Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express overview
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is a profitable cash-back card for a number of spending classes. If money again is up your alley — and choose U.S. streaming, U.S. supermarkets, transit and U.S. fuel station classes align along with your spending habits — then you may’t go unsuitable with the Blue Cash Preferred. Card Rating*: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
*Card Rating relies on the opinion of TPG’s editors and isn’t influenced by the cardboard issuer.
There are execs and cons to choosing a cash-back card over a journey rewards card. However, the Blue Cash Preferred could possibly be nice for rare vacationers and people trying to spend their rewards in different methods.
The distinctive and high-value bonus classes set this card other than a less complicated possibility, such because the Citi® Double Cash Card, although it is value noting that reward redemption choices are fewer with the Blue Cash Preferred. The Blue Cash Preferred is for discerning clients searching for a rewards bank card to maximise their returns in particular bonus classes.
Let’s check out the ins and outs of this card that can assist you determine if it’s best for you.
Amex Blue Cash Preferred welcome bonus
Cash-back bank cards hardly ever supply strong bonuses like journey rewards playing cards do, however the Blue Cash Preferred has a top quality welcome supply proper now: $250 money again (as a press release credit score) after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first six months of cardmembership. That’s an 8.33% return on spending.
Additionally, new candidates can make the most of a 0% introductory APR on purchases and stability transfers for the primary 12 months of cardmembership. After that, a variable APR of 18.24%-29.24% will apply.
Earning money again on the Amex Blue Cash Preferred
The standout function of the Blue Cash Preferred is its numerous cash-back bonus classes:
Cash again is obtained as Reward Dollars that may be redeemed for assertion credit.
Sign up for our each day publication
While the Blue Cash Preferred shouldn’t be the primary card to supply bonus earnings on streaming subscriptions, its charge of 6% money again is by far the business chief. The Blue Cash Preferred is also a rewarding card at each the grocery store and fuel pump, incomes 6% money again and three% money again, respectively.
Aside from the U.S. supermarkets class, the opposite incomes classes haven’t got annual caps on how a lot you may earn. These are sturdy incomes charges for anybody with common spending in these classes.
Redeeming rewards on the Amex Blue Cash Preferred
While cash-back playing cards will not unlock the doorways to $10,000 first-class airplane suites, there’s additionally no stress to avoid wasting up for a selected reward. Plus, the Blue Cash Preferred has no minimal redemption quantity.
You have three redemption choices:
- Receive a press release credit score.
- Redeem for present playing cards.
- Shop along with your rewards.
While a number of choices exist, receiving a press release credit score is probably going your only option. That’s as a result of you should buy present playing cards at most supermarkets. Rather than utilizing your factors for these purchases, you possibly can pay for them along with your Blue Cash Preferred and earn much more money again.
Related: What bank cards must you use to buy present playing cards?
Amex Blue Cash Preferred advantages
As a low-annual-fee card, you will not discover luxurious perks on the Blue Cash Preferred; nonetheless, it does have high quality options which can be value mentioning.
You can obtain $7 again every month (as much as $84 again yearly) after spending $12.99 or extra on an eligible subscription to The Disney Bundle — which incorporates Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ — utilizing your card. Another month-to-month credit score offers as much as $10 (for as much as $120 yearly) again if you use your Blue Cash Preferred Card to pay for Equinox+ at equinoxplus.com. Note that enrollment is required prematurely for some advantages.
You’ll additionally get pleasure from a number of journey and procuring protections with the Blue Cash Preferred. You can get pleasure from secondary rental automotive insurance coverage when paying for the rental along with your card — as much as $50,000 of safety towards theft or harm.*
The Global Assist Hotline offers medical, authorized, monetary and different emergency providers coordination 24 hours a day, 7 days per week if you’re touring greater than 100 miles from house. This service offers coordination solely, nonetheless; you will be liable for the prices of any third-party providers you utilize.**
For purchases made along with your card, you may get pleasure from an additional yr on high of producers’ warranties of 5 years or much less, due to prolonged guarantee safety. This protection is restricted to the quantity paid for along with your card — as much as $10,000 and an annual restrict of $50,000.^
You can also get pleasure from return safety, which covers gadgets bought within the final 90 days for which the service provider will not settle for a return. You could be refunded for the complete buy value (excluding delivery and dealing with prices) — as much as $300 per merchandise and as much as $1,000 per yr. This applies solely to purchases within the U.S. or U.S. territories, nonetheless.
