The best credit card for groceries, by the math.
The contenders
Blue Cash Preferred® (Amex)
American Express
- Annual fee
- $95
- Sign-up bonus
- $250 bonus
- Base rate
- 1x on everything else
- Top bonuses
- 6xGroceries
- 6xStreaming
- 3xTransit/Rideshare
- FX fee
- 2.7%
Amex Gold Card®
American Express
- Annual fee
- $325
- Sign-up bonus
- 60,000 bonus points
- Base rate
- 1x on everything else
- Top bonuses
- 4xDining
- 4xGroceries
- 3xFlights
- FX fee
- None
Chase Sapphire Preferred®
Chase
- Annual fee
- $95
- Sign-up bonus
- 75,000 bonus points
- Base rate
- 1x on everything else
- Top bonuses
- 3xDining
- 3xGas Stations
- 3xEV Charging
- FX fee
- None
Capital One Savor
Capital One
- Annual fee
- No fee
- Sign-up bonus
- $250 bonus
- Base rate
- 1x on everything else
- Top bonuses
- 3xDining
- 3xGroceries
- 3xStreaming
- FX fee
- None
Blue Cash Everyday® (Amex)
American Express
- Annual fee
- No fee
- Sign-up bonus
- $200 bonus
- Base rate
- 1x on everything else
- Top bonuses
- 3xGroceries
- 3xGas Stations
- 3xStreaming
- FX fee
- 2.7%
Earn across three grocery budgets
Blue Cash Preferred® (Amex)Amex Gold Card®Capital One SavorChase Sapphire Preferred®Citi Double Cash® Card
Small household ($4k/yr groceries)$4,000/yr
Average household ($8k/yr)$8,000/yr
Big family ($15k/yr)$15,000/yr
Where Blue Cash Preferred stops being king
Blue Cash Preferred® (Amex) Amex Gold Card®
How to actually pick
Here's the practical decision tree. Most people can stop at question one.
- Do you spend under $6,000/yr on groceries? Blue Cash Preferred, done.
- Do you also travel and want transferable points? Amex Gold (4x on groceries, 4x on dining, transfer partners like Delta/Air France).
- Do you want no annual fee and 3% forever? Capital One Savor.
- Do you want a single "catch-all" card and not think about categories? Citi Double Cash at 2% flat is a fine grocery card too.
Want the answer for your grocery habits?
Share your spending in under a minute and we'll rank every card by what it would actually earn on your groceries, dining, gas, and everything else you buy.
Find my best card →