Best account to use for groceries

jenniferthrift

Hi,

I'm trying to find the best account to use for shopping at the supermarket. Currently, all our household bills and food shopping are paid for from the same joint current account, and it's become very difficult to differentiate between how much we can spend on food versus gas, electricity, water etc.

So, I'd like to open a new account which can be used exclusively to buy food at the supermarket. However, which is best; current account with a debit card, or cash back credit card? It needs to be a joint account and we spend approximately £400 at the supermarket each month. I'd also like to get some kind of reward like cash back, and unfortunately we either shop at Morrison's or Aldi!

Thanks!
Jen

Gromitt

I'd go for a credit card and pay off the balance each month. Something like the capital one card perhaps?

Then I'd install some software on your PC like Moneydance, so you can easily flag the transactions as groceries. Makes it far easy to see where the money is going. No need to do each visit, just the payment you make to the card each month.

Stompa

AFAIK Aldi don't accept credit cards in England (though I've heard that some do in Wales & Scotland).

casper_g

Also, I don't think you can have a joint credit card. Strictly speaking a credit card would have to be in one name only, with the other person as an additional cardholder.

jennifernil

Credit card with additional cardholder would be like a joint account in use, but the legalities are different of course (main card holder is responsible for the debt).

We use CC for most shopping, but have found a problem with Aldi/Lidl not accepting CCs in England, no problem up here in Scotland.

As an aside....it's even worse in Switzerland, there they only take 2 or 3 debit cards, wouldn't take any of our UK ones!

OP......you could get a Halifax Reward current account, pay in £1000 per month by some means, then you get the £5 Reward. You can have one each and one joint account, so up to £15 in Rewards.

Also, if you then get the Halifax Clarity credit card and spend £300 pcm on it, you get a £5 Reward on that too.