As reported by View from the Wing this morning, Chase has added grocery bonus categories on most of its consumer cards that carry annual fees from May 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020. This includes both both co-branded cards and Chase Ultimate Rewards cards and is automatic (no registration / activation required). We reported yesterday that the Marriott Bonvoy cards were adding groceries as a bonus category today and just this morning Amex announced a huge overhaul focusing on rewarding spend and offering statement credits towards things people are spending on right now. Citi has also announced that the Prestige travel credit can be used at grocery stores and restaurants for the rest of 2020. The competition to become your grocery card is certainly heating up.
Chase cards offering bonuses on groceries
Chase has added the following earnings at grocery stores on up to $1500 per month from May 1 to June 30th, 2020:
- Chase Sapphire Reserve: 5x
- Chase Sapphire Preferred: 3x
- United Club Infinite: 5x
- United Explorer and older / no longer available United MileagePlus, MileagePlus Award and MileagePlus Select: 3x
- British Airways / Iberia / Aer Lingus Visa Siganture cards: 3x
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus, Premier, and Priority cards: 3x
- World of Hyatt and older Hyatt credit card: 3x
- IHG Rewards Club Premier and the older Select ($49) card: 3x
- Disney Premier card: 3% back in rewards dollars
Additionally, we announced yesterday that there is a higher $5,000 cap on the Marriott Bonvoy cards which will earn the bonus from May 1 to July 31st:
- Marriott Bonvoy cards (all, including no-longer-available cards): 6x
Quick Analysis
At first glance, 5x on the CSR seems like a hands down winner once you have exhausted this quarter’s 5x on the Freedom card. While I personally take the much-contested stance that Membership Rewards are more valuable than Ultimate Rewards, even I would have a hard time choosing the Amex Gold card over the CSR right now. Of course, the $1500 cap per card will make it hard to put the pedal to the metal on this one.
Gary at VFTW notes that an interesting piece on the Southwest credit cards is that the bonus could help you inch a little closer to a Companion Pass since those bonus points will be Companion Pass qualifying. You’re limited to $1500 in spend each month in May and June — but that’s still potentially 9,000 points toward the pass on $3000 spend. It beats getting there at 1x. Given the reduced requirements for the Companion Pass, it could make sense for some who opened only one credit card to spend towards it with this.
Those who have the Hyatt card should keep in mind that they will earn 3 elite nights for each $5K spend through June 30th. That means you’d only be able to do $3K toward that at 3x ($1500 in May and $1500 in June), but it still beats not getting 3x at all.
Since I don’t have the Hyatt card and have already earned north of the requirement for the Companion Pass this year, I’ll have the CSR queued up first from Chase. Once I max out my $1500 this month on that card, I’ve got decisions to make between 6x Marriott, 12x Hilton (see this post), 4x Amex…..decisions, decisions.
Bottom line
While I wouldn’t be taking trips to the grocery store just for MS yet, these offers certainly might make it worthwhile during your regular shopping trips. It’s great to see issuers competing for a piece of our spend on the categories that matter to us right now.
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