A number of reward cards offer Cash Back or points at a higher rate for grocery stores. However, in checking my statements I saw that most stores I thought were coded as "grocery" are actually "supermarket" or "ethnic foods" and don't count.
Would people please list the stores and city, state that you've seen get counted as a "grocery" purchase?
Cards I have that offer grocery bonuses:
Chase Rewards (grandfathered, no longer available), 5%
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DamnoIT said:How did chase let you keep the 5% grocery? Did you opt out or? Mine were changed to 3% some time ago.
I just got a letter in the mail that my Cash rewards card will be converted into the Freedom card. Last time this happened I opted out and kept my card. This time around, they say I would have to cancel or convert.. Supposed to happen by the end of October, so seems they're probably getting the last of us..
What's interesting to note is that my wife hasn't gotten the same notice I got in the mail yet, so perhaps they're slowly converting em all over..?
Message edited by: Dealguy123 on 2009-09-29 14:05:15 CDT
So far it seems like dumb luck or they just haven't gotten to me yet. I haven't done anything in particular. Got the card in 2006.
This grocery issue is greater than just this card though. And until I found that I was denied rewards, I had no idea that a grocery store and a supermarket were so distinct.
I'm guessing that it's mom and pop corner stores that aren't "ethnic" or "gourmet"?
those Chase %5 cards are being phased out over a couple of hears, no certainty when they will get all of then done... I didn't even think to call to ask to opt out when they knocked my card down to 3% last year
tripleB said:WalMart is the largest grocer in the country but does not count as grocery store for purpose of CC rewards.
Because it all depends on how the merchant chooses to code their credit card purchases, WalMart chooses to be a General Merchandise store because they are not the same as Ralphs, Vons, Lucky, etc.
But I guess you would know that from the whole Penfed 5% thread.
http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/finance/747376 added link-thread could help you with Chase credit cards for the different merchant category codes...and what counts or doesnt count as rewards ca$hback.
Message edited by: bankdealsrule on 2009-09-30 21:13:57 CDT
Wal-Mart is hit or miss in my town. Some registers are coded grocery and some are not. It depends on the MCC number they are assigned in the credit processor's system. That number tells the credit card computer what kind of business and what type of that kind of business the merchant is. If the merchant has the right code, you get your 5% rebate.
AFIK Hy-Vee, Kroger's, City Market, Dillons, Gerbes, Hilander, Jay C, King Soopers, Owen's, Pay Less, Scott's, Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer, Fry's, Ralphs, QFC, Smith's, Foods Co) are supermarkets.
I do get the DiscoverCard 5% on the Baker's, Food 4 Less and Hy-Vee in my area. As I indicated, Wal-Mart is hit or miss ... even on the grocery side of the local Super Wal-Mart.
tripleB said:WalMart is the largest grocer in the country but does not count as grocery store for purpose of CC rewards.
I get 2% CashBack on my Everyday Rewards VISA at WalMart with grocery store attached. This is on any item in the store. Clothes, fishing poles, Nintendo, etc.
Everyday Rewards offers 2% rebates on groceries, restaurant and fast food purchases.
I would guess that it is hit-or-miss with each card. I also get 3% at Sears (again, on ANY item in the store, not just hardware) on my Home Improvements VISA. However, tractor supply only give me the 1%, despite having half the store filled with hardware, air compressors, etc.
meijer purchases are labelled as "grocery store" on my citi bill, but they refuse to give me 5% rewards for them. I've been round and round the customer service loop, and they feed me lines such as it's the merchant's responsibility to classify themselves as grocery (which they are). Citi won't budge. It's annoying. I'm in Michigan which pretty much means meijer is the only place to shop for groceries at a decent price.
You can contact the CC issuer in order to find out the terms of their rewards programs, i.e. how grocery stores are classified. As stated above, it's usually done by MCC (merchant category code), a national standard for categorizing purchases for tax and non-tax purposes.
For example, PenFed will tell you exactly what MCCs apply to their classifications of grocery stores, gas stations, or bookstores (in the case of their recently-ended back-to-school 5% promotion). They can also provide you with examples -- by no means exhaustive -- of merchants that use a particular MCC.
If you're unsure about a particular merchant, buy a small item from a particular location. You should then be able to call your CC issuer and find out what MCC was used. Be aware though that larger merchants, such as Amazon, could use different MCCs. I heard that during the above-mentioned PenFed back-to-school promotion, Amazon gift cards weren't getting the 5% for bookstores. Yet I bought a gift card from my local bookstore, it used the MCC for bookstores, and thus received the 5%. I've also heard (but can't speak from personal experience) that different types of Walmarts will have different MCCs.
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) Then again we put our groceries in the buggy.....
