Kroger has announced some changes to the Kroger Mastercard that will be coming in November 2021. The earning structure will be as follows:
- Earn 5% cash back on mobile wallet transactions (up to $3,000 in spend)
- Earn 2% cash back inside the Kroger Family of Companies
- Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases
- 25¢ per gallon discount when redeeming 100 fuel points (first year and thereafter where you spend at least $6,000 on the card)
Previously the card offered:
- 3x on Kroger family brands
- 2x at Kroger family stores, excluding fuel centers
- 1x on all other purchases, excluding fuel centers
- 0x at Kroger family fuel centers
- 5¢ per gallon discount when redeeming 100 fuel points
I think most people will prefer the new earning structure and fuel discount. Card has offered a bonus of $150 after $200 in spend in the past and is issued by U.S. Bank.
Hat tip to reader Andrew D
does that 5% include gift cards
This appears to be live now.
Also, if the fuel SUBs aren’t useful to you, the Pick N’ Save variety of the card offers a $100 credit with $500 spend.
can i get the 5% cash back if i use walmart pay inside a physical walmart store? if not, can i use google pay to get 5% inside walmart? thanks
The OCD maximizer in me wants to get this card, but I can’t quite convince myself it’s worth it. Compared to the BoA premium rewards @ 2.625%, with a $3,000 annual limit, this card only nets you an extra $71.25 per year.
Meanwhile, since US Bank is not GC friendly, you’re tying up $3,000 of organic spend every year they could be used towards signup bonuses. And there’s also the effort to track your spending so that you don’t go over $3,000 in mobile payments.
The card is nice in general, but I think I have to pass.
I agree, it sounds nice but doesn’t move the needle much compared to my existing setup. Put a decent SUB on it and I might bite. Otherwise I have a few SUBs planned over the next year or so that I won’t interrupt for this. I might grab this while I’m waiting for some SUB cooldown/churn periods.
Another terrible US Bank driven offer. It’s like they teach for greatness then decide they can’t afford the risk while the world rushes by then y
“Terrible”? For 5% cash back on ANY mobile wallet payments, without an annual fee? The new Kroger card can be used at grocery stores, gas stations, certain websites, and more. The only comparable card is the Altitude which has a lower earn rate AND has an annual fee. This is a solid card even with the $3000/year spending cap.
Any indication how they’ll treat existing cards? The current SUB is $.55/gal off for the first year. If you opened it in Oct, would Nov ’21-Sep ’22 get $.80/gal off?
No. The 55c gallon discount will apply until the one year anniversary of your approval. After your one year anniversary, you will receive an additional 5c off each gallon when you redeem a minimum of 100 fuel points.
Already getting 4.5% back with USB Altitude Reserve. Not worth a new card signup but if you don’t have/can’t get an AR, this is a decent option. $3k at 5% of unbonused spend can be used for things like insurance premiums (GEICO, Progressive, etc. all take Apple Pay), salons/haircuts, EZ Pass reloads (doesn’t always code as travel), doctors offices, etc.
most importantly, no annual fee
That’s why it’s interesting timing for me. I, too, have been riding the USB AR 4.5% on Google Pay for years (it’s been my primary card), but I’ve just decided to cancel it. Haven’t traveled much since Covid started, and wife can’t get vaccinated, so aside from the actual infection potential of being crammed in a metal tube or aboard a captive ship with lots of other people, there are going to be additional restrictions for the non-vaccinated which will make it un-fun if not unavailable. So it’s hard to count on guaranteed 1.5x redemption anymore because we don’t have any qualified travel expenses. At only 3% (AR) versus 2% (next best card) and about $4,800/year spend on which I’m not already getting 5%, the AR was only giving me an extra $50 per year, which doesn’t overcome the A/F. With this Kroger card, 5% versus 2% means an extra $150 per year which is intriguing. Put a decent bonus on the Kroger card, I might bite.
There are plenty of work arounds to always be able to get 1.5cpp redemption.
Such as?
Uber cash for Uber eats or Uber, could also buy a refundable ticket. There are options find one that suits you best.
If this card keeps no FTF, this could be VERY PROMISING for travel use
You can literally use Samsung Pay anywhere so this is pretty good news!
Unfortunately not with S21 any more.. (why the f did they remove MST)
They removed it from most regions EXCEPT their home country and a handful of other countries from what I could find online.
Kroger doesn’t take Samsung Pay.. only Kroger Pay.
5% cashback on *any* mobile payments? Up to $3k? Hmmm…