Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards offers the highest introductory online shopping rate among the four cash-back cards compared here. New cardholders can select the Online Shopping category to earn 6% during the first year, then 3%, before relationship bonuses and within the card’s $2,500 shared quarterly spending limit.
But the long-term decision takes more than comparing percentages. Spending caps, BofA Rewards and the payment method saved for your recurring orders can change which card earns more.
Which card is best for online pet supplies?
We chose these no-annual-fee cards to compare different ways to earn rewards on online pet supplies:
- Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards offers an enhanced first-year cash-back rate and BofA Rewards loyalty program bonuses.
- Amex Blue Cash Everyday® earns cash back on eligible U.S. online retail purchases.
- PayPal Cashback Mastercard® earns a higher rate when used through PayPal checkout.
- Wells Fargo Active Cash® provides an unlimited 2% cash-rewards benchmark.
- Petco Pay credit cards add a store-rewards comparison for Petco purchases.
| Credit card | Card rewards on eligible online purchases | Key condition |
|---|---|---|
| Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards | 6% first year, then 3%, before BofA Rewards bonuses | Select Online Shopping as your choice category; $2,500 shared quarterly spend cap, then 1%. |
| Amex Blue Cash Everyday® | 3% cash back at U.S. online retailers | First $6,000 annually, then 1%. |
| PayPal Cashback Mastercard® | 3% through PayPal checkout; 1.5% on other purchases. | PetSmart Autoship requires a credit or debit card and does not accept PayPal checkout, so using this card directly earns 1.5%—not 3%. |
| Wells Fargo Active Cash® | Unlimited 2% cash rewards | No categories or special checkout method required. |
| Petco Pay Credit Card / Petco Pay Mastercard® | At Petco: 1% extra in store rewards | Sign in to your Petco account at checkout to earn points. Use points toward future Petco purchases—not for cash. |
This shortlist compares purchase rewards, spending limits and checkout requirements. It does not cover every available card or each card’s full range of benefits. Reward comparisons assume full, on-time repayment and exclude interest and fees.
BofA’s $2,500 quarterly spending cap is shared—not reserved for pet supplies. Other qualifying Online Shopping, grocery-store and wholesale-club purchases use the same allowance. Depending on your tier, BofA Rewards can raise ongoing choice-category cash back to 3.3%–5.25% within the cap and boost the 1% base rate to 1.1%–1.75% on purchases above it.
Petco loyalty rewards: Members earn ordinary loyalty points on eligible purchases even when paying with another credit card. Petco Pay adds extra points worth 1% of eligible Petco spending toward future Petco purchases—not cash back. Points have redemption and expiration restrictions, and Petco Pay promotional-financing purchases earn no points. Special offers can change the comparison.
Check welcome offers before applying. These can add to the purchase rewards compared above. For example, Customized Cash Rewards’ online offer provides $200 after $1,000 in purchases within 90 days of account opening. Amex Blue Cash Everyday advertises up to $200 after $2,000 in purchases within six months of card membership; the offer varies by applicant. Check each card’s current offer, eligibility rules and spending deadline.
BofA Online Shopping rewards: Results at Chewy, Petco and PetSmart
Wise Bread’s September 2026 Chewy, Petco and PetSmart orders qualified for Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards’ 6% first-year Online Shopping rate before relationship bonuses. The cardholder’s 50% BofA Rewards relationship bonus at the Preferred Honors tier raised that rate to 7.5%. The orders covered various types of purchases, including an Autoship discount, home delivery and online-paid pickup.
| Purchase reviewed | Order total | Pending BofA rewards shown* |
|---|---|---|
| Chewy.com: Order with Autoship discount | $104.23 | $7.85 |
| Petco.com: Delivery | $86.19 | $6.50 |
| PetSmart.com: Online-paid pickup | $35.50 | $2.68 |
*The 7.5% first-year rate includes a 50% BofA Rewards relationship bonus at the Preferred Honors tier and the additional 3% introductory bonus, within the shared quarterly spending cap. Entries were labeled “Pending” when reviewed; dollar amounts are reported as displayed, not recalculated at 7.5% cash back.
