Kroger's New Credit Card Is Back, Now With Imprint at the Wheel

Kroger shoppers have a new card option, and it's not from U.S. Bank anymore. The old Kroger card went quiet in May when U.S. Bank stopped taking applications, and existing cardholders got moved over to the Smartly card in July. Now Kroger is back with a fresh card built on the Imprint Payments platform, issued by First Bank & Trust and running on the Mastercard network. The headline perks are modest but specific: a $100 reward, a free Boost essential membership, and a little birthday treat each year.

What you actually earn at Kroger

The earning structure is where this card lives or dies, and it's more narrow than you might expect. Kroger delivery and pickup orders pull 5x points, which is the best rate on the card. But in-store shopping only gets 3x, and fuel earns 4x only at Kroger stations. Everything else Kroger-adjacent stays at that lower tier.

Outside the grocery aisle, you get 2x on dining, utilities, and travel. That's a reasonable catch-all rate, though hardly enough to make this a daily driver on its own.

• 5x points on Kroger delivery or pickup orders
• 4x points on Kroger fuel purchases only
• 3x points for in-store Kroger shopping
• 2x points on dining, utilities, and travel

The Boost membership is the real prize

Boost essential typically runs $69 a year, and the card hands it to you free. Add the $10 birthday reward and you're looking at roughly $79 in annual value before you factor in a single point. That's the most compelling part of this offer, especially if you already pay for Boost.

The birthday reward is a nice touch, though it won't move the needle much on its own. Think of it as a small annual rebate for sticking around.

• Boost essential normally costs $69 per year
• Free membership plus the $10 birthday reward adds up to about $79 in yearly value

The $100 reward comes with strings

Here's the catch worth reading twice: to earn the $100, you need to spend at least $750 somewhere other than Kroger channels within your first 90 days. Then the reward itself can only be used on eligible grocery purchases. So it's grocery money, not cash you can redirect anywhere.

That's not a dealbreaker, but it does mean the bonus is less flexible than a straight cash-back offer. If you were planning to put that $750 toward groceries anyway, it won't count.

• Requires $750+ in spending outside Kroger channels within 90 days
• Reward is redeemable only for eligible grocery purchases

Skip the balance transfer pitch

The card advertises a 0% balance transfer fee, which sounds appealing until you notice there's no promotional 0% APR period attached. A waived fee on a balance that starts accruing interest immediately isn't much of a life raft. If you're carrying debt, this isn't the card to consolidate it with.

Who should bother, and who shouldn't

If you're a regular Kroger delivery or pickup customer who already pays for Boost, the math here is easy. You're getting a membership you'd buy anyway, plus a birthday reward and a grocery credit for spending you'd mostly do regardless. That's a decent return for a no-annual-fee card.

If you mostly shop in store and rarely use pickup or delivery, the appeal drops fast. The 3x in-store rate is fine, but the $100 reward is small compared to what many competing cards offer, and the redemption restriction limits its usefulness. It's worth revisiting if the bonus grows down the road.

One more thing to know: Imprint powers a growing roster of co-branded cards, including ones tied to Shell, Fetch, and Turkish Airlines. So if you've dealt with an Imprint card before, you know roughly what the app and servicing experience looks like.

• Worth it if you use Kroger pickup or delivery and pay for Boost
• Less compelling for in-store-only shoppers
• The bonus is small and restricted to grocery redemptions
• No 0% APR promo period makes the balance transfer feature mostly moot

Bottom Line

• The card has no annual fee and comes with a free Boost essential membership worth $69 a year
• You get $100 after spending $750+ outside Kroger within 90 days, but it's only usable on eligible groceries
• Earning tops out at 5x for Kroger delivery or pickup; in-store is just 3x
• The $10 birthday reward pushes annual value to roughly $79
• 0% balance transfer fee without a 0% APR period offers little practical benefit

Common Questions