Best Credit Cards for Groceries in 2026: Verified Earn Rates and 2026 Card Updates

If most of your groceries come from traditional supermarkets, the American Express Blue Cash Preferred shows the highest grocery rate I could verify as of October 2026: 6% cash back on up to $6,000 a year at U.S. supermarkets, then 1%. If you shop at Walmart, Target or Costco, that card will not help much, and a flat 2% card, the Costco card or Bank of America’s 2% grocery and wholesale club rate fits better. This guide compares ten cards on earn rates, caps, annual fees and APRs, using each issuer’s own page, and I built it for readers of Ecommerce Paradise who also run (or plan to run) a store and want their personal and business spending kept apart.

Everything below comes from each issuer’s own card page as I reviewed it in October 2026. Where a page does not show a number, I write “not shown” instead of guessing. This is general information, not financial advice, and I cannot tell you which card you will be approved for. Card terms change often, so check the issuer before you apply. Some links in this article are affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you sign up for a related tool, at no extra cost to you.

Best Credit Cards for Groceries: Comparison Table (as of October 2026)

Caps and rates apply to the issuer’s definition of a supermarket, not to every store that sells food. That one detail decides most of the winners and losers below.

What Changed for Grocery Cards in 2026

Three details from the issuers’ own pages matter more than the headline rates. First, Chase lists Grocery Stores (excluding Walmart and Target), Dining and American Red Cross as the Freedom Flex 5% categories for October through December 2026, with activation starting September 15, 2026. Second, Capital One’s comparison page currently shows two separate cards with the same 3% grocery rate: Savor at $0 a year and SavorOne at $39 a year, so check which one you are looking at. Third, Citi’s page for the Custom Cash card showed “Not Available” when I checked, with no explanation on the page.

The old version of this post also gave details on the Costco gas rates, the Bank of America Preferred Rewards tiers and the Citi Custom Cash closure date. I rechecked each against the issuers’ pages, and I explain the corrections in the card sections below.

Why Your Grocery Card Matters

Food at home is a big, steady line item. The USDA’s Economic Research Service reports that U.S. consumers spent 4.8% of disposable personal income on food at home in 2025, and 4.9% on food away from home. Because the spending repeats every week, a few percentage points of cash back add up without any extra effort.

Here is a simple illustration, not a promise: on $600 a month of qualifying supermarket spending ($7,200 a year), a flat 1% card returns $72, a flat 2% card returns $144, and a 6% card with a $6,000 cap returns $360 on the first $6,000 plus $12 on the remaining $1,200, or $372 before its annual fee. Your real numbers depend on where you shop and on how the issuer classifies those stores.

What counts as a supermarket

Issuers decide this, and they do not always publish a full list on the card page. Capital One’s page says grocery stores exclude superstores like Walmart and Target. Chase’s Freedom Flex quarterly category says “excluding Walmart and Target.” Amex’s Blue Cash Preferred page says 6% applies at U.S. supermarkets but did not show an exclusions list when I fetched it, so read the card’s terms before you assume a store qualifies. Bank of America is the outlier on this list because it lists grocery stores and wholesale clubs together at 2%.

1. Amex Blue Cash Preferred: Highest Grocery Rate I Verified

The Blue Cash Preferred page shows 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), 6% on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% at U.S. gas stations, 3% on transit (taxis and rideshare, parking, tolls, trains and buses), and 1% on other eligible purchases. The annual fee is $0 for the first year and $95 after that. The page shows a 2.7% foreign transaction fee on each transaction after conversion to U.S. dollars. Welcome offer and purchase APR: not shown on the page.

Here is the break-even math against the no-fee Everyday card. The Preferred earns 3 extra percentage points on supermarket spend up to the cap, so the $95 fee is covered once you spend about $3,170 a year at qualifying supermarkets, or roughly $264 a month, ignoring streaming and gas. At $600 a month, the extra 3% on the first $6,000 is $180, so you come out about $85 ahead of the Everyday card after the fee. Past $6,000 you are back at 1%, which is why I treat this as a card for people whose supermarket spend sits between about $300 and $500 a month.

