Which credit card pays the most on groceries?
By Amine, founder of Lirandel. Last fact-checked October 28, 2026. General information, not financial advice.
Short answer: of the 11 rewards cards Lirandel checks, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express pays the most on groceries: 6% on up to $6,000 a year, then 1%, with an annual fee of $0 the first year, then $95. If you spend about $264 a month or less where it counts, the no-fee Capital One Savor Cash Rewards (3%) leaves you with about as much or more each year after the first. Every card leaves out some stores, so check where you actually shop.
Pay your card in full every month first: card interest costs far more than any rewards.
What each card pays on groceries
Rates as written on each issuer's page, on the date shown.
| Card | On groceries | Annual fee | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express checked Oct 28 | 6% on up to $6,000 a year, then 1% | $0 the first year, then $95 | 6% at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 a year, then 1%; 3% at U.S. gas stations. Amex's terms: superstores, convenience stores, warehouse clubs and meal-kit delivery services don't count as supermarkets. |
| Capital One Savor Cash Rewards checked Oct 20 | 3% | $0 | 3% at grocery stores excludes superstores like Walmart and Target. |
| American Express® Gold Card checked Oct 20 | 4 points per dollar on up to $25,000 a year, then 1 point per dollar | $325 | 4X at restaurants (up to $50,000 a year) and U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 a year), then 1X. Amex's terms: superstores, convenience stores, warehouse clubs and meal-kit delivery services don't count as supermarkets. |
| Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card checked Oct 20 | 2% | $0 | — |
| Citi Double Cash® Card checked Oct 20 | 2% | $0 | — |
| Chase Freedom Unlimited® checked Oct 20 | 1.5% | $0 | — |
| Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards checked Oct 23 | 1.5% | $0 | — |
| Chase Freedom Flex® checked Oct 23 | 1% | $0 | 5% on up to $1,500 a quarter in rotating categories you activate (up to $75 a quarter): not counted, because the categories change each quarter. |
| Discover it® Cash Back checked Oct 23 | 1% | $0 | 5% on up to $1,500 a quarter in rotating categories you activate (up to $75 a quarter): not counted, because the categories change each quarter. |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card checked Oct 23 | 1 point per dollar | $95 | Also 5x on Chase Travel and 3x on online grocery and top streaming services (not counted). |
| Capital One Venture Rewards checked Oct 23 | 2 miles per dollar | $95 | — |
What that's worth a year
Assumptions: the amounts are spent only at stores each card counts as groceries. Points are valued at what they're worth as cash, not travel. “After fee” assumes groceries are the only thing on the card, and shows a normal year: in its first year the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express charges $0, so you'd keep the amount before the fee. Welcome bonuses come in the next section.
| Card | $300 a month | $600 a month | $1,000 a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express | $216 ($121 after fee) | $372 ($277 after fee) | $420 ($325 after fee) |
| Capital One Savor Cash Rewards | $108 | $216 | $360 |
| Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card | $72 | $144 | $240 |
| Citi Double Cash® Card | $72 | $144 | $240 |
| Chase Freedom Unlimited® | $54 | $108 | $180 |
| Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards | $54 | $108 | $180 |
| Chase Freedom Flex® | $36 | $72 | $120 |
| Discover it® Cash Back | $36 | $72 | $120 |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card | $36 (-$59 after fee) | $72 (-$23 after fee) | $120 ($25 after fee) |
| Capital One Venture Rewards | $36 (-$59 after fee) | $72 (-$23 after fee) | $120 ($25 after fee) |
| American Express® Gold Card | $86 (-$239 after fee) | $173 (-$152 after fee) | $288 (-$37 after fee) |
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express's top rate stops at $6,000 of groceries a year (about $500 a month); above that it earns 1%.
If you use points for travel, they can be worth more: the American Express® Gold Card would be worth up to $144, $288, $480 a year at these levels, before its fee; the Capital One Venture Rewards would be worth up to $72, $144, $240 a year at these levels, before its fee. Travel value depends on how you book, so Lirandel shows it as the upside, not the estimate.
When the $95 fee pays for itself
- Against the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards: about $264 a month at stores that count for both. Spend less and the no-fee card comes out ahead.
- Against a flat 2% card like the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card: about $198 a month.
In its first year the fee is $0, so that year it comes out ahead from the first dollar.
Welcome bonuses change the first year
- Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card: $100 after $500 in 3 months.
- Citi Double Cash® Card: none counted. Any current welcome offer wasn't shown on Citi's page when checked, so none is counted.
- Chase Freedom Unlimited®: $200 after $500 in 3 months.
- Capital One Savor Cash Rewards: $200 after $500 in 3 months.
- American Express® Gold Card: none counted. Welcome offers vary by person: Amex's page (checked Oct 28, 2026) says "as high as" 100,000 points after $8,000 in 6 months, so none is counted.
- Chase Freedom Flex®: $250 after $500 in 3 months.
- Discover it® Cash Back: matches all the cash back you earn in the first year, once.
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: 75,000 points after $5,000 in 3 months.
- Capital One Venture Rewards: 75,000 miles after $4,000 in 3 months.
- Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards: $200 after $500 in 3 months.
- Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: $250 after $3,000 in 6 months.
Over two years, if groceries were your only spending, here is how the two leaders compare in Lirandel's math (a bonus counts only if this spending reaches it):
| Groceries a month | Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express | Capital One Savor Cash Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| $300 | $337 (bonus not reached) | $416 |
| $600 | $899 | $632 |
| $1,000 | $995 | $921 |
Lirandel's full ranking uses all of your spending, not just groceries: see how Lirandel picks cards.
Things to check before choosing
- Where you shop. “Supermarket” and “grocery store” are defined by the issuer, usually by how the store is registered with the card network. Superstores, warehouse clubs and some online grocers may not count (see each card above).
- Your other spending. A card that wins on groceries may lose overall. Lirandel compares every card on all of your spending.
- Approval. Applying for credit can affect your credit score. Approval and terms are decided by the issuer, not Lirandel.
- Terms change. Confirm the current rates and fees on the issuer's page before applying.
How Lirandel would answer this for you
Upload a card or bank statement, and Lirandel reads how much you really spend on groceries and everything else, then ranks every card it checks by what it would add over your first two years, after fees. It never ranks by what Lirandel earns.
How Lirandel earns money: Lirandel earns nothing from any product on this page today: it has no partner agreements with these companies. If that changes, what Lirandel would earn will be shown next to each one before you click, and it never changes the order.
Sources
- Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, Wells Fargo (terms checked 2026-10-20)
- Citi Double Cash® Card, Citi (terms checked 2026-10-20)
- Chase Freedom Unlimited®, Chase (terms checked 2026-10-20)
- Capital One Savor Cash Rewards, Capital One (terms checked 2026-10-20)
- American Express® Gold Card, American Express (terms checked 2026-10-20)
- Chase Freedom Flex®, Chase (terms checked 2026-10-23)
- Discover it® Cash Back, Discover (terms checked 2026-10-23)
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase (terms checked 2026-10-23)
- Capital One Venture Rewards, Capital One (terms checked 2026-10-23)
- Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards, Capital One (terms checked 2026-10-23)
- Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, American Express (terms checked 2026-10-28)
- Blue Cash Preferred® terms: what counts as a U.S. supermarket (checked 2026-10-28)
- What American Express points are worth, third-party estimate used for the American Express® Gold Card (checked 2026-10-27)
- What Chase points are worth, third-party estimate used for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (checked 2026-10-27)
- What Capital One miles are worth, third-party estimate used for the Capital One Venture Rewards (checked 2026-10-27)