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-   -   What is (or not) included in the U.S. Supermarket category? (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-express-membership-rewards/1646447-what-not-included-u-s-supermarket-category.html)

pilgrim37 Aug 5, 2011 10:28 am

Whole Foods Market and supermarket category bonuses.
 
I have the Amex Gold Premiere card which gives you 2 points for groceries. Has anyone used this successfully at Whole Foods? Just checking b/c there is some gobbledegood in the fine print about the store having to enter a particular code, and wondering if Whole Foods does that so people have been getting their points using that store. Thanks!

clacko Aug 5, 2011 10:52 am

aren't merchants classified by the cc people....like warehouse/walmart often getting less/no pts....whole foods [the donut store] isn't a discount merchant, imho....go for it & let us know the result....is there a card that you would use instead?.....good luck...

Stubtify Aug 5, 2011 11:00 am

The store doesn't need to enter a code, they need to be coded as a grocery store, and not a warehouse store/retail sales/etc. You'll be fine at Whole foods. Sams, Costco, WalMart, Target, etc all receive the reduced rates, as they're coded differently.

Averroes Aug 5, 2011 1:21 pm

Amex has whole foods coded correctly: Merchandise & Supplies - Groceries

You should get bonus points as expected.

Chase codes them as "other", sadly.

particlemn Aug 5, 2011 1:31 pm

I have always had whole paycheck code as grocery and get double points. you would be supprised of others that code a grocery like one of my local gas stations with a minimart, and two of the wine shops i order from also code as grocery even thou they just sell wine

mia Aug 5, 2011 1:40 pm


Originally Posted by Averroes (Post 16866806)
Chase codes them as "other", sadly.

The categories shown when you view your account activity on chase.com are not the categories used for reward calculations. Chase (and Citi) recognize that Whole Foods is a supermarket.

LongviewTX Aug 29, 2011 11:06 am

What stores are supermarkets for AmEx Blue Cash Preferred?
 
Sorry if this is a wrong forum, but I cannot find anything meaningful going by a Search function and I though this forum will have the most knowledgeable audience as far as the question:

Blue Cash PreferredSM from American Express provides 6% for purchases at "supermarkets" with only definition in Terms and Conditions "6% for eligible purchases at supermarkets (excluding superstores and warehouse clubs)". So in reality what major stores are supermarkets but not superstores?

What about Walmart, Target and Kohl's for example? Are any of these supermarkets but not superstores?

mia Aug 29, 2011 12:01 pm


Originally Posted by LongviewTX (Post 17016899)
what major stores are supermarkets but not superstores?

Supermarkets are firms which primarily sell groceries such as:

Kroger, Safeway, SuperValu, Publix, A&P, Albertsons, Whole Foods, etc. The stores you mentioned do sell groceries, but that is not their primary business, and they are not classified as supermarkets for credit card transaction processing purposes.

LongviewTX Aug 29, 2011 1:41 pm


Originally Posted by mia (Post 17017248)
Supermarkets are firms which primarily sell groceries such as:

Kroger, Safeway, SuperValu, Publix, A&P, Albertsons, Whole Foods, etc. The stores you mentioned do sell groceries, but that is not their primary business, and they are not classified as supermarkets for credit card transaction processing purposes.

I'm now even more confused. Some American Express cards (e.g American Express Premier Rewards Gold) have a bonus spending category called "groceries" while others (e.g. American Express Blue Cash) have a bonus spending category called "supermarkets" but based on your answer it seems like that "groceries"="supermarkets".

Why don't just make things simpler and call same things universally? Is that a marketing trick of some kind? Making people think that cards have somewhat different bonus categories when in fact they don't?

Or am I just missing something?

mia Aug 29, 2011 1:51 pm


Originally Posted by LongviewTX (Post 17017869)
... it seems like that "groceries"="supermarkets".

Groceries is a category of merchandise. A supermarket is a type of store. The bonus is determined by where you shop, not by what you buy.

Mediahound Aug 29, 2011 4:56 pm

This can be a bit tricky and it depends on the each individual store. Some stores, it can even depend on how each register is programmed.

I know for my local Raley's, it did not count as 'supermarket'.

LongviewTX Aug 29, 2011 5:28 pm


Originally Posted by mia (Post 17017932)
Groceries is a category of merchandise. A supermarket is a type of store. The bonus is determined by where you shop, not by what you buy.

I understand that and the generic idea that it only matters how a particular store was coded in the application to the payment processing network (AmEx in this case). What I'm pointing out is an apparent inconsistency in marketing between different AmEx cards:

Premier Rewards Gold Card: X2 on groceries, where "groceries" purchases are described as follows "charges at U.S. stand alone ... supermarkets are eligible for bonus points."

Blue Cash Preferred: 6% cash back at supermarkets where "supermarkets" purchases are described as "eligible purchases at supermarkets (excluding superstores and warehouse clubs)"

So at the end of the day X2 on PRG and 6% for Blue Cash Preferred is earned at the exactly same stores even though in one case it's marketed as "groceries" and in other case as "supermarkets". Confusing...

Aaron01 Aug 29, 2011 5:52 pm


Originally Posted by LongviewTX (Post 17019103)
I understand that and the generic idea that it only matters how a particular store was coded in the application to the payment processing network (AmEx in this case). What I'm pointing out is an apparent inconsistency in marketing between different AmEx cards:

Premier Rewards Gold Card: X2 on groceries, where "groceries" purchases are described as follows "charges at U.S. stand alone ... supermarkets are eligible for bonus points."

Blue Cash Preferred: 6% cash back at supermarkets where "supermarkets" purchases are described as "eligible purchases at supermarkets (excluding superstores and warehouse clubs)"

So at the end of the day X2 on PRG and 6% for Blue Cash Preferred is earned at the exactly same stores even though in one case it's marketed as "groceries" and in other case as "supermarkets". Confusing...

It's probably just a semantical difference, I don't know if AMEX has the ability to group merchants in the way to differentiate "grocery" from "supermarket." They probably are just using the merchant category code which would show up as "groceries;" stores like Costco, etc. show up as a different code, which is how they're able to be excluded from the PR Gold's bonus. I've recieved bonus points for shopping at liquor stores who bill under the "groceries" category.

Your best bet would probably be to inquire using a secured message.

mia Aug 29, 2011 7:15 pm


Originally Posted by LongviewTX (Post 17019103)
So at the end of the day X2 on PRG and 6% for Blue Cash Preferred is earned at the exactly same stores ...

Correct. There's nothing devious here. All of the other major rewards card issuers employ copywriters who sometimes use "groceries" or "supermarkets" as shorthand for "transactions at merchants who primarily sell groceries".

TayoBus Jan 15, 2015 5:28 pm

What is (or not) included in the U.S. Supermarket category?
 
Sorry if this has already been posted. I did a search but couldn't find the answer.

I'm trying to get the most out of our Amex Blue Cash Preferred card. It gives 6% back on groceries.

On the rewards page it says:

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. Costco) and big box stores (e.g. Wal-Mart) are examples of merchants that are NOT eligible for additional rewards.
So I'm wondering if Sprouts, Trader Joe's, Fresh and Easy... do they count as grocery stores or natural food/ specialty stores?

I know Whole Foods is accepted but what about the others?


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