The Best Credit Cards to Use When You Go out to Eat

The first time I came to the U.S., there were lots of differences I noticed right away between Americans and Europeans. The part that stuck out more than anything else were Americans’ eating habits – it wasn’t just the fact that they ate dessert for breakfast (Toaster Strudel, anyone?), but the fact that they dined out a lot. Like way more than Europeans did. In fact, a couple of years ago I recall reading a report about how the average American family spends $2,668 per year dining out.

For those of us who collect rewards obsessively, this works out great because credit card companies offer generous bonuses for spending at restaurants and other dining establishments. If you find yourself eating out quite a bit, you’ll appreciate the following credit card spending bonuses:

Hilton HHonors Surpass Card from American Express  –  6 points per $1 = 16,008 points

Chase Freedom  –  5% cash back/5 points per $1 (during select quarters) = $86.68 cash/8,668 points

	Chase Freedom® Add to Favorites	$0 annual fee	Get a $150 Bonus after spending $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Read Review »
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	Chase Freedom®
Apply Now Add to Favorites
Sign Up Bonus $0 annual fee Get a $150 Bonus after spending $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Annual Fee Already have this card? Maximize your rewards.
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– Chase restricts 5% cash back to the first $1,500 spent; the remaining $1,168 earns 1% cash back. This is all assuming the majority of the spending takes place in a single quarter, which is feasible if you purchase gift cards from your favorite restaurants.

Sapphire Reserve –  3 points per $1 = 8,004 points

Discover It Miles – 3 miles per $1 on all spending (during the first year only)

	Discover it® Miles - Double Miles your first year Add to Favorites	$0 first year $0 after first year	Double Miles Double all the Miles you've earned at the end of your first year Read Review »
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	Discover it® Miles - Double Miles your first year
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Sign Up Bonus $0 first year $0 after first year Double Miles Double all the Miles you've earned at the end of your first year Annual Fee Already have this card? Maximize your rewards.
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Chase Sapphire Preferred –  2 points per $1 = 5,336 points

	Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Add to Favorites	$0 intro first year $95 annual fee	Earn 50,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $625 in travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards® Read Review »
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	Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Apply Now Add to Favorites
Sign Up Bonus $0 intro first year $95 annual fee Earn 50,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $625 in travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards® Annual Fee Already have this card? Maximize your rewards.
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Chase Hyatt Credit Card – 2 points per $1 = 5,336 points

IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card –  2 points per $1 = 5,336 points

	IHG® Rewards Club Select Credit Card Add to Favorites	$0 intro first year $49 annual fee	Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening. Read Review »
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The information for the IHG® Rewards Club Select Credit Card has been collected independently by FTG. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

	IHG® Rewards Club Select Credit Card
Read Review Add to Favorites
Sign Up Bonus $0 intro first year $49 annual fee Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening. Annual Fee Already have this card? Maximize your rewards.
Read the FTG Review »
The information for the IHG® Rewards Club Select Credit Card has been collected independently by FTG. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

United MileagePlus Explorer Business Card –  2 points per $1 = 5,336 points

Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card –  2 points per $1 = 5,336 points

So which credit could should the average American charge their $2,668 worth of dining to? I would generally recommend going with the currency that you’re earning the most miles with. For example, if you’re stockpiling United miles, those extra 5,336 miles could be an easy way to top off your account. After all, you wouldn’t want to have 16,008 Hilton points lying around f you’re not going to redeem them or earn extra miles for a higher category award. Since Hyatt, IHG, United, and Marriott are all Ultimate Rewards transfer partners, I wouldn’t put this spending on those cards either. Instead, I’d charge restaurant spending to either the Chase Sapphire Reserve, Sapphire Preferred, or Chase Freedom card. These credit cards earn at least the same number of points as the co-branded credit cards do and provide more redemption flexibility.

Another great thing about charging dining spend to an Ultimate Rewards earning credit card is the fact that points can either be transferred to one of the many previously mentioned partners or they can be redeemed through the Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal. The Travel Portal offers incredible deals on travel and can often work out cheaper than transferring points to one hotel and airline partners. Points are worth 1.25 cents towards travel, but Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders receive an increased value of 1.5 cents per point.

Regardless of which credit card you choose, be sure to register it with a dining rewards program to earn even more points and miles.

[Image via Getty]