Best Grocery Credit Cards
| Card | Annual fee | Earn rate | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amex Cobalt | $191.88/year ($15.99/mo) | 5x food & drink (groceries, dining, food delivery, capped $2,500/mo combined), 3x streaming, 2x gas/transit/rideshare, 1x everything else | Points on groceries and dining |
| SimplyCash Preferred Card from American Express | $119.88/year ($9.99/mo) | 4% gas and groceries (on up to $30,000/yr, up to $1,200 cash back), 2% everything else | Cash back at grocery stores |
| Scotiabank Gold American Express Card | $120/year | 6x Scene+ at Sobeys/Safeway/Freshco/Foodland, 5x dining/food delivery/other grocery/entertainment, 3x gas/transit/streaming, 1x everything else | Sobeys-family grocers |
| PC World Elite Mastercard | $0 | 30 PC Optimum points per $1 at participating grocery stores, 45 per $1 at Shoppers Drug Mart, at least 3 cents per litre in points at Esso and Mobil, 10 per $1 everywhere else | Loblaw banners and Shoppers Drug Mart |
| CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite | $120/year | 4% gas/EV charging/groceries, 2% transportation/dining/recurring payments/CIBC by Expedia travel, 1% everything else (bonus rates on the first $20,000 of bonus-category or $50,000 of total spending a year) | CIBC clients |
| TD Cash Back Visa Infinite | $139/year | 3% groceries, gas & EV charging, public transit, and recurring bills/streaming/digital media (first $15,000/yr in each category), 1% everything else | TD clients |
| Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card | $0 | 2% cash back in 2 categories you choose (3 with rewards paid into a Tangerine Savings Account), 0.5% on everything else | No fee, groceries as a chosen category |
| BMO CashBack Mastercard | $0 | 3% groceries and 1% recurring bills (first $500 per statement each), 0.5% everything else | No fee, no income requirement |
Annual Rewards Comparison
Based on $10,000/year grocery spending:
| Card | Rate | Annual Rewards | Annual Fee | Net Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amex Cobalt | 5% | $500 | $191.88 | $308 |
| Scotia Gold Amex (partner grocers) | 6% | $600 | $120 | $480 |
| Scotia Gold Amex (other groceries) | 5% | $500 | $120 | $380 |
| PC WE (at Shoppers Drug Mart) | 4.5% | $450 | $0 | $450 |
| PC WE (at Loblaw banners) | 3% | $300 | $0 | $300 |
| CIBC Dividend VI | 4% | $400 | $120 | $280 |
| Amex SimplyCash Pref | 4% | $400 (under $1,200/yr cap) | $119.88 | $280 |
| TD Cash Back VI | 3% | $300 (under $450/yr cap) | $139 | $161 |
| Basic 1% card | 1% | $100 | $0 | $100 |
Winner: Scotiabank Gold Amex at partner grocers (Sobeys/Safeway/Freshco/Foodland) has the highest net value ($480) in this comparison, but requires Amex acceptance and shopping at those specific banners. Best no-fee option: PC World Elite at Shoppers Drug Mart (net $450, $0 annual fee) – note the rate is lower (3%, ~$300) at Loblaw banner grocery stores specifically. Best versatility: Amex Cobalt (works at all grocers + food delivery)
Top Grocery Card Picks
Best Overall: Amex Cobalt
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Annual fee | $191.88 ($15.99/month) |
| Grocery rate | 5x MR-S points ($0.05/pt) |
| Other food | 5x food delivery, restaurants |
| Everything else | 3x streaming, 2x gas/transit/rideshare, 1x other |
| Welcome offer | Monthly points offer; confirm the current offer at americanexpress.com/en-ca |
Earn rate breakdown:
- Groceries: 5x = ~5%
- Restaurants: 5x = ~5%
- Food delivery: 5x = ~5%
- Streaming: 3x = ~3%
- Gas/transit/rideshare: 2x = ~2%
- Other: 1x = ~1%
Best for: Anyone who spends heavily on food and dining.
Best No Annual Fee: PC Financial World Elite Mastercard
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Annual fee | $0 |
| Loblaw banner rate | 30 points/$1 (~3%, at $0.01/pt) |
| Shoppers Drug Mart rate | 45 points/$1 (~4.5%) |
| PC Travel | 20 points/$1 (~2%) |
| Esso/Mobil | 19 points/$1 (~1.9%) |
| Other | 10 points/$1 (~1%) |
| Welcome offer | Varies; check the current offer at pcfinancial.ca |
| Income requirement | $80,000 personal or $150,000 household |
Where it works at each rate:
- 3% (30 pts/$1): Loblaws, No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, Zehrs, Provigo, Atlantic Superstore, Fortinos, Maxi, valu-mart, Your Independent Grocer
- 4.5% (45 pts/$1): Shoppers Drug Mart specifically – NOT the same rate as Loblaw banners
Best for: Loblaws/Shoppers shoppers who want no annual fee, especially those who spend more at Shoppers Drug Mart than at Loblaw banner grocery stores.
