Nov 8, 2018, 12:31 pm
Last edit by: rasheed
Unfortunately, AmEx's listed merchant categories on the posted transactions do not properly distinguish US Supermarkets from smaller grocery stores (which do not qualify for bonus rewards). Small stores that do not qualify will be listed the same, but will accrue the lower base rewards rate.
List of multi-location chains in the US that appear to qualify for bonus rewards (see at bottom for AmEx's rules on this subject):
Albertsons/Safeway family chains
Instacart
Kroger family chains (NOT Fred Meyer though - you need to purchase Kroger gift cards from another member supermarket in that case)
Meijer
Sprouts
Trader Joe's
Walmart - Neighborhood version
Whole Foods
Sometimes individual locations may not work.
At: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/c...fo/retail.html, AmEx says as follows:
List of multi-location chains in the US that appear to qualify for bonus rewards (see at bottom for AmEx's rules on this subject):
Albertsons/Safeway family chains
Instacart
Kroger family chains (NOT Fred Meyer though - you need to purchase Kroger gift cards from another member supermarket in that case)
Meijer
Sprouts
Trader Joe's
Walmart - Neighborhood version
Whole Foods
Sometimes individual locations may not work.
At: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/c...fo/retail.html, AmEx says as follows:
U.S. Supermarkets
To earn additional rewards on supermarket purchases, the supermarket must be located in the U.S.
A supermarket offers a wide variety of food and household products such as meat, fresh produce, dairy, canned and packaged goods, household cleaners, pharmacy products and pet supplies.
(Superstores, convenience stores and warehouse clubs are NOT considered supermarkets.)
Examples of merchants* that accept the Card and where you can earn additional rewards include:
• Gristedes
• Foodtown
• Meijer
• Shoprite
• Stop and Shop
• Vons
• Whole Foods
• Winn-Dixie
• Online supermarkets such as FreshDirect
*This is not a complete list.
Examples of merchants where you will NOT earn additional rewards include:
• Specialty stores (e.g., fish markets, cheese shops, wine shops, and other specialty food stores )
• Superstores (e.g. Amazon, Target and Wal-Mart)
• Warehouse clubs (e.g. BJ's Club)
What isn’t included in the U.S. Supermarket category?
Specialty food stores, small corner grocery stores, gourmet shops, natural food stores and large superstores including online superstores (e.g. Amazon), warehouses clubs (e.g. BJ's Club) and big box stores (e.g. Wal-Mart) are examples of merchants that are NOT eligible for additional rewards.
I think I should have earned additional rewards on a purchase, what should I do?
If you have questions about whether you should have received additional rewards, please call the number on the back of your Card.
How do you define a Supermarket where I earn additional rewards?
A supermarket offers a wide variety of food and household products such as meat, fresh produce, dairy, canned and packaged goods, household cleaners, pharmacy products and pet supplies.
To earn additional rewards on supermarket purchases, the supermarket must be located in the U.S.
A supermarket offers a wide variety of food and household products such as meat, fresh produce, dairy, canned and packaged goods, household cleaners, pharmacy products and pet supplies.
(Superstores, convenience stores and warehouse clubs are NOT considered supermarkets.)
Examples of merchants* that accept the Card and where you can earn additional rewards include:
• Gristedes
• Foodtown
• Meijer
• Shoprite
• Stop and Shop
• Vons
• Whole Foods
• Winn-Dixie
• Online supermarkets such as FreshDirect
*This is not a complete list.
Examples of merchants where you will NOT earn additional rewards include:
• Specialty stores (e.g., fish markets, cheese shops, wine shops, and other specialty food stores )
• Superstores (e.g. Amazon, Target and Wal-Mart)
• Warehouse clubs (e.g. BJ's Club)
Supermarket FAQs
What isn’t included in the U.S. Supermarket category?
Specialty food stores, small corner grocery stores, gourmet shops, natural food stores and large superstores including online superstores (e.g. Amazon), warehouses clubs (e.g. BJ's Club) and big box stores (e.g. Wal-Mart) are examples of merchants that are NOT eligible for additional rewards.
I think I should have earned additional rewards on a purchase, what should I do?
If you have questions about whether you should have received additional rewards, please call the number on the back of your Card.
How do you define a Supermarket where I earn additional rewards?
A supermarket offers a wide variety of food and household products such as meat, fresh produce, dairy, canned and packaged goods, household cleaners, pharmacy products and pet supplies.
What is (or not) included in the U.S. Supermarket category?
Jul 3, 2018, 4:19 pm
#61
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 998
How long and roughly how much $ have you been doing that? Does Amex care about stuff like that, or just if you’re doing it for the initial bonus?
