Which credit cards earn the most at restaurants, ranked by Julia's Wallet Score

The short answer

Capital One Savor ranks first among the dining cards Julia has tested, with a Wallet Score of 76 out of 100 and no annual fee. It earns 3 percent on dining. Chase Freedom Unlimited is a close second at 75, also with no annual fee and 3 percent on dining.

Three cards sit lower on the list: Citi Strata Premier at 71, then American Express Gold, Wells Fargo Autograph and Chase Sapphire Preferred at 67 each. A higher dining rate does not guarantee a better result. Amex Gold earns 4 points per dollar at restaurants, but its 325 dollar annual fee leaves it 2.60 dollars behind Savor in Julia's food-budget example.

The Wallet Score comes from Julia's everyday card test. The largest share is value after costs across 3 household budgets. Reward flexibility, effort and 2 specific protections make up the rest. Terms checked October 6, 2026 (American Express Gold: October 5, 2026).

The ranking at a glance

• **Capital One Savor, 76:** no annual fee. It earns 3 percent on dining, qualifying groceries, entertainment and popular streaming, and 1 percent elsewhere.
• **Chase Freedom Unlimited, 75:** no annual fee. It earns 3 percent on dining, including eligible takeout and delivery, and 1.5 percent on most other eligible purchases.
• **Citi Strata Premier, 71:** 95 dollar annual fee. It earns 3 points per dollar on restaurants, supermarkets, gas, air travel and other hotel purchases.
• **American Express Gold, 67:** 325 dollar annual fee. It earns 4 Membership Rewards points per dollar at restaurants worldwide, up to 50,000 dollars a calendar year.
• **Wells Fargo Autograph, 67:** no annual fee. It earns 3 points per dollar on restaurants, travel, gas, transit, popular streaming and phone plans.
• **Chase Sapphire Preferred, 67:** 95 dollar annual fee. It earns 3 points per dollar on dining, gas and selected streaming, and 5 points on Chase Travel bookings.

Which no-fee card earns the most from restaurant spending?

Start with Capital One Savor and Chase Freedom Unlimited. Neither charges an annual fee, so every dollar of rewards is kept.

In Julia's example, a family spends 600 dollars a month on groceries, 300 on dining, 50 on eligible streaming and 100 on entertainment. Capital One Savor earns 378 dollars a year on those 12,600 dollars, against 252 for a flat 2 percent card. Add 700 dollars a month of ordinary spending and Savor earns 462 dollars in total, versus 420 for the flat card. Using Savor for its bonus categories and a 2 percent card elsewhere earns 546 dollars.

Chase Freedom Unlimited has a different shape. With 300 dollars a month on dining and 50 at drugstores, those 4,200 dollars earn 126 dollars a year. Add 18,000 dollars of ordinary purchases at 1.5 percent and the total is 396 dollars, against 444 for a flat 2 percent card. Chase Freedom Unlimited alone ends 48 dollars behind. Paired with a 2 percent card, the two earn 486 dollars, which is 42 more than the flat card alone.

Wells Fargo Autograph also has no annual fee and covers more everyday categories. On Julia's first mix, it earns 544 dollars against 496 for Citi Double Cash. Move 4,000 dollars from bonus categories to ordinary purchases and Autograph earns 464 dollars against 496. Its 67 reflects that dependence on the spending mix, plus the fact that it earned no credit for Julia's two specific insured-loss tests.

Is a higher fee worth it for dining rewards?

Usually only when you have a clear use for the points or credits.

Citi Strata Premier has a 95 dollar fee. On 17,400 dollars of restaurant, supermarket, gas and travel spending, it earns 52,200 points. A flat 2 percent card earns 348 dollars on the same spending. What the points redeem for decides the result:

• At 0.75 cent per point, the points return 391.50 dollars, or 296.50 after the fee. That is 51.50 dollars behind the flat card.
• At 1 cent per point, they return 522 dollars, or 427 after the fee. That is 79 dollars ahead.
• A no-fee Savor paired with a 2 percent card earns 468 dollars on the same budget, so Citi Strata Premier at 427 loses by 41 dollars.

Chase Sapphire Preferred shows a similar pattern. Julia's example has 14,000 dollars of dining, gas, eligible online grocery and travel spending, which earns 40,000 points. At 1 cent each that is 400 dollars, against 280 for a 2 percent card. That gain of 120 dollars covers the 95 dollar fee with 25 left over. The hotel credit takes the example to 99.90 dollars ahead. If the 4,000 dollars of groceries are bought at ordinary supermarket checkouts rather than online, the advantage falls to 59.90 dollars.

