- The best card for foodies: American Express® Gold Card
- The best card for simplicity: Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
- The best card for newbies: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- The best card for points pros: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- The best card for renters: Bilt Mastercard®
- The best card for earning hotel points: Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
- The best card for one-card lovers: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
- The best card for cash back: Chase Freedom Flex® Card
What are travel credit cards, and how do they work?
Travel credit cards are financial products that offer various rewards and benefits geared towards frequent travelers. They typically earn you points or miles for every dollar spent on eligible purchases. These rewards can be redeemed for flights, hotel stays, car rentals, and other travel-related expenses. Travel credit cards may also include perks like travel insurance, airport lounge access, and no foreign transaction fees.
How do I choose the best travel credit card for my needs?
Choosing the best travel credit card depends on your travel habits, spending patterns, and preferences. Consider factors like the type of rewards offered (points, miles, or cash back), the card’s annual fee, sign-up bonuses, earning rates, redemption options, and additional travel perks. Analyzing these features will help you find a card that aligns with your lifestyle and offers the most value.
What are the benefits of using a travel credit card over other types of credit cards?
Travel credit cards provide unique advantages for travelers, such as earning rewards specifically tailored to travel expenses. Additionally, many travel credit cards offer travel-related perks like free checked bags, priority boarding, and travel insurance. Some cards also waive foreign transaction fees, making them ideal for international travelers.
What is a sign-up bonus, and how can I qualify for it?
A sign-up bonus is a promotional offer provided by the credit card issuer to entice new cardholders. To qualify for a sign-up bonus, you usually need to meet specific spending requirements within a certain timeframe after opening the account. The bonus can be in the form of points, miles, or cash back, and it’s a great way to jump-start your rewards earning.
Do travel credit cards charge foreign transaction fees?
Not all travel credit cards charge foreign transaction fees. Many of the top-tier travel cards waive these fees, making them ideal for international travel. However, it’s essential to read the card’s terms and conditions to confirm this before using it abroad.
How can I maximize the rewards earned with my travel credit card?
To maximize rewards, use your travel credit card for everyday expenses and large purchases. Take advantage of bonus categories and special promotions to earn more points or miles. Consider combining your travel credit card with loyalty programs to stack rewards and get even more value out of your purchases.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to you, but we need to eat. It’s pretty damn important if you have any intention of, well, being alive.
And that fact of life means a sizeable chunk of our monthly income heads straight back out the door and into the pockets of grocery stores, supermarkets, and restaurants. It’s a guaranteed expenditure, whether you’re a devout eat-at-homer or a zero-self-controlled-chronic-eater-outer, and that should make it a priority for any serious points and miles enthusiast.
Opening a card with strong earning rates for munchies can be a game changer, whatever your habits, so we’ve compiled a list to help you find the best credit cards for dining and groceries—depending on your lifestyle.
Check your credit card merchant codes
Before you dive into the list of the best credit cards for dining and groceries, it’s worth highlighting one of the biggest frustrations about earning rates: credit card merchant codes. These little data fragments are assigned by your credit card issuer and used to dictate the points you earn based on the type of business they represent.
For example, a restaurant might be coded as 5812, but a bar may be listed as 5813. You might buy food at the bar and pay for it using a card that earns extra on restaurants, but according to your credit card issuer, you weren’t at a restaurant.
It pays to help learn some of your regular shops and restaurants to ensure you’re not losing out on points. One notorious example is Walmart. Its super centers are registered as grocery stores, while its traditional stores only register as discount stores–condemning your grocery shop to 1X point per dollar.
The best card for foodies: American Express® Gold Card
Who’s this for? The American Express Gold Card is designed with big eaters in mind—whether that’s a habitual home cooker or a restaurant regular.
Details:
The American Express® Gold Card is one of the best credit cards for dining and groceries. The card boasts an incredible earning rate of 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
You’ll also earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
Do the math: if you spend an average of just over $2,000 a month on your family’s food, you’re pulling a whopping 100,000 Membership Reward Points. That’s a huge number. The card also comes with a 60,000-point intro bonus earned after spending $6,000 within six months of opening the card. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide within the first six months of card membership, up to $100 back. That’s a potential of 160,000 super-transferable points in the first year.