Purchase safety is one other card profit, which covers gadgets bought along with your card within the final 90 days however which can be broken, stolen or misplaced. You could be coated for as much as $1,000 per declare and as much as $50,000 per yr.^
*Eligibility and profit stage varies by card. Not all automobile sorts or leases are coated, and geographic restrictions apply. Terms, situations and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for particulars. Policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Coverage is obtainable by way of American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
**Eligibility and profit stage varies by card. Terms, situations and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for particulars. Cardmembers are liable for the prices charged by third-party service suppliers.
#Eligibility and profit ranges fluctuate by card. Terms, situations and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for particulars.
^Eligibility and profit ranges fluctuate by card. Terms, situations and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for particulars. Policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
Other cardmember advantages embody “Plan It,” which lets you choose purchases of $100 or extra to separate up into month-to-month funds with a set payment, and entry to priceless Amex Offers.
Related: Your full information to procuring protections on American Express playing cards
Which playing cards compete with the Amex Blue Cash Preferred?
The essential options to this card are different money again playing cards that earn bonus factors on groceries and fuel, with no or a low annual payment.
- If you need related advantages with no annual payment: The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express has no annual payment (see charges and costs) and earns 3% again at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. on-line retail purchases and U.S. fuel stations — although there is a restrict of $6,000 in purchases per class. After that, you will earn 1% again. The card additionally offers the identical Disney Bundle profit because the Blue Cash Preferred card.
- If you need Amex factors as an alternative of money again: The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card has an annual payment of $95 (see charges and costs) and earns Membership Rewards factors as an alternative of money again. TPG values these factors at 2 cents every, and you will earn 3 factors per greenback at U.S. supermarkets (as much as $6,000 of purchases per yr, then 1 level per greenback), 2 factors per greenback at U.S. fuel stations and 1 level per greenback on different purchases. However, should you make 30 or extra transactions in a billing cycle, you will get a 50% increase in your earnings.
- If you need rewards with extra makes use of: The Citi® Double Cash Card earns 2 Citi ThankYou factors per greenback — 1 level if you purchase and one other 1 level if you pay your invoice — on all purchases. In addition to redeeming your earnings for money again (at a price of 1 cent per level), you can also switch your factors to a number of journey applications to unlock higher-value redemptions.
- If you need increased incomes charges on fuel: If you are searching for money again, low charges and the next incomes charge on the pump, contemplate the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi. You’ll earn 4% again on fuel — anyplace, not simply Costco fuel stations — in your first $7,000 in gas purchases per yr, then 1% thereafter. There’s no annual payment on this card, however you do want a paid Costco membership (which begins at $60 per yr).
For further choices, please take a look at our full checklist of playing cards that earn bonus factors at supermarkets and fuel stations.
Read extra: Complete information to bank card annual charges
The data for the Amex EveryDay Preferred Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.
Is the Amex Blue Cash Preferred value it?
If you are not a frequent traveler and wish flexibility in learn how to spend your rewards, the Blue Cash Preferred is likely to be a superb match for you. This is particularly true if you wish to earn money again on groceries, streaming providers, transit and fuel purchases. An additional sweetener is the Disney assertion credit.
Related: Why the Amex Blue Cash Preferred is likely to be the very best cash-back card proper now
Bottom line
With the attractive bonus classes and a strong welcome supply, many preferring cash-back playing cards can have no downside justifying the annual payment after the primary yr on the Blue Cash Preferred.
This card is finest for individuals who spend on groceries and streaming providers in addition to transit and fuel. Disney followers can also discover worth on this card, attributable to month-to-month credit for Disney bundle subscriptions.
Apply now: Earn $250 again (within the type of a press release credit score) after you spend $3,000 in purchases inside the first six months of card membership with the Blue Cash Preferred.
Additional reporting by Ryan Wilcox, Chris Dong and Ryan Smith.
For charges and costs of the Blue Cash Preferred card, click on right here.
For charges and costs of the Blue Cash Everyday card, click on right here.
For charges and costs of the EveryDay Preferred card, click on right here.