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Rising Star
Do you want points or cash back? Also if you buy a lot of groceries at Costco, they only take visa (some workarounds though).
Cash back would probably be BoA customized cash if you have investments with Merrill.
For points it would be 4x Amex gold but there's a hefty fee + offsetting credits that may or may not make sense.
For either, Citi Custom Cash is 5x on $500 spend a month on an eligible category. No fee but low cap. Can be redeemed for points or cash. Mastercard, so no go at costco.
If you want to go down the gift card way, Ink Cash. No fee, 75k bonus, 0% APR for a year, and 5x on everything if you're buying GCs at the right stores. This is what I do. I mentally think of it as 10% "cash back" since I value Chase at 2~ cpp.
Rising Star
Ah you're right, it is up to 5.25% on your chosen category (after the first year 6% promo ends) if you're the highest BoA tier. I did not realize groceries is not an option (still good ones like dining, travel, and online shopping).
The first year is 6% on your chosen category and it goes down to 3% after. With higher BoA tiers, that 3% can get bumped all the way up to 5.25%.
You can also explore PayPal debit card. It offers 5% cash back on any chosen category (which includes Groceries) up to $1000 spend per month. My understanding is you would have to activate the category every month. One good thing is that it won’t affect your credit since it’s a debit card. You would need a PayPal account though. Also, I don’t think there is any other cash back (such as 1% in all other purchases) except the chosen category.
Blue preferred is the best option in my opinion. The 3% on gas is decent too.