Credit cards for grocery shopping
By ApplyOrWait. Compiled from issuer terms and our audited issuer-rule list. Offers checked ; issuer rules verified . Terms apply.
Credit cards for grocery shopping: 4 current offers are compared; some have variable, conditional or unconfirmed bonuses the estimates leave out, so the order is a starting point rather than a like-for-like ranking. Among credit cards for grocery shopping with a confirmed value, Chase Freedom Flex has the highest estimated first-year value after fees at $250, using cash redemption. The lowest annual fee among credit cards for grocery shopping is $0. Opening any of the 4 personal cards compared for credit cards for grocery shopping adds an account to Chase's reported 5/24 count for 24 months, even if the account later closes.
Check which stores qualify as supermarkets, the annual spending cap and the rewards after that cap. Warehouse clubs and superstores often earn a different rate.
Check my eligibility first →We compare conditional value after fees; compensation never changes rankings.
How we rankGroceries: 4 available offers, ordered by conditional cash value after fees.
Offers for Groceries to compare
1. Chase Freedom Flex
Welcome offer: $250 bonus cash back (25,000 points redeemable for $250). Annual fee: $0. Terms apply.
First-year value after fees (cash redemption), estimated: $250.
Last checked: .
2. American Express Blue Cash Everyday
Welcome offer: As high as $200 cash back in Reward Dollars, redeemable as a statement credit. Annual fee: $0. Terms apply.
First-year value after fees (cash redemption), estimated: $0.
Bonus up to $200 with conditions. This ceiling is excluded from the estimate.
Last checked: .
3. American Express Blue Cash Preferred
Welcome offer: As high as $300 cash back in Reward Dollars, redeemable as a statement credit. Annual fee: $95. Terms apply.
First-year value after fees (cash redemption), estimated: -$95.
Bonus up to $300 with conditions. This ceiling is excluded from the estimate.
Last checked: .
4. American Express Gold Card
Welcome offer: as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards points. Annual fee: $325. Terms apply.
First-year value after fees (cash redemption), estimated: -$103.
Bonus up to $600 with conditions. This ceiling is excluded from the estimate.
Last checked: .
Compare requirements and conditional value
Groceries estimates use cash redemption, expected credit use and first-year fees; ongoing spending rewards are excluded. Terms apply.
| Card | Annual fee | Required spend | First-year value, estimated (cash) | Timing or bonus condition | Recorded details | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Freedom Flex | $0 | $500 in 3 months | $250 | Chase's terms say the Chase Freedom Flex welcome offer is unavailable if you received its welcome bonus within the past 24 months, and you cannot open the card while you hold it.Issuer terms | Network: Visa.First-year fee: $0; renewal: $0. | 2026-10-06 |
| American Express Blue Cash Everyday | $0 | $2,000 in 6 months | $0 | American Express's terms say the American Express Blue Cash Everyday welcome offer may be unavailable if you have or had the American Express Blue Cash Preferred. Check the current offer terms; this wording varies between offers.Issuer terms | Network: Amex.First-year fee: $0; renewal: $0.Personalized bonus up to $200 with conditions; excluded from the base estimate. | 2026-10-06 |
| American Express Blue Cash Preferred | $95 | $3,000 in 6 months | -$95 | American Express Blue Cash Preferred: Amex may restrict a welcome offer if you have held the card before. Some targeted offers have different terms; the issuer determines eligibility.Issuer terms | Network: Amex.First-year fee: $95; renewal: $95.Personalized bonus up to $300 with conditions; excluded from the base estimate. | 2026-10-06 |
| American Express Gold Card | $325 | $8,000 in 6 months | -$103 | American Express Gold Card: Amex may restrict a welcome offer if you have held the card before. Some targeted offers have different terms; the issuer determines eligibility.Issuer terms | Network: Amex.First-year fee: $325; renewal: $325.Personalized bonus up to $600 with conditions; excluded from the base estimate. | 2026-10-06 |
Timing rules for the cards on this list
Application windows and account limits
Chase Freedom Flex: Chase usually declines most applications at 5/24 or higher, based on applicant reports. Approval is never guaranteed. Your estimated 5/24 count changes as older accounts age out. Exact eligibility timing depends on reported opening dates.
Chase Freedom Flex: Applicants report Chase pacing of roughly two cards in 30 days, usually one business card. Additional applications may be declined. Many applicants space Chase applications about 90 days apart to reduce review risk; this is community guidance.
American Express Blue Cash Everyday and American Express Blue Cash Preferred: Applicants report a usual five-day gap between Amex lending-card approvals. This is an observed limit, not a published guarantee. Amex usually allows no more than two lending-card approvals in 90 days. Reported exceptions do not guarantee approval. Amex usually limits applicants to five lending cards in total, including business cards. Exceptions have been reported.
American Express Gold Card: The usual Amex limit on new credit-card approvals generally does not apply to this card. Other approval checks still apply. Amex generally limits charge-card holdings; ten total is commonly reported, with exceptions and lower personal-card limits reported by some applicants.
Welcome offers and prior-card history
Chase's terms say the Chase Freedom Flex welcome offer is unavailable if you received its welcome bonus within the past 24 months, and you cannot open the card while you hold it.
American Express's terms say the American Express Blue Cash Everyday welcome offer may be unavailable if you have or had the American Express Blue Cash Preferred. Check the current offer terms; this wording varies between offers.
American Express Blue Cash Everyday: Amex may restrict a welcome offer if you have held the card before. Some targeted offers have different terms; the issuer determines eligibility.
American Express Blue Cash Preferred: Amex may restrict a welcome offer if you have held the card before. Some targeted offers have different terms; the issuer determines eligibility.
American Express Gold Card: Amex may restrict a welcome offer if you have held the card before. Some targeted offers have different terms; the issuer determines eligibility.
Effect on Chase 5/24
Chase Freedom Flex is a personal card: opening it adds a recent account toward Chase's 5/24 count for 24 months, including if it later closes.
American Express Blue Cash Everyday is a personal card: opening it adds a recent account toward Chase's 5/24 count for 24 months, including if it later closes.
American Express Blue Cash Preferred is a personal card: opening it adds a recent account toward Chase's 5/24 count for 24 months, including if it later closes.
American Express Gold Card is a personal card: opening it adds a recent account toward Chase's 5/24 count for 24 months, including if it later closes.
Application order
Issuer terms: consider American Express Blue Cash Everyday before American Express Blue Cash Preferred because prior American Express Blue Cash Preferred history may block American Express Blue Cash Everyday's welcome offer, with no reverse restriction recorded; check the current offer terms; applicant reports also suggest checking Chase Freedom Flex before opening American Express Blue Cash Everyday and American Express Blue Cash Preferred and American Express Gold Card if Chase access matters, because another personal account can bring you to the reported 5/24 threshold.
Questions about Groceries
What could delay a card application for Groceries?
Chase, American Express applications and recent account openings can affect timing for Groceries. Compare the issuer-specific windows with your dates; a waiting period does not establish approval.
Do credit cards for Groceries have an application order?
American Express Blue Cash Everyday is worth checking first: earlier American Express Blue Cash Preferred history may limit that welcome offer. An application order cannot establish eligibility on its own.
Which welcome offers for Groceries depend on earlier card or bonus history?
American Express Blue Cash Everyday's welcome offer may depend on whether you have or had American Express Blue Cash Preferred. Check the specific event and waiting period in the offer terms before counting a welcome bonus.