The best credit cards for buying gift cards in September 2026 are the ones whose issuer defines its bonus category by the store, not by what you buy there. Chase writes its office supply and drugstore categories that way, and Citi does the same for supermarkets, so the Ink Business Cash, the Chase Freedom cards and the Citi Strata Premier are where to start. American Express works differently: its rewards page lists "purchases of gift cards" among the purchases that aren't eligible to earn rewards at all.
That one difference decides most of this. A gift card rack at a supermarket or an office supply store looks like an easy bonus, and on some cards it can be. On others the issuer has written the gift card out of the category, or out of earning entirely. Below is what each issuer's own terms say, quoted from pages we read on September 23, 2026, and a short way to test a card before you put real money through it.
How Do Gift Card Purchases Code on a Credit Card?
A gift card purchase codes as whatever the store codes as. Each issuer in this guide says so in its own words. Chase's rewards category page puts it this way: "Merchants who accept Visa/Mastercard credit cards are assigned a merchant code, which is determined by the merchant or its processor in accordance with Visa/Mastercard procedures based on the kinds of products and services they primarily sell."
Citi's Strata Premier terms say merchants get a merchant category code "based on the kinds of products and services the merchants primarily sell," and that Citi doesn't control those codes. American Express says it determines bonus eligibility "by using merchant codes," and that "A purchase will not earn additional rewards if the merchant's code is not eligible." Capital One's Savor page says "the merchant assigns your purchase a category code," and U.S. Bank's Cash+ page says "Each merchant's business is identified by a category code established by Visa."
So the card network sees the store, not the item. A gift card bought at a supermarket arrives as a supermarket charge. What happens next depends on whether the issuer's category terms carve gift cards back out. Merchant coding also varies from store to store, and Chase warns that a merchant "may not have a merchant code in that category" even when it looks like it fits.
Do Amex Cards Earn Points on Gift Cards?
Not according to Amex's own rewards page. The American Express rewards information page, which covers some of its U.S. consumer and business cards, answers "What purchases are eligible to earn rewards?" with this: "Eligible purchases do NOT include fees or interest charges, balance transfers, cash advances, person-to-person transactions, purchases of gift cards, purchases of traveler's checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, or purchases of other cash equivalents."
The Membership Rewards terms, last updated September 2026, say the same for points cards: "Eligible purchases do NOT include: Cash advances and cash equivalents, including Gift Cards." Both sentences are about earning at all, not just the bonus. They matter most for the two Amex grocery cards people reach for. The Amex Gold earns 4X points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, and the Blue Cash Preferred earns 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year. Both are strong for the groceries themselves. For the gift card rack, Amex's page says those purchases aren't eligible purchases.
The rewards information page notes that the Cardmember Agreement or the Membership Rewards terms govern if the two ever conflict. For a cash back card like the Blue Cash Preferred, your Cardmember Agreement is the document to check.
Chase Bonus Categories That Name Gift Cards
Chase publishes a page that defines its rewards categories, and it names gift cards in five of them, including these four:
- Online grocery: "Purchases of gift cards, gift baskets and boxes that include grocery items will not be included."
- Department stores: "Gift cards purchased outside the specific department store (e.g., at a grocery store, online gift card mall, or other retailers outside the department store) are excluded."
- Dining: "Bakeries, caterers, meal kit delivery services, and gift card merchants are not included in the category."
- Travel: "Purchases from gift card merchants or merchants that sell points or miles will not qualify in the travel category."
Chase's department store rule has a second sentence, too: gift cards bought on a department store's website "where gift cards are fulfilled through a third party are excluded." And its base definition of a purchase, printed on the Ink Business Cash page, excludes "cash-like transactions including, but not limited to: travelers checks, foreign currency, money orders, wire transfers, cryptocurrency."
Chase Ink Business Cash: 5% at Office Supply Stores
The Ink Business Cash earns 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent each account anniversary year on combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services. Chase's Ink Business Cash page advertises no annual fee.
Here is Chase's full definition of the office supply category: "Merchants in this category specialize in selling a variety of office supplies. Merchants that sell a wide variety of general goods which may include office supplies, for example, discount stores, department stores, or electronics stores, are not included in this category. Also, merchants and wholesale distributors that specialize in only a few large office supplies, such as computer software and hardware, office furniture, photocopiers, and office equipment, are not included even if they also sell some smaller office supplies."
The exclusions there are types of stores. A purchase at a store that codes as an office supply store falls in the category Chase defines. The $25,000 cap is shared with your internet and phone bills, so count those first. Our Chase Ink lineup guide covers how this card fits next to the Ink Business Preferred and Ink Business Unlimited.