• Annual fee: $0 first year, then $95
• Bonus rates: 6% supermarkets and select streaming, 3% gas and transit, 1% else
• Cap: $6,000 per year on supermarkets, then 1%
• Watch for: supermarket definition, 2.7% foreign transaction fee

2. Amex Blue Cash Everyday: No-Fee Option from Amex

The Blue Cash Everyday page shows 3% cash back on groceries at U.S. supermarkets, 3% on gas at U.S. gas stations and 3% on U.S. online retail purchases, each on up to $6,000 per year (then 1%), plus 1% on other eligible purchases. The page states the card has no annual fee. It also shows a 2.7% foreign transaction fee, although the page’s own navigation links to a “No FX Fee” category, so I would confirm that detail on the live page. Welcome offer and purchase APR: not shown.

In my experience, the Everyday card is the better default for households that spend less than about $265 a month at qualifying supermarkets, because the Preferred’s fee takes back its extra earnings. The 3% online retail category is also useful if you buy a lot online, though what counts as “retail” depends on Amex’s merchant classification.

3. Capital One Savor: Uncapped 3% With No Annual Fee

On Capital One’s Savor page, I found unlimited 3% cash back at grocery stores, on dining, entertainment and popular streaming services, 1% on all other purchases, 8% on Capital One Entertainment, and 5% on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. The page shows a $0 annual fee, a 0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers, and then an 18.74% to 28.74% variable APR. It also says you won’t pay a fee on purchases made outside the United States, and that superstores like Walmart and Target are excluded from grocery. The page does not mention warehouse clubs, so I will not claim they are excluded or included.

The welcome bonus did not render on the page I fetched, so I am leaving it out. The point of this card is the uncapped 3%, which matters once you have used up a capped card. On $500 a month of supermarket spend ($6,000 a year), 3% is $180 a year, compared with $120 on a flat 2% card. That $60 gap is the real edge, and it is bigger if you also eat out and stream a lot, because the same 3% covers those categories.

• Annual fee: $0 (SavorOne is a separate card at $39 per Capital One’s comparison page)
• Bonus rates: 3% grocery, dining, entertainment, popular streaming; 1% else
• Watch for: superstore exclusion, name confusion with SavorOne

4. Citi Strata Premier: Points Card With 3X on Supermarkets

The Citi Strata Premier page shows 3X ThankYou points at supermarkets, restaurants, gas and EV charging stations, air travel and other hotel purchases, 10X on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked on cititravel.com, and 1X on everything else. The annual fee is $95, the purchase APR range is 20.24% to 28.24% variable, and the foreign purchase fee is none. Citi lists a $100 benefit once per calendar year on a single hotel stay of $500 or more, booked through cititravel.com. The welcome bonus and the number of transfer partners were not shown.

This card only makes sense if you will actually use ThankYou points for travel, because the value of a point depends on how you redeem it, not on the earn rate. If you simply want cash back on groceries, a no-fee card is easier to justify. Points valuations vary, so I do not put a cents-per-point figure on it here.

5. Amex Gold: Premium Grocery and Dining Card

The Amex Gold page shows 4X Membership Rewards points at restaurants worldwide on up to $50,000 per calendar year (then 1X), 4X at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year (then 1X), 3X on flights booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel, 5X on prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel, and 1X on other eligible purchases. The annual fee is $325 for the basic card. The page lists no foreign transaction fees. Welcome offer and APR: not shown.

The statement credits on the page are up to $10 a month at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory and Wonder ($120 a year), $10 a month in Uber Cash ($120 a year), up to $100 a year at qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants, and up to $7 a month at U.S. Dunkin’ locations ($84 a year). Several require enrollment. If you use none of them, the fee is a pure cost, and the old claim that this card had a “$424 credit stack” only holds if you use every credit.

