Scenario
Updated April 25, 2026 · Calculator-driven, not editor-picked
A family spending $800 a month at the supermarket is doing roughly $9,600 a year on groceries. That sounds high until you realize it works out to about $200 a week — well within range for a household of three or four eating mostly at home.
The instinct is to grab the highest grocery rate, but the highest rate is only useful inside its cap. Two of the cards that dominate this category — Blue Cash Preferred and Amex Gold — both impose annual grocery caps. One of them stops earning the bonus rate before $9,600 a year. The other doesn't.
Who this fits
Key insight
Blue Cash Preferred earns 6% at supermarkets — but only on the first $6,000 per year. Past $6k it drops to 1%. At $9,600/yr in groceries, $3,600 of your spend earns just 1% on BCP. Amex Gold caps at $25,000/yr, so all $9,600 earns 4x (~8% effective at typical point valuations). Once you cross roughly $500/mo in groceries, the Gold pulls ahead — and it widens the lead the more you spend.
Ranked by net annual value (rewards minus effective fees) for good-credit applicants.Run your own numbers in the calculator.
$1,261/yr
net rewards
4x on US supermarkets up to $25,000/yr means every grocery dollar in this scenario earns the bonus rate. Effective fee is ~$1/yr if you use the $120 Uber, $120 dining, and $84 Dunkin' credits — all auto-applied to specific partners. If you don't reliably hit those partners, the effective fee is closer to $170 and the math gets tighter.
$830/yr
net rewards
Earns $830/year on this profile after the $0 effective annual fee. Plus a $450 sign-up bonus your spend qualifies for.
$830/yr
net rewards
Earns $830/year on this profile after the $0 effective annual fee. Plus a $563 sign-up bonus your spend qualifies for.
$819/yr
net rewards
Earns $819/year on this profile after the $0 effective annual fee. Plus a $100 sign-up bonus your spend qualifies for.
$663/yr
net rewards
Earns $663/year on this profile after the $95 effective annual fee. Plus a $525 sign-up bonus your spend qualifies for.
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This ranking is fixed against the spending profile above. Drop your own monthly numbers into the calculator and we'll re-rank against your actual spend — same algorithm, different inputs.
Run my own numbersCard data verified against issuer terms. Rates and fees may change — verify on the issuer's site before applying. Rewards values use the point valuations published on our methodology page.