Yes, you can, and you should — especially if you want to earn rewards for buying groceries regularly from certain supermarkets. Rather than using cash (you get nothing in return), paying for your groceries using specific credit cards could earn you cashback that offsets your next credit card bill, or rewards in the form of reward points or miles.

The key is to identify which credit cards offer higher rewards for the supermarket you usually shop at for your groceries. For example, using UOB’s Delight card earns you up to 8% cashback at Cold Storage and Giant, while the BOC Sheng Siong card gives you up to 12% cashback at Sheng Siong.

There are also credit cards that reward you for your grocery spend regardless of the supermarket you visit, such as the Citi Cash Back card and Maybank Family & Friends card.

Buying groceries online via RedMart, FairPrice Online or Amazon Prime also counts towards grocery spend. You can also opt for credit cards that reward you for the category of online spending, such as the Citi Rewards card, when purchasing your groceries online.

This depends on the credit card you use. More often than not, credit cards that offer rewards for grocery shopping tend to be cashback credit cards.

Yes, if you use a cashback credit card in a grocery store that accepts credit card payments. To earn higher cashback of 5% to 8%, use a credit card that rewards you with additional cashback for grocery spend.

Some supermarkets have their own membership programmes. For example, NTUC has their own range of Plus! Cards that give you loyalty points every time you spend at their store. These loyalty points can be used to offset your next purchase.

• Cold Storage: 8% cashback with UOB Delight card 
• FairPrice: 10% cashback with OCBC NTUC Plus! card 
• Giant: 8% cashback with UOB Delight card 
• Sheng Siong: Up to 12% cashback with BOC Sheng Siong card, 5% cashback with POSB Everyday card
• CapitaLand malls: 15 STAR$® for every S$1 spent in participating CapitaLand Malls with American Express CapitaCard
• Other notable credit cards for all grocery stores: 8% cashback with Citi Cash Back card, 8% cashback with Maybank Family & Friends card, 10% cashback with CIMB Visa Signature card
  

You can also read our selection of the best grocery credit cards here.

Yes. Credit cards may require a minimum spend each month before you qualify for the higher cashback rate. Some credit cards also have caps on the amount of cashback you can earn every month. For example, the Citi Cash Back card caps the cashback earned from your groceries at S$25 each month, equivalent to about S$315 spent on groceries. 

Check out the results table above to find out more about the monthly minimum spend and cashback cap.

No. While these credit cards give you additional rewards for spending on groceries, they also give rewards for other categories such as petrol, dining, transport and utilities. These bonus reward categories differ from card to card. 

Check out the full card details before applying for a card for your grocery shopping.

Not so much on exclusions, but rather, certain terms and conditions have to be met, such as minimum spend per month. Do note what the monthly cashback caps are too. 

The best way to be in the know is to do your homework and read up on Merchant Category Codes (or MCC in short), which is how banks allocate rewards based on specific merchants. Understanding this can help you utilise your credit card spend to really turbocharge your miles accumulation or roll in the cashback.