13 Best Restaurant Credit Cards (Bonus Points, Cash Back, Discounts, etc.)

I’ve never been a huge fan of credit cards only because I, like every other sane person in the world, absolutely HATE being in debt.

However, over the past couple years I started to learn about the other side of credit cards – the perks and rewards.

Whether if it’s 3% cash back on all your meals, or exclusive access to a celebrity chef culinary demonstration in Las Vegas, having a special dining credit card can open the doors to amazing experiences.

Plus, if you plan out your purchases by taking advantage of signup point bonuses (I’ll get more into this down below) you can get over $100 back, which can be used for an amazing 10 course meal at many fine dining restaurants around the world.

10 Best Restaurant Credit Cards for Cash Back and Perks

Below is a list of 8 awesome restaurant credit cards that offer great rewards, perks, and benefits for anyone looking to save a little extra money when dining out.

Just find a credit card that fit’s your needs and apply to them so that you can start earning some awesome points and rewards, just by eating.

1. Chase Sapphire Preferred

• 2x the points on every dollar spent on restaurants and travel
• 1x the points on all other purchases
• $0 annual fee for the first year, then $95 after that
• BONUS: 50,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months

2. Chase Sapphire Reserve

• 3x the points on every dollar spent on restaurants and travel
• 1x the points on all other purchases
• $300 annual ravel credit
• Elite travel benefits
• Free Priority Pass airport lounge access (over 1,000 lounges)
• $450 annual fee and $75 for each authorized user
• BONUS: 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months from account opening

3. Capital One Savor

• 3% unlimited cash back on dining
• 2% unlimited cash back on groceries
• 1% unlimited cash back on all other purchases
• $0 annual fee
• BONUS: Get a $150 cash bonus once your spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening

4. Discover it Card

• 5% cash back on dining and restaurants, up to $1,500, during July to September 2018
• 1% cash back for the rest of the year
• At the end of your first year, Discover will automatically match all the cash back you earned
• And as an added bonus, throughout the year, you’ll get rotating 5% cash back categories for purchases at gas stations, wholesale clubs, grocery stores, and Amazon.com
• $0 annual fee

5. Citi ThankYou Preferred

• 2x the points on every dollar spent on dining and entertainment
• 1x the points on all other purchases
• Enjoy special access to purchases music, sports, and dining experience ticketed with Citi Private Pass
• $0 annual fee

6. Citi ThankYou Premier

• 3x the points on every dollar spent at on travel including gas stations
• 2x the points spend on dining out and entertainment
• 1x the points on all other purchases
• Citi Price Rewind feature meaning that if Citi finds a lower price for one of your purchases within 60 days, you’ll get that different paid back to you
• Enjoy special access to purchases music, sports, and dining experience ticketed with Citi Private Pass
• $95 annual fee (waived for the first 12 months)

7. Citi Prestige

• 3x the points on every dollar spent on air travel and hotels
• 2x the points on dining and entertainment
• 1x the points on all other purchases
• $250 air travel credit
• Complimentary 4th night stay at any hotel of your choice after you book a minimum 4 night consecutive stay through ThankYou.com or Citi Prestige Concierge
• $450 annual fee plus $50 for any additional authorized users

8. US Bank Cash+

• 5.5% cash back on up to $2,000 in combined eligible purchase for restaurants each quarter for the first year
• Then earn 5% on restaurants (or any 2 of the 4 categories that you choose) after the first year
• 2% cash back on the other 2 categories
• 1% cash back on everything else after that
• $0 annual fee

9. Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi

• 4% cash back on eligible gas purchases up to $7,000 per year
• 3% cash back on restaurant and travel purchases
• 2% cash back on all other purchases from Costco and Costco.com
• 1% cash back on all other purchases
• Plus, you can use this card as your Costco membership ID
• No annual fee with your paid Costco membership

10. Capital One Quicksilver

•  1.5% cash back on all purchases
• $150 bonus when you spend $500 within the first 3 months
• Great grocery store credit card that can help you save money every month.
• $0 annual fee

