Groceries are most households' second-largest monthly expense after rent. At $400-600/month for the average family, choosing the right card for supermarket runs — Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, local grocers — can earn $200-360/year in cash back.

The best grocery cards offer 3-5% back on supermarket purchases. Whole Foods codes as groceries for most cards (and pairs with Amazon Prime Visa for 5%). Trader Joe's codes as groceries across all networks. Warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam's may code differently.

Key strategy: Use a 5% category card (like Citi Custom Cash) for groceries, then switch to a 2-3% general card for non-grocery spending. Never carry a balance — at 20%+ APR, one month of interest wipes out a year of grocery rewards.

Test your monthly grocery spend below or use our full rewards calculator.