11 Best Credit Cards for Groceries of December 2023

FULL LIST OF EDITORIAL PICKS: BEST CREDIT CARDS FOR GROCERIES

Click the card name to read our review. Before applying, confirm details on the issuer’s website.

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

Our pick for: Overall highest rewards rate

If your household spends a lot on groceries, gas, transit and streaming services, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is for you. The rewards it pays in those categories — particularly at U.S. supermarkets and on select streaming services — are among the richest of any card. There's a nice welcome offer for new cardholders and an introductory 0% APR period, too. The generous benefits come at a cost, though: Unlike most cash-back cards, this one charges an annual fee. Read our review.

Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express

Our pick for: Ongoing high cash back with no annual fee

The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express pays elevated rewards at U.S. supermarkets, at U.S. gas stations and on U.S. online retail purchases. The rewards might not be as rich as on the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, but this card doesn't charge an annual fee either. New cardholders get a decent welcome offer and an introductory 0% APR period. Read our review.

Citi Custom Cash® Card

Our pick for: Up to 5% cash back

The Citi Custom Cash® Card offers a lot of value for a $0 annual fee: 5% back automatically in your eligible top spending category on up to $500 spent per billing cycle (1% back on other spending). The list of eligible 5% categories is varied and includes biggies like restaurants, grocery stores and more. And unlike with its competitors, there's no activation schedule or bonus calendar to keep track of. Read our review.

U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card

Our pick for: Target / Walmart / wholesale shoppers

The U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card is tailor-made for consumers who spend a lot of money at retailers that don't fit into (or are specifically excluded from) the bonus categories offered by other credit cards. The card also offers a higher-than-usual rate on spending outside its bonus categories. The downside: There's an annual fee. Read our review.

Instacart Mastercard®

Our pick for: Grocery delivery

You'll earn high rewards on Instacart grocery delivery and extra cash back in some other common spending categories. The bonus offer makes it even more enticing to have your groceries brought to you rather than driving to the store. Read our review.

Citi Double Cash® Card

Our pick for: 2% cash back on everything

Year after year, the Citi Double Cash® Card has been a top choice among flat-rate cash-back cards. You earn 2% cash back on every purchase — 1% when you buy something and 1% when you pay it off. There's no 0% intro period for purchases and no bonus categories, but the high rewards rate more than makes up for the lack of bells and whistles. Read our review.

Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card

Our pick for: Frequent restaurant diners

U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card

Our pick for: Customizable 5% cash back

American Express® Gold Card

Our pick for: Travel rewards and perks

The American Express® Gold Card can earn you a pile of points from everyday spending, with generous rewards at U.S. supermarkets, at restaurants and on certain flights booked through amextravel.com. Other benefits include hundreds of dollars a year in available dining and travel credits and a solid welcome offer for new cardholders. There's an annual fee, though, and a pretty substantial one, so it's not for smaller spenders. Read our review.

Citi Premier® Card

Our pick for: Travel rewards

The Citi Premier® Card earns bonus points on airfare, hotels, supermarkets, dining and gas stations. There's a solid sign-up bonus as well. Read our review.

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OTHER OPTIONS WORTH A LOOK

Flat-rate cash-back cards

Some people like to juggle multiple credit cards, with a specific card for every major category of spending. Others prefer the simplicity of having one card for everything. If that's you, consider one of these cards that pay a solid rate on everything:

• Citi Double Cash® Card: 2% cash back on all purchases (1% when you make the purchase, 1% when you pay it off). Bonus offer: Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.

• Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card: 2% cash back on all purchases. Bonus offer: Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.

• Apple Card: 2% cash back on all purchases through Apple Pay. Bonus offer: N/A.

• Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card: 1.5% cash back on all purchases (see rates and fees). Bonus offer: Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.

• Chase Freedom Unlimited®: 1.5% cash back on all purchases outside the card's 3% and 5% bonus categories. Bonus offer: Unlimited Matched Cash Back. Chase will automatically match all the cash back you earned at the end of your first year! There is no limit to how much cash back you can earn.

• Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards credit card: 1.5% cash back on all purchases. Bonus offer: $200 online cash rewards bonus after making at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of your account opening.

Branded credit cards

Most of the cards identified above can earn elevated rewards regardless of which supermarket or grocery store you shop at. If your grocery runs are always taking you to a specific store, though, you might be interested in that retailer's card. Some store-branded cards offer fairly pedestrian rewards, but some can be a valuable addition to your wallet. Below are a few more popular options.

Costco: Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi

If you buy your groceries wholesale-club-style, the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi earns 2% cash back at Costco and Costco.com. It also earns 4% cash back on eligible gas and EV charging purchases (both at Costco and at other gas stations) on the first $7,000 per year (1% thereafter), as well as 3% cash back on restaurants and eligible travel purchases. All other spending earns 1% back. The annual fee is $0, although you have to be a Costco member to apply, and membership starts at $60 a year. » Rewards on $5,000 a year in groceries at Costco: $100.

Target: Target REDcard™ Credit Card

The Target REDcard™ Credit Card doesn't offer rewards in the form of cash back or points, but you could argue that it gives you something even better: an immediate 5% discount on nearly everything you buy at Target, either in-store or online. You also get free shipping on most items at Target.com. If your grocery runs take you to a full-service Super Target — or just to the food aisles at a regular Target — this $0-annual-fee card is mighty attractive. » Savings on $5,000 a year in groceries at Target: $250.

5% rotating category cards

The other cards featured on this page offer elevated grocery rewards year-round. The Chase Freedom Flex℠ and select Discover cards like the Discover it® Cash Back pay a higher rate on groceries for only one quarter per year when you activate rewards categories — but what a rate it is.

On each card, you earn 5% cash back in rotating categories that you activate, on up to $1,500 per quarter in spending, and 1% cash back on all other purchases. In recent years, both cards have offered grocery stores as a 5% category. (See current and past categories here.) Other bonus categories on both cards tend to be common expenses, meaning it's not hard to get great value out of them. Neither card charges an annual fee.

» Maximum rewards on $5,000 a year in groceries (assuming each card offers grocery stores for one quarter):

• If using one card: $110.

• If using both cards: $170.