American Express® Gold Card
60,000 Membership Rewards® Points
after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new card within the first 6 months of card membership. Plus, receive 20 percent back in statement credits on eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide within the first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $100 back. Limited time offer. Offer ends 11/6/24.
The American Express® Gold Card takes your dining and grocery spending to the next level, offering an impressive 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year, and 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
To put this into perspective, if you spend $8,400 annually on dining and groceries, which aligns with the average American’s spending, you could earn enough points for a roundtrip flight to Hawaii. Meanwhile, the bonus alone is worth over $1,000, adding significant value to your everyday spending.
PROS
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S. each month, totaling up to $120 per year.
- Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Dunkin’ locations, totaling up to $84 per year.
- Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year for dining at U.S. Resy restaurants or making other eligible Resy purchases. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys, totaling up to $120 per year. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. Eligible charges vary by property.
CONS
- $325 annual fee
- No major travel perks like its bigger sibling, the Amex Platinum
Annual Fee: $325 | Terms Apply | Rates & Fees
The best card for simplicity: Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
Who’s this for? The Citi Strata Premier is for those who value high earning rates on a number of categories without the need to open a ton of cards.
Details:
Many points and miles users strangely pass over the Citi Strata Premier card (previously the Citi Premier card) when looking for the best credit cards for dining and groceries. The ignorance is unjustified, as the Strata Premier might just be the best card for dining and groceries on the market.
Its 70,000 ThankYou® Points intro bonus (earned after spending $4,000 within three months of opening) is enough to pique anyone’s interest, but its long list of high-earning spending categories truly sets it apart as a wallet staple.
The Strata Premier earns a whopping 3X points per dollar on restaurants, groceries, gas stations, EV stations, and any air and hotel purchases–not just from its own portal. Those high-value everyday categories and strong travel earnings make it, arguably, the best overall earner out there.
If you’re concerned that Citi ThankYou Points aren’t worth as much, you shouldn’t be. It has a ton of strong transfer partners, and that intro bonus is worth over $1,200 if you use it well. If this card isn’t on your radar, it should be.
Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
70,000 bonus points
after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening—redeemable for $700 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
The Citi Strata Premier Card is an underrated travel credit card that offers both high points-earning potential and simplicity. While the mid-tier card doesn’t come with any premium benefits, its earning on popular spending categories is almost unmatched. Holders earn 3X points on air travel, hotels, gas stations, supermarkets, and restaurants, making it ludicrously easy to accrue points. Throw in the healthy 70,000-point bonus and you’ve got a great haul of rewards on your hands.
PROS
- The 70,000-point intro bonus is worth $700 in gift cards and well over $1,000 when transferred to travel partners, making the $95 dollar annual fee an afterthought. You could ignore the card for a decade, and it would still be worth it.
- Its earning potential is phenomenal: Earning 3X points on categories like gas and supermarkets, which are part of the average American’s biggest expenses, means the Citi Strata Premier will work hard for you on a daily basis.
- Cardholders get a $100 hotel benefit each year on a hotel purchase of $500 or more. Not the greatest perk in the world, but a nice saving on an unexpected hotel stay that wipes out the yearly fee itself.
- As it’s a World Elite Mastercard, cardholders will enjoy varied benefits like Lyft credits, upgrades and breakfast at select hotels, and cell phone protection.
CONS
- Citi’s transfer partners are mainly foreign airlines, so using the points on US-based carriers will require some extra research.
- Other mid-tier cards may offer some more interesting perks.
The best card for newbies: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Who’s this for? This is for the newer points and miles user who are taking their first step into a higher realm of points earning. It’s also an excellent backup for the Gold.
Details:
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is widely regarded as one of the best entry-level travel cards. That’s owed in part to its generous earning rates and low annual fee. It makes for the perfect first steps into a more considered points and miles strategy. With its 3X points per dollar earning rates in restaurants and 2X points per dollar on travel, it’s a serious step up from other beginner cards.
