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Restaurant spending is one of the most consistently rewarded categories across the entire card market — most issuers treat "dining" as a premium category worth chasing customers over, which is good news if it's a meaningful chunk of your budget.
Best overall: American Express Gold
Top pick
American Express Gold Card
American Express
4x
Points at restaurants worldwide, up to $50,000/yr
4x
Points at U.S. supermarkets too
$250
Annual fee
4x at restaurants is one of the strongest ongoing dining rates available, and unlike most category cards, it applies worldwide, not just domestically. The $250 annual fee looks steep, but the card also includes up to $120/year in dining credits (structured as monthly statement credits at select partners) that offset a meaningful chunk of the fee if you actually use them.
If you don't want to pay $250 a year to unlock a 4x dining rate, Savor's 3% cash back with no annual fee is the strongest free option on the market. It also covers entertainment and streaming, and — unusually — 3% at grocery stores too, though superstores like Walmart and Target are excluded from that bonus, same as everywhere else.
Chase Freedom Flex and Discover it both include a flat, always-on 3% (Freedom Flex) or occasional 5% rotating bonus (Discover it, when dining is the active category) — worth checking if you already hold one of these for other reasons before adding a dedicated dining card.
Does DoorDash, Uber Eats, or Grubhub count as "dining"?
It depends on the issuer and the specific platform, and this is genuinely inconsistent across cards. Amex generally codes food delivery apps as restaurants, so Gold's 4x usually applies. Some issuers code delivery apps under a separate "delivery services" MCC that dining bonuses don't cover. If delivery apps are a meaningful part of your spending, check your card's terms for language specifically addressing "delivery services" or "food delivery," not just "restaurants."
It depends entirely on how you redeem points. At Amex's baseline transfer value, 4x Membership Rewards points redeemed for a statement credit are worth roughly 4%, edging out Savor's flat 3%. Transferred strategically to airline or hotel partners, the value can run meaningfully higher. If you're not going to engage with transfer partners, the gap narrows and Savor's simplicity may be worth more to you than the marginal rate difference.
Can I stack a dining card with a grocery card?
Yes — this is one of the most common and effective two-card combinations. Amex Gold for dining and groceries, or Capital One Savor for dining paired with Blue Cash Preferred for groceries, covers both categories at strong rates without overlap. See our grocery card guide for the pairing options.
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