The Best Rewards Credit Cards for Grocery Store Bonuses

 I don’t know about you all, but I love this time of year. Not just for the festive spirit that abounds, but the miles. And the points. There are a lot of miles and points to be had around this time. We’re all stocking up for big dinners and using credit cards to pay for everything (I hope). It can be tough to keep track of all the different category bonuses and which card to use where.

But one category is simple, lucrative, and heavily utilized, so you really should have a designed card picked out for year-round use. I’m talking of course of grocery store spending. For the holidays and beyond, here are the best rewards credit cards to use for grocery store bonuses:

 

Hilton Honors Surpass Card from American Express –  6 points per $1

“Hilton Honors sucks!” says the peanut gallery. No, actually, they are one of the best rewards programs for earning free nights. Their credit cards are no exception. With the Hilton HHonors Surpass Card from American Express, you’ll earn 6 points per $1 spent at grocery stores. “Big deal, $1k gets me 6,000 points. That’s nothing!” It’s a free night at a Category 1 hotel and there are a good enough number of those to keep even the cynics happy.

 

Blue Cash Preferred from American Express  –  6% cash back on the first $6,000 spent per year

The Blue Cash Preferred offers on of the highest grocery cash back deals out there: 6% cash back on the first $6,000 spent on groceries per year. That comes out to $360 cash back, which you can put towards gifts, household bills, or more groceries…

 

Chase Freedom – 5% Cash Back

Throughout December, Chase Freedom cardholders earn 5% cash back on the first $1,500 spent at Walmart. Which is basically a grocery store. So head over to Walmart for your holiday grocery needs and you’ll earn a pretty generous rewards for your efforts. The best part? That 5% cash back basically amounts to 5 Ultimate Rewards points, since Ultimate Rewards credit cardholders can transfer their cash back rewards to their Ultimate Rewards accounts. I don’t know about you, but I definitely prefer 5 Ultimate Rewards per $1 spent to 5% cash back. Just be sure to activate this deal by December 14, 2017.

 

Amex EveryDay Preferred – 3 points per $1 on the first $6,000 spent (plus a 50% bonus after 30 or more purchases per month)

If you’d rather earn Membership Rewards over cash back, then the Amex EveryDay Preferred Credit Card is a great option. You’ll earn 3 points per $1 spent on the first $6,000 spent. An added bonus? Every billing period when you manage to charge 30 transactions to the card, you’ll get 50% more points. So if you max out the $6,000 on grocery spending while simultaneously completing 30 transactions each period, you’ll have a total of 24,000 Membership Rewards points! That’s more than the (slightly pathetic) current sign-up bonus on this card.

 

IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card –  2 points per $1

The complaint I hear most often about the IHG Rewards Club program is how difficult it is to earn free nights, largely because of their high redemption rates for top-tier awards. With the IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card, you’ll have to work half as hard to get to your next free night. Cardholders earn 2 points per $1 at grocery stores. While I don’t expect most of you will spend $30,000 on grocery spending this holiday season for a top-tier award, you’ll at least get to a free night slightly faster.

So what’s the best rewards credit card for grocery spending? I would personally focus on the Blue Cash Preferred for the 6% cash back bonus. If cash back isn’t really your thing, I’d go for the Amex EveryDay Preferred. While 3 points per $1 may not seem like much, it’s basically 4.5 points per $1 spent when you take advantage of the 50% bonus. But if you’re not maxing out the $6,000 then maybe stick to the Chase Freedom and earn 5% cash back that can be converted to Ultimate Rewards.

 

Which credit card do you prefer to use for grocery spending?