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If you're a dedicated shopper at one of the many stores in the Kroger "family," you might be considering the grocer's branded store credit card, the Kroger Rewards World Elite Mastercard, for your frequent supermarket sweeps.
Updates made in 2023 to the $0-annual-fee card, issued by U.S. Bank, have beefed up the rewards it can earn on spending with Kroger brands, making it a strong choice for loyalists. But it's also a decent option for those who like to spread their business around, thanks to its high cash back rate in the somewhat unique category of mobile wallet purchases, which applies both inside and outside Kroger stores. There are limitations and complications to be aware of, though.
Here are five things to know about the Kroger credit card.
🤓Nerdy Tip
Kroger is one of the largest grocery store chains in the U.S. Stores in the Kroger Co. family include Kroger, Ralphs, King Soopers, Baker's, Dillons, Smith’s Food and Drug, Fred Meyer and Gerbes.
» MORE: NerdWallet's best credit cards for groceries
1. You get 5% with mobile wallets
The Kroger Rewards World Elite Mastercard earns 5% cash back on eligible mobile wallet purchases, subject to certain terms. This includes the company's own Kroger Pay system as well as the Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay, Garmin Pay and LG Pay mobile wallets.
At one point, Kroger Pay was not among the systems eligible for the 5% rate. That, coupled with the fact that other mobile wallet acceptance was inconsistent across Kroger stores, meant you couldn't count on earning 5% at Kroger stores with your Kroger card. That all changed in 2023 when the card's earning structure was refreshed. Here's how digital wallet spending works now:
Kroger Pay purchases earn 5% on the first $3,000 in spending per year, then 2%. However, Kroger Pay purchases at Kroger fuel centers do not earn rewards.
Other digital wallets earn 5% on the first $3,000 in spending per year, then 1%.
The card also earns:
2% back at Kroger-owned stores (but not Kroger fuel centers).
1% back on other spending.
The 5% rewards on Kroger Pay are tracked separately from those on other digital wallets, so you could conceivably earn 5% on up to $6,000 a year in spending. Kroger Pay, as you would expect, works only in Kroger-owned stores; once you hit the $3,000 annual cap, your rewards on Kroger Pay spending drop down to the same 2% you get for using the card at Kroger without the digital wallet.
Earning 5% cash back on groceries would generally be enough to make any card one of the best credit cards for groceries, even if those rewards were limited to a single brand family. But the digital wallet rewards on the Kroger Rewards World Elite Mastercard make it a viable option for grocery spending outside the Kroger family, too. Use Kroger Pay at Kroger stores, then use Apple Pay, Google Pay or one of the other options at other grocery stores, and you could theoretically earn 5% on as much as $6,000 a year in grocery spending.
» MORE: More credit cards are piling on rewards for mobile wallet spending
2. Middling value beyond groceries
Most store-branded credit cards don't offer much incentive to use them outside the store itself. The 5% rate on digital wallets offered by the Kroger Rewards World Elite Mastercard gives it decent value beyond Kroger. If you max out the $3,000 annual cap, that's $150 in bonus rewards. Not bad. However, an array of other cards offer bonus rewards on groceries as well as other common spending categories. They also don't impose some of the limitations of the Kroger card.
Take the $0-annual-fee Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express. It earns 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 spent per year (then 1% back). Terms apply — see rates and fees. That $6,000 spending cap is well above what the average U.S. household spends on groceries. It also offers bonus rewards on gas purchases, among other things; the Kroger card notably excludes Kroger fuel purchases from the 5% and 2% it ordinarily pays for spending with the brand.
Here's a sampling of other credit cards that offer bonus rewards on groceries and beyond:
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
NerdWallet Rating
on American Express' website
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
NerdWallet Rating
on American Express' website
U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card
NerdWallet Rating
on US Bank's website
Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
NerdWallet Rating
Annual fee
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
$0
$0 intro for the first year, then $95
$0
Cash back rates
• 6% at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 a year in spending.
