Do You Earn Rewards at a Vitamin or Supplement Store?

The short answer: It depends on the store. Some vitamin and supplement shops code under the drugstore category and earn a drugstore bonus, while others code as a specialty or health-food retailer that earns only the base rate. Because it varies, a small test purchase is the way to know how your store codes for your card.

Supplement stores code inconsistently

A vitamin or supplement retailer may carry a drugstore or pharmacy category code, which earns a drugstore bonus on the right card, or a specialty-retail or health-food code, which does not. Larger chains that function like a health drugstore are more likely to earn the drugstore bonus; a small specialty shop may not. Drugstore coding is covered in do pharmacies earn a drugstore bonus.

How to find out

Make a small purchase and check whether it earns your drugstore rate. Since coding is not guaranteed, do not assume a supplement shop counts as a drugstore for your card until you confirm it. Supplements bought at a grocery store, by contrast, ride on the grocery code.

The best card for supplements

If your store codes as a drugstore, use your best drugstore card there; if not, a strong flat-rate card earns the most. Compare the options in best drugstore cards and best cash back cards, and value points at a flat 1 cent.

Frequently asked questions

Do vitamin stores earn a drugstore bonus?
Sometimes. Some code under the drugstore category and earn that bonus, while others code as a specialty or health-food retailer that earns only the base rate.
How do I know if my supplement store earns a bonus?
Make a small purchase and check whether it earns your drugstore rate. Coding varies by store, so it is the only reliable way to confirm.
What card is best for vitamins and supplements?
Your best drugstore card if the shop codes as a drugstore, otherwise a strong flat-rate card. A test purchase tells you which applies.

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Bryce Casson

Written by Bryce Casson, Founder of Cardocrat. About the author and how we rank cards.