Military Money Manual has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products and may receive a commission from card issuers. This site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened. Some or all of the cards that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. All information about the American Express Green Card, Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card, and the Chase Freedom Flex has been collected independently by Military Money Manual. These cards are no longer available through CardRatings.com. Thank you for supporting my independent, veteran owned site.
Commissaries are grocery stores on military bases, run by DECA or the Defense Commissary Agency. Sometimes, the credit card companies like American Express or Chase mis-categorizes these stores in the spending bonus category.
Some CONUS and OCONUS Commissaries code as US supermarkets and are eligible for 4x points on US supermarkets on American Express® Gold Card and 6% cash back on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1% on Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express.
Most military base Commissaries code as “Groceries” for Chase cards.
I am collecting data points on this page to serve as a resource to the military community. Please leave a comment if your Amex card coded the DECA Commissary as a “US Supermarket” and specify what base you were on. Or, leave a comment if the commissary coded as “Groceries” on a Chase card. Thanks!
shopmyexchange.com also sometimes codes as a “global restaurant” and triggers 4x points on Amex Gold Card.
In this post:
Commissary That Code as Groceries for Chase
- Andersen AFB Guam codes as Groceries
- Hickam Air Force Base Hawaii Commissary codes as “Groceries” for Chase
- Kunsan AB South Korea Commissary codes as groceries
- Ramstein Air Base Germany Commissary is “Groceries” for Chase
- Spangdahlem Air Base Germany
- RAF Lakenheath United Kingdom
- Aviano Air Base Italy
- Fort Belvoir, Virginia Commissary
- Commissary at Naval Base San Diego
- Hill AFB, Utah
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Learn how to apply on our partner's secure site
- Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x points on dining (includes takeout, delivery, and dine-in), select streaming services and online groceries
- 2x points on all other travel purchases
- 1x points on all other purchases
- Earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel℠
- 10% anniversary points boost – each account anniversary you'll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year
- No foreign transaction fees, great for overseas OCONUS assignments, TDY, and PCS
- Primary rental car insurance coverage & trip cancellation/interruption insurance, and more.
- DashPass is complimentary which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Upgrade to a Chase Sapphire Reserve after 1 year (compare Reserve vs Preferred)
- $95 annual fee can be adjusted with Chase policy
- Member FDIC
card_name
Learn how to apply on our partner's secure site
- $795 annual fee adjusted with Chase policy
- bonus_miles_full
- Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠ including The Edit℠
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 1x points on all other purchases
- Get a $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Live the lounge life at over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests.
- Up to $120 towards Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck® every 4 years which saves you a ton of time
- Up to $150 in statement credits every six months for a maximum of $300 annually for dining at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
- Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and more.
- Complimentary Apple TV+ and Apple Music. Subscriptions run through 6/22/27 – a value of $288 annually
- Member FDIC
- Learn more in the Chase Sapphire Reserve review
Commissary That Code as a U.S. Supermarket Category for Amex
These are commissaries that earn 4x points on the Amex Gold Card.
- Grafenwoehr Commissary in Germany is a US supermarket
- Joint Base San Antonio – Randolph Commissary
- Misawa Air Base Japan Commissary codes as a U.S. supermarket
- Andersen AFB Commissary Guam codes a US supermarket
- Kaneohe Bay Commissary on Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH) is a US supermarket
- Hickam Air Force Base (Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii) Commissary codes as a U.S. supermarket.
- Pearl Harbor Commissary Hawaii is a US Supermarket
- Osan Air Base Commissary South Korea is a US supermarket for Amex
- Kunsan Air Base South Korea Commissary is a US supermarket
- Ramstein Air Base Commissary codes a US supermarket for Amex Gold and Blue Cash Preferred
- Rota Commissary on Rota Naval Air Station, Spain is a US supermarket
- NEX Pearl Harbor is a US supermarket
- Anchorage Area Commissary Elemendorf AFB Alaska is a US supermarket
- Fort Gordon, Georgia commissary is a US supermarket
- Camp Pendleton Commissary is a US supermarket
- Iwankuni MCAS Japan Commissary and BX code as U.S. supermarkets
- MCRD Parris Island Commissary coded as 4x on AMEX Gold
- USAG Humphreys (Camp Humphreys) in Korea is a US Supermarket per Amex
- Yokota Air Base Commissary Japan codes codes as a US supermarket
- Kadena Air Base Commissary on Okinawa Japan is a US supermarket according to Amex
- NSA Naples codes as a US supermarket on the Amex Gold Card
- NAS Patuxent River
- Little Rock AFB
card_name
Learn how to apply on our partner's secure site
- bonus_miles_full
- 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You'll know upfront exactly how much you'll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy
- restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold
- Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express®G old Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Skip the counter at select locations, you can add an additional driver at no additional cost, and get vehicle upgrades*! Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. *Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- $100 credit towards eligible charges at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.