• 6% on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
• 3% at U.S. gas stations.
• 3% on transit.
• 1% on other purchases.
• Terms apply (see rates and fees).
• 3% at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 a year in spending.
• 3% at U.S. gas stations, on up to $6,000 a year in spending.
• 3% on U.S. online retail purchases, on up to $6,000 a year in spending.
• 1% on other purchases.
• Terms apply (see rates and fees).
• 6% at two retailers you choose, on up to $1,500 per quarter in combined spending. Options include Walmart and Target, which other cards commonly exclude from grocery rewards.
• 3% on a category you choose, on up to $1,500 per quarter in spending. Options include wholesale clubs, which other cards commonly exclude from grocery rewards.
• 1.5% on other purchases.
• 3% at grocery stores.
• 3% at restaurants.
• 3% on entertainment.
• 3% on popular streaming services.
• 1% on other purchases.
Learn more
3. Redemption comes with some rules
Cash back earned with the Kroger Rewards World Elite Mastercard can be redeemed for statement credit, Kroger gift cards or Real-Time Rewards. (Real-Time Rewards allow you to redeem for statement credit against your Kroger purchase immediately at checkout.) But there are a few things to note:
There are redemption minimums: You’ll need a minimum of $10 in rewards to redeem your cash back for statement credit or Real-Time Rewards. To redeem for a Kroger gift card, you’ll need at least $25 in rewards.
You're on the clock: Rewards expire after three years, so if you don’t use them to make a purchase within that time frame, you’ll lose them.
» MORE: NerdWallet's best rewards credit cards
4. There's a separate fuel rewards program
If you get the Kroger Rewards World Elite Mastercard, you'll automatically be enrolled in Kroger's shopper loyalty program. (Credit card or no, membership is free and you can enroll online or in a Kroger-owned store.)
As a member of the program — and, again, independent of the credit card — you'll earn 1 "fuel point" for every $1 you spend on groceries (with some exceptions) at any store in the Kroger network. You’ll also earn 2 points per every dollar you spend on most gift card purchases. Here's how the fuel point program works:
Fuel points can be redeemed at Kroger fuel centers and participating Shell gas stations. At Kroger fuel centers, you can redeem up to 1,000 fuel points for $1 off per gallon. (You can redeem in 100-point increments, up to 35 gallons.) At eligible Shell stations, you can redeem 100 fuel points for 10 cents off per gallon.
There’s no limit to how many fuel points you can earn each month. But these points don't carry over and instead expire the last day of the month after they're earned.
🤓Nerdy Tip
Not all Kroger grocery store locations in the U.S. have fuel centers where you can pump gas and redeem fuel points. Kroger's locator can help you find which fuel centers are closest to you.
» MORE: NerdWallet's best gas credit cards
5. The card offers a first-year gas bonus (and the potential to extend it)
New holders of the Kroger Rewards World Elite Mastercard can get 25 cents off per gallon of gas during the first year of using the card (as of September 2023). To receive the discount, you’ll have to redeem at least 100 fuel points when you scan your card at eligible Kroger fuel centers.
If you spend up to $6,000 in the first 12 months of having the card, you'll receive 25 cents off per gallon of gas for the remainder of that calendar year and through the next calendar year as well, until the following Jan. 31.
After that, you’ll have to spend up to $6,000 every year to keep the 25-cents-off benefit. (If you don’t meet the spend requirement in the first year of having the card, the discount drops down to 5 cents per gallon after.)
For those who drive a lot, this bonus can add up to fairly big savings on gas whether they meet the spending requirement or not — although keeping track of and redeeming fuel points can be high-maintenance.
🤓Nerdy Tip
The 25-cent-per-gallon discount offer is not available in Missouri.
For more information about other options, see NerdWallet's roundup of best credit cards to have.
» MORE: The best credit card bonuses for new cardholders
To view rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, see this page. To view rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, see this page. Information about the Kroger Rewards World Elite Mastercard® has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been provided or reviewed by the issuer of this card.
