All guides

Why didn't my grocery bonus post?

Updated September 17, 2026 · from RightCard's verified card and merchant data

Almost always the merchant code. Your bank pays a category bonus by the store's merchant category code (MCC), not by what you bought. If the store is coded as a superstore, warehouse club, discount store or delivery service, it is not a supermarket, and the bonus earns the base rate.

The five usual suspects

How to check for your store

Open the transaction in your bank app. Most show the category the bank assigned. If it says "Merchandise" or "Shopping" instead of "Groceries", the code was not a supermarket, and the bonus was never going to post. One past statement is the only proof that counts for your specific location.

What our directory knows

RightCard's merchant directory files 95 supermarket chains under the supermarket code and flags 14 superstore and warehouse club brands as the trap. When you search one of those in the app, it shows your best guaranteed card and says why, instead of promising a grocery bonus that will not post.

How RightCard handles this: search any store and the app answers with the card that really wins there, plus a plain note when the code is a trap. The app is free and private. No bank login. Recommendations are computed on your phone.

Get RightCard on the App Store

FAQ

Why didn't my grocery bonus post?

Almost always the merchant code. Banks pay category bonuses by the store's merchant category code, not by what you bought. Superstores, warehouse clubs, discount stores and delivery services are not supermarket codes.

Can I get the bank to fix a missed category bonus?

Rarely. The code is set by the merchant's processor, and issuers pay by that code. A polite message sometimes gets a one-time courtesy credit, but it is not owed.

Does buying gift cards at a supermarket earn the grocery bonus?

The purchase codes as the supermarket, so it usually earns. Issuers reserve the right to exclude gift card purchases and some do enforce it.

Does this apply to dining bonuses too?

Yes. Restaurants have their own code. Hotel restaurants charged to the room and stadium concessions often code differently. Delivery apps usually still earn, because the big issuers write delivery services into their dining terms.

Where these numbers come from: RightCard's data pipeline re-checks each card's published rates weekly and lists a rate only after two independent sources agree. Merchant codes come from our merchant directory. If a card or store is missing here, it is because we could not verify it, not because we guessed.

More guides: Costco rewards guide · Walmart rewards guide · Freedom Flex 5% calendar · Add every Amex Offer automatically · Best cards for drugstores