A quick illustration: $1,500 a month at supermarkets is $18,000 a year, which earns 72,000 points at 4X. If you value a point at 1 cent, that is $720 before the fee; if you value it lower, the math tightens. The old version of this post said the fee “jumped from $250 to $325 in 2024.” I could not verify the history on the issuer page, so I now state only the $325 fee the page shows as of October 2026.

6. Chase Freedom Flex: 5% Grocery Quarter Is Live Now

The Chase Freedom Flex page shows 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in rotating categories each quarter you activate, 5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% on dining and 3% on drugstore purchases, and 1% on all other purchases. The annual fee is $0, the intro APR is 0% for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, and the page says there is no foreign transaction fee. It shows a $250 bonus after $500 in purchases in the first 3 months, with a struck-through $200 figure nearby. The ongoing variable APR text on the page was garbled, so I am not quoting a range.

For October through December 2026, the page lists Grocery Stores (excluding Walmart and Target), Dining and American Red Cross. The page also labeled that quarter “Coming Soon” in another section, so confirm on the live card page that activation is open before you rely on it. The ceiling is simple: 5% on $1,500 is $75 for the quarter, which is nice but small. It is a good add-on for a household that already has a Chase relationship, not a reason to restructure your wallet.

7. Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards: Groceries and Wholesale Clubs

The Customized Cash Rewards page shows 3% cash back in the category of your choice, plus a 3% first-year bonus for 6% in that category during the first year, automatic 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs, and unlimited 1% on everything else. The bonus rates apply to the first $2,500 in combined purchases each quarter. The annual fee is $0. The page shows a 17.74% to 27.74% variable standard APR, a 0% intro APR for 15 billing cycles on purchases and on balance transfers made within 60 days, and an online $200 bonus after at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days. The foreign transaction fee was not shown.

This is the card on the list that explicitly names wholesale clubs, which makes it a candidate for Costco and Sam’s Club shoppers who do not want a Visa tied to a membership. Bank of America’s Preferred Rewards page shows a credit card rewards bonus of 10% (Member), 25% (Preferred Plus, $30K+ combined average 3-month balance), 50% (Preferred Honors, $100K+) and 75% (Premier, $1M+), and says certain cards are eligible. It did not name Customized Cash Rewards, so check the program rules before you count on a bonus. This corrects the old post, which gave different tier names and balances.

8. Costco Anywhere Visa by Citi: For Costco Members

The Costco Anywhere Visa page shows 5% cash back on gas at Costco, 4% on other eligible gas and EV charging (the page says the 5% and 4% earn is on a combined $7,000 of spend per year, then 1%), 3% on restaurants and eligible travel, 2% on Costco and Costco.com purchases, and 1% on all other purchases. It says there is no annual fee with a paid Costco membership, none for foreign purchases, and that you need a current Costco membership in your name to apply. The annual rewards certificate is issued once your February billing statement closes and is redeemable for cash or merchandise at U.S. Costco warehouses through December 31. APR: not shown on the page.

Costco’s own product page shows a Gold Star (Individual) membership at $65 a year, plus any sales tax. I could not load a Costco page showing the Executive fee, so I am not quoting one. An illustration: $400 a month at Costco is $4,800 a year, which is $96 at 2%. Whether that is worth it depends on whether you would be a member anyway.

9. Amazon Prime Visa: For Whole Foods Regulars

Chase’s Amazon card page says “Unlimited 5% back at Amazon.com, Audible.com, and Whole Foods Market with an eligible Prime membership,” and that Amazon Fresh orders count at the Amazon.com rate, which is 5% with an eligible Prime membership or 3% without. The Prime Visa welcome offer shown is a $150 Amazon Gift Card instantly on approval. The page labels the Prime card art “no annual fee,” but the fee, APR and foreign fee details on the page applied to the non-Prime Amazon Visa, so I am leaving the Prime card’s APR as not shown. The page also excludes international Whole Foods stores from the 5% offer.

