Best Credit Cards for Restaurants and Dining in September 2024

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

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Dining out can take a major bite out of your budget. Americans spent an average of $3,639 in 2022 on “food away from home” according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That works out to just over $303 a month.

And that’s without adding in how much food prices have increased since then.

But if you regularly use a credit card for your meal purchases, choosing the right one can help you save money or earn rewards that can help to ease the bill. Some pay a flat cashback percentage for all dining out, while others have customizable rewards categories. 

Best Overall: American Express® Gold Card

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Yes, the American Express® Gold Card has a high annual fee, but if you’re someone who dines out a lot, you can benefit from the card’s many food-focused perks.

In addition to very high earning rates on worldwide restaurants and U.S. supermarkets, you’ll also score the following benefits:

• $120 Uber Cash: $10 in Uber Cash each month when you add your card to your Uber account
• $84 Dunkin’ credit: Up to $7 in monthly statement credits when you pay with your card at Dunkin’ locations (enrollment required)
• $100 Resy credit: Up to $50 back semi-annually (as statement credit) when you use the card at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases (enrollment required)
• $120 dining credit: Up to $10 monthly (in statement credits) when you use the card at participating partners, including Grubhub (including Seamless), The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys (enrollment required)
• $100 The Hotel Collection credit: A $100 experience/property credit when you book two nights or more with The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com

You’ll also get 20% back in statement credits on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide (up to $100) within your first six months of having the card (offer ends 11/6/2024).

LEARN MORE: American Express® Gold Card

Best for Delivery: DoorDash Rewards Mastercard^®

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If you love delivery, the DoorDash Rewards Mastercard may be for you.

There’s no minimum spend to receive the free DashPass membership, which gives you unlimited free deliveries from eligible restaurants on orders over $12.

This card doesn’t have an annual fee, but if you don’t spend at least $10,000 per year, you’ll be charged $96 to renew your DashPass membership. 

That said, the DoorDash Rewards Mastercard isn’t terribly versatile (you won’t earn travel rewards and it earns minimal cashback on non-food purchases), so it’s best if you truly prefer staying in your pajamas and ordering food delivered to your door. 

All information about the DoorDash Rewards Mastercard® has been collected independently by Erika.com. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Best for Dining and Travel: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

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The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is already one of our favorite travel cards, and it also can earn you great rewards on dining. If you’re a total foodie when you’re on the road, this card might hit everything you need.

Not only will you earn rewards on dining worldwide, but you also won’t have to pay any foreign transaction fees on those meals (or anything else while traveling). 

It also comes with lots of travel protections, like trip cancellation/interruption and baggage delay insurance, trip delay reimbursement, and emergency assistance.

When you’re at home, you can take advantage of a 12-month complimentary DashPass (must activate card before Dec. 31, 2024) and $10 off eligible non-restaurant orders on DoorDash each calendar month.

LEARN MORE: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Best for High Earning Rates: U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card

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The U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card offers some of the best rewards rates around, yet doesn’t charge an annual fee.  

Plus, it comes with a $15 credit for annual streaming subscriptions like Netflix and Apple TV+, so if you’re a homebody who likes to binge-watch when you order takeout, you’ll save a bit of cash there, too.

You can redeem your points for cashback (as a statement credit), travel, gift cards, and merchandise.

All information about the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card has been collected independently by Erika.com. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Best for Business Dining: American Express® Business Gold Card

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If dining out and travel are a big part of your business, the American Express® Business Gold Card makes a lot of sense. It offers a high rate of rewards on your two top spending categories, with restaurants and takeout being one of the options.

For your other top spending category, eligible options are:

• U.S. media providers for advertising in select media
• Retailers of electronic goods and software and cloud system providers
• Gas stations
• Transit options (trains, taxis, rideshares, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, subways)
• Monthly wireless phone services directly purchased from a U.S. wireless provider

There’s a $240 flexible credit towards purchases at Grubhub, FedEx, and office supply stores (enrollment required). 

You can also receive $12.95 back per month to cover a Walmart+ membership. 

LEARN MORE: American Express® Business Gold Card

Best for No Annual Fee: Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards

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If you want to earn most of your rewards on dining and entertainment, but don’t want to fork out for an annual fee, the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card may be a good option.

Not only will you score decent rewards on meals out and groceries, but you’ll also get access to Capital One Dining, which gets you reservations at hard-to-book restaurants across the U.S. and special culinary events, like chef collaborations and curated dinners.

LEARN MORE: Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card

Best for Students: Capital One SavorOne Rewards for Students

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If you’re a college student and just starting to build your credit history, the SavorOne Rewards for Students card is a great option. This card comes with no annual fee and helps you to build your credit score (if you use it responsibly). 

Even though the card is tailored to students, you’ll still get the same perks as the regular SavorOne, access to Capital One Dining, and high earning rates on dining and groceries.

All information about the Capital One SavorOne Rewards for Students has been collected independently by Erika.com. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Best for All-Around Spending: Chase Freedom Unlimited®

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Even if you’re a total foodie, you probably spend on more things than just eating — and you might want to earn a good rate on everything you buy.

In that case, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® may be for you. It’s a versatile rewards card with a higher base rewards rate, while still earning excellent rewards on dining and groceries. 

You can redeem your rewards for cash, statement credits, Amazon purchases, gift cards, and travel through Chase Travel^℠. 

You’ll also get three months of free DashPass membership (for unlimited free delivery on orders over $12) followed by nine months at 50% off (activate by Dec. 31, 2024).

LEARN MORE: Chase Freedom Unlimited®

How To Choose a Credit Card for Restaurants and Dining

If you’ve already determined that you want a great credit card that rewards restaurant spending, dig into why and how you’ll use the card. 

Think about your spending habits and whether they skew more towards dining in or delivery. Also look at other areas of your budget where rewards would be beneficial. 

Consider other factors, too, like whether there’s an annual fee or a high APR. Some cards offer travel coverage, complimentary meal delivery memberships, or reimbursement for applications like TSA PreCheck®. You want to be sure the rewards will outweigh any annual fee.  

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Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.