Is Amex Gold worth 325 dollars for restaurant spending?

American Express Gold has the highest dining rate here, and the closest result with Savor.

Julia's example uses 7,200 dollars at restaurants, 7,200 at eligible U.S. supermarkets, 1,800 on entertainment and 360 on streaming, which is 16,560 dollars in all. Savor earns 496.80 dollars. American Express Gold earns 57,600 points on the food spending. At 1 cent each toward Amex Travel flights, plus 200 dollars of dining and Resy credits that replace meals already planned, it nets 494.20 dollars after the fee. That is 2.60 dollars behind Savor.

The redemption changes everything:

• Points used against card charges at 0.6 cent each leave American Express Gold at 263.80 dollars, 233 dollars behind Savor.
• A travel award worth 1.5 cents per point lifts it to 782.20 dollars, 285.40 dollars ahead. That needs an available booking you would actually take.

To break even at 1 cent per point, American Express Gold needs 14,660 dollars of eligible food spending a year in that example. The example family spends 14,400. The credits also come with monthly rules, enrollment and half-year allowances, so they only count when they replace purchases you already make.

Do the category rules change the result?

Yes, and they differ by card. Check them before you move any spending.

• **Superstores:** Savor excludes superstores such as Walmart and Target from its grocery category. American Express Gold's supermarket definition excludes warehouse clubs and superstores. Chase Sapphire Preferred's online grocery category excludes Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs.
• **Takeout and delivery:** Chase Freedom Unlimited counts eligible takeout and delivery as dining. Groceries are not automatically dining.
• **Abroad:** American Express Gold's restaurant category is worldwide, but its supermarket category is U.S. only. Savor and Wells Fargo Autograph have no foreign transaction fee. Wells Fargo Autograph's qualifying restaurants and transit abroad still earn 3 points.
• **Spending caps:** American Express Gold's 4 points apply up to 50,000 dollars of restaurant purchases and 25,000 dollars at U.S. supermarkets each calendar year. Beyond that, spending earns 1 point.

Which card suits which diner?

• **Capital One Savor** suits households that want simple cash back on dining plus groceries at qualifying stores. If most groceries come from excluded superstores, Julia would weigh that mismatch more than the score.
• **Chase Freedom Unlimited** suits a household that spends on dining and wants steady cash back. Julia's view is that it works best given the right job, with a 2 percent card covering ordinary purchases.
• **Wells Fargo Autograph** suits a household with broad spending on restaurants, gas, travel, streaming and phone bills. It needs more than half of spending in those categories to beat a flat 2 percent card as the only card.
• **Citi Strata Premier** suits someone with a real trip in mind, a hotel stay of at least 500 dollars before taxes and fees, and a redemption that works.
• **American Express Gold** suits someone whose planned meals match its credits and who will use the points for travel.
• **Chase Sapphire Preferred** suits someone who wants a travel card alongside everyday dining and has a hotel stay they already intend to book.

Before you apply

Terms checked October 6, 2026 (American Express Gold: October 5, 2026). Fees, rates, category definitions, welcome offers and redemption values can change, so confirm each on the issuer's page before you apply. Terms may have moved since the date above.

• **Look at a recent statement.** Find which merchants would earn the bonus rate and which would earn only the base rate.
• **Use your own redemption.** Several results above flip between 0.6 and 1.5 cents per point. Use the value your account actually offers.
• **Count credits only if they replace spending.** Julia counts a dining credit only when the meal was already in the budget.
• **Keep welcome offers separate.** Savor's and Chase Freedom Unlimited's reviewed offers are each 200 dollars after 500 dollars of purchases in 3 months, and Wells Fargo Autograph's is 20,000 points after 1,000 dollars in 3 months. These are first-year extras, and the offer on your application controls.
• **Pay in full.** Interest on a carried balance can erase the rewards.

The cards in this guide

Keep reading

• Amex Gold and Capital One Savor nearly tie on food, until the redemption changes
• Amex Gold and Sapphire Preferred each beat two free cards only with the right habit
• Which Credit Cards Earn the Most on Gas, and What the Fine Print Means
• A credit card payment routine that keeps card bills from surprising you