Save $15+ on Thanksgiving Dinner With These Credit Card Tricks

Here are some tips to keep your Turkey Day costs more manageable.

Between record-high inflation and the ongoing supply chain issues, everything is more expensive these days -- including your Thanksgiving dinner. The annual Farm Bureau Thanksgiving survey found that the cost of a Turkey Day feast for 10 people jumped $6.41 or 14% year-over-year to $53.31. The price of turkeys surged 24% on a per-pound basis from last year.

Of course, that's just the baseline. If you're adding in extras, like a free-range turkey or getting premade sides, expect to pay even more. And if you're keen on skipping the grocery store fracas with a delivery service, your costs could skyrocket.

However much you're spending this Thanksgiving, your trusty credit cards can help. With the right combination of rewards and deals, you could easily shave a few dollars off your Thanksgiving expenses.

Save up to 6% on food with purchase rewards

Whether you're feeding the whole family or just picking up the pies, your credit card's purchase rewards can help you save money. The key, however, is to make sure you're using the right card for the job.

A good grocery rewards credit card will offer the best return for most folks. The best cash back cards for groceries offer up to 6% cash back.

On the rewards points side, you can earn up to 4 points per dollar on groceries with the right card. When redeemed for travel, those points could be worth $0.02 to $0.04 or more.

One thing to keep in mind is that most grocery store cards only save you money at, well, grocery stores. If you do your holiday meal prep at your local big box or wholesale store, you're going to need a different card.

But if that's the case, you're in luck. Most cards with rotating bonus categories include at least one big box store this quarter. If you're into bulk buying, you can find several popular rewards cards that will provide bonus rewards on your warehouse store purchases.

All in all, purchase rewards can mean a $3 to $8 return on a basic Thanksgiving meal, and more if you go all out.

Skip the grocery store chaos with issuer deals

Putting together a Turkey Day feast is work. And we're not just talking about the meal prep. There's also the grocery store chaos as everyone in your entire town seems to be shopping at the same time. If you've ever forgotten a crucial ingredient the day before -- well, hopefully you enjoy long lines and limited parking.

Thankfully, your cards can help you save time as well as money with the right issuer deal. Many popular credit card issuers have offer or savings portals chock full of useful coupons and extra rewards.

For example, if you want your groceries brought to you, look for a discount on grocery delivery subscriptions. Since per-delivery fees can range from $5 to $10 or more, this can be a huge savings -- both for Thanksgiving and beyond.

Taking delivery service a step further, you may want to check out a new meal delivery box for your Turkey Day needs. They can take all the guesswork out of a great meal by delivering everything you need (including the step-by-step instructions) right to your door. Your credit card issuer likely has a deal to help you save big on your meal.

Stack it all with retailer coupons for an extra boost

Perhaps the best part of all these credit card savings is they can stack with any other savings you find. Got a great coupon from the newspaper? Is your store running a buy-one-get-one offer that's hard to beat? Great! Take advantage of all those deals -- and stack credit card rewards on top of it all.

There's a lot that goes into making the perfect Thanksgiving, but that doesn't mean it has to cost a lot. You can combat rising prices with smart use of your favorite rewards cards. And extra savings is something we can all be thankful for this year.