11. Discover it Chrome for College Students

• 2% cash back on gas and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter
• 1% cash back on all other purchases
• Discover will match any cash back your earned at the end of your first year
• A great pick for college kids!
• No annual fee
• BONUS: $20 cash back each school year when your GPA is 3.0 or higher for up to the next 5 years

12. SunTrust Travel Rewards

• 3% unlimited cash back on travel
• 2% unlimited cash back at restaurants
• 1% unlimited cash back on all other purchases
• $100 statement credit every 5 years for your Global Entry and TSA Precheck application
• $89 annual fee
• BONUS: Earn a $250 Statement credit after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months.

13. AARP Rewards Credit Card

• 3% unlimited cash back at restaurants
• 3% unlimited cash back at gas stations
• 1% unlimited cash back on all other purchases
• No annual fee

How Restaurant and Dining-Focused Credit Cards Work

Dining and entertainment focused credit are very simple to understand.

For every dollar you spend, you get a certain amount of money or points back.

So if you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred card which gives you 2x the points at restaurants, you get 2% cash back on your purchase. So basically, for every $100 spend, you get $2 back.

It’s pretty lucrative if you do it right.

Even though every credit card is different and offers their own unique perks, don’t expect to see any cash back higher than 5% (or 5x points).

Selecting the Best Restaurant Credit Card

When using a restaurant credit card, there are 4 things you need to know.

1. Cash Back Percentage, Points Back, & Consistency

Like I mentioned above, the cash back percentage is very important. However, you do want to make sure that you can earn that cash back all year long. Some cards like the Discover Card will only give you 5% cash back on dining from January – March, then it jumps back down to 1% for the rest of the year. However, the Citi ThankYou Premier card gives you 3x the points all year long for dining and entertainment. So make sure that you pick a card that gives a high cash back percentage all year long.

2. Sign Up Bonuses

Sign up bonuses are SO important when it comes to choosing the perfect dining credit card. Some cards, like the Citi ThankYou Premier offer 50,000 points sign up bonuses which is $500 cash back if you spend $5,000 or more in 3 months. Yes, this may seem like a lot of spending, but if you just pay your normal bills with this card, you’ll be sure to be able to take advantage of these sign up bonuses. So be sure to find a credit card that has an attainable sign up bonus that you can reach with your normal spending habits. I’ll show you some of the best ones in the next section.

3.  Annual Fee

Annual fees are one of the most important factors you need to consider when choosing a dining credit card. Some cards offer $0 annual fee, while others can go all the way to $495 a year. Thankfully a lot of the effective restaurant credit cards either offer no annual fee or at most $125 a year. But as a word of advice, be sure to compare the perks and benefits of those annual fee credit cards to see if you can really get your money’s worth.

4. Additional Perks and Benefits

Some cards offer purchase warranty extensions, personal concierge services, and even exclusive access to events and promotions. For example, by having a card that is part of Visa Signature, you get access to exclusive VIP promotions, perks, and event access. Check them out here.

How to Take Advantage of Insane Sign Up Bonuses

One of the biggest turn offs for restaurant credit card sign up bonuses is the fact that in order to actually attain them, you need to spend a certain amount of money within 3 or so months.

And it’s not like you’re spending a couple hundred bucks either. These credit cards usually require $500-$5,000 in purchases first.

But when you truly think about it, this doesn’t mean that you have to buy junk that you don’t really need, just to reach these spending minimums.

All you really need to do is pay for all your monthly/daily expenses with your new credit card.

You’re not buying anything additional, but instead just paying for your necessities with a different piece of plastic.

It’s that easy.

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As you can see, I did not include interest rates, only because I truly believe you should only spend money that you actually have.

But that’s just me.

So hopefully you enjoyed this ultimate guide to restaurant and dining credit cards.

Please be sure to let us know what your favorite credit card to use is by leaving a comment below.

Thanks!

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