Kroger Rewards World Mastercard® review: A loyalist grocery store card with limited rewards

The Blue Cash Preferred Card from Amex is one of the best credit cards for groceries and gas on the market. It offers 6 percent cash back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 within a year, then 1 percent). Plus, cardholders can earn 3 percent cash back on U.S. gas station purchases, and 1 percent cash back on everything else. If you spend a lot on gas and don't want the hassle of multiple payment methods, this card may just take the cake. 

However, the $0 annual fee only applies for the first year, then you'll pay $95 thereafter. And though the welcome offer is higher — earn $250 in statement credits — you'll have to pay much more ($3,000 within the first six months of account opening), which may not be worth it for some.

The Chase Freedom Flex* offers more versatility than the Kroger Rewards World Mastercard®. It has rotating quarterly bonus categories, which typically include grocery stores. Yet, these earnings are capped at $1,500, require activation and only last three months. With a higher cap and a full-year term, the Kroger card is better for grocery spending.

However, the Chase Freedom Flex offers significantly more overall. You can earn 3 percent cash back at restaurants, drugstores and travel purchased through the Chase rewards portal. You also have more flexible redemption options, and you can maximize the card's first-year value with its decent sign-up bonus and intro APR offers, none of which the Kroger card can match.

The Kroger World Elite comes out ahead when focusing on grocery spending, but overall, the Chase Freedom Flex is a superior choice.

This card is issued by U.S. Bank. You’ll have to reach out to U.S. Bank’s customer service should there be any issues with your card.

They are not. Fuel points are earned through your Boost membership and can be redeemed for fuel purchases only. Credit card cash back is earned on the credit card wherever it is used and will be posted to your account as a statement credit.

Your approval odds are higher if your credit score is good to excellent (FICO score 670-850). Applicants must be 18 years old and have a U.S. mailing address and Social Security number. Your approval odds are also subject to your creditworthiness, such as your income and existing credit.

The primary criteria for a rewards or cash back card’s rating is its rewards value. This includes the card’s average rewards rate, estimated annual rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value and reward redemption value.

To estimate a card’s average annual rewards earnings, we first calculate its average rewards rate based on how much it earns in different bonus categories and how closely its categories align with the average person’s spending habits, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Based on this data, we determine a “chargeable” spend (which purchases are likely to be put on a credit card and earn rewards). This includes the following spending by category:

• Groceries: $5,200
• Dining out: $3,000
• Entertainment: $2,500
• Gas: $2,100
• Apparel and services: $1,700

Using this data, we assign a weighting to each of a card’s bonus categories. For example, a card’s grocery rewards rate receives a 23 percent weighting based on how much of the average person’s budget is spent on groceries. We also estimate the redemption value of points or miles from various issuer, airline and hotel rewards programs.

This weighting and rewards valuation allows us to estimate a card’s average annual rewards earnings — how many points or miles you’d earn with a given card if your spending was about average and you used the card for all of your purchases, as well as what those points are worth. We also use point valuations to determine a card’s sign-up bonus value

With these calculations complete, we assign each card a score based on how its average rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value, rewards rate and redemption value stack up against other rewards cards.

We also rate cards based on how much it costs to keep them in your wallet or carry a balance. 

To start, each rewards or cash back card is scored based on whether it offers an intro APR and how its ongoing APR compares to the rates available on other rewards or cash back cards. 

We also score each card based on how its annual fee influences its overall value. 

We consider a card’s annual fee in two ways — how it ranks relative to the fees you’ll find on other cards in the category and how it impacts a card’s overall rewards value. Cards with an annual fee will always be at a slight disadvantage in our scoring system since annual fees inherently cut into your rewards value, but if a card offers terrific value via its ongoing rewards and perks, it can earn a high score even if it carries a high annual fee. 

With this in mind, we rate a card based primarily on how its ongoing rewards value and ongoing perk value (such as annual credits or bonuses) stack up against other cards in the category when you subtract its annual fee.

We rate each card’s flexibility based on the restrictions it imposes on earning and redeeming rewards and factor this rating into a card’s overall score. 

Flexibility factors include whether a card only allows you to earn a high rewards rate on a small amount of spending or requires you to meet a certain earning threshold before you can redeem rewards. We also examine whether your points are worth less when you redeem for some options versus others and whether a card gives you the flexibility to transfer rewards to airline and hotel partners. 

We also score each card’s set of features – its perks and benefits — against five tiers of features to provide a rating. 

We break down these tiers as follows:

• Tier 1 has less than standard card features (an ultra-streamlined card that offers basic utility and next to nothing in the way of ancillary benefits. 
• Tier 2 includes the benefits you’d expect on standard Visa or Mastercard credit cards, such as free access to your credit score, car rental insurance and $0 liability for fraudulent charges. 
• Tier 3 includes “prime card” or better-than-average card features like cellphone insurance, lost luggage insurance, concierge services and purchase protection. 
• Tier 4 includes luxury features such as airport lounge access, elite status with an airline or hotel and credits for expedited security screening membership programs. 
• Tier 5 includes the sort of exemplary benefits you’ll find on top-tier luxury cards, such as high-value travel credits, cardholder memberships and other unique and valuable perks.