Kroger's New Credit Card Pays $100. You Have to Spend It Somewhere Else.
Kroger launched the Kroger Rewards World Elite Mastercard in September 2026. It has no annual fee, a $100 welcome bonus and a free Boost Essential membership worth $69 a year. The welcome bonus has a condition most coverage skips: the $750 of qualifying spend has to happen outside Kroger.
The short version
$0 annual fee and $0 foreign transaction fee.
$100 welcome bonus after $750 of net spend outside Kroger within 90 days.
Earning runs up to 5X on pickup and delivery, 4X at Kroger fuel pumps, up to 3X in stores and 2X on dining, utilities and travel.
Free Boost Essential membership, which Kroger sells for $69 a year, plus a $10 birthday reward.
Issued by First Bank and Trust, operated by Imprint, with a purchase APR of 18.24% to 32.24%.
What is the catch on the $100 welcome bonus?
The Kroger Rewards World Elite Mastercard pays its $100 welcome bonus only on spending you do away from Kroger. Kroger's own terms say you "earn your Welcome Bonus when you spend $750 outside of Kroger transactions within 90 days of opening your account." Buy $750 of groceries at Kroger in your first month and you have earned nothing toward the bonus.
Two more limits sit in the fine print. The reward posts as a Kroger credit redeemable on groceries only, never on fuel. And it expires at the end of the second month after it is issued, so a bonus issued in January is gone after March.
Is the free Boost membership worth more than the bonus?
Yes, if you shop Kroger every week. Boost Essential normally costs $69 a year and covers free next-day delivery on orders of $35 or more plus member-only savings. The card includes it at no charge, which is a recurring benefit rather than a one-time payment.
The $100 bonus happens once. The $69 membership repeats every year you keep the card, and there is no annual fee working against it.
Should a points and miles person care about this card?
Not as a travel card. Kroger points redeem for dollars off groceries or savings at the fuel pump. They do not transfer to any airline or hotel program, so they behave like grocery-store cash back with a points label attached.
The 2X on travel is the weakest line on the page. A card earning 2X in a currency you can only spend at Kroger is worse for a trip than a card earning 2X in points you can move to a partner airline. Our best travel credit cards guide covers the cards that do transfer, and our points valuation guide explains why transferable points are worth more than fixed-value ones.
There is one detail worth noting for travelers. The card charges no foreign transaction fee, which is unusual on a no-annual-fee store card. It still makes a poor travel card, because the rewards stay stuck in Ohio.
What this means for you
Get it if you already spend a few hundred dollars a month at Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Harris Teeter or another Kroger banner. The free Boost membership and the grocery earning carry it, and no annual fee means no yearly decision to make.
Skip it if you are working toward a travel redemption. Kroger's $100 arrives as $100 of groceries. A $95 travel card paying 60,000 transferable points buys a round-trip flight. Those are different products.
Watch the application timing either way. Kroger moved this program from U.S. Bank to First Bank and Trust earlier in 2026, and Imprint runs the rewards platform. Applications open a new account and a new hard pull, which affects any Chase 5/24 planning you are doing.
FAQ
What is the Kroger Rewards World Elite Mastercard annual fee?
The Kroger Rewards World Elite Mastercard has a $0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fee. Penalty fees run up to $41 for a late or returned payment, and the purchase APR is 18.24% to 32.24%, varying with the U.S. Prime Rate.
How do I earn the Kroger $100 welcome bonus?
Spend $750 in net purchases outside Kroger channels within 90 days of opening the account. Balance transfers, cash advances, fees and returned items do not count. The $100 posts as a Kroger reward good on eligible grocery purchases only, and it cannot be applied to fuel.
Do Kroger Rewards Mastercard points expire?
Points do not expire while the account stays active and in good standing. An account stops being active after 12 consecutive months with no settled transactions, or when you close it. The $100 welcome reward and the $10 birthday reward do expire, at the end of the second month after issue.
Can I transfer Kroger points to airlines or hotels?
No. Kroger Rewards Mastercard points redeem for dollars off groceries or savings at Kroger fuel pumps. There are no airline or hotel transfer partners, so treat the rewards as store credit rather than travel currency.
Who issues the Kroger credit card now?
First Bank and Trust issues the Kroger Rewards World Elite Mastercard under license from Mastercard, and Imprint Payments operates the card program. This follows Kroger's move away from its earlier U.S. Bank card partnership.
The bottom line
A no-fee card handing over a $69 membership is a fair deal for a Kroger regular. The welcome bonus is smaller than it looks, because the $750 has to be spent anywhere but Kroger, and the reward comes back as groceries. Read the offer as a loyalty perk, not a signup bonus.
Sources: Kroger Rewards Mastercard product page, Imprint rewards program terms, cardholder agreement, Kroger Boost membership, Doctor of Credit, Upgraded Points.
Subscribe to the TravelPointsPro newsletter for honest reads on new cards before you apply.
Comments