Shopping for groceries is a task many people have a love-hate relationship with. At times, getting up from the couch to peruse the supermarket can be exhausting. Other times, it can be a joy to roam the aisles in search of the perfect ingredients for a new recipe.
Many points and miles fanatics are motivated to find ways to grocery shop online while still earning as many rewards as possible.
Here are a few popular online grocery delivery services, along with which cards will earn rewards at each.
Walmart
Most credit cards don’t include Walmart as an eligible store for bonus rewards on grocery shopping. When shopping at Walmart, choose one of the following options to ensure you earn more than 1 point per dollar spent (or 1% cash back):
Amazon Fresh
Amazon Fresh codes as an Amazon purchase, which means you’ll want to use cards that earn extra rewards on Amazon.
The Prime Visa (see rates and fees) card is the obvious choice, earning 5% cash back on Amazon and Whole Foods purchases with an eligible Prime membership (plus, get a $150 Amazon gift card instantly upon approval with an eligible Prime membership).
There’s also the lower-tier Amazon Visa Card, which earns 3% back on Amazon and Whole Foods purchases.
The information for the Amazon Visa has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
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Other useful cards for maximizing rewards are the Chase Freedom Flex® (see rates and fees) and Discover it® Cash Back. Both these cards have rotating 5% cash-back categories each quarter (up to $1,500 each quarter with the Freedom Flex; activation required). Amazon often appears as a rotating category once per year.
The information for the Discover it Cash Back has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: 2 grocery cards, twice the rewards: Why I double up at supermarkets
Instacart
Here’s the great news: Instacart purchases code as groceries, which means you can use any standard grocery credit card for those purchases.
Here are some cards to consider for Instacart:
The information for the Instacart Mastercard has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: The best credit cards for groceries
Local grocery delivery services
Your local grocery store chain may have its own delivery service that you can use. Because these purchases are made through the grocery stores themselves, you should use the same cards you normally would at the grocery store.
Additionally, Walmart Neighborhood Markets purchases code as grocery purchases.
Here are some top cards for these purchases:
- Amex Gold: Earn 4 points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar spent).
- Amex Blue Cash Preferred: As mentioned above, earn 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per calendar year, then 1%). Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit and at amazon.com checkout.
- Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express: Earn 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per calendar year, then 1%). Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit and at amazon.com checkout.
- Chase Freedom Flex: Earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Groceries often show up as a 5% category.
Bottom line
Though not all cards are optimal for both, there’s some definite overlap between ideal cards for online delivery services and in-store grocery purchases.
Play around with your strategy (depending on what cards are in your wallet and what cards you want to look into) and enjoy online grocery shopping to its fullest.
Related: Why I love using my Chase Sapphire Preferred for grocery shopping — and you might, too
