Best Credit Cards for Restaurants

Some offers mentioned on this page may be outdated. To confirm offers and credit card details, check the issuer’s website.

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Most people who are considering rewards credit cards want to earn points when they travel, but in reality, food is one of the biggest expenses families face each month. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American household spent just over $3,000 on restaurants and takeout per year in 2015—and that doesn’t include money spent at grocery stores. 

If a significant chunk of your budgets is allocated to food, finding the best restaurant credit card could help you turn your daily lunch into lucrative rewards, including cash back, travel points, or other perks.

To help you get started, here are a few of our top picks for the best dining credit cards.

In this guide:

• Best Restaurant Credit Card for Cash Back
• Best Restaurant Credit Card for Dining Abroad
• Best Restaurant Business Card

Best Restaurant Credit Card for Cash Back

Barclays Uber Visa

Highlights

City dwellers—and especially those who use Uber every month—may find that the Barclays Uber Visa card is exactly what they’ve been looking for. This restaurant credit card offers above-average rewards for food at a whopping rate 4%—and this includes food you order on the UberEATS app. Even on purchases made outside a restaurant or bar, the points can really add up thanks to spending categories that cover all purchases.

With no annual fee and a moderate sign-up bonus of $100 available after you spend just $500 in the first 90 days, the Barclays Uber Visa stands out as one of the best restaurant cash back credit cards. And because online shopping counts as a higher tier of rewards than regular purchases, this card may outperform similar cash-back cards for those who prefer to do their shopping online and who subscribe to online subscription services.

Downsides

While the Barclays Uber Visa is an overall powerhouse of a restaurant rewards card, those with a below-average credit score may have a hard time being accepted. Also, the APR for those without a stellar score can run a bit higher than average.

Those who spend mostly on groceries and offline shopping may do well to consider a rewards card that incentivizes this type of spending, as the Barclays card only offers 1% on these purchases.

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Capital One SavorOne Card

Highlights

Among some of the best dining rewards credit cards comes a relative newcomer, the Capital One SavorOne card. This restaurant-focused card offers an impressive 3% cash back on food and entertainment (like concert tickets and bowling alleys). Thanks to a 0% intro APR offer and no annual fee, Capital One’s SavorOne card is an appealing option for racking up rewards quickly.

The SavorOne card also comes with no foreign transaction fees, so users can continue to boost their rewards totals abroad without losing a cut to fees. And because of the promotional APR on balance transfers for the first 15 months, switching to this card is simple. It is a great all-around card for people seeking dining and entertainment perks with no annual fee.

Downsides

Despite the SavorOne card’s standout benefits, the credit score requirement can be stringent, and some may be disappointed to find their application turned down. While the 3% back on restaurants can be appealing, other cards offer more substantial rewards for the other tiers, so consumers who want to see significant rewards in non-restaurant categories may do well to look elsewhere.

Additionally, while the 0% intro APR can be helpful for new cardholders, the variable APR goes up to a variable 25.74% — a rate that is uncomfortably high for a card with such strict requirements. If you decide to transfer a balance to this card, be sure to pay it off before the promotion APR expires, and take note of the 3% fee you’ll have to pay on the amount you transfer.

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Capital One Savor Card

Highlights

The Capital One Savor Card is a higher-tier version of the SavorOne card. Coming in at 4% cash back on both dining and entertainment, the Savor card can be a real winner for those who spend more than $9,500 on dining and entertainment each year—that’s how much it would take for the extra 1% you get in rewards to make up for the $95 annual fee.

In addition, the waived first-year annual fee and the solid $300 cash bonus opportunity make this card a top contender for the best credit card for eating out. With no transfer fees on balance transfers, switching to the Capital One Savor card is simple.

Downsides

Despite the high rate of rewards for the Savor card, the $95 annual fee can be steep. While the rewards can really accumulate quickly in the first year, after that, this card is only better than its SavorOne counterpart if you spend enough to offset the annual fee.

Best Credit Card for Dining Abroad

For some people, earning rewards on restaurants is great—but it’s not quite enough. Why sacrifice miles or other travel rewards for a restaurant card when you could have both? You don’t actually need to be going abroad to take advantage of these cards; they combine high rewards rates at restaurants with air miles and other travel perks, so consider funding your yearly vacation with some of these restaurant credit cards.

Citi Prestige Card

Highlights

The Citi Prestige card is a real standout when it comes to restaurant rewards points. The staggering 5x points for dining out—plus the equally high points for air travel purchases—can add up quickly to a very cheap vacation. The card is heavily centered around entertainment and vacationing, so those who enjoy cruises or who stay at hotels and eat out frequently will find much use for this card.

In addition, the 50,000 bonus Thank You points you can earn after spending $4,000 within three months of account opening are worth up to $500 in travel fees at any time and with no blackout dates using the ThankYou Travel Center from Citi.

