Stop buying airline cheese snack packs online; earn points creating your own at home instead

Quick summary

Imperfect Foods offers discounted produce and grocery items that may not meet traditional cosmetic standards but are still edible.
During the pandemic, Imperfect Foods expanded its offerings to include items like airline snack trays, appealing to those missing travel experiences.
The article suggests building a gourmet cheese board at home using a variety of ingredients from local grocers for a more satisfying experience.
Strategic use of certain payment methods can help maximize rewards on grocery purchases, especially during periods with elevated benefits.

What to consider

Some elevated grocery rewards are temporary and may have specific end dates or spending caps.
Eligibility for grocery rewards may depend on whether the merchant is classified as a grocery store, with some superstores included only under certain conditions.
Not all offers mentioned remain available, as some have expired since publication.

What you'll miss from the article

Tips for assembling a visually appealing and flavorful cheese board, plus a comparison of grocery reward strategies during special promotional periods.

Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.

Like millions of people across the nation, you may have heard of or considered purchasing Imperfect Foods produce at some point during this quarantine. Imperfect Food's mission is to "eliminate food waste and build a better food system for everyone" by selling produce and other grocery offerings which are imperfect in some way yet still fine to eat. While the company primarily focuses on fresh produce, the global coronavirus pandemic has led the company to offer some unusual offerings.

One current grocery option is an individually-sized JetBlue cheese and snack tray of pepper jack, smoked Gouda, sharp cheddar, dried cherries and crackers. As first spotted by TPG's Laura Motta, these snack packs are $2.99 apiece and can be added on to an existing Imperfect Foods grocery order.

Some adventurers may miss traveling enough to purchase this relatively sad snack concoction. And in all fairness, humble ingredients can't keep a true artist from flexing her craft.

Here at TPG, however, can't help but wonder: "Why are people wasting their money on JetBlue's basic cheese choices when you could build a gourmet cheese board of your own at home — and earn points for it, too?"

The key to creating a beautiful cheese plate lies in purchasing a variety of items of varying textures, flavors and colors, according to Cheese By Numbers, a brand created by Marissa Mullen, the same cheese influencer who designed an in-flight charcuterie plate using nothing but JetBlue snack boxes.

For instance, a successful Mother's Day cheese plate calls for a dinner plate or cutting board; three types of cheese; one package of cured meats; two fruits and a veggie; crackers, baguette or similar crunchy snacks; a little bit of jam or honey in a small ramekin; and fresh herbs or edible flowers to garnish.

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The best way to acquire your dream cheese board ingredients is not by repurposing JetBlue's tiny snack packs but by frequenting your favorite local grocer, whether you shop at a safe social distance or purchase via delivery. And the best way to accumulate the points you need for your next cart of groceries is by paying for said items with the right credit card.

These are our eight favorite credit cards for coronavirus-season grocery shopping:

Card	Grocery Bonus per dollar	Earning	TPG Valuation**	Temporary or permanent?
Chase Freedom®^***	5x, up to $1,500	Ultimate Rewards points or cash back	10 cents	Temporary, through June 30
Chase Sapphire Reserve*	5x, up to $1,500	Ultimate Rewards points	10 cents	Temporary, through June 30
American Express® Gold Card	4x, up to $25,000 per calendar year (then 1x) at U.S. supermarkets	Membership Rewards points	8 cents	Permanent
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card	12x at U.S. supermarkets	Hilton Honors points	7.2 cents	Temporary, through July 31
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card	12x at U.S. supermarkets	Hilton Honors points	7.2 cents	Temporary, through July 31
United Club Infinite Card*	5x, up to $1,500	United MileagePlus miles	6.5 cents	Temporary, through June 30
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card*	3x, up to $1,500	Ultimate Rewards points	6 cents	Temporary, through June 30
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express	6%, up to $6,000 per calendar year (then 1%) at U.S. supermarkets	Cash back Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed for statement credits.	6 cents	Permanent
Amex EveryDay^® Preferred Credit Card from American Express^	3x, up to $6,000 per calendar year (then 1x) at U.S. supermarkets	Membership Rewards points	6 cents	Permanent

^The information for these cards have been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

*These Chase-issued cards are temporarily considering superstores such as Target and Walmart as eligible grocery stores as long as they have grocery sections. So your standard Target that doesn’t sell any groceries won’t apply, but all Walmarts and Targets that do have that grocery section will be included. Note that this does NOT apply to the Chase Freedom.

**Bonus valuation based on TPG valuation and not provided by issuers.

***Chase Freedom is no longer open to new applicants

Each of these cards offers generous returns on purchases made at U.S. supermarkets, including a number of elevated perks specifically added for grounded travelers in quarantine.

So dust off your hotel co-branded credit card and place that Instacart order. Or heck, purchase that JetBlue snack tray if you need that hit of nostalgia. Just make sure you earn some points for your Imperfect Food purchase.