Chewy: Autoship discount plus BofA cash back
Wise Bread reviewed a $104.23 order with a $5.09 Autoship discount and a free $20 promotional eGift Card. The matching Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards summary shows an Online Shopping category bonus and $7.85 in pending rewards.
Petco: Loyalty points plus BofA cash back—without Petco Pay.
Wise Bread reviewed an $86.19 Petco.com order with free shipping. The matching Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards summary shows an Online Shopping category bonus and $6.50 in pending rewards.
The Petco order also earned 800 Petco Perks points, even though it was paid for with Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards—not a Petco Pay credit card. Those loyalty points are separate from the BofA card rewards.
PetSmart: Online-paid pickup with BofA’s Online Shopping bonus
Wise Bread reviewed a $35.50 order paid online for in-store pickup. The matching Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards summary shows an Online Shopping category bonus and $2.68 in pending rewards.
How can BofA Rewards help you earn up to 8.25% back on online pet supplies?
The BofA Rewards loyalty program can boost Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards to 8.25% cash back on qualifying online pet supplies during the first-year offer, then 5.25%. Those top rates require Premier tier.
Select Online Shopping as your card’s bonus category. These Online Shopping rates apply within a $2,500 quarterly spending cap, which also counts grocery-store and wholesale-club purchases.
BofA Rewards Premier tier generally requires a $1 million combined three-month average balance across eligible Bank of America deposit and Merrill investment accounts. Here’s what each tier earns once its relationship bonus takes effect:
| BofA Rewards relationship bonus | Minimum qualifying balance | First-year rate within quarterly spend cap | Ongoing rate within quarterly spend cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| None (0%) | Not applicable | 6.00% | 3.00% |
| Member (10%) | No minimum | 6.30% | 3.30% |
| Preferred Plus (25%) | $30,000 | 6.75% | 3.75% |
| Preferred Honors (50%) | $100,000 | 7.50% | 4.50% |
| Premier (75%) | $1,000,000 | 8.25% | 5.25% |
Balance thresholds and relationship bonuses follow BofA Rewards’ standard requirements. Cash-back rates reflect Customized Cash Rewards with Online Shopping selected, within the shared $2,500 quarterly spending cap.
At the BofA Rewards Premier tier, the first-year offer adds 3% cash back to the ongoing rate:
3% choice-category rate + (3% × 75% relationship bonus) + 3% first-year bonus = 8.25% cash back
The relationship bonus does not multiply the introductory first-year bonus.
Even Member tier, which requires no minimum balance and is free to enroll, raises the ongoing online-shopping rate from 3% to 3.3% within the cap.
BofA Rewards has no enrollment or membership fee. To join and remain enrolled, you must have an open, eligible Bank of America personal checking account. That account may charge a monthly maintenance fee unless you meet its waiver requirements. Weigh any banking costs against the extra rewards.
Which card wins before and after BofA’s cap?
Customized Cash Rewards beats a flat 2% card on qualifying online pet supplies within its $2,500 quarterly spend cap. After the cap, use a qualifying 3% option—or a flat 2% card when 3% is unavailable.
After the first year, can BofA’s 3% earn more than Amex’s 3%?
Yes—even without BofA Rewards. Different spending caps can let Customized Cash Rewards earn more after its 6% first-year offer ends. At $600 a month in qualifying online pet supplies ($7,200 annually), ongoing annual purchase rewards are:
| Ongoing card setup | Annual purchase rewards on $7,200 |
|---|---|
| Customized Cash Rewards without BofA Rewards (3%) | $216 |
| Customized Cash Rewards with BofA Rewards (3.3%–5.25%) | $237.60–$378 |
| Amex Blue Cash Everyday | $192 |
BofA earns $24 more annually than Amex—or $45.60–$186 more with BofA Rewards, based on Wise Bread calculations using the issuers’ published rates and caps.
