Best Credit Cards for Groceries: Which Ones Actually Pay Off?

This guide covers credit cards available to U.S. consumers. Card terms were checked against issuer pages and independent reviews in September 2026. They change often, so confirm current terms with the issuer before applying. This is editorial research, not personal testing of the cards.

Short answer: The best credit cards for groceries depend on how much you spend and where you shop. As of September 2026, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express pays 6% on up to $6,000 a year at U.S. supermarkets ($95 annual fee after a $0 first year). The Capital One Savor pays an uncapped 3% at grocery stores with no annual fee. The American Express® Gold Card pays 4X points on up to $25,000 a year at U.S. supermarkets ($325 fee). Walmart, Target and warehouse clubs often do not count as grocery stores.

The right card is the one whose rate, spending cap and fee fit your actual grocery budget. A 6% rate that stops at $6,000 can be worth less than a 3% rate that never stops. The tables below show where that switch happens.

We compared cards on the grocery rewards rate, the annual spending cap and what happens after it, the annual fee, whether the merchant types you use qualify, redemption flexibility, and the welcome offer, which we weighted last. Terms come from issuer pages and program rules where available and from reputable independent reviews where they are not. We have not personally tested these cards, and card order reflects fit, not compensation. Where sources disagreed (for example, on some welcome-offer amounts), we say so or leave the figure out.

One card that many roundups still recommend is not on this list: the Citi Custom Cash® Card stopped accepting new applications on May 28, 2026, according to reporting from NerdWallet and AwardWallet, so new applicants cannot get it directly.

"Groceries" on a card means what the issuer's category definition says, and that is often a merchant-category-code rule, not a common-sense one. In practice:

The numbers below are what we could verify in September 2026. "Reward dollars" and "points" are not the same thing, and we do not assign a value to points without saying so.

For most no-fee shoppers, the Capital One Savor is the cleanest fit: 3% at grocery stores with no cap and $0 annual fee. Its trade-offs are the Walmart and Target exclusion and a lower rate than the 6% cards at modest spending levels. The Blue Cash Everyday pays the same 3% but stops at $6,000 a year, so it suits budgets under about $500 a month and carries a strong welcome offer. If you want a broader look at no-fee cards beyond groceries, our best credit cards with no annual fee comparison covers flat-rate and category cards.

High spenders should compare caps first, rates second. Blue Cash Preferred is the strongest rate but tops out at $6,000, so a family spending $12,000 a year earns 6% on half and 1% on the rest. The Savor and Citi Strata Premier have no grocery cap. The Amex Gold's cap is $25,000 a year, but its $325 fee and points redemption mean its grocery value alone is harder to justify (see the break-even section).

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the clearest online-grocery option, because Chase's own definition covers pickup and delivery ordered online from qualifying grocery merchants. It excludes Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs, and the card does not list in-store supermarket purchases as a bonus category. It makes the most sense if you would also use its dining and travel categories, since a $95 fee for groceries alone is hard to earn back at the 3X rate.

Delivery is the least standardized area. It depends on how the merchant is coded, not on how you use it. Chase reports that Instacart orders can earn its online-grocery rate. For the other cards on this list we could not verify delivery treatment, so we do not assume a delivery order earns a grocery bonus. Look at one real delivery transaction on your statement before relying on any card for it.

Usually not, but it varies by card. Capital One excludes superstores like Walmart and Target from Savor's 3% rate. Reviewers report that American Express supermarket categories exclude both superstores and warehouse clubs. Bank of America is the notable exception for wholesale clubs, paying 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (within the shared $2,500 quarterly cap). Costco shoppers have the Costco Anywhere Visa, which pays 2% at Costco. We could not verify Sam's Club treatment for any of these cards. If most of your groceries come from a superstore or club, a flat-rate 2% card may beat a grocery-category card. Our best store credit cards guide covers retailer-branded cards such as Target's and Costco's in more depth.

Method: annual grocery spend = monthly spend × 12. Rewards = eligible spend × rate, using the cap where one exists. Net value = rewards − annual fee. Assumptions: all spending is at qualifying stores; points are valued at 1 cent each (an assumption for comparison, not a verified redemption value); welcome offers, statement credits and other categories are excluded; Blue Cash Preferred uses the $95 fee that applies from the second year (in year one the fee is $0, so net is $95 higher).

Two results are worth noticing. First, Blue Cash Preferred wins at every level up to $9,000, then the Savor pulls ahead by $1,000 a month. Second, the fee cards on this list rarely beat a no-fee card on groceries alone. Their case rests on other categories, credits and points value.

Break-even annual grocery spend = annual fee ÷ (card's grocery rate − alternative card's grocery rate). The formula only holds while spending stays under the cap.

Reading the table: pick the alternative you would otherwise use, plug in the two grocery rates and the fee, and compare the result with your own annual spend. If you are unsure, add up three months of grocery receipts and multiply by four. If you are comparing a higher-fee card with a no-fee one, the fee is only justified when your spend passes the break-even in a category you will actually use.

Cash back (Blue Cash, Savor, BofA, Costco) is simple: 3% means about 3 cents per dollar, usually as a statement credit or check. American Express notes that Blue Cash rewards can be redeemed as a statement credit, and Costco pays once a year as a certificate redeemable at U.S. Costco warehouses. Points (Amex Gold, Strata Premier, Sapphire Preferred) can be worth more or less than a cent depending on how you redeem, including transfers to travel partners. We use 1 cent per point in the table above so the comparison is conservative, and we show a 2-cent example only to illustrate sensitivity. If you do not redeem points for travel, assume cash-back-like value.

1. Ignoring the cap. A 6% rate on the first $6,000 is not a 6% card.

2. Ignoring the fee. A $95 fee eats the first $95 of rewards.

3. Assuming Walmart or Target qualifies. Several issuers exclude them explicitly.

4. Assuming warehouse clubs qualify. Most exclude them; a few do not.

5. Assuming delivery or online orders earn the grocery rate. Coding decides, and we could only verify Chase's treatment.

6. Chasing the welcome bonus. It is a one-time payment on a card you may hold for years.

7. Choosing on the headline rate. Compare net value at your spending level.

8. Carrying a balance. Interest at typical card APRs can wipe out grocery rewards; see how credit card interest works and use the credit card payoff calculator if that applies to you.

Start with annual grocery spend, then the stores you actually use, then whether you can live with a fee.

Before applying, confirm current terms, check your own eligibility on the issuer's site (approval is never guaranteed, and requirements vary by applicant), and read what credit score you need for a credit card if you are unsure where you stand.

Card terms, welcome offers and eligibility change. Verify current terms directly with the issuer before applying. Nothing here guarantees approval or a specific savings amount.