Groceries are one of the biggest recurring expenses for most households, which makes supermarket spending one of the easiest places to earn meaningful rewards from your credit cards.
While there are dozens of cards that offer some sort of grocery bonus, the reality is that only a handful of cards consistently stand out in 2026.
Over the years, our own grocery spending strategy has changed several times. At one point, we focused heavily on Hilton points and used grocery spending toward Free Night Reward spending thresholds. These days, we’ve shifted toward earning more flexible transferable points instead.
Right now, most of our grocery spending is split between the American Express Gold Card and the Citi Strata Premier card. We like having spending spread across multiple transferable points ecosystems instead of concentrating everything into one program.
If you’re looking for the best long-term credit cards for grocery spending in 2026, these are the cards we’d focus on.
Note: Most grocery bonus categories exclude purchases at Walmart, Target and warehouse clubs like Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s.
The Main Players For Grocery Spending
American Express Gold Card
The American Express Gold Card remains the benchmark for grocery rewards.
The card earns 4X Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets (up to the annual spending cap), and Membership Rewards remain one of the most valuable transferable points currencies available.
If you value airline transfer partners and premium travel redemptions, this is still one of the strongest grocery cards available in 2026.
Citi Strata Premier Card
The Citi Strata Premier has quietly become one of the best all-around everyday spending cards.
In addition to earning 3X ThankYou Points at supermarkets, the card also earns bonus points on dining, gas stations, air travel and hotels, making it easy to rack up points without constantly switching cards.
While the earning rate at grocery stores isn’t quite as high as the Amex Gold Card, the lower annual fee and broad bonus categories make this an easy card to justify keeping long-term.
Blue Cash Preferred From American Express
Not everyone wants to deal with transferable points and airline programs.
If your goal is straightforward cashback, the Blue Cash Preferred card remains one of the best grocery cards available. The card earns 6% cashback at U.S. supermarkets, up to the annual spending cap.
For households that spend heavily on groceries and prefer simplicity over points optimization, this is still one of the easiest recommendations to make.
Other Grocery Cards Still Worth Mentioning
Capital One Savor
The no-annual-fee Capital One Savor card earns 3% cashback at grocery stores, dining and entertainment venues.
While it may not lead the category, it’s a solid simple option for people who want good rewards without juggling multiple cards.
Chase Freedom Flex & Discover
Both the Chase Freedom Flex and Discover cards regularly feature grocery stores as rotating 5% cashback categories during parts of the year.
If you already have either card, it’s always worth checking the quarterly bonus categories before heading to the supermarket.
Aeroplan Credit Card
One interesting niche option is the Aeroplan Credit Card, which earns bonus points at grocery stores worldwide instead of limiting earnings to U.S. supermarkets.
That makes it somewhat unique among travel rewards cards and potentially useful for international travelers.
What About Costco, Walmart & Target?
One of the biggest frustrations with grocery bonus categories is that many stores families shop at most frequently don’t actually code as grocery stores.
In most cases, purchases at Walmart, Target and warehouse clubs like Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s won’t qualify for supermarket bonus earnings.
If Costco is one of your primary grocery stores, you may want to consider the Costco Anywhere Visa Card, which earns 2% cashback on Costco purchases.
Our Current Grocery Card Strategy
At the moment, we primarily split grocery spending between the American Express Gold Card and the Citi Strata Premier card.
The Amex Gold earns more points per dollar at supermarkets, but we still like diversifying our points earnings between Membership Rewards and ThankYou Points.
That flexibility has become more important to us than maximizing a single loyalty currency.
Final Thoughts
You don’t necessarily need a dedicated grocery card to earn good rewards. But considering how much most households spend on groceries every year, it’s one of the easiest categories where using the right card can make a noticeable difference.
For most people in 2026, the real grocery card conversation comes down to three options:
- American Express Gold Card for transferable points
- Citi Strata Premier for well-rounded everyday spending
- Blue Cash Preferred for straightforward cashback
Everything else is mostly about finding the setup that best fits your own spending habits and travel goals.
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