With BofA, all $7,200 earns the applicable bonus rate in this example. Spending $600 a month uses $1,800 of the shared $2,500 quarterly cap, leaving $700 each quarter for other Online Shopping, grocery-store or wholesale-club purchases at their applicable bonus rates.
With Amex, the first $6,000 in annual online-retail purchases earns 3%, but the remaining $1,200 earns only 1%. Its U.S. supermarket and gas-station categories each have a separate $6,000 annual cap, so those purchases do not use up the online-retail allowance.
Calculations assume purchases qualify for both cards, the Online Shopping category is selected, no other spending uses either relevant cap, and the applicable BofA Rewards tier stays active all year.
Which card should you use after BofA’s quarterly spend cap?
After you meet BofA’s quarterly spend limit, use a qualifying 3% option: Amex Blue Cash Everyday while its online-retail allowance remains, or PayPal Cashback Mastercard through PayPal checkout. Otherwise, use a flat 2% card until the next quarter.
Above the cap, Customized Cash Rewards earns 1% without BofA Rewards or 1.1%–1.75% with it, with no extra first-year bonus.
Chewy, Petco and PetSmart: What changes your rewards?
Eligible retailer discounts and loyalty rewards can stack with credit-card cash back. Here’s what to check at each retailer—from Autoship discounts to payment restrictions.
Chewy: Calculate cash back after the Autoship discount
Chewy’s 5% discount on eligible recurring Autoship items stacks with card rewards—but don’t simply add the percentages. On a hypothetical $100 eligible order, the discount reduces the charge to $95. At BofA Customized Cash Rewards’ qualifying first-year 6% rate, that earns $5.70 cash back.
Therefore, the combined savings and cash back is: $5 + $5.70 = $10.70
Eligible Chewy purchases can earn Online Shopping bonus cash back with either Amex Blue Cash Everyday or Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards. Amex specifically names Chewy.com as an eligible online pet store. BofA does not name Chewy in its merchant examples, but its Online Shopping category covers qualifying purchases made through retailer websites or apps—not just the retailers listed. Both issuers rely on how the merchant reports the transaction to determine eligibility.
Petco: Compare what Petco Pay adds
You do not need a Petco Pay credit card to earn Petco Perks points. Petco’s terms allow members to earn ordinary loyalty points while paying with another credit card—see Wise Bread’s Petco test purchase above. Sign in to your linked Petco account for online orders; guest checkout does not qualify.
Keep the loyalty rewards, then compare what the payment card adds. Under Petco’s terms effective June 22, 2026, either Petco Pay card adds 10 points per eligible dollar beyond ordinary membership rewards. Every 1,000 points is redeemable for $1 toward an eligible purchase. That works out to an extra 1% back in Petco rewards—not cash back.
On a hypothetical $100 qualifying online purchase after discounts, excluding taxes and shipping:
| Payment card | Additional card rewards |
|---|---|
| Petco Pay—either card | $1 in Petco reward value |
| Customized Cash Rewards—ongoing rates | $3 cash back, or $3.30–$5.25 with BofA Rewards, depending on tier. |
Wise Bread calculations hold ordinary Petco membership rewards constant and exclude special offers. BofA amounts assume online shopping is selected, any relationship bonus is active and the purchase fits within the shared $2,500 quarterly spending cap.
Why exclude taxes and shipping? Petco does not award points on those charges, so the table compares both cards on $100 of eligible merchandise.
In Wise Bread’s Petco test purchase, Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards earned 7.5% cash back on the full amount charged—including taxes and shipping. That rate included the cardholder’s first-year offer and 50% BofA Rewards relationship bonus.
Special offers can change the comparison, and Petco points have redemption and expiration restrictions.
PetSmart: Autoship rules out PayPal’s 3% rate
PetSmart Autoship requires a credit or debit card and does not accept PayPal. Using a PayPal Cashback Mastercard directly therefore earns 1.5%—not the 3% that requires PayPal checkout.
