Best card for a category
Best card for groceries in dollars (2026)
Published September 3, 2026. Updated September 14, 2026. Estimates use Pikt's card catalog and the same rewards engine as Pikt Checkout. Pikt personalizes each estimate to the cards you already carry, the purchase details, and any reward values you set. It compares supported earn rates, eligible offers, caps, and card constraints, then explains the result.
Answer
On a $120 purchase on groceries, Amex Gold earns the most: 4x points, worth about $9.60. Blue Cash Preferred is next at $7.20, so the difference on this one purchase is $2.40. Amex Gold carries a $325 annual fee, which this one purchase does not cover on its own. This is a general ranking of 200+ personal cards. It does not use the cards in your wallet.
What counts as groceries
Supermarkets and grocery stores. Warehouse clubs such as Costco and superstores such as Walmart and Target usually do not count as groceries for card bonuses, even when you buy food there.
Top cards on groceries, on a $120 purchase
The table compares 200+ personal cards still open to new applicants. Rotating 5% categories count only when the issuer's published calendar includes groceries this quarter, and those rows are marked. Rates you choose yourself appear separately below.
| # | Card | Rate here | Earns on $120 | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amex Gold (opens in a new tab)American Express | 4x points | $9.60 | $325 |
| 2 | Blue Cash Preferred (opens in a new tab)American Express | 6% cash back | $7.20 | $95 |
| 3 | Citi Strata (opens in a new tab)Citi | 3x points | $6.84 | $0 |
| 4 | Strata Premier (opens in a new tab)Citi | 3x points | $6.84 | $95 |
| 5 | Aeroplan Card (opens in a new tab)Chase | 3x points | $5.40 | $95 |
| 6 | Choice Privileges Select Mastercard (opens in a new tab)Wells Fargo | 5x points | $5.10 | $95 |
| 7 | Pottery Barn Key Rewards Visa (opens in a new tab)Capital One | 4% cash back | $4.80 | $0 |
| 8 | Verizon Visa (opens in a new tab)Synchrony | 4% cash back | $4.80 | $0 |
| 9 | West Elm Key Rewards Visa (opens in a new tab)Capital One | 4% cash back | $4.80 | $0 |
| 10 | Williams Sonoma Key Rewards Visa (opens in a new tab)Capital One | 4% cash back | $4.80 | $0 |
Points are turned into dollars at Pikt's published redemption value for each program, so a points card and a cash-back card can sit in the same column. Welcome bonuses, spending caps, and card-specific credits are not included in this one-purchase number.
Annual fees as of September 2026. Issuers change terms often, so check the issuer's own page before you apply.
Higher rates that depend on a condition
These cards can beat the table above, but only when the condition holds. Pikt ranks them at their everyday rate until it does.
- Discover it Cash Back (opens in a new tab) (Discover): 5% cash back, only in quarters when the issuer puts this category on the calendar and you activate it.
- Discover it Secured (opens in a new tab) (Discover): 5% cash back, only in quarters when the issuer puts this category on the calendar and you activate it.
- Discover it Student Cash Back (opens in a new tab) (Discover): 5% cash back, only in quarters when the issuer puts this category on the calendar and you activate it.
- Freedom Flex (opens in a new tab) (Chase): 5% cash back, only in quarters when the issuer puts this category on the calendar and you activate it.
- Venmo Credit Card (opens in a new tab) (Other): 3% cash back, only when the issuer counts this among your top spending categories that cycle.
- TD Cash Credit Card (opens in a new tab) (TD Bank): 2% cash back, only if you choose this as the card's bonus category.
How Pikt got this answer
Pikt ran 200+ personal cards through the same rewards engine as Pikt Checkout. Each card is open to new applicants, and its earn rates have been checked against issuer terms. The example uses a $120 purchase classified as groceries. Points and cash back are converted to dollars. Read how Pikt turns points into dollars.
The store's category code, not the aisle, decides which bonus applies. Business cards, cards no longer open to new applicants, and cards whose rates Pikt has not verified are left out.
Download the Extension to see a personal pick before you pay online. For more detail about this purchase, read the full guide.