Enough About Amex – What Are the Other Best Cards for Groceries?

Best Cards for Groceries

I can’t think of a credit card bonus category that’s more commonly used than groceries.  Everyone eats.  Not everyone drives, dines out, or spends on travel.  Groceries cost more these days, and many are spending more than they’d like.  (You can do better, though).  And some in the points and travel hobby, myself included, spend a lot at grocery stores.  So what are the best cards for groceries?  Rightly so, many will list a bunch of Amex cards first.  Indeed, MtM did that back in 2020.  The Blue Cash Preferred, Everyday Preferred, Gold, and two Hilton cards are all solid for supermarket spending.  But what about all those other cards not named Amex?  I’m exploring some of those options today.  Here are a few to consider, in no particular order.

Citi Premier 

The Citi Premier earns 3x uncapped ThankYou points at grocery stores.  And Citi holds what I consider to be the best travel partner ratio of any bank currency-earning card out there – 1 ThankYou point to 2 Choice Privileges points.  This makes the Premier a 6x Choice card on all grocery spending.  Even better, I’ve easily obtained over a cent per Choice point, sometimes much more, with a bit of flexibility.

The card currently comes with a 60k welcome offer by spending $4k within three months.  In return for the $95 annual fee, the Premier also sports what I think are the best bonus staple categories of any card – 3x groceries, 3x gas stations, 3x restaurants, and 3x hotel/airfare.  Being repetitive doesn’t often sound that good.

Chase Aeroplan Mastercard

Not too long ago, Chase addressed what I considered to be their biggest weakness for points and travel hobbyists – a noteworthy card with a permanent grocery bonus category.  I can’t say I expected it to be the Chase Aeroplan card, which earns 3x on all grocery spending.  That’s great, but still niche.  Well, that’s been corrected.  Randomly, the Chase Aeroplan card now participates in the Pay Yourself Back feature, where points are worth 1.25 cents per point for all travel purchases.

Even better, the current welcome offer gives many of us a reason to pay attention.  The tiered bonus is worth 100k points/$1,250 in travel.  Cardmembers earn 60k points on $4k spend within the first three months of account opening and an additional 40k with another $16k spend ($20k total) within 12 months.  That’s 160k points or $2k worth of travel for someone who spends $20k at grocery stores.  Getting even dorkier, a cardmember earns an additional 500 points for every $2k spent each month, up to 1.5k points.  This card isn’t for everyone, but many can do big things here.

Citi Custom Cash Mastercard

Let’s take it the other way now.  Plenty of you only spend $500 or so monthly on groceries.  The Custom Cash earns 5% cash back on the first $500 spent in the highest of the following categories: restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs, and live entertainment.  Rewards are provided in the form of ThankYou points, which you can simply cash out at 1 cent per point or obtain even more value with travel partners.  It’s probably the best combination of simplicity and high return of any card out there.  New cardholders can earn $200 cash back/20k ThankYou points by spending $1.5k within the first six months.

Barclays Wyndham Earner Plus Visa

Okay, it’s time to get a little weird.  Vegas fans probably are probably already familiar with this one.  The Earner Plus earns 4x points at grocery stores.  Wyndham Rewards members can transfer up to 60k points to Caesars Rewards annually, and there have been promos to transfer up to 100k in the past.  Caesars Rewards members can redeem for rooms, including incidentals, at one cent per point.  That’s essentially a 4% return on grocery spending for Vegas fans.  Of course, Wyndham enthusiasts can redeem for more traditional stays across their brands, but it’s much more challenging to obtain a valuation around one cent per point.

Barclays is currently offering 45k points for new cardholders who spend $1k within 90 days.  In return for the $75 annual fee, cardholders also obtain Wyndham Rewards Platinum status, 7.5k anniversary points, a 10% rebate on go free rewards, 6x earning at Wyndham, 6x at gas stations, and 4x on dining, also.

Citi American Airlines MileUp Mastercard

Probably the wackiest American Airlines credit card out there, this no annual fee card earns uncapped 2x at grocery stores.  Thanks to AA’s Loyalty Points innovation, the cards gotten even more interesting, earning one point per dollar spent toward elite status.  Earning 2x AA miles is much better than it may seem, considering AA is the one major domestic carrier who isn’t an ongoing transfer partner of any of the heavyweight bank currencies – Amex’s Membership Rewards, Chase’s Ultimate Rewards, or Citi’s ThankYou points.  Citi is currently offering 10k bonus miles and a $50 statement credit after spending $500 within three months.  Current Citi customers with moldy cards may want to consider product changing to the MileUp, given Citi’s quite flexible policy.

Best Cards for Groceries – Conclusion

There’s no doubt many will spend on Amex at supermarkets first.  But it’s important to remember that plenty of other solid options exist.  I’ve said that my favorite rewards currency is my biggest weakness.  To mitigate, I decentralize earning across a variety of useful currencies while optimizing the earning and redemption angles.  In your view, what are the best cards for groceries beyond Amex?

Disclosure: Miles to Memories has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Miles to Memories and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

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