Best Credit Card for Foodies

Growing up, you may have been told time and again to avoid using a credit card. You may have been taught that it’s the same as spending money you don’t actually have. Using credit cards can seriously put you into debt. You should only use them for small purchases, and pay your balance back right away, just to help keep up a good credit score. That’s all they’re good for, right?

Using Credit Cards Responsibly

Well, even though credit cards can be dangerous – and many Americans do use them incorrectly, and end up under mountains of consumer debt – there are healthy ways to use them. Many come with rewards points or cash back, so using them regularly, but responsibly (meaning you don’t spend what you can’t, and you always pay your bill in full each month), can essentially earn you spending money.

Since there are so many different types of credit cards on the market, there are different rewards points programs catered to specific areas of spending. You likely have at least a friend or two with a travel rewards card – for each dollar they spend with their credit card, they get back a certain number of frequent flier miles, or something to the same affect.

Credit Cards For Restaurant Lovers

If you’re a total foodie, you know how expensive it can be to go out to eat at restaurants – but to you, spending that money is worth it. Thankfully, there are credit cards out there that specifically benefit diners who are already spending a significant amount of their disposable income on restaurants. Below, we’ve detailed some of our favorite dining rewards cards. If you’re someone who is constantly on the go, these are a great way to maximize your credit card rewards points – and remember that dining includes sit-down restaurants, but also quick places like coffee shops, too!

Best Introductory Card For Foodies: Chase Freedom

We call this a good “introductory card” because it has one great thing going for it: no annual fee. The Chase Freedom card offers 5% cash back on quarterly “bonus categories” for spending up to $1,500, whereas all spending categories earn you 1% cash back on unlimited purchases. That means that for one quarter of the year, you can earn 5% cash back on your dining out spending – and even for just a few months, that really adds up. It’s a great introductory period to see if a rewards points program is viable for you!

Best Overall Card For Foodies: Chase Sapphire Preferred

Unlike the Freedom card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card does come with an annual fee of $95 (though it is waived for the first year!). You automatically get 50,000 bonus points just for signing up, and you receive bonus points on every dollar you spend. The best part, though, is that you get 2 points for every dollar spent on dining and travel – and there’s no cap to how much you can spend. So each time you swipe your card on a restaurant or travel purchase, you get double the points back than you would for all other spending categories. It’s a great way to maximize your points accrual if those are already categories you spend on anyway!

Why Use A Credit Card For Dining?

For what it’s worth, you shouldn’t use a credit card rewards points system to encourage you to go out to eat more than you already do, simply because there are good returns. You should simply use a credit card with a good rewards program on purchases you would be making anyway. That means that, without a drastic lifestyle change, you can start earning more spending money for yourself.