Best Credit Cards For Restaurants
- Best Credit Cards For Restaurants
- Divvy Business Card
- Citi Prestige
- Amex Gold Card
- Amex Business Gold Card
- U.S. Bank Altitude Go Card
- Brex Card
- Barclays Uber Card
- Capital One Savor® Cash Rewards
- Cardless Boston Celtics Card
- Cardless New Orleans Pelicans Card
- Chase Sapphire Reserve
- Chase Freedom Flex
- Chase Freedom Unlimited
- US Bank Business Triple Cash
- US Bank FlexPerks Gold Amex
- Capital One SavorOne® Cash Rewards
- Marvel Mastercard
- Santander Bravo
- Costco Anywhere Visa
- AARP Credit Card from Chase
- Wells Fargo Propel American Express
- Cardless Miami Marlins Card
- TD Cash Rewards
- UMB Simply Rewards
- Other 2% Cards
- Cards with 5% Rotating Categories
Americans love eating out and millennials even more. Spending at restaurants and other food vendors continues to increase annually, and is now rebounding after the pandemic. Before the pandemic, Americans were spending more at bars and restaurants than groceries, even though a study in 2016 noted that you could save an average on $9 per meal by preparing it at home.
- Check out the best credit cards for:
- Travel Purchases
- Supermarkets And Grocery Stores
- Drugstores and Pharmacies
- Gas Stations
- Cell Phone Protection
So maximizing you credit card rewards for your dining purchases is a good idea. Below, you can find the cards you should use every time you go out to eat. I’ll start with the cards that give you the highest rates and are widely available, and work my way down from there. I’ll value all points at 1 cent per points to make the ranking easier, but for same rates, I’ll rank Chase Ultimate Rewards cards first, then American Express Membership Rewards cards next, and TYP last.
Divvy Business Card
- 7x points on restaurants if you pay off your bill weekly. (4x if paid bi-weekly, 2x if paid monthly)
- No Annual Fee
- LEARN MORE
Citi Prestige
- 5X ThankYou Points for each $1 spent on purchases at restaurants (including cafes, bars, lounges and fast food restaurants).
- Annual Fee: $495
- Earn 50,000 points as a welcome bonus after spending $4,000 within 3 months of account opening.
- LEARN MORE
Amex Gold Card
- 4X Membership Rewards Points on Restaurants including takeout and delivery.
- $250 Annual Fee
- Read more about the card
- APPLY HERE
Amex Business Gold Card
- 4X Membership Rewards points at U.S. Restaurants if it’s your most used category
- $295 Annual Fee
- Read more about the card
- APPLY HERE
U.S. Bank Altitude Go Card
- 4X points on takeout, food delivery and dining.
- No Annual Fee
- Read more about the card
- LEARN MORE
Brex Card
- 4X Brex Rewards on restaurants (equal to 4% cash back or transfer points to partners)
- No Annual Fee
- $1,100 signup bonus
- Read more about the card
- APPLY HERE
Barclays Uber Card
- 4% back on restaurants, takeout and bars, including UberEATS
- No Annual Fee
- Read more about the card
Capital One Savor® Cash Rewards
- Earn 4% cashback on dining and entertainment
- $95 Annual Fee, waived the first year
- LEARN MORE
Cardless Boston Celtics Card
- 4% cash back on dining
- No Annual Fee
- Read more about the card
- APPLY HERE
Cardless New Orleans Pelicans Card
- 4x points for gas, bars, and restaurants
- No Annual Fee
- Read more about the card
- APPLY HERE
Chase Sapphire Reserve
- 3X Ultimate Rewards Points on travel and dining worldwide
- $550 Annual Fee
- This card is subject to Chase 5/24 rule
- Read more about the card
- LEARN MORE
Chase Freedom Flex
- 3X on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services
- No Annual Fee
- $200 welcome bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- LEARN MORE
Chase Freedom Unlimited
- 3X on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services
- No Annual Fee
- $200 welcome bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- LEARN MORE
US Bank Business Triple Cash
- 3% cash back on restaurants, gas stations, office supply stores and cell phone service providers
- No Annual Fee
- $500 welcome bonus after spending $4,500 in the first 150 days
- LEARN MORE
US Bank FlexPerks Gold Amex
- 3X FlexPoints at restaurants
- $85 Annual Fee
- Points can be valued at ~1.5cpp
- Read more about the card
Capital One SavorOne® Cash Rewards
- Earn 3% cashback on dining and entertainment
- No Annual Fee
- LEARN MORE
Marvel Mastercard
- 3% cashback on dining, entertainment, and Marvel related purchases.
- No Annual Fee
- Read more about the card
Santander Bravo
- 3X rewards points on supermarket, gas station, and restaurants
- $49 Annual Fee (waived first year or with Select/Premier Plus checking account)
- Rewards are values at 1cpp. 3X rate is capped at $5K spending.
- Read more about the card
Costco Anywhere Visa
- 3% back on restaurants and eligible travel purchases.
- No Annual Fee
- LEARN MORE
AARP Credit Card from Chase
- 3X cash back rewards on purchases at restaurants
- No Annual Fee
- You do not need to be an AARP member to apply, but just in case you didn’t know, anyone can become an AARP member
- Read more about the card
Wells Fargo Propel American Express
- Earn 3X points on eating out and ordering in
- No Annual Fee
- Card available for applications by phone or in-branch
Cardless Miami Marlins Card
- 3% cash back on dining
- No Annual Fee
- Read more about the card
- APPLY HERE
TD Cash Rewards
- 3% Cash Back on dining
- No Annual Fee
- Only available in CT, DC, DE, FL, MD, ME, MA, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, SC, VT, VA
- Read more about the card
UMB Simply Rewards
- 3% at Restaurants, Gas stations, Grocery stores, Discount stores
- No Annual Fee
- $200 bonus and could be limited based on your location
- Read more about the card
Other 2% Cards
- Check out the full list of credit cards that earn 2X miles/points or 2% cash back on all purchases.
Cards with 5% Rotating Categories
Some cards also have 5% rotating categories each quarter, which could at times make them some of the best credit cards for restaurants. Sometimes we see restaurants as one of those categories, so it’s a good idea to keep an eye out if you have these cards, and maximize the spending when possible.
| Card | How 5x Works | Activate | |
| Chase Freedom Flex | 5X Ultimate Rewards points on $1,500 per quarter | Activate | LEARN MORE |
| Chase Freedom | 5X Ultimate Rewards points on $1,500 per quarter | Activate | No longer available |
| Discover it | 5% cashback on $1,500 per quarter | Activate | LEARN MORE |
| ABOC Platinum Rewards | 5x points on $1,500 per quarter | Register once | LEARN MORE |
| Citi Dividend | 5% on up to $6,000 spend for the whole year, can be earned in any quarter | N/A | No longer available |
| US Bank Cash+ | 5% cashback on $2,000 per quarter | Activate | LEARN MORE |
| Vantage West Card | 5% on $1,500 per quarter | N/A | LEARN MORE |
Please let me know if there’s any other cards that you think should be included in the list, especially if they’re widely available. And also share your opinions on which is the best credit cards for restaurants.