Best Scotia: Scotiabank Gold American Express
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Annual fee | $120 |
| Grocery rate (Sobeys/Safeway/Freshco/Foodland) | 6x Scene+ points |
| Grocery rate (other grocery stores) | 5x Scene+ points |
| Gas rate | 3x |
| Everything else | 1x |
| Welcome bonus | Varies – confirm current offer at scotiabank.com |
Best for: Scotiabank customers, especially those who shop at Sobeys-owned grocery banners.
Best Cash Back: CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Annual fee | $120 (verify current fee directly at cibc.com) |
| Grocery + gas rate | 4% cash back (COMBINED category, not separate) |
| Other | 1% |
| Annual cap | Roughly $20,000/year combined gas+grocery spend |
Best for: Those who prefer simple cash back over points, especially households with combined heavy gas and grocery spending.
Grocery Categories: What Counts?
Typically Qualifies as Groceries
| Merchant Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Supermarkets | Loblaws, Sobeys, Metro |
| Discount grocers | No Frills, Food Basics |
| Organic/specialty | Whole Foods, Farm Boy |
| Ethnic grocers | T&T, local markets |
| Online grocery | Instacart, Walmart Grocery |
May NOT Qualify
| Merchant Type | Why |
|---|---|
| Costco | Often codes as warehouse |
| Walmart in-store | Codes as general retail |
| Drug stores | Depends on card |
| Dollar stores | Not grocery merchant code |
| Amazon | Not grocery merchant code |
Tip: Test with small purchase and check statement category.
Costco-Friendly Cards
Costco only accepts Mastercard (any Mastercard-network card works, not just CIBC’s co-branded product): For other categories, browse our credit card reviews and roundups.
| Card | Rate at Costco | Annual Fee |
|---|---|---|
| CIBC Costco Mastercard | 1% in-warehouse / 2% Costco.ca (3% dining, 3% Costco Gas) | $0 (with membership) |
| Tangerine Money-Back MC | 2% (custom category) | $0 |
| Rogers World Elite MC | 1.5% everywhere | $0 |
Best for Costco: CIBC Costco Mastercard is the official co-branded option (3% dining, 3% Costco Gas / 2% non-Costco gas, 2% Costco.ca, but only the 1% base rate for in-warehouse purchases, no annual fee beyond your Costco membership).
Strategy: Card Pairing
Maximize rewards with multiple cards:
| Purchase | Card | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Groceries | Amex Cobalt | 5% |
| Costco | CIBC Costco Mastercard | 2% |
| Restaurants | Amex Cobalt | 5% |
| Gas | CIBC Dividend / Scotia | 4%/3x |
| Everything else | Rogers WE / flat-rate | 1.5% |
Break-Even Analysis
When does an annual fee card make sense?
Amex Cobalt ($191.88/year)
| Monthly Groceries | 5% Earnings | vs 1% Card | Net Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| $400 | $240/year | +$192 | -$0 |
| $600 | $360/year | +$288 | +$96 |
| $800 | $480/year | +$384 | +$192 |
| $1,000 | $600/year | +$480 | +$288 |
Break-even: ~$400/month in grocery spending.
PC World Elite ($0/year)
Always makes sense: no fee to offset.
How to Maximize Grocery Rewards
- Use the right card: Don’t accidentally use 1% card
- Check bonus categories: Some cards rotate grocery bonuses
- Stack with rebates: Checkout 51, Flipp, PC Optimum
- Buy gift cards: Some gift cards code as groceries
- Pay rent with card: Some landlords accept cards (with fee consideration)
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Solution |
|---|---|
| Using wrong card at checkout | Keep grocery card front of wallet |
| Assuming Costco counts | Costco often doesn’t code as groceries |
| Not meeting income requirements | Apply for no-income-requirement alternatives |
| Forgetting annual fee ROI | Calculate break-even spending |
Related Resources
Sources
The figures and rules on this page come from these sources, last checked against them between October 3, 2026 and October 6, 2026. How we check facts.
- americanexpress.com: Gold Rewards Card | Upgrade | American Express
- americanexpress.com: Cobalt Card Benefits | American Express CA
- americanexpress.com: Cash Back Credit Cards | Amex Canada
- BMO: BMO CashBack Mastercard: Up to 3% Cash Back – BMO Canada
- CIBC: Credit Card Rewards Calculator | CIBC
- pcfinancial.ca: PC® Mastercard®: Earn up to 4.5% back in PC® Optimum™ Points | PC Financial
- Scotiabank: Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card | Scotiabank Canada
- Scotiabank: How to Earn and Redeem Scene Points with Scotiabank Scene+ Rewards | Scotiabank Canada
- Tangerine: Cash Back Credit Card: Bonus 10% Cash Back for 2 months* | Tangerine
- TD: TD Cash Back Visa Infinite* Card | TD Canada Trust