, and friendsEvery 5% card caps its bonus: Citi Custom Cash at $500/month, Chase Freedom Flex and Discover it at $1,500/quarter (activation required), U.S. Bank Cash+ at $2,000/quarter, Blue Cash Preferred's 6% at $6,000/year. Do the math and each card's maximum edge over a flat 2% card is only $180–$240 a year — and after the cap, most drop to 1%, below the boring card you skipped.