Jul 3, 2018, 7:12 pm
#63
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 998
Hmmmm, mine wouldn’t be big spending... on the order of about $100 average a week... probably ranging between $75 and $125. Depending on what denominations the gift cards were in I would vary the amount. However, like I said, not much other spending would go on the card though so it would be harder to “mask” these gift card purchases. Probably ~$150/mo in other crap could be shifted to this but they wouldn’t be in bonus earning. Originally was planning on the Everyday Preferred and hitting the 30 monthly transactions with vending machine purchases at work. Then getting the 3X on my Fred Meyer groceries and 1x on one or two bills that aren’t earning bonus. Probably good for about $7,000 total a year.
I figured about $5,200 in 3x earning: 15,600 pts
$1,800 in 1x earning to mask gift card purchases and hit 30 transactions per month: 1,800 pts
50% extra points: 8,700 pts
Total: 26,100 pts
That alone would be ~55% to what my usual annual fall vacation flight requires (domestic F ticket). Usually during that trip I can pick up another 10k points and sometimes 15k, add the amazing bonus offers Amex usually has and I pretty much can cover my flight yearly just by adding one card with a $95 annual fee. It’s not as great as other people but would really be nice, especially since I’m not earning bonus on that spend now and I don’t put enough on my Amex Platinum for big international redemptions...
I figured about $5,200 in 3x earning: 15,600 pts
$1,800 in 1x earning to mask gift card purchases and hit 30 transactions per month: 1,800 pts
50% extra points: 8,700 pts
Total: 26,100 pts
That alone would be ~55% to what my usual annual fall vacation flight requires (domestic F ticket). Usually during that trip I can pick up another 10k points and sometimes 15k, add the amazing bonus offers Amex usually has and I pretty much can cover my flight yearly just by adding one card with a $95 annual fee. It’s not as great as other people but would really be nice, especially since I’m not earning bonus on that spend now and I don’t put enough on my Amex Platinum for big international redemptions...
Jul 4, 2018, 11:43 am
#64
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 205
A side datapoint is that the visa "Fashion Everywhere" cards do work at Fred Meyer for groceries. I had one and tried it(I think I bought it at Office Depot when there was a sale) when my cash flow was low and no trouble using it.
Jul 4, 2018, 2:53 pm
#65
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: RSW
Programs: Delta - Silver; UA - Silver; HHonors - Diamond; IHG - Spire Ambassador; Marriott Bonvoy - Titanium
Posts: 14,185
So I was going to get the Amex Everyday Preferred card because I would like to earn a bonus on my grocery shopping, however, I shop at Fred Meyers (west coast thing, I think it’s Kroger on the east coast) and I noticed on my platinum card that it’s coding as “merchandise & supplies – wholesale stores”. Does anyone know of an Amex card that has a bonus category that would include these stores, or does anyone shop at Fred Meyer’s stores with an Amex card that earns an extra bonus? I’m really just looking at extra MR earning cards right now and I know some Amex cards just offer cash back instead…
Oct 25, 2018, 3:21 pm
#67
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 11
Trader Joe's Wine in NYC codes as grocery/supermarket? Amex Gold 4% ?
Any fellow NewYorkers here? Our Trader Joe's can't sell alcohol in the supermarket so there is a separate wine store. Has anyone tried their new Amex Gold and got 4% MR points at the Trader Joe's Wine store?
Oct 25, 2018, 6:26 pm
#68
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BOS/EAP
Programs: UA 1K, MR LTT, HH Dia, Amex Plat
Posts: 32,026
Always had wine at TJs coded as Groceries, no matter how they sold it. But don't know about the specific NY case ... highly doubt it though that this is any different. Like 7/11 stores in MA ... no gas anywhere, just convenience store ... coded as gas station ... always. It is how the chain is in the Amex system.
Oct 25, 2018, 8:02 pm
#69
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: New York, NY
Programs: AA Gold. UA Silver, Marriott Gold, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt (Lifetime Diamond downgraded to Explorist)
Posts: 6,776
It has been a few years since I have been to the TJs wine on 14th Street but I do remember it coding at Grocery. Sadly they don't have a TJs wine here in Brooklyn even though we have two TJs within half a mile of each other. Many of the bodegas I go to code as grocery too. Helps make those drunken/next day sausage egg n cheese sandwiches even better knowing it's going towards my next redemption.
PS the City Point TJs has way more stuff and restocks faster than the Court Street location.
PS the City Point TJs has way more stuff and restocks faster than the Court Street location.
Nov 1, 2018, 8:50 pm
#70
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: DEN
Programs: Hilton Diamond Hyatt Globalist Marriott Gold AA EXP
Posts: 1,012
HHonors Ascend 10K pt bonus for Supermarkets
I just got this email offer and enrolled. It requires spending $200 at US Supermarkets. What qualifies?
Do smaller grocery stores like Sprouts and Aldi count?
