Do you grocery shop at Kroger regularly?
If so, you were likely aware that Kroger had one of the best co-branded grocery credit cards on the market, offering up to 5% on your purchases with the grocer. Unfortunately, that is soon to be a thing of the past.
The Kroger Rewards World Elite Mastercard has been discontinued due to the end of the partnership between Kroger and U.S. Bank.
U.S. Bank will no longer issue this Kroger Rewards World Elite Mastercard
U.S. Bank, the card issuer, stopped taking new applications for the card in May 2026. And reports indicate that existing cardholders will have their Kroger credit cards replaced with a U.S. Bank Smartly Visa Signature® Card sometime between August and October 2026. Keep an eye out for a notification about this change if you’re an existing Kroger cardholder.
The Smartly card does offer unlimited 2% cash back, which meets money expert Clark Howard’s recommended cash back target for everyday spending, so it may be worth keeping open. And those of you who do your regular banking with U.S. Bank’s Smartly checking and savings accounts may be eligible to earn even more cash back thanks to their tiered rewards program.
But, for most Kroger customers, this change will result in a steep drop in cash back earnings on grocery purchases.
In this article, I’m going to show you a few credit cards that you could pivot to in an effort to maximize your spending at Kroger.
4 Cards That Could Replace Your Old Kroger Credit Card
If you’re a Kroger loyalist, I’ll be upfront and honest: You’re probably not going to completely replace the benefits you enjoyed with the U.S. Bank co-branded card. It was a very good card for regular Kroger shoppers.
But there are still some good credit cards on the market that reward spending in U.S. Supermarkets. And Kroger’s merchant code should qualify for the bonus rewards for most of them.
Here is a rundown of the cards I like best as a potential grocery spender replacement for your wallet:
The Top Pick
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
card_name
Annual Fee:
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95. (See Rates & Fees)
Rewards Program Details:
Earn 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in eligible purchases (then 1%), 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% cash back at eligible U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more) purchases and 1% cash back on other purchases. Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit and at Amazon.com checkout.
Terms apply.
If you’re serious about getting the most cash back from your U.S. supermarket spending, the card_name offer is going to be extremely hard to beat. Though this card does carry a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 (See Rates and Fees), you’ll make that money back — and then some — if you’re a regular shopper at U.S. supermarkets such as Kroger.
The cap for annual spending on the 6% cash back reward is $6,000 in eligible purchases. If you spend an average of $500 per month, you’ll earn $360 in a year. Once you’ve crossed the $6,000 threshold, rewards drop to 1% on grocery purchases.
This card also offers 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% cash back at eligible U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more) purchases and 1% cash back on other purchases. Cash back is received as Reward Dollars, which can be redeemed as a statement credit and at Amazon.com checkout. Terms apply.
Others To Consider
card_name →
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
Annual Fee $0
Rewards Program: 3% Cash Back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), on dining, entertainment and popular streaming services. 5% Cash Back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. 8% Cash Back on Capital One Entertainment purchases. 1% Cash Back on all other purchases.
card_name →
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
Annual Fee $0 (See Rates & Fees)
Rewards Program: Earn 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, 3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases, 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations, on eligible purchases for each category on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%). Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit and at Amazon.com checkout.
Terms apply.
Learn More →
NIH Credit Union Visa® Signature Cash Rewards
Annual Fee $0
Rewards Program: Earn 4% cash back rewards points in the first 12 months, and 3% thereafter in these categories:
Automated Fuel Dispensers and Service Stations
Electric Vehicle Charging
Groceries
Rideshare/Taxi/Limo
Utilities (including streaming)
Wholesale Clubs
All other purchases earn 1%.
Bottom Line for Kroger Shoppers
The 5% back offered by the co-branded U.S. Bank card was great. But, like most really good things in the credit card world, it is coming to an end.
If you were earning a significant amount of cash back on your Kroger purchases, you are likely a good candidate to consider one of the cards above to continue maximizing your spending with the grocer.
But if you found that you didn’t use the co-branded card as much as you anticipated, you may actually be a candidate to simply stick with the Smartly card for everyday spending.
Did you have this Kroger credit card? What is your plan for replacing it? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the Clark.com community.
Not all available financial products and offers from all financial institutions have been reviewed by this website.
To see the rates and fees for the American Express cards featured, please visit the following links: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: See Rates and Fees; Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express: See Rates and Fees.
The post What Kroger Customers Should Do Now That the Grocer’s Credit Card Is Gone appeared first on Clark Howard.