But what makes it special is its longevity. With an annual fee of just $95, it’s a comparatively low-risk card that can operate as a tremendous backup for the Amex Gold. When American Express isn’t accepted, the Preferred can step in and still offer an excellent earning rate. It fits perfectly into the strategy of most points and miles users and makes itself a serious contender to be the best credit card for dining and groceries.
On top of its earning rates, cardholders can also grab 60,000 points after spending $4,000 within three months of opening the card.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earn 60,000 bonus points
after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is the ultimate all-around travel credit card—it fits perfectly into almost any points-earner’s wallet. Points novices can enjoy a significant intro bonus and easy to grasp spending categories with an approachable annual fee. The more experienced can utilize its high value earning potential as a secondary card and also gain access to Chase’s strong travel booking portal.
PROS
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals, and cruises through Chase Travel℠.
- The $50 dollar hotel credit for stays purchased on the Chase Travel Portal already cuts the already approachable $95 annual fee significantly.
- A 10% annual points bonus is tacked on every year, adding a little more value.
- A free year-long Doordash DashPass membership is also thrown in, which gives you free delivery and some extra discounts. It’s a solid perk if you order food delivery at least semi-frequently (Activate by 12/31/2027).
- Along with all of the above, cardholders also have access to a string of travel protections like rental coverage, cancellation insurance, and purchase protection.
CONS
- Maximizing the value of Chase points can still be complicated for complete novices.
Competing cards like the Capital One Venture have a better earning rate for non-bonused spend.
It’s subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule. So, if you’ve opened five cards in the last two years, you’re most likely not going to be accepted.
Annual Fee: $95 | Terms Apply | Rates & Fees
The best card for points pros: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Who’s this for? Heavy travelers and seasoned points and miles users who know how to maximize perks will like this card.
Details:
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is the bigger, premium sibling of the Preferred, and can be used in a similar manner. It offers the same 3X point per dollar rate on dining but sweetens the pot with a matching rate on travel. If you’re keeping your wallet less busy, this could operate as a big traveler and restaurant lover’s primary card, or it could function as a backup to the Gold in the same scenarios mentioned earlier.
The big factor as to whether this card is right for you is the annual fee. As a premium card, it commands a hefty $550 annual fee, so it’s important to be sure you can take advantage of the perks and 60,000-point intro bonus. Having this card and the Amex Gold may make it harder to achieve maximum value for some, so it’s definitely more suited to a seasoned pro. Chase Ultimate Rewards® points are super valuable so make sure you consider your options.
That bonus is earned in the same way as the Preferred, with $4,000 in spending within three months of opening the card, and you’ll be treated to a Priority Pass membership, a $300 travel statement credit, and other high-end benefits.
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
60,000 Bonus Points
after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a premium travel card that’s accessible to most travelers as it has a number of valuable and easy-to-use benefits. Its annual fee of $550, though still high, is quickly offset thanks to its $300 travel credit, large welcome bonus, strong spending categories, and premium perks like airport lounge access. It’s also great for those who don’t want to deal with transferring their points, as you’ll get big value when redeeming through Chase’s travel portal.
PROS
- Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel—which is more than the annual fee.
- The $300 travel credit covers anything travel related, whether thats an Airbnb, a taxi, a flight, or hotel, making it almost impossible not to lessen the dent the fee made.
- The points are worth 1.5 cents a piece when used directly on Chase’s Ultimate Rewards Portal, offering a simple but high value use for your points.
- Plenty of excellent transfer partners allow points to be maximized
- Some excellent partnerships with Doordash and Lyft add to its value.
- Priority Pass membership allows access to over 1,300+ airport lounges and restaurants.
CONS
- No complimentary elite hotel status, like that offered by the Amex Platinum.
- You won’t earn points on travel purchases until the $300 credit is used.
- It’s subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule. So if you’ve opened five cards in the last two years, you’re most likely not going to be accepted.
Annual Fee: $550 | Terms Apply | Rates & Fees
The best card for renters: Bilt Mastercard®
Who’s this for? Renters are the primary market for this outstanding card. But don’t sleep on its outstanding earnings on restaurants.