Amazon blocked my access to its own benefits page, so I cannot quote the Prime membership price. If you already pay for Prime, this card is an easy fit for Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh. If you do not, count the membership cost before comparing it with a general grocery card.

10. Flat 2% Cards: Wells Fargo Active Cash and Citi Double Cash

If you shop mostly at Walmart, Target or independent stores that fall outside supermarket codes, a flat card is simpler. The Wells Fargo Active Cash page shows unlimited 2% on purchases, a $0 annual fee, a 0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases and qualifying balance transfers, and then an 18.74%, 24.74% or 28.74% variable APR. The welcome bonus shown is $100 cash rewards after $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. The foreign transaction fee was not shown.

The Citi Double Cash page shows 1% when you buy plus 1% as you pay, for 2% total, with no annual fee. Its APR and welcome offer figures did not render, so they are not shown here.

What About the Citi Custom Cash?

The old version of this post said Citi stopped accepting new applications for the Custom Cash on May 28, 2026. I could not confirm that date on citi.com. The card’s page showed “Not Available” with no explanation, and it did not show the category list, the cap or the fee, so I have removed the specific earn rates from this guide. If you hold the card, check your cardmember terms; if you do not, check Citi’s site for current availability.

Which Grocery Card Fits Which Shopper

You shop at traditional supermarkets

Compare the Blue Cash Preferred with the no-fee Blue Cash Everyday and the Capital One Savor. The Preferred wins when your supermarket spend is between roughly $265 and $500 a month, the Savor wins when you spend more than the Preferred’s cap, and the Everyday wins when you do not want a fee.

You shop at Costco or Sam’s Club

The Costco Anywhere Visa and Bank of America’s wholesale club rate are the two options on this list that address warehouse clubs. The Amex and Capital One pages on this list do not offer a bonus rate there that I could verify.

You shop at Walmart or Target

A flat 2% card such as the Active Cash or Double Cash avoids the question of what counts as a supermarket. This is also where the Bank of America choice category helps if you pick online shopping or gas.

Should you stack two cards?

Maybe, but run the numbers first. Suppose you spend $1,500 a month on groceries ($18,000 a year). A Blue Cash Preferred for the first $6,000 at 6% earns $360, and a Savor for the other $12,000 at 3% earns $360, for $720. The Savor alone earns $540, so stacking adds $180 before the Preferred’s $95 fee, or about $85 in year two. That is real money, but it is not life-changing, and a second card adds a statement to track.

Keep Grocery Rewards Separate From Store Spending

If you run a store, your personal grocery card should not carry store costs. Mixing them makes your books messy, and it also muddies what counts as a business expense at tax time. A separate business card for ad spend, software and supplier payments keeps the two streams clean, and my post on business versus personal credit cards explains how I think about that split.

The model behind my store advice is high-ticket dropshipping, where a single order can dwarf a month of grocery rewards. If that model is new to you, start with what high-ticket dropshipping is. Then open the high-ticket niches list to see which products make the margins worth chasing.

Supplier payments are usually the biggest card charge a store owner makes, so my guide to finding high-ticket suppliers also matters for your cash flow.

To open a business card or a business bank account in the first place, you generally need a business set up properly. My guide to business formation for high-ticket dropshipping covers the entity side. For the registered agent, Northwest Registered Agent is what I recommend beginners start with. Here is the starter stack I point people to before they apply for a business card:

• LLC and registered agent: Northwest Registered Agent
• Virtual business address: Anytime Mailbox (or Traveling Mailbox if you move around)
• Business bank account: Mercury
• Domain: Namecheap
• Professional email: Google Workspace
• Store platform: Shopify
• Bookkeeping: Finaloop
• Privacy on public Wi-Fi: Surfshark

How to Choose and Apply Without Overpaying

Start with where you actually shop, because a 6% rate at a store that does not qualify earns 1%. Then add up your real annual spend at qualifying stores, subtract the annual fee, and compare the net. Check the issuer’s own prequalification tool if it offers one, since a soft check does not replace the issuer’s decision and approval is never guaranteed.

