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During the pandemic, many people shifted their credit card strategy from earning travel rewards to earning cash back, since having cash in your pocket can sometimes be a better option than earning travel rewards for an unknown time in the future. Plus, picking a credit card to maximize your grocery purchases is always important, even as restaurants are now widely open across the country.
This is where the American Express Blue Cash credit cards come into play. But with two different versions of the card — the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express and the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express — which one is right for you? Since there isn’t a one-size-fits-all when it comes to credit cards, we’ve broken down the pros and cons of both cards, including the welcome bonuses, the cash you’ll earn in each card’s bonus categories and other perks to help you determine which card best fits your spending habits.
Amex Blue Cash credit cards
First, let’s take a look at all the key details of these two cards side by side. (Terms apply to all card benefits.)
View this interactive content on CNN.comWith the Blue Cash Everyday, you’ll earn 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%), U.S. online retail stores (up to $6,000 per purchases, then 1%) and U.S. gas stations. You’ll also then earn 1% cash back on everything else. For a credit card with no annual fee (see rates and fees), those are decent bonus categories.
On the other hand, the Blue Cash Preferred offers more cash back, though it comes with a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 per year thereafter (see rates and fees). Even though you’ll incur a fee starting with your second year as a cardmember, you’ll earn 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%) and on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, plus 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on transit, and 1% cash back on all your other purchases.
Unlike some other popular credit cards, neither Blue Cash card allows you to convert your cash back into points for travel or to use at partner airlines or hotels. Instead, your only redemption option is cash back in the form of Reward Dollars, which can then be redeemed as a statement credit on your account.
Amex Blue Cash welcome bonuses
If you don’t already have the Blue Cash Preferred, you can earn a $250 bonus in the form of a statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new card within the first six months after opening the account. And for new Blue Cash Everyday card members, you can earn a $200 bonus in the form of a statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card within the first six months.
Those are solid welcome offers for these cards, and the minimum spending requirement of only $2,000 in six months on the Blue Cash Everyday should be relatively easy to hit, requiring only about $333 in purchases each month with your card. Or, if you can handle the $3,000 minimum spending requirement on the Blue Cash Preferred, that’s only an average of $500 a month.
But right now, you may be better off going for the Blue Cash Preferred over the Blue Cash Everyday, due to the easier to earn bonus offer. And if you decide after the first year that it’s not the right card for you, you can always look into downgrading the card to the no annual fee version.
Amex Blue Cash card benefits
Although both Blue Cash cards offer some great cash back opportunities, the list of perks on them is relatively short. However, one of the best benefits that comes with both cards is the introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers.
You’ll get 0% interest on your purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months with the Blue Cash Everyday from the date you open the account, then a variable 19.24% to 29.99% based on your creditworthiness (see rates and fees). With the Blue Cash Preferred, the 0% APR runs for the first 12 months on just purchases then rises to a variable 19.24% to 29.99% (see rates and fees).
When compared to many other cash back and travel reward credit cards on the market today, these are some of the better introductory offers on purchases and balance transfers available.
The Blue Cash Everyday just added the opportunity to earn up to $284 per year in statement credits. Both new and existing card members can now get up to $15 per month in Home Chef credits, which equals up to $180 per year back on your card (enrollment is required before using this benefit).
Although the Blue Cash Preferred offers up to $120 in statement credits annually when you pay for an Equinox+ membership, given out in up to $10 in statement credits per month (enrollment required).
Additionally, you can get up to $7 in monthly statement credits when you charge the $12.99 cost for a Disney Bundle subscription (which includes Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu) on either your Blue Cash Everyday or your Blue Cash Preferred, for a savings of up to $84 per year (again, enrollment is required before you use this benefit).
Both cards will also give you access to Amex Offers, where you can save money at many popular merchants simply by using your registered American Express card. Depending on your shopping habits, many times these offers alone can outweigh the annual fee on the Blue Cash Preferred after the first year. And since there’s no annual fee on the Blue Cash Everyday, you’ll come out ahead if you can use even some of these offers.
Other benefits of both Blue Cash cards include secondary car rental insurance and up to two years of extended warranty on eligible purchases. These are benefits you probably won’t use often, but they’re very nice to have if you end up in a situation where you need them.
And specifically with the Blue Cash Preferred card, you’ll also have access to return protection, which can come in handy from time to time. If you want to return an eligible item that you bought on your Blue Cash Preferred within 90 days from the day of purchase and the merchant won’t take it back, American Express will refund the full purchase price (excluding shipping and handling). Claims are capped at $300 per item, up to a maximum of $1,000 per card account per calendar year.
What could be better on the Blue Cash cards?
Truthfully, if you’re looking for a credit card that earns cash back, the earning rates on both Blue Cash cards are excellent for purchases that fall into the bonus categories.
However, when it comes to everyday purchases that don’t fall into a bonus category, you’ll be better off using CNN Underscored’s benchmark credit card, the Citi Double Cash® Card, which has no annual fee and earns 2% cash back on all purchases — 1% when you buy, plus 1% when you pay it off). Outside of the bonus categories, the Blue Cash Everyday and Blue Cash Preferred cards earn only 1% cash back.
And while the Blue Cash cards have great bonus categories, if you’re looking for a credit card that will maximize your rewards at restaurants, drugstores and travel, you’ll be better off with a different card with bonuses in those categories.
For example, the no-annual-fee Chase Freedom Unlimited® earns 5% cash back when you book travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3% cash back at restaurants (including takeout and delivery), 3% cash back at drugstores and 1.5% on everything else.
Finally, the two Blue Cash cards don’t shine in the benefits department. You’ll get the standard American Express benefits, but there are other extra perks you’ll be leaving behind, such as trip delay and cancellