topic Re: Fred Meyers Grocery coding as a superstore? in Credit Cards

Fred Meyers Grocery coding as a superstore?

morgacj2004 — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 17:06:47 GMT

So we were using the Amex ED at Fred Meyers but noticed it coded as a superstore vs grocery store meaning we were getting 1% back not 6% we have now been using my Pen Fed Plat Rewards VISA which appears to code as a grocery store. Anyone else had this issue. We spend around 1k per month at Fred Meyers.

Re: Fred Meyers Grocery coding as a superstore?

Remedios — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 17:39:03 GMT

@morgacj2004 wrote:
So we were using the Amex ED at Fred Meyers but noticed it coded as a superstore vs grocery store meaning we were getting 1% back not 6% we have now been using my Pen Fed Plat Rewards VISA which appears to code as a grocery store. Anyone else had this issue. We spend around 1k per month at Fred Meyers.

The only lender that coded FM for me as grocery is Discover. Rest used various descriptors, but not grocery

Re: Fred Meyers Grocery coding as a superstore?

simplynoir — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 17:44:19 GMT

AMEX has famously been very picky on what constitutes as a grocery store for their BCE/BCP cards. Best you can do really is test the stores and see what it comes back as on your statements since they don't have merchant codes to look up like they do for Visa

Re: Fred Meyers Grocery coding as a superstore?

Kforce — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 17:48:43 GMT

@simplynoir wrote:
AMEX has famously been very picky on what constitutes as a grocery store for their BCE/BCP cards. Best you can do really is test the stores and see what it comes back as on your statements since they don't have merchant codes to look up like they do for Visa

+ 100

AMEX is famous for been very picky on what constitutes as a grocery store.

This is one of the many reasons I went another direction for grocery and gas

Re: Fred Meyers Grocery coding as a superstore?

Remedios — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 17:52:52 GMT

I would not call them picky, I'd say they are sticking (unfortunately) with traditional description of what grocery store is

I bough a couch and coffee table with Disco, while in cash back match period at FM. Coded as grocery.

While dogs did attempt to chew coffee table, I dont think those qualify as grocery.

Re: Fred Meyers Grocery coding as a superstore?

Anonymous — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 17:53:52 GMT

@morgacj2004 wrote:
So we were using the Amex ED at Fred Meyers but noticed it coded as a superstore vs grocery store meaning we were getting 1% back not 6% we have now been using my Pen Fed Plat Rewards VISA which appears to code as a grocery store. Anyone else had this issue. We spend around 1k per month at Fred Meyers.

I can check this for you next week.

Re: Fred Meyers Grocery coding as a superstore?

morgacj2004 — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 17:59:42 GMT

Thanks I believe the Pen Fed card is coding as grocery. I will be calling them to confirm that. If not I can switch to Carrs/Safeway which we also have up here in Alaska.

Re: Fred Meyers Grocery coding as a superstore?

simplynoir — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 18:00:16 GMT

Strict is probably the better word I should have used you're right lol. Some people do on occasion find hidden gems for coding purposes when using AMEX cards. There are some that are able to use it at Walmart Grocery and not code as a superstore for instance; it just really varies by location. What some other people do is buy gift cards at known grocery stores for other places they'll use them at to get the 6% to get around it that way

Re: Fred Meyers Grocery coding as a superstore?

Anonymous — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 18:01:05 GMT

@morgacj2004 wrote:
Thanks I believe the Pen Fed card is coding as grocery. I will be calling them to confirm that.

1-800-576-4377 call that number and ask the customer service rep to be routed to the personal finance department, if it's not listed as an option on the automated system. They're in Monday - Friday 8:30a - 4:00p EST.

I can give it a look on Wednesday if you don't want to call

Re: Fred Meyers Grocery coding as a superstore?

morgacj2004 — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 18:04:40 GMT

Thanks I will call on Monday.

Re: Fred Meyers Grocery coding as a superstore?

kdm31091 — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 21:09:12 GMT

Amex generally sticks to the traditional definition of grocery store as someone else said. If it is not strictly a grocery store you are not likely to get the bonus rewards.

Re: Fred Meyers Grocery coding as a superstore?

morgacj2004 — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 21:14:13 GMT

Which is ridiculous as Fred Meyers is one of the two biggest grocery store chains in Alaska the other being Carr’s/Safeway

Re: Fred Meyers Grocery coding as a superstore?

staticvoidmain — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 22:58:32 GMT

@morgacj2004 wrote:
So we were using the Amex ED at Fred Meyers but noticed it coded as a superstore vs grocery store meaning we were getting 1% back not 6% we have now been using my Pen Fed Plat Rewards VISA which appears to code as a grocery store. Anyone else had this issue. We spend around 1k per month at Fred Meyers.

Fred Meyers is not a supermarket in AMEX categories. I just tested this out. What I am thinking of testing next is buying a QFC gift card in QFC and see if I can get that to code as a grocery (as far as I know, I can use that in Fred Meyer, or any Kroger family store), unless someone has a clear description of how AMEX treats these gift cards purchased from a qualifying store. I heard AMEX has tightened in this regard, and wanted to know if I can get this to work.

