There are some offers mentioned below that are no longer available. The Pay Yourself Back benefit ends Dec. 31, 2022
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
After paying rent or a mortgage, groceries are often a household's largest monthly expense. It doesn't hurt to have a credit card that earns a lot of rewards on something your spending a lot on, and now the Chase Freedom Flex℠ and Chase Freedom Unlimited® are offering 5% cash back on up to $12,000 worth of grocery store purchases (not including Target® or Walmart® purchases) in the first year.
Both cards come with no annual fee and offer new cardholders a $200 welcome bonus if they spend $500 within the first three months of account opening. If you maximized rewards just on groceries in the first year, you could earn up to $600, plus the $200 welcome bonus, for a total of $800.
For those who want a card with a solid cash-back-earning rate and no rotating categories that require activation each quarter, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® gives you unlimited 1.5% back on all purchases, plus 5% back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards® and 3% back on dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery services) and drugstores.
If you want a higher cash-back rate and are comfortable activating a set of rotating bonus categories each quarter, you might consider the Chase Freedom Flex℠. The Flex earns 5% back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate them, 5% back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3% back on dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery services) and drugstores and 1% back on all other purchases. If you maximize spending in your bonus category, you could earn up to $75 each quarter.
Some of the categories for 2021 have included gas stations and home improvement stores; grocery stores and select streaming services; and wholesale clubs, cable, internet, phone services and select streaming services.
Both cards offer 5% cash back on qualifying Lyft rides through March 31, 2022 and a complimentary three-month membership to Doordash's DashPass, which offers free food delivery and reduced service fees.
While both Freedom cards earn cash back, you'll receive rewards in the form of Chase Ultimate Rewards® points. You can redeem these points for cash back, travel, merchandise and gift cards. Chase Ultimate Rewards points don’t expire as long as your account remains open and in good standing. There is no minimum to redeem your cash back rewards.
You can also combine your points with other Ultimate-Rewards-earning cards, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees), which allows you to transfer you points to travel partners and potentially boosts the value of points when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠.
If you want big rewards on grocery spending that continue after the first year of card membership, you might consider the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express which offers 6% cash back at qualifying U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per year in eligible purchases, then 1%) and has a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 (see rates and fees).
And if you're okay with paying an even higher annual fee of $325 (see rates and fees), the American Express® Gold Card offers 4X Membership Rewards® Points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X), one of the highest reward rates on groceries available. Those Amex points can be transferred to valuable partners like Delta Air Lines, Air Canada, British Airways and more.
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is a low-fee card with generous cash-back rewards and useful ongoing benefits, such as a monthly Disney Bundle credit. (Enrollment required for select benefits mentioned)
- High cash-back earnings for U.S. supermarkets and streaming services
- Intro-APR offer for purchases and balance transfers
- No annual fee for the first year
- It's less rewarding after the first year because of the annual fee
- Bonus rewards for U.S. supermarkets are capped
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Apply and find out your welcome offer. As High As $300 cash back* after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply, and if approved: 1. Find out your offer amount 2. Accept the Card with your offer 3. Spend $3,000 in 6 months 4. Receive the cash back. *Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed for a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
- Enjoy 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months from the date of account opening. After that, your APR will be a variable APR of 19.74%-28.74%.
- Plan It®: Buy now, pay later with Plan It. Split purchases of $100 or more into equal monthly installments with a fixed fee so you don't have the pressure of paying all at once. Simply select the purchase in your online account or the American Express® App to see your plan options. Plus, you'll still earn rewards on purchases the way you usually do.
- Earn 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in eligible purchases (then 1%), 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% cash back at eligible U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more) purchases and 1% cash back on other purchases. Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit and at Amazon.com checkout.
- Get up to a $10 monthly statement credit after using your enrolled Blue Cash Preferred® Card for a subscription purchase, including a bundle subscription purchase, at DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com, or Stream.ESPN.com U.S. websites. Subject to auto-renewal.
- See Rates & Fees
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Foreign transaction fee
2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars
The American Express Gold Card is great for earning valuable Membership Rewards® points at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets. Membership Rewards® points transfer to many of the top airline and hotel loyalty programs, which makes this card one of the best options for earning travel rewards.
- You can earn $400+ in dining and rideshare credits every year (Enrollment required for select benefits mentioned)
- Exceptionally rewarding for eligible restaurant and U.S. supermarket purchases
- No foreign transaction fees
- Large annual fee
- Credits are more complicated, you earn them monthly or semi-annually
- Spending caps on the top bonus categories
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you're approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you're approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App™, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™ and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You'll know upfront exactly how much you'll pay.
- $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- Enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Book two nights or more with The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™ and receive a $100* credit towards eligible charges at over 1,400 upscale hotels worldwide. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App™ with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Foreign transaction fee
None
Information about the Chase Freedom Flex℠ has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Gold card, click here.