Customized Cash Rewards’ Online Shopping rate does not require PayPal checkout, but the purchase must qualify and fit within the shared quarterly spending cap.
For Autoship at all three retailers: Check the payment card assigned to each subscription—not just the cards saved in your account—and update it before the next order processes. For Customized Cash Rewards, confirm that the Online Shopping category is selected and check your remaining quarterly spending allowance. Then verify the rewards on the next recurring charge—not just the first order.
Does in-store pickup earn Online Shopping rewards?
Yes—online-paid pickup can qualify for Online Shopping rewards with both Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards and Amex Blue Cash Everyday. Pay on the retailer’s website or app—not at the register, even with a digital wallet. Eligibility depends on how the merchant reports the transaction. For BofA, select the Online Shopping category.
BofA’s rewards summary showed an Online Shopping category bonus and $2.68 (7.5% cash back) in pending rewards on our $35.50 PetSmart pickup order.
Why did an online order earn only 1%?
Check your selected category, spending cap and how the charge was reported:
- Was the Online Shopping category selected? Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards defaults to gas and EV charging—not Online Shopping. Check your selection in online banking or the app, and change it before your next purchase if needed.
- Did you go over the spending cap? BofA’s $2,500 quarterly spend cap combines choice-category, grocery-store and wholesale-club purchases. Amex Blue Cash Everyday’s U.S. online-retail cap is $6,000 a year. Purchases above these caps earn a base rate of 1%, before any BofA Rewards bonus.
- Was the charge reported as an eligible online purchase? Both issuers rely on information supplied by the merchant. Review the posted purchase’s rewards details; if the bonus appears to be missing, ask your issuer how the transaction was classified.
Paying online doesn’t make vet bills eligible for these bonuses: BofA excludes veterinary services from its Online Shopping category, and Amex Blue Cash Everyday excludes services from its online-retail category.
Frequently asked questions
Does pet food from Chewy, Petco or PetSmart count as groceries?
Not automatically. Rewards depend on the merchant category, not the item. For qualifying online orders, select the Online Shopping category on Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards.
See How to Earn 6% Cash Back on Groceries in Year One—No Annual Fee for our Vons grocery pickup test, which qualified for BofA Customized Cash Rewards’ Online Shopping category bonus when paid online.
Do I need to select the Online Shopping category every month?
No. Customized Cash Rewards keeps your selection until you change it. You can change categories once per calendar month. The default is gas and EV charging.
What is the minimum balance for BofA Rewards?
BofA Rewards’ Member tier has no minimum qualifying balance, but you need an eligible Bank of America personal checking account to enroll. Enrollment is free; checking fees may apply.
Member tier raises Customized Cash Rewards’ ongoing Online Shopping rate from 3% to 3.3%, with the Online Shopping category selected and within the shared $2,500 quarterly spending cap.
Is Customized Cash Rewards’ $2,500 quarterly spend cap separate for each retailer?
No. One cap covers purchases in your selected category, grocery stores and wholesale clubs combined. Afterward, earn 1%, or 1.1%–1.75% with BofA Rewards.
Do pet prescriptions and veterinary bills qualify for Online Shopping rewards?
It depends on the expense. BofA excludes veterinary services, even when paid online. Retail pet prescriptions must still meet its Online Shopping and merchant-category rules.
The bottom line: BofA Rewards can boost your pet supply cash back
Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards is worth considering for online pet supplies—especially with BofA Rewards. With the Online Shopping category selected, new cardholders enrolled in BofA Rewards can earn 6.3%–8.25% cash back in the first year, then 3.3%–5.25% ongoing, depending on tier, within the shared quarterly spend cap.
Before your next pet supply order, check how much you can still spend at your card’s bonus rate. Choose the card that will earn more cash back, and save it as your payment method.
Transaction methodology: Wise Bread reviewed September 2026 order records, Petco loyalty activity and matching BofA rewards entries. Rewards are reported as shown; hypothetical comparisons are labeled. Results do not guarantee future eligibility or verify Autoship renewals.