Downsides

One of the primary downsides of the Citi Prestige is its extremely high fee; $495 in fees all but eliminates the promotional $500 you’d get from the 50,000 bonus points. This means that in order to see any benefit from the card, users must handily exceed the 50,000 point threshold each year. Not all applicants will have such spending power.

However, if you think you can come close, the card’s other travel benefits, like complimentary fourth-night hotel stays, a $250 annual travel credit, and VIP lounge access make up for the rest.

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American Express Gold Card

Highlights

As a direct competitor to the Citi Prestige card, the Gold Card from American Express has a much lower annual fee of $250 and a more forgiving $2,000 spending requirement to earn 35,000 bonus points. Thanks to 4x rewards rates at both restaurants and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 spent at supermarkets annually), Membership Rewards points can add up fast and are redeemable for travel directly through the Amex travel portal.

The card also offers other benefits competitive with the perks offered by the Citi Prestige, including a monthly statement credit of up to $10 for dining purchases from participating restaurants and food services like Shake Shack and Grubhub. And you can get a $100 airline fee credit to pay for things like baggage handling or in-flight meals.

Downsides

Despite having a significantly lower annual fee than the Citi Prestige, the American Express Gold Card does still have a considerable annual fee with no introductory APR. Additionally, the 4x bonus points on supermarket spending per year are capped at $25,000 in spending, which may pose a problem for those who spend a lot on groceries.

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Chase Sapphire Reserve

The information for this card is outdated and does not reflect a current offer. For more accurate information, please visit the issuer’s website.

Highlights

The Chase Sapphire Reserve is typically considered one of the top-tier rewards cards out there, and for good reason. The massive introductory points offer equates to $750 when redeemed through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal since Reserve card points are worth 50% more when redeemed there. With no foreign transaction fee and points earnings good worldwide, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is a worthwhile option for those on the move.

The card also comes with an annual $300 travel credit, which helps offset the high annual fee.

Downsides

The whopping $450 annual fee (plus $75 for each authorized user) is one of the greatest complaints about the Chase Sapphire Reserve. The huge travel perks offset this fee if you plan to use them, but those who may have trouble meeting the $4,000 initial spending offer or who spend only enough to cover the annual fee may do better with Chase’s Sapphire Preferred card instead.

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Chase Sapphire Preferred

The information for this card is outdated and does not reflect a current offer. For more accurate information, please visit the issuer’s website.

Highlights

The Chase Sapphire Preferred comes, well, preferred by a lot of consumers. Its annual fee is significantly lower than what you’d pay for the Reserve card, and with a whopping 60,000 bonus points available (which are also worth $750 when redeemed through the Ultimate Rewards portal, thanks to the Sapphire card’s 1.25% point value), the intro offer for this card is just as strong.

You’ll earn double points for eligible purchases in both the dining and travel categories, plus 1 point per $1 for everything else. The Preferred is a lower-tier version of the Reserve, but it makes sense for most average spenders who won’t spend enough to justify signing up for the Reserve card.

Downsides

For most, the $95 annual fee is the biggest downside of Chase’s Sapphire Preferred card. While the benefits make up for the cost if you plan to travel—and the cost is a lot less than the Reserve—those who focus very heavily on travel and dining spending may benefit more from cards with higher point or cash rewards in those bonus categories. Additionally, this card lacks some of the biggest benefits offered by the Reserve card, such as the $300 annual travel credit.

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Hilton Honors Card from American Express

Highlights

Thanks to a whopping 7x earning rate when booking with Hilton, the Hilton Honors Card is a powerhouse for loyal Hilton customers. In addition, 5x points at restaurants makes this a choice worth considering for those seeking the best restaurant credit card.

Downsides

Unfortunately, those who aren’t regular patrons of Hilton will find little use for this card, as most of the earning potential is limited to the franchise. Those who do stay with Hilton multiple times per year may find themselves better rewarded with the Hilton Honors Aspire, though a number of hotel credit cards may also serve the role well.

Best Restaurant Business Card

Costco Anywhere Visa Business Card by Citi

Highlights

Costco members can earn significant rewards with the Costco Anywhere Visa Business Card. In addition to the card’s other rewards rates, the solid 3% cash back rate on both restaurants and travel purchases make this card a worthwhile option for those looking at restaurant cash rewards credit cards.

The lack of annual fee is another box checked in the Anywhere card’s favor, and even individuals can benefit with the Costco Anywhere Visa Card.

Downsides

Unfortunately, Costco’s Anywhere Visa Business card isn’t a great choice for non-Costco members who can’t reap the rewards built specifically for those participating in the franchise. In addition, the high rewards for gas purchases are capped at $7,000 in spending each year, which may limit the earning potential of businesses that regularly rely on the use of vehicles.

>> Read More: Best credit cards