Commissaries That DO NOT Categorize as U.S. Supermarkets for Amex
- Incirlik Air Base Turkey Commissary is NOT a US supermarket for Amex
- Aviano Air Base Italy does not come up as US supermarket
- US Naval Support Activities (NSA) Naples, Italy Commissary does not work as a US supermarket
Any other data points out there? I am looking for military Commissaries that get 4x points on US supermarkets like in the above Misawa example.
Commissary Credit Cards FAQ
If your commissary codes as a US supermarket than the best card to use is the Amex Gold card or the Amex Blue Cash Preferred. The Amex Gold card gives you 4x points on US supermarkets and the Blue Cash Preferred is 6% cash back on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1% on US supermarkets. The Chase Freedom Unlimited is also good with 1.5% cash back or the Citi Double Cash card with 2% cash back.
It depends if you are shopping at the BX, NEX, PX, MCX, AAFES, or at the DECA Commissary. Usually a supermarket or grocies card at the Commissary and any card at the PX, BX, MCX, or NEX, since they usually doesn't earn bonus points categories.
Yes, the military Commissary counts as a US supermarket and their system accepts Visa, Discover, Mastercard, and American Express. You can earn 4 Amex points per dollar spent at the Commissary up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year with the Amex Gold card. Or 6% cash back with the Amex Blue Cash Preferred up to $6,000, then 1% thereafter.
Yes, but there are much better credit cards for military servicemembers out there. You can earn 2 points per dollar spent at Commissaries with the Military Star Card. But you'll probably be better off with an Amex Gold card.
Usually the Commissary codes as a grocery store or groceries category on Chase and American Express cards. However, sometimes it is mis-categorized. Check my crowd-sourced list here for the latest data points from military families around the world.
JBLM codes as supermarket
FT BUCHANAN COMMISSARY in Puerto Rico codes as US Supermarkets using Delta Skymiles Platinum AMEX, will try on Chase eventually and confirm
Has anyone shopped at Kirtland AFB commissary with AmEx yet and received their points?
Hickam Commissary coded “Merchandise & Supplies – General Retail” with the AMEX Gold
Joint Base Andrews codes commissary as “Purchsae.”
As of 27 July 2024, the Yokota Air Base commissary codes as “Other – Government Services” for AMEX. It codes as “Grocery Stores and Supermarkets” for Chase.
Was that on an Amex Gold card?
Altus AFB Commissay does NOT code as a supermarket at this time.
Amex or Chase? What did it code as?
Both NASNI and 32nd Street Commissaries in San Diego have given me the grocery code on my AMEX Blue Cash Preferred.
Thanks!
Shopmyexchange did not give me 4x points for Amex gold.
Eielson AFB commissary says “Merchandise & Supplies – General Supplies” but I got 4x points for US Supermarkets on Amex Gold!
I just got the AMEX Gold and the Ramstein Commissary coded as Other-Government Services.
Is that still the case? Heading out there and thinking about getting the Gold
Nah Jacksonville commissary codes as “general retail” for Amex, Chase codes as Groceries.
NAS, not NAH
Does “general retail” count for the 4x at the commissary?
Shopped at McGuire AFB Commissary the other day with my AMEX Gold and it coded it as a U.S. Supermarket.
Fort Rucker, AL
Showing as “Merchandise and Supplies – General Retail” for Amex Gold
Does it give you 4x as “General Retail”? I wasn’t able to find any other answer
You can add Ft. Belvoir Commissary to the list for AMEX. Got 10x points with AMEX Platinum.
Aviano Commissary codes as a U.S. supermarket for AMEX. 10x groceries with Platinum card promo applying.
Chievres, Belgium Commissary codes as grocery on MasterCard. The PX, as well as the rationed item store and grocery store on SHAPE, do not (general merch).
Adding: Chievres Commissary also codes as grocery on Visa and Amex. However, the self-checkout lanes code as “government services” on Amex and don’t earn grocery bonus.
Annoying about the self check out lanes.
Anyone know if Luke AFB commissary is classified as grocery for either card?
You can add Hill AFB Commissary for CSR.
Holloman codes as supermarkets for Amex. I’ll check Chase sometime soon.
Commissary at Naval Base San Diego codes as 5x groceries for CSR.
MCRD Parris Island Commissary coded as 4x on AMEX Gold.
USAG Humphreys in Korea as well! This is such a great way to rack up points while we wait to travel again.
Folks have seen the AMEX Hilton and Bonvoy cards are allowing their annual $250 and $300 resort credits towards groceries and restaurants too, right?!
Thanks for the data point! Yes, Amex COVID benefits streaming and restaurant credits are covered here.
Iwakuni, Japan: AMEX Blue Cash preferred codes as “U.S. Supermarkets” at both the commissary and exchange.
Here in Aviano, Chase pre loads the commissary as “Groceries” whereas Amex lables it “Merchendise & Supplies – General Retail”
Great data point, thanks!