Details:
We’ve spent a lot of time and energy convincing renters they’re crazy not to have the Bilt Mastercard in their wallets. As the only product designed to allow customers to earn points on rent, it’s in a league of its own. But its strong earning rate on dining makes it more than worthy of this list–especially when you consider how valuable its points are.
The card offers 3X points per dollar on dining, as well as 1X points per dollar on rent and 2X points per dollar on travel. Considering you need to use the card five times outside of rent payments per statement period to earn points on your living expenses, it’s positioned itself as a top contender to use for your dinner bill.
If you’re smart with timing, it can definitely be the best credit card for dining and groceries. Every first of the month, you’ll earn double points—that’s 6X points per dollar on dining and 2X points per dollar on supermarkets. Plan a big grocery shopping trip and a monthly dinner with your friends and you’ll be laughing all the way to the departure lounge.
Bilt Mastercard®
The no annual fee Bilt Mastercard® is a very unique product that can turn points earned from one of your largest monthly expenses into a heap of travel rewards and other redemption options. It’s the only card that allows you to pay your rent with no transaction fees—you’ll earn 1X points on rent, up to 100,000 points year. Many landlords don’t accept credit cards or they charge a convenience fee to use a credit card to pay rent—making it an intriguing option for renters across the US. Plus, its points can be transferred to valuable airline and hotel partners. You must use the card 5 times each statement period to earn points.
PROS
- The greatest benefit is obvious: redeeming points earned from rent into travel rewards with no transaction fees attached.
- Bilt has some excellent and unique transfer partners, like United Airlines and Hyatt.
- Decent points-earning potential in other categories like 2X points on travel, 3X points on dining, and 1X points on rent (up to 100,000 points in a calendar year) and other purchases.
- You can earn interest on Bilt Points when you reach Silver status.
- A few other nice benefits are included, such as Cellular Telephone Protection.
CONS
- No sign-up bonus
- Use the card 5 times each statement period to earn points. So you can’t use it solely for rent. I’d advise putting some restaurant bills on it, as you’ll grab 3X points on those transactions.
Annual Fee: $0 | Terms Apply | Rates & Fees
The best card for earning hotel points: Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
Who’s this for? Customers with a preference for hotel points over airline miles—particularly Hilton loyalists—will like this card
Details:
We generally recommend sticking to transferable credit card points and miles when considering your everyday earnings. That’s because, usually, you can achieve far higher value with an adaptable points currency. But some people enjoy chasing hotel points and usually stick to their favorite brand—which is often Hilton and its loyalty program Hilton Honors.
The Hilton Surpass is the best-in-class option, offering a huge 6X points per dollar at restaurants, supermarkets, and gas stations, 12X points per dollar at Hilton properties, and 3X points per dollar on everything else. That’s a lot of potential points up for grabs.
You’ll also enjoy Gold status with Hilton Honors, a $200 Hilton credit to offset the $150 annual fee, and you can earn 130,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 within six months of opening the card. For a Hilton fanatic, it really can’t be beaten.
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points
after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your card in the first six months of card membership.
The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card is an excellent hotel card, with a strong intro bonus of 130,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the card in your first six months of card membership. It’s worth having this card even for a couple of stays a year, as the $150 annual fee is already validated by the free breakfast and strong points-earnings. If free Hilton nights is the goal, its earning potential is stellar, with 4X points for each dollar on U.S. online retail purchases, and 3X points for all other eligible purchases on your card.
PROS
- Strong 130,000-point intro bonus, which could translate to multiple free nights or one night in a luxury property in some places
- Up to $200 back each year on eligible Hilton purchases after you use your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
- Get complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status. This entitles the cardholder to room upgrades if available, free breakfast, 80% bonus points on Hilton spends, and fifth night free on an award stay. It’s more than worth the annual fee.
- Strong spending categories on popular purchases like U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. restaurants
- Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on your card in a calendar year
- Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors(TM) Gold Status with your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.
CONS
- No automatic free anniversary nights
- You’ll need a lot of Hilton points to redeem for a free night at a luxury property
- $150 annual fee
Annual Fee: $150 | Terms Apply | Rates & Fees
The best card for one-card lovers: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Who’s this for? This is for those who value simplicity above all else, even if it means sacrificing some bigger earnings.
