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Restaurant and food delivery spending is one of the biggest household categories — and the right credit card earns you 3x, 4x, or more on every dollar spent at restaurants, bars, and delivery apps.
Best Credit Cards for Dining
1. American Express® Gold Card — Best for Dining (4x)
- Dining rate: 4x Membership Rewards at restaurants worldwide
- Credits: $10/month Grubhub/Shake Shack; $10/month Uber Cash
- Annual fee: $325 (effective ~$85)
- Sign-up bonus: 60,000 points after $6,000 in 6 months
2. Chase Sapphire Reserve® — Best Premium Dining Card
- Dining rate: 3x Ultimate Rewards on dining worldwide
- Annual fee: $550 ($250 net)
- Points value: 1.5 cents/point via Chase Travel
3. Capital One SavorOne — Best No-Fee Dining Card
- Dining rate: 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, grocery stores, and streaming
- Annual fee: $0
- Sign-up bonus: $200 after $500 spend in 3 months
- APR: 19.74%–29.74% variable
4. Chase Sapphire Preferred® — Best Mid-Tier Dining Card
- Dining rate: 3x Ultimate Rewards on dining
- Annual fee: $95
- Sign-up bonus: 60,000 points after $4,000 in 3 months
5. Citi Custom Cash® — Best if Dining Is Your #1 Category
- Dining rate: 5% cashback if dining is your top monthly spend category (up to $500/month)
- Annual fee: $0
6. Discover it® Chrome — Good Starter Dining Card
- Dining rate: 2% at restaurants and gas stations (up to $1,000/quarter combined)
- First-year bonus: Cashback Match
- Annual fee: $0
Food Delivery Counts Too
Most major cards count Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub as “dining” since they use restaurant merchant codes. The Amex Gold’s $10/month Grubhub credit makes food delivery nearly free for regular users.
How Much Can You Earn on $500/Month Dining?
- Amex Gold (4x, ~1.5 cents/point): ~$360/year in travel value
- Chase Sapphire Preferred (3x, ~1.25 cents/point): ~$225/year
- SavorOne (3% cash): $180/year in cash
- Basic 1% card: Only $60/year
Best Strategy
Use the Amex Gold for sit-down dining (4x) and the SavorOne or Freedom Unlimited for fast food and delivery (3%). Two-card stack beats any single card.
Bottom Line
The Amex Gold is the best dining card — 4x globally with no cap. For a no-fee option, the Capital One SavorOne earns 3% on dining with no annual cost. Use these instead of a 1% card and you’ll easily earn an extra $100–$300/year on dining alone.