Re: Fred Meyers Grocery coding as a superstore?

simplynoir — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 01:27:13 GMT

@staticvoidmain wrote:
@morgacj2004 wrote:
So we were using the Amex ED at Fred Meyers but noticed it coded as a superstore vs grocery store meaning we were getting 1% back not 6% we have now been using my Pen Fed Plat Rewards VISA which appears to code as a grocery store. Anyone else had this issue. We spend around 1k per month at Fred Meyers.
Fred Meyers is not a supermarket in AMEX categories. I just tested this out. What I am thinking of testing next is buying a QFC gift card in QFC and see if I can get that to code as a grocery (as far as I know, I can use that in Fred Meyer, or any Kroger family store), unless someone has a clear description of how AMEX treats these gift cards purchased from a qualifying store. I heard AMEX has tightened in this regard, and wanted to know if I can get this to work.

I don't think AMEX would mind store gift cards being bought like restaurants and so on to be used, it's the cash equivalents like the Visa/MC gift cards are the ones you have to watch out for since those are used for MS purposes. Sure you can buy one here and there but make a habit out of will eventually put you on their radar

Re: Fred Meyers Grocery coding as a superstore?

UncleB — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 07:04:19 GMT

@staticvoidmain wrote:
@morgacj2004 wrote:
So we were using the Amex ED at Fred Meyers but noticed it coded as a superstore vs grocery store meaning we were getting 1% back not 6% we have now been using my Pen Fed Plat Rewards VISA which appears to code as a grocery store. Anyone else had this issue. We spend around 1k per month at Fred Meyers.
Fred Meyers is not a supermarket in AMEX categories. I just tested this out. What I am thinking of testing next is buying a QFC gift card in QFC and see if I can get that to code as a grocery (as far as I know, I can use that in Fred Meyer, or any Kroger family store), unless someone has a clear description of how AMEX treats these gift cards purchased from a qualifying store. I heard AMEX has tightened in this regard, and wanted to know if I can get this to work.

FWIW, before I got the Sam's Club MasterCard to use for fuel I would purchase Kroger gift cards inside the store and then use them outside at the fuel island to pay for my gas. Amex didn't mind, and I always got 6% cash back just like any other Kroger purchase.

Amex isn't known to be too fussy over reasonable/normal purchases of gift cards. With my Amex Gold (and previously with my BCP) I buy around $250 in gift cards each month (usually Amazon and eBay, with an occasional MC/V) in order to max-out the fuel rewards. I've done this for years with no problems.

Re: Fred Meyers Grocery coding as a superstore?

morgacj2004 — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 20:09:16 GMT

So I called PenFed Plat Rewards VISA reward points help desk 1-800-576-4377. They checked my recent purchases and Fred Meyers is coding as a grocery store not super store as Amex does. I am getting roughly 3.5 points back on Grocery spend and 5 points back on gas. Those are the two categories I use this card for.

Re: Fred Meyers Grocery coding as a superstore?

Anonymous — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 22:36:32 GMT

@morgacj2004 wrote:
So I called PenFed Plat Rewards VISA reward points help desk 1-800-576-4377. They checked my recent purchases and Fred Meyers is coding as a grocery store not super store as Amex does. I am getting roughly 3.5 points back on Grocery spend and 5 points back on gas. Those are the two categories I use this card for.

Why 3.5? I thought it was 3 on groceries, 5 on gas

The problem is that points are less worth than 1c, around 0.85c, so I rarely use the card.

Re: Fred Meyers Grocery coding as a superstore?

DaveInAZ — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 23:30:31 GMT

@morgacj2004 wrote:
Thanks I believe the Pen Fed card is coding as grocery. I will be calling them to confirm that. If not I can switch to Carrs/Safeway which we also have up here in Alaska.

I can confirm that Safeway codes as grocery on Amex, no Carrs in Arizona. But are they competitive on prices with Fred Myers? In my small city east of Tucson there's only Walmart & Safeway and Walmart is much cheaper so I buy most of my groceries there. But I like wine and Walmart's selection is terrible, so I use my Amex at Safeway for a booze run.

Re: Fred Meyers Grocery coding as a superstore?

Gunnerboy — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 18:45:30 GMT

@staticvoidmain wrote:
Fred Meyers is not a supermarket in AMEX categories. I just tested this out. What I am thinking of testing next is buying a QFC gift card in QFC and see if I can get that to code as a grocery (as far as I know, I can use that in Fred Meyer, or any Kroger family store), unless someone has a clear description of how AMEX treats these gift cards purchased from a qualifying store. I heard AMEX has tightened in this regard, and wanted to know if I can get this to work.

QFC codes as grocery for my AMEX Gold. I just chatted with them on my Fred Meyer transactions. CSR said Fred Meyer codes as a wholesale chain.