Best Credit Cards for Restaurant Spending (2018)
Make sure to read the tips and general advice in our Optimize Rewards by Using Different Cards for Different Purchases guide.
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Card suggestions
- For most people, the best option for dining is the Citi Prestige card. It earns 5x Thank You points per dollar, worth at least 7.5%. However, if you are planning to get the Amex Gold Card for purchasing supermarket gift cards and you aren't otherwise interested in the Citi Prestige card, or you simply don't want to start to collect ThankYou points, you might settle for its 4x Membership Reward points. Be aware that not only does it earn 1 less point per dollar, it won't earn bonus points on any dining outside of the United States.
- If you are comfortable using Membership Reward points for frequent flyer tickets, the Amex Gold card is the most valuable card for restaurant spending. It earns 4x Membership Reward points at restaurants within the United States. If you are just redeeming for "cash", these points are worth 1 cent each, and you may be better off with the one of the other cards. But, if you use them for frequent flyer tickets, we value them at 6 cents per dollar. And, if you highly value premium cabin award tickets, they are worth much more. The card's excellent earning rate at Supermarkets, and its ongoing credits, offset its $250 annual fee.
- Most beginners are better off using the Sapphire Reserve card. It earns 3x Ultimate Reward points valued at 5.1 cents per dollar. Ultimate Reward points can be redeemed for frequent flyer tickets, but can also be redeemed, at good value, for easier-to-redeem options. Depending on how much you spend eating out (or ordering in), the Sapphire Reserve's extremely high reward rate on restaurant spending can help justify paying the card's effective annual fee of $150.
- If you have the Altitude Reserve card, and don't have the Sapphire Reserve card, you should use the Altitude Reserve whenever you can pay with your mobile wallet. The Altitude Reserve card earns 4.5%, but only on restaurants that accept Apple Pay and other mobile wallet payments. This is higher reward rate than you can get from any other card. But, you won't be able to use it on all of your restaurant purchases.
- If you can deal with some extra complexity, the Wells Fargo "Combo" is your next best option. It earns 4.5% on dining, without any annual fees. The trick is that you need to have two different Wells Fargo cards. And because you can only get one Wells Fargo card every 15 months, it will take some time to put this plan into action. The Wells Fargo Propel card earns 3x points on Restaurant (and Travel, Gas, and Streaming Services). Normally these points are only worth 1 cent each. But, if you also have the Wells Fargo Visa Signature card, you can redeem points at 1.5 cents each, for airfare purchases through the Wells Fargo portal. That works out to 4.5 cents per dollar, which is better than any card other than the Sapphire Reserve.
- Otherwise, the Uber Visa card is your best option. It earns 4% back on dining, and has no annual fee. The only cards that earn higher rewards on restaurant spending are the Sapphire Reserve, the Altitude Reserve (on electronic wallet purchases), and the Wells Fargo combo. However, several other cards that you might already have, such as the Citi Prestige card, only earn slightly less than the Uber card. If you have one of the cards that already earns at least 3 cents per dollar, you might not want to bother getting the Uber card as well.
Starting in January 2019, the Citi Prestige Card will earn 5x ThankYou points on Dining (and Airfare) purchases. If you are comfortable using converting your credit card points to frequent flyer tickets, this will become the new king of the Dining (and Airfare) cards. If you want more flexibility, you'll be better off sticking to one of the other recommended cards (other than the Amex Gold card, which has the same limitation).
Quick comparison
The point values used in the table below are estimates based on a typical traveler. They may need to be adjusted for your individual preferences and travel patterns. For example, if you highly value premium cabin award tickets and are willing and able to build up large point balances, Ultimate Rewards, Membership Rewards, and ThankYou points are much more valuable and you should earn as many of those types of points as you can. If you have trouble finding good frequent flyer redemptions, you might want to focus on cards that earn points that can be used more like cash. Deciding What Type of Points to Earn
The annual costs in the table below reflect the annual fee minus any travel credits. For travel credits that are harder to redeem, we value the credit at 50% of the maximum credit amount. We value the Amex Airlines Incidental Credit at only 25% of the maximum credit amount. If you are willing to do the work or are otherwise able to get full value from these credits, the effective annual fee can be considerably lower.
Some cards waive the annual fee for the first year. But the table focuses on what you would pay in the longer term.
| Card | Value | Earns | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amex Gold* | 6% | 4x MR | $30-250 |
| Amex Business Gold Rewards Card (if it is one of your two bonus categories) |
6% | 4x MR | $295 |
| Sapphire Reserve Card | 5.1% | 3x UR | $150 |
| Wells Fargo Propel Card (with Wells Fargo Visa Signature) |
4.5% | 3x GoFar | $0 |
| US Bank Altitude Reserve (on mobile wallet purchases only) |
4.5% | 3x | $75 |
| US Bank Flexperks Gold | 4.5% | 3x FP | $85 |
| Uber | 4% | 4% | $0 |
| Capital One Savor Card | 4% | 4% | $95 |
| CNB Crystal Infinite* | 3.6% | 3x | $150 |
| BOA Premium Rewards | 2-3.5%† | 2-3.5x | $45 |
| Ink Cash (business card) | 3.4% | 2x UR | $0 |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred | 3.4% | 2x UR | $95 |
| Hyatt Card | 3.4% | 2x | $75 |
| Morgan Stanley* (for Morgan Stanley customers only) |
3% | 2x MR | $0 |
| Capital One SaverOne Card | 3% | 3% | $0 |
| Costco / Sam's Club Credit Card | 3% | 3% | $0 |
| AARP | 3% | 3% | $0 |
| Citi Premier | 3% | 2x TY | $95 |
| Citi Prestige | 3% | 2x TY | $200‡ |
| Hilton Surpass | 2.7% | 6x | $75 |
* Cardholders with more than $20,000 in combined balances at BOA / Merrill Lynch earn bonus rewards, maxing out at 3.5 points, or 5.25 cents on travel purchases.
† Bonus rewards on US Restaurants only.
‡ Citigold customers save an extra $100 on the annual-fee.
Supercharge your dining rewards with a credit card dining program
By taking advantage of credit card based dining programs, you can earn even more points from using your credit card at some restaurants. You simply register your card with the dining program, and you’ll earn extra points each time you use it at a participating restaurant. Earn Extra Rewards by Enrolling in Credit Card Dining Programs
