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For parents juggling the costs of kids’ activities, grocery runs, gas and countless other monthly expenses, a credit card that helps stretch your budget with cash back or rewards can be an essential tool. And since parents generally don’t have a lot of free time on their hands, it also helps if the rewards are easy to earn and redeem.
With those factors in mind, we picked the best credit cards for families, organized by common spending categories such as groceries, dining out, travel and shopping.
Top credit cards for families
For groceries, gas and streaming: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express earns a whopping 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 a year in spending (then 1%), plus the same 6% rate on select U.S. streaming subscriptions. It also earns 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and transit, another category where families tend to drop a lot of dough each month. Non-bonus-category spending earns 1% back.* Terms apply (see rates and fees).
The card has an annual fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95. However, if you spend more than $31 at the grocery store each week — an easy threshold for most families — the rewards you'll earn will outweigh the annual fee.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
American Express excludes wholesale clubs and superstores from its definition of supermarkets, so if you tend to shop at those locations, you might want to consider a different card. For dining, groceries and entertainment: Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
Families who frequently enjoy restaurant meals along with a night out might want to consider the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card, which earns a well-rounded 3% back on dining, eligible streaming services, grocery stores and entertainment (and 1% back on other purchases).
That's an impressive (and hard-to-find) rewards combination in a card whose annual fee is $0. It can cover a wide swath of popular family spending categories.
The card comes with a sign-up bonus, too: For a limited time, earn a one-time $250 cash bonus once you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
For everyday spending: Citi Double Cash® Card
The $0-annual-fee Citi Double Cash® Card earns 1% back when you make a purchase and an additional 1% back when you pay it off, earning an effective rewards rate of 2% on all eligible purchases.
Furthermore, that rewards structure eliminates the need for opting in to rotating bonus categories or tracking spending caps. For busy families, that kind of simplicity can be appealing.
While the rewards structure of the Chase Freedom Flex® is more complicated than what you'd find with a flat-rate cash-back card, the earnings potential might make it worthwhile.
The card earns 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined quarterly spending on bonus categories that rotate every three months (activation required); 5% on travel purchased through Chase; 3% on dining at restaurants and purchases at drugstores; and 1% on all other purchases. Those rotating bonus categories tend to be popular with families and in the past have included things like gas stations and wholesale clubs. (Here's the list of current bonus categories.)
Caregivers who are organized enough to remember to activate the bonus categories every quarter can reap rich rewards.
The card's annual fee is $0, and it comes with an introductory APR: 0% intro APR on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months, and then the ongoing APR of 18.24%-27.74% Variable APR. There's also a welcome offer: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
For general travel: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
If you’re looking for a general travel card that allows you to earn and redeem rewards across multiple airlines and hotel chains, the $95-annual-fee Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a solid choice. It earns:
- 5 points per $1 spent on all travel booked through Chase.
- 3 points per $1 spent on dining, including eligible delivery services and takeout.
- 3 points per $1 spent on select streaming services.
- 3 points per $1 spent on gas and EV charging.
- 3 points per $1 spent on online grocery purchases (not including Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs).
- 3 points per $1 spent on vacation rentals through services like Airbnb and Vrbo.
- 2 points per $1 spent on other travel.
- 1 point per $1 spent on other purchases.
There's also a rich sign-up bonus: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
For Amazon and Whole Foods devotees: Prime Visa
Maybe your family already enjoys the convenience of Amazon Prime, with its two-day free shipping and access to Prime Video, which contains plenty of kids’ programming, among other benefits. If so, getting the Prime Visa can be a relatively easy decision. Cardholders enjoy:
- 5% cash back on Amazon and Whole Foods purchases.
- 2% back at restaurants and gas stations.
- 2% back on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
- 1% back on all other purchases.
The card's annual fee is $0, but you must be an Amazon Prime member to get the card. A standard membership costs $139 a year.
For Target loyalists: Target Circle™ Credit Card
If Target is your go-to store, the Target Circle™ Credit Card is practically a no-brainer.
For a $0 annual fee, Target Circle cardholders get a 5% discount on Target and Target.com purchases plus free shipping. (Some exclusions apply.) It also gives you extra time to make returns.
For Costco customers: Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi
Wholesale clubs lure shoppers with the promise of lower prices by buying in bulk. Consider compounding those savings with a credit card affiliated with your wholesaler of choice.
The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi offers 5% back on gas purchases at Costco and 4% back on other eligible gas and EV charging purchases (on up to $7,000 of spending a year, then 1% back); 3% back on travel and dining; 2% back on Costco purchases; and 1% back on everything else.
The annual fee is $0, but you must be a Costco member, and membership starts at $65 per year.
*Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
To view rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Card, see this page.
To view rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, see this page.
