It’s not everyday you see two credit cards from the same issuer go head to head. But that is what we have here with the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express vs the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express. Both of these cards are technically related and for reference you can say one is the older sibling to the other. While both offer great rewards and benefits, it all comes down to you and what you are looking for from a cash back credit card to get the most out of it. So let’s go ahead and get down to it to see who comes out on top between the Blue Cash Preferred vs Blue Cash Everyday cards from Amex and see which is the better choice for you.
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Get straight to the good stuff. Visit our Best Cash Back Credit Cards Of the Year page to get the up-to-date current offer for these cards and compare them side by side.
By Matthew Coan
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
With the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express you start out with a $250 welcome bonus after you spend $3,000 on your card within the first 6 months.
After that you can earn 6% cash back at U.S. based supermarkets up to $6,000 per year (1% cash back after that). 6% cash back on using your card to pay for U.S. streaming services, 3% cash back at U.S. based gas stations and on certain transit purchases as well.
Then you can expect to earn 1% cash back on all of the other purchases that you make.
To finish off the Amex Blue Cash Preferred you also get an included benefit of $7 cash back each month on select subscription services as well.
There is an annual fee of $95 but it is currently waived for the first year. (see rates and fees)
Key Features (see rates and fees)
- $250 welcome bonus after you spend $3,000 in the first 6 months
- 6% cash back on U.S. based supermarket purchases (up to $6,000 then 1% cash back after that)
- 6% cash back on U.S. based streaming services
- 3% cash back at U.S. based gas stations and on certain transit purchases
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
- 0% intro APR on new purchases and balance transfers for 12 months (then 18.49% – 29.49% variable APR)
- $0 intro annual fee, then $95 after that
The Amex Blue Cash Preferred has several bonus categories where your cash back takes a big jump from the base level. The highest cash back bonus level is actually on of the highest in the industry for a cash back credit card. And this includes categories such as U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, some transportation purchases, and more. Although you do need to read the current offer carefully because while there is great cash back earning potential in these categories, there is a cap on how much you can earn before it returns to the base cash back level. After that there are other categories that earn a little less cash back but still at an elevated value compared to other cards. And after that you will earn industry standard cash back rewards on everything else you spend on. There is a welcome bonus available which is a great way to kickstart your cash back rewards, but there is also an intro annual fee that may or may not be waived for the first year depending on the current offer. Not a bad to start to the battle between the Blue Cash Preferred vs Blue Cash Everyday.
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
The Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express comes with a $200 welcome bonus after you spend $2,000 in the first 6 months of having your card.
Then you will earn 3% cash back on U.S. based supermarket purchases (up to $6,000 per year then you will earn 1% cash back.
After that you earn 3% cash back with U.S. online retail purchases and U.S. based gas stations. (up to $6,000 per year then 1% cash back after that). Lastly you will earn 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Lastly, with the Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express you get the benefit of $7 cash back each month on select streaming service subscriptions.
And there is no annual fee for the Amex Blue Cash Everyday Card. (see rates and fees)
Key Features (see rates and fees)
- $200 welcome bonus after you spend $2,000 within your first 6 months
- 3% cash back at U.S. based supermarkets, U.S. online retail purchases, and U.S. based gas stations (up to $6,000 in spend for each and the 1% cash back)
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
- 0% intro APR on new purchases and balance transfers for 15 months (then 18.49% – 29.49% variable APR)
- No annual fee
What these two cards is that the Blue Cash Everyday card comes with no annual fee. But that also comes with a lower level of bonus reward categories as well. While these categories are still great, the cash back rewards you will earn will be less than that of the Blue Cash Preferred.
Even so they are still well above the base cash back levels offered in this tier of credit card. Same as with the Cash Back Preferred, take a look at the top earning cash back category (such as select grocery stores) and clarify the spending cap on it before it returns to the base cash back rate. After the bonus cash back categories you will earn an industry standard base rate for all of your other everyday purchases. Combine all this with the opportunity to earn a welcome bonus to help start your cash back earning off on the right foot.
Not a bad competitor at all in the battle of the Blue Cash Preferred vs Blue Cash Everyday cards.
Redemption Options
While most cash back cards give you quite a few options to redeem your cash back with (gift cards, online shopping, travel purchases, etc.) both of these Blue Cash Back Cards only allow for monthly statement credits to be applied. Don’t get us wrong, it is still free money, but it would be nice to see a couple more options available. With that being said you can still go out and buy what you want and just use your cash back rewards to cover the charge.
Blue Cash Preferred vs Blue Cash Everyday Winner
Usually you have a credit card battle between two cards from different issuers. But comparing the two Blue Cash Cards from American Express is something that we had to do. Essentially it comes down to whether you want the elevated rewards of the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card to help outweigh the cost of the annual fee. If you don’t want to bother with an annual fee and still get a great cash back rewards rate, then the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card is a clear winner.
If you do a lot of grocery spending then you can’t go wrong with either of these cards. All in all it comes down to what you are looking for and your spending habits. No credit card is perfect and rightfully so because almost every individual that uses them is different. It is about finding the right balance between what you want and what is available as far as credit card offers.
And in the battle with the Blue Cash Preferred vs Blue Cash Everyday we think it is quite easy to find the right card for you.
Other Credit Card Alternatives
Citi® Double Cash Card
Key Features
- Earn 2% cash back. 1% when you spend and 1% when you pay it off
- Intro 0% APR offer on balance transfers for 18 months (then 18.49% – 28.49% APR)
- No annual fee
- And more
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
Key Features
- Great cash rewards bonus offer
- Above industry standard cash rewards on everything you purchase
- Intro APR offer on new purchases and balance transfers
- No annual fee
- And more
Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
Key Features
- Well to do sign up bonus available
- Elevated cash back rewards in certain spend categories
- Base level cash rewards on everything else you purchase
- No annual fee
- No foreign transaction fees
- And more
Amex Blue Cash Preferred vs Blue Cash Everyday Conclusion
It’s not everyday that you get to compare and find out which American Express Card comes out on top. They are considered by many a great credit card issuer. But choosing between the Blue Cash Preferred and the Blue Cash Everyday is something that people in the market for a new cash back credit card will find themselves doing.
If you want to maximize your bonus rewards on eligible purchases, such as select U.S. supermarkets, then these two cards should be at the top of your list. Finding the best card for you is the most important thing. Between the welcome offer for both cards, the elevated rewards for the annual fee eligible Blue Cash Preferred Card, or the no annual fee cash rewards of the Blue Cash Everyday card, you should be able to find the card that is the better fit. Either way you are still getting a great deal.
Thank you for taking the time to read our article on the Blue Cash Preferred vs Blue Cash Everyday. Here at Casavvy we try to do the research for you so that you don’t have to. You can spend more time enjoy the rewards and benefits of your new card rather than comparing countless offers.
If you want to compare other credit cards that are not featured in the article then feel free to take a look at our Compare Credit Cards Page for all the best options from the top issuers. Thank you again and we hope you have a great rest of your day.
About the author: Matthew Coan is the founder of Casavvy and a credit card expert. He has appeared in various media outlets including Yahoo Finance, Credit Karma, Market Watch, Mens Journal, and more. Continue reading
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