Pay the statement balance in full each month. The Federal Reserve’s G.19 release shows the average interest rate on credit card accounts at 20.94% for all accounts and 22.15% for accounts assessed interest in the second quarter of 2026, and no grocery bonus survives that kind of interest. Set up autopay at least for the minimum, turn on transaction alerts, and never manufacture spending just to hit a welcome bonus requirement.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best credit card for groceries?
It depends on where you shop. As of October 2026, the Amex Blue Cash Preferred shows the highest grocery rate I verified at 6% on up to $6,000 a year at U.S. supermarkets, with a $95 fee after the first year. For uncapped 3%, look at the Capital One Savor; for Costco or wholesale clubs, look at the Costco card or Bank of America’s 2% rate. This is general information, not personal advice.

Do Walmart, Target and Costco count as groceries?
Often not. Capital One’s page says superstores like Walmart and Target are excluded from grocery, and Chase’s current quarterly category excludes Walmart and Target. Bank of America is the exception on this list because its 2% rate names wholesale clubs, and the Costco Anywhere Visa pays 2% at Costco. Check each issuer’s terms before relying on a store.

Is the Blue Cash Preferred annual fee worth it?
Compared with the no-fee Blue Cash Everyday, the extra 3% on supermarkets covers the $95 fee at about $3,170 a year in qualifying supermarket spend, or roughly $264 a month. Above the $6,000 cap, the extra earning stops. The first year has a $0 fee, so the real test is year two.

What is the best grocery credit card with no annual fee?
Among the cards I checked, the no-fee options are the Blue Cash Everyday (3% on up to $6,000 a year), the Capital One Savor (3% with no cap shown), the Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards (2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs) and the Wells Fargo Active Cash (2% flat). The best fit depends on the stores you use and your total spend.

Should I put my store expenses on my grocery card?
I would not. In my experience, keeping business spending on a separate business card makes bookkeeping and tax preparation far easier, and your personal grocery card keeps earning on the categories it was chosen for. Ask your accountant how to treat specific expenses.

Final Verdict

Pick the card that matches where you actually shop, then check the cap and the fee against your real spending. For traditional supermarkets, compare the Blue Cash Preferred, the Blue Cash Everyday and the Capital One Savor. For warehouse clubs, look at the Costco Anywhere Visa and Bank of America’s 2% rate. For everything else, a flat 2% card is hard to beat on simplicity.

This is informational only and not financial advice. Rates, caps, fees, bonuses and APRs change, and many are tied to your creditworthiness. Verify current terms on the issuer’s page before you apply. You can also use my credit card comparison page to look at more options.

Related Articles

If you want to go deeper on cards, rewards and keeping business spending organized, these are the posts I would read next.

• Business Credit Card vs Personal Credit Card for Ecommerce
• A Cash-Flow-First Business Credit Card System for High-Ticket Ecommerce
• Best Credit Cards for Rewards
• Best Credit Cards for Points
• Best Credit Cards for Travel

Trevor Fenner

Trevor Fenner is an ecommerce entrepreneur and world traveler from Seattle, Washington, and the founder of Ecommerce Paradise, a platform focused on helping entrepreneurs build and scale profitable high-ticket ecommerce and dropshipping businesses. With over a decade of hands-on experience, Trevor specializes in high-ticket dropshipping strategy, niche and product selection, supplier recruiting and onboarding, Google & Bing Shopping ads, ecommerce SEO, and systems-driven automation and scaling. Through Ecommerce Paradise, he provides free education via in-depth guides like How to Start High-Ticket Dropshipping, advanced training through the High-Ticket Dropshipping Masterclass, and fully done-for-you turnkey ecommerce services for entrepreneurs who want a faster, more hands-off path to growth. Trevor is known for emphasizing sustainable, real-world ecommerce models over hype-driven tactics, helping store owners build scalable, sellable, and location-independent brands.

He maintains homes in Seattle and Bali, spends most of the year overseas, and usually returns to Seattle for about a month each summer.

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