11 Best Credit Cards for Groceries of November 2023
ALSO CONSIDER: Best credit cards of 2023 || Best cash back credit cards || Best credit cards for restaurants || Best travel credit cards
Families with big grocery bills can save hundreds of dollars by paying for them with a credit card that offers elevated rewards at the supermarket. According to federal consumer expenditure data, the average U.S. household spent $4,942 on "food at home" in 2020, the most recent year available. Paying for groceries with a card that earned just 2% rewards on groceries would have earned such a household more than $98. Imagine saving that kind of money at the checkout — without even needing to clip coupons! You can do it with these cards. And in some cases, rewards rates apply to grocery delivery, too.
Show summary
NerdWallet's Best Credit Cards for Groceries of November 2023
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: Best for Highest rewards rate
Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best for Frequent restaurant diners
American Express® Gold Card: Best for Travel rewards
Citi Custom Cash® Card: Best for Up to 5% cash back
U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card: Best for Customizable 5% cash back
Citi® Double Cash Card: Best for 2% cash back on everything
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express: Best for Ongoing high cash back with no annual fee
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card: Best for Customizable 3% cash back and Bank of America® customers
Instacart Mastercard®: Best for Grocery delivery
U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card: Best for Target / Walmart / wholesale club shoppers
Prime Visa: Best for Amazon and Whole Foods
Best Credit Cards for Groceries From Our Partners
Credit card | NerdWallet rating | Annual fee | Rewards rate | Intro offer | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whether you want to pay less interest or earn more rewards, the right card's out there. Just answer a few questions and we'll narrow the search for you.
Whether you want to pay less interest or earn more rewards, the right card's out there. Just answer a few questions and we'll narrow the search for you.
Highest rewards rate
Frequent restaurant diners
Travel rewards
Up to 5% cash back
Customizable 5% cash back
2% cash back on everything
Ongoing high cash back with no annual fee
Customizable 3% cash back and Bank of America® customers
Grocery delivery
Target / Walmart / wholesale club shoppers
Amazon and Whole Foods
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
Love the night life but dead-set against paying an annual fee? Consider the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card. It pays a lower cash-back rate on dining and entertainment than the regular Savor card, but the rewards are nevertheless quite good (see rates and fees). The sign-up bonus is smaller than on the annual-fee version, too, but it's still solid (see rates and fees). Read our review.
U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card
Our pick for: Customizable 5% cash back
If you don't mind putting some work into your rewards, check out the U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card. It might be the most customizable cash back card available. You pick which categories earn the most cash back — you get two 5% categories and a 2% category — and you can change those options every quarter. There's a good bonus offer for new cardholders, too. Read our review.
American Express® Gold Card
Our pick for: Travel rewards
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.
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card
Our pick for: Customizable 3% cash back and Bank of America® customers
The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card gives you a little more control over your credit card rewards by letting you choose which category earns the highest cash-back rate, from a list that includes gas stations, restaurants, travel, home improvement and more. You also get bonus rewards at grocery stores and supermarkets, plus a great new-cardholder bonus offer. Read our review.
Options for brand loyalists
The cards identified above can earn elevated rewards regardless of the supermarket or grocery store where you shop. If you shop at Costco, Whole Foods or Target, consider these 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.
Whole Foods/Amazon: Prime Visa
If you're more of a Whole Foods fanatic — and if you already pay for an Amazon Prime membership — consider the Prime Visa. It earns 5% back at Whole Foods, Amazon.com and Amazon Fresh, as well as on Chase Travel, and 2% back at restaurants and gas stations, plus local transit and commuting (including rideshare). All other purchases earn 1% back. Redeem your points for Amazon.com purchases at a value of 1 cent per point. The card's annual fee is $0, but you must be an Amazon Prime member, which does require a yearly fee. » Rewards on $5,000 a year in groceries at Whole Foods/Amazon: $250.
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 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.
Last updated on November 9, 2023
Methodology
NerdWallet's credit cards team selects the best credit cards in each category based on overall consumer value. Factors in our evaluation include fees, promotional and ongoing APRs, and sign-up bonuses; for rewards cards, we consider earning and redemption rates, redemption options and redemption difficulty. A single card is eligible to be chosen as among the "best" in multiple categories. Learn how NerdWallet rates credit cards.