Does Walmart Grocery Online count? I know in the T&C they say that Walmart is a supercenter, NOT a supermarket HOWEVER on my last statement I received a belated $10 credit from another offer from "Walmart Online Grocery" for the Walmart.comOffer. I also got negative -30 Bonus points for the U.S. Supermarkets category on that statement, so it certainly appears that at least the online version of Walmart is generating the Supermarket category bonus (or at least on the downside for rebates!). Has anyone else confirmed this?
Do smaller grocery stores like Sprouts and Aldi count?
Does Walmart Grocery Online count? I know in the T&C they say that Walmart is a supercenter, NOT a supermarket HOWEVER on my last statement I received a belated $10 credit from another offer from "Walmart Online Grocery" for the Walmart.comOffer. I also got negative -30 Bonus points for the U.S. Supermarkets category on that statement, so it certainly appears that at least the online version of Walmart is generating the Supermarket category bonus (or at least on the downside for rebates!). Has anyone else confirmed this?
Nov 2, 2018, 12:01 am
#71
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: USA
Posts: 1,179
I just got this email offer and enrolled. It requires spending $200 at US Supermarkets. What qualifies?
Do smaller grocery stores like Sprouts and Aldi count?
Does Walmart Grocery Online count? I know in the T&C they say that Walmart is a supercenter, NOT a supermarket HOWEVER on my last statement I received a belated $10 credit from another offer from "Walmart Online Grocery" for the Walmart.comOffer. I also got negative -30 Bonus points for the U.S. Supermarkets category on that statement, so it certainly appears that at least the online version of Walmart is generating the Supermarket category bonus (or at least on the downside for rebates!). Has anyone else confirmed this?
Do smaller grocery stores like Sprouts and Aldi count?
Does Walmart Grocery Online count? I know in the T&C they say that Walmart is a supercenter, NOT a supermarket HOWEVER on my last statement I received a belated $10 credit from another offer from "Walmart Online Grocery" for the Walmart.comOffer. I also got negative -30 Bonus points for the U.S. Supermarkets category on that statement, so it certainly appears that at least the online version of Walmart is generating the Supermarket category bonus (or at least on the downside for rebates!). Has anyone else confirmed this?
ETA: I wonder if Amzn GC at WF or TJ/Sprouts gift card will trigger this bonus.
Nov 3, 2018, 12:32 pm
#73
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: RSW
Programs: Delta - Silver; UA - Silver; HHonors - Diamond; IHG - Spire Ambassador; Marriott Bonvoy - Titanium
Posts: 14,185
If it's thrown in with a larger order I can't really see how their software is going to filter that back out again? Amex offers for hotel stays usually have a disclaimer that it's room rate and incidentals only, but in reality they can't separate out the taxes and fees when applying the charges towards promotions.
Nov 6, 2018, 9:39 pm
#74
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 83
Walmart Pickup with Amex Gold?
Hey Guys,
I have been using Walmart grocery pickup as my gf works there and the SPG Amex had an offer for $10 off 50 so we tried it a few days ago and it shows as grocery on my amex app. Does that mean it would qualify for the Amex Gold supermarkets bonus category or will that specially say Supermarkets?
I do a majority of our grocery shopping there so it would be supernice to snag the Amex gold for use there.
thanks
I have been using Walmart grocery pickup as my gf works there and the SPG Amex had an offer for $10 off 50 so we tried it a few days ago and it shows as grocery on my amex app. Does that mean it would qualify for the Amex Gold supermarkets bonus category or will that specially say Supermarkets?
I do a majority of our grocery shopping there so it would be supernice to snag the Amex gold for use there.
thanks
Nov 8, 2018, 7:10 am
#75
Join Date: Jul 2004
Programs: CO, UA, AA, WN, DL Gold
Posts: 2,981
I just got this email offer and enrolled. It requires spending $200 at US Supermarkets. What qualifies?
Do smaller grocery stores like Sprouts and Aldi count?
Does Walmart Grocery Online count? I know in the T&C they say that Walmart is a supercenter, NOT a supermarket HOWEVER on my last statement I received a belated $10 credit from another offer from "Walmart Online Grocery" for the Walmart.comOffer. I also got negative -30 Bonus points for the U.S. Supermarkets category on that statement, so it certainly appears that at least the online version of Walmart is generating the Supermarket category bonus (or at least on the downside for rebates!). Has anyone else confirmed this?
Do smaller grocery stores like Sprouts and Aldi count?
Does Walmart Grocery Online count? I know in the T&C they say that Walmart is a supercenter, NOT a supermarket HOWEVER on my last statement I received a belated $10 credit from another offer from "Walmart Online Grocery" for the Walmart.comOffer. I also got negative -30 Bonus points for the U.S. Supermarkets category on that statement, so it certainly appears that at least the online version of Walmart is generating the Supermarket category bonus (or at least on the downside for rebates!). Has anyone else confirmed this?