Chase Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited: Drugstores and This Quarter's Grocery Bonus
Both Freedom cards earn 3% at drugstores. Chase defines drugstores as merchants that "specialize in selling prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines, supplements, and various health-related items," and says merchants that sell a wide variety of goods and "may contain an onsite pharmacy, for example, warehouse clubs, discount stores, or grocery stores, are not included in this category." Like the office supply definition, it's written around the store.
The Chase Freedom Flex also has a 5% quarterly category, and for October through December 2026 it's "Grocery Stores (excluding Walmart and Target)," alongside Dining and the American Red Cross. The 5% applies to up to $1,500 in combined category purchases each quarter you activate, and activation opened September 15, 2026. Chase's terms say the merchant must submit the charge "by the last day of the relevant calendar quarter."
Here's the catch on grocery. Chase's category page has two grocery definitions. "Grocery stores" covers "supermarkets, merchants that offer a full-service grocery line of merchandise including a deli and bakery as well as smaller grocery stores," and it excludes types of stores such as warehouse clubs and discount stores. "Online grocery" covers grocery pickup and delivery orders placed online, and it's the one that says gift cards "will not be included." This quarter's Freedom Flex category is listed as "Grocery Stores (excluding Walmart and Target)," the same name as the in-store definition. Our Freedom Flex review and Freedom Unlimited review cover the rest of each card, and the Chase Freedom Unlimited is the simpler of the two if drugstores are your main gift card stop.
Citi Strata Premier: 3X at Supermarkets
The Citi Strata Premier earns 3 ThankYou Points per dollar at supermarkets. Citi's terms and conditions define the category by what's excluded: "general merchandise/discount superstores; freezer/meat locker provisioners; dairy product stores; miscellaneous food/convenience stores; drugstores; warehouse/wholesale clubs; specialty food markets; bakeries; candy, nut, and confectionery stores; and meal kit delivery services."
Citi does name gift cards once, in its restaurant category: "You will not earn 3 ThankYou Points on restaurant gift card purchases if the merchant does not use the restaurant merchant category code." Read that closely. It ties the result to the code, which is the same logic as everywhere else on this page. Citi's list of transactions that earn no points at all covers "travelers checks, foreign currency purchases, money orders, wire transfers (and similar cash-like transactions)." Our Citi Strata Premier review has the full card breakdown.
Capital One Savor and U.S. Bank Cash+
The Capital One Savor earns 3% at grocery stores with a $0 annual fee. Capital One's answer to "What counts as a grocery store?" is "A supermarket, meat locker, freezer, dairy product store and specialty market. Excludes superstores like Walmart and Target." It also says, "Capital One is not responsible for codes used by merchants." More on the card in our Savor review.
The U.S. Bank Cash+ lets you pick two 5% categories and one 2% category, with grocery stores among the 2% choices. Its disclosures are the ones to read before buying gift cards: purchases don't include transactions "to (i) fund certain prepaid card products, (ii) buy currency from the U.S. Mint, or (iii) buy cash convertible items," and U.S. Bank "reserve[s] the right to determine which Purchases qualify for additional rewards." Our Cash+ review covers the category list.
How to Test a Gift Card Purchase Before You Buy in Volume
Test small before you buy in volume. The whole question comes down to one store's code and one issuer's terms, and both can change.
- Buy one low-value gift card at the store you plan to use, with the card you plan to use.
- Wait for the charge to post, then check the rewards earned on that transaction in your online account or on your statement.
- Pay the way the category requires. Chase says purchases through "third-party payment accounts, mobile or wireless card readers, online or mobile digital wallets, or similar technology" won't qualify if that technology isn't set up to process the purchase in the category. Amex says purchases "made on an online marketplace (with multiple retailers) will not receive additional rewards."
If the bonus shows up, you know how that store codes on that card. If it doesn't, you've spent a few dollars finding out instead of a few hundred. For how these cards compare on regular grocery spend, see our grocery card guide.
Which Card to Use, by Where You Buy the Gift Card
If you have a business and buy gift cards at an office supply store, the Ink Business Cash is the card whose written terms fit best, up to that shared $25,000 a year. If you buy them at a drugstore, either Freedom card earns 3% under a definition built around the store. For supermarket gift card racks, the Citi Strata Premier's 3X and this quarter's Freedom Flex grocery category are the options to test, and the Freedom Flex only after you've read the quarter's offer details. Keep your Amex Gold or Blue Cash Preferred for the groceries themselves.
