Best Credit Cards For Restaurants, Do You Have One in Your Wallet?

Best Credit Cards For Restaurants

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.

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 cards first, then cards next, and TYP last. Check the list below to see if you have one of the best credit cards for restaurants, and other dining purchases such as delivery and takeout.

• Check out the best credit cards for:
  • Travel Purchases
  • Supermarkets And Grocery Stores
  • Drugstores and Pharmacies
  • Gas Stations
  • Cell Phone Protection

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

Citi Custom Cash

• 5% cash back on purchases in top eligible spend category (includes restaurants) each billing cycle, up $500.
• No Annual Fee
• LEARN MORE

American Express® Gold Card

• 4X Membership Rewards Points on Restaurants including takeout and delivery.
• $250 Annual Fee
• Read more about the card
• APPLY HERE

American Express® Business Gold Card

• 4X Membership Rewards points at U.S. Restaurants (including takeout and delivery) 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

Wells Fargo Bilt Mastercard

• 3X Points on Dining (6x on the 1st of each month)
• No Annual Fee
• 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

LEARN MORE

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 Credit Card

• Choose your top two Spend Categories to earn unlimited 3% and 2% Cash Back. Dining is one of them.
• 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

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card

• 6X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants.
• $95 Annual Fee
• APPLY HERE

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.

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.