2026 editorial shortlist
Cards for Groceries
Model rewards on your supermarket spending with the right inputs.
Groceries are typically one of the largest monthly expenses. Published grocery rates can earn 3-6% back, but spending caps and annual fees mean the choice depends on how much you spend.
These editorial shortlists compare published reward rates, annual fees, spending caps, and practical usage constraints. They are not personalized optimizer rankings, and affiliate relationships do not determine the ordering.
Editorial picks
Featured pick
Amex Gold
American Express
$325/year
For high spenders — 4x on up to $25,000/year at U.S. supermarkets
Blue Cash Preferred
American Express
$95/year
Published rate — 6% on up to $6,000/year, then 1%
Blue Cash Everyday
American Express
$0
No-fee option — 3% on up to $6,000/year
Capital One Savor
Capital One
$0
No cap on grocery rewards, plus 3% on dining and entertainment
Tips
Walmart, Target, and Costco typically don’t code as supermarkets — check your card’s merchant category definitions.
If you spend over $500/mo on groceries, the Amex Gold’s 4x with no practical cap often beats the BCP’s 6% with a $6K cap.
Pair a grocery card with a good base-rate card for non-grocery spend to maximize total rewards.
Complete setup
Cards selected for one category rarely make the strongest modeled overall wallet.
These editorial picks focus on groceries, but the modeled combination depends on your total spending across every category. The optimizer models eligible combinations and tells you whether its result was proven optimal within that run's inputs or was the strongest valid setup found before timeout.
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Not financial advice. OptimalCardSetup provides mathematical optimization tools for educational and informational purposes only. This does not constitute financial, investment, or credit advice. Card rates, fees, and benefits shown are last checked as of Aug 2, 2026. Terms may change — always verify current details with the card issuer before applying.