Details:
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card makes an appearance on almost every list we produce. Why? Because, technically speaking, it’s an unbelievable earner for anyone.
While it doesn’t have any special earning rates on restaurants or dining, it compensates by gifting us with a flat earning rate of 2X miles per dollar on everything. While that’s not as exciting as 3, 4, or even 6X miles per dollar as other cards in this list command, it does offer simplicity and stops you from earning a measly 1X point on your spending.
One way it can be especially useful is for supermarkets and restaurants that fall between the cracks as mentioned up top. If you realize that a supermarket isn’t registering on your credit card statement as such, you can opt to use this to mop up a few miles.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
75,000 Bonus Miles
after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening
The Capital One Venture X is a direct competitor to the Chase Sapphire Reserve, and for many seeking a simpler earning scheme with premium perks, it could be the better option. But the Venture X truly shines with one benefit in particular: four free authorized users. Not only can they all use the card and earn miles, they all receive a Priority Pass membership which allows themselves and two guests access to airport lounges. In a highly improbable situation, that means you could technically bring 15 people into a lounge with you.
PROS
- Its solid intro bonus of 75,000 miles is worth well over $1,000 when transferred to partner airlines and hotels, or a flat rate $750 when redeemed on the Capital One Travel Portal.
- Cardholders get a bonus of 10,000 miles each year after their first account anniversary, which is nothing to shrug off, especially when a little bit short of that business class flight. It’s worth almost $200 depending on how you use it.
- The $300 annual credit for purchases made on the Capital One Travel Portal, combined with the yearly free miles, more than annul the $395 annual fee.
- Four authorized users can be added for free.
- The cardholder is entitled to a Priority Pass membership and entry to Capital One Lounges, even the authorized users.
- A generous offering of travel insurance, protections and reimbursements round out an excellent array of benefits.
CONS
- The $300 credit is a bit less flexible than the Chase Sapphire Reserve’s comparable benefit.
- Miles earning is the same as the Sapphire Reserve on portal-based purchases, but less on general travel spending.
- Capital one transfer partners are solid, but still don’t include any US-based airlines or hotels.
Annual Fee: $395 | Terms Apply | Rates & Fees
The best card for cash back: Chase Freedom Flex® Card
Who’s this for? Those who favor cash back or (potentially) the flexibility to turn those into points.
Details:
Some of the best credit cards for dining and groceries are cash back cards. As we’re a travel-focused platform, we’ve opted not to include many of these as it’s rarely possible to achieve outweighed value by transferring cash back to an airline or hotel.
One option to bridge the gap is the Chase Freedom Flex, which allows you to transfer your cash back into Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Combined with the Preferred or Reserve card, you’d have 3X points per dollar on restaurants. The only issue with this is that the latter Chase Sapphire cards already have 3X points per dollar on dining—so there’s not much use in opening it for this purpose.
It has no annual fee, but we’d only recommend this card if you’re just getting into the world of credit cards and feel a little uncomfortable about points. Once you build your confidence, you can open the Preferred or Reserve card and transfer the cash back into points…f you haven’t already spent it, of course.
A tip for choosing the best credit cards for dining and groceries
While we’ve offered you a number of strong cards to match your individual situation, the truth of the matter is that to optimize your earning potential, you’ll most likely need to have several cards.
For example, the Amex Gold may be the front runner with its strong earnings in both categories but, as mentioned earlier, you might come up against restaurants that don’t accept the card. While one or two might not equate to much, a big eater’s losses over the course of the year might be noticeable. With this in mind, having a card to cover those moments is handy. You could use the Bilt Mastercard, the Citi Strata, or the Sapphire Preferred for example. All three have 3X points per dollar on restaurants, allowing you to make up some of the lost earnings.
The point
The best credit cards for dining and groceries is heavily dependent on the individual’s lifestyle. While a card like the Amex Gold may appear to cover all the bases, how often we spend and where we do so can dictate things differently.
by your friends at The Daily Navigator
