Best credit cards for food delivery of December 2023

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Food delivery is a simple way to get food if you're short on time or simply prefer to order in instead of dining out.

The average American has two food delivery apps on their phone and uses them three times per month, according to a survey by US Foods. Of the most common apps, Uber Eats ranks as the most popular, followed by Grubhub, DoorDash and Postmates.

But while food delivery is convenient, it can also be quite costly. These popular apps rely on service fees that range from only a few dollars to more than $10, and they add up quicker than you might expect.

US Foods' survey found that $8.50 is the average cost food delivery users are willing to pay for the delivery fee, service fee and tip. At three times per month, this hits you with roughly $25.50 in fees — without factoring in the actual cost of food.

While some might get out their recipe book and vow to cook more often to save money, this might not be an option for others with a busy lifestyle. In this case, a better alternative might be to open a credit card with high rewards rates on food delivery orders and complimentary paid memberships or dining credits.

Below, CNBC Select rounds up the best cards for popular food delivery services that can make the cost of ordering in more affordable.

• Best for Grubhub and Seamless: American Express® Gold Card
• Best for DoorDash: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
• Best for other food delivery: Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card

Who's this for? The American Express® Gold Card is a great choice for foodies that prefer Grubhub or Seamless. Cardholders receive an annual $120 dining credit ($10 a month) at select restaurants and food delivery services, including: Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment is required. This is a great way to offset some of the costs of ordering in.

In addition to the annual dining credit, cardholders earn a high 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at restaurants. The 4X rewards rate also applies to U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X), in case you alternate takeout and food delivery with cooking at home.

In addition to food-related rewards, cardholders can benefit from money-saving Amex Offers that can earn you a statement credit or additional Membership Rewards® points at select businesses, which may include restaurants.

There is a $250 annual fee (see rates and fees), but the card benefits (like the $120 dining credit) can help offset it.

Who's this for? The Chase Sapphire Reserve® added DoorDash perks last year that made this card more valuable for fans of the food delivery service. Cardholders can take advantage of a complimentary DashPass membership, valid through December 31^st, 2024. DashPass provides free delivery and lower service fees from hundreds of restaurants on orders of $12 or more.

In addition to DoorDash specific benefits, you can benefit from an annual $300 travel credit, which can be used toward airfare and hotels. Plus earn 10X points on Lyft rides through March 31^st, 2025, 5X points on flights and 10X total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards; 3X points on travel worldwide (immediately after earning your $300 annual travel credit), 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide, 1X point per $1 on all other purchases.

This card also has a unique benefit where all points are worth 50% more when redeemed for travel via Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 redeemed toward airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

While this card has robust food delivery perks, it also comes with a steep $550 annual fee. All the card's added credits and benefits provided by Chase can help offset the annual cost. The $300 annual travel credit effectively reduces the annual fee to $250. Cardholders can take advantage of a Priority Pass™ Select membership that has a value of about $429. They also get a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit of up to $100 every four years.

Who's this for? If you prefer alternative food delivery services, such as Postmates or Caviar, consider a credit card that offers rewards on dining purchases, which include food delivery. The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card offers a competitive 4% cash back on dining purchases. 

This card had previously offered a free Postmates Unlimited membership, but that offer ended Dec. 31, 2019. However, it's still a good choice for ordering delivery from Postmates and other services.

You can benefit from a one-time $300 cash bonus once you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. Cardholders also earn 3% at grocery stores and 1% on all other purchases.

And if you decide to dine out, you can benefit from exclusive access to premium reservations with OpenTable.

To determine which cards offer the best value for dining out, CNBC Select analyzed most popular credit cards offered by the biggest banks, financial companies and credit unions that allow anyone to join and offer bonus rewards on food delivery. Bonus rewards means a cardholder earns 2% or 2 points per dollar in a given category.

We compared each card on a range of features, including cash-back rewards, welcome bonus, introductory and standard APR, balance transfer fee and foreign transaction fees, as well as factors such as required credit score and customer reviews when available. We also considered additional perks, the application process and how easy it is for the consumer to redeem points.

Select teamed up with location intelligence firm Esri. The company's data development team provided the most up-to-date and comprehensive consumer spending data based on the 2019 Consumer Expenditure Surveys from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You can read more about their methodology here.

Esri's data team created a sample annual budget of approximately $22,126 in retail spending. The budget includes six main categories: groceries ($5,174), gas ($2,218), dining out ($3,675), travel ($2,244), utilities ($4,862) and general purchases ($3,953). General purchases include items such as housekeeping supplies, clothing, personal care products, prescription drugs and vitamins, and other vehicle expenses.

Select used this budget to estimate how much the average consumer would save over the course of a year, two years and five years, assuming they would attempt to maximize their rewards potential by earning all welcome bonuses offered and using the card for all applicable purchases. All rewards total estimations are net the annual fee.

It's important to note the value of a point or mile varies from card to card and based on how you redeem them. When we calculated the estimated returns, we assumed that cardholders are redeeming points/miles for a typical maximum value of 1 cent per point or mile. (Extreme optimizers might be able to achieve more value.)

While the five-year estimates we've included are derived from a budget similar to the average American's spending, you may earn a higher or lower return depending on your shopping habits.

For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, please click here.

Information about the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.