Best Cards for Dining & Restaurants

Cards ranked by effective return percentage. We calculate points × redemption value to show you the true earning potential.

1
Chase Freedom Flex®
No Annual Fee•Chase Ultimate Rewards•$1,500 cap

Requires Activation

Rotating (Quarterly)
10.00%
effective return
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2
American Express® Gold Card
$325/year•Membership Rewards

4x points at restaurants worldwide

8.00%
effective return
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3
American Express® Business Gold Card
$375/year•Membership Rewards•$150,000 cap

4x on the 2 categories where your business spends the most in each billing cycle

8.00%
effective return
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4
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
$95/year•Chase Ultimate Rewards

3x points on dining worldwide

6.00%
effective return
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5
American Express® Green Card
$150/year•Membership Rewards
6.00%
effective return
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6
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
No Annual Fee•Chase Ultimate Rewards
6.00%
effective return
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7
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
$795/year•Chase Ultimate Rewards

3x on dining worldwide

6.00%
effective return
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8
Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
$95/year•ThankYou Points
5.70%
effective return
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9
Citi Strata Elite℠ Card
$595/year•ThankYou Points

6x on Friday and Saturday from 6 PM - 6 AM ET

5.70%
effective return
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10
Wyndham Rewards Earner® Business Card
$95/year•Wyndham Rewards Points
5.50%
effective return
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Our Methodology

We rank cards by effective return percentage, calculated as:

Effective Return = Category Multiplier × Base Point Valuation

This normalizes points, miles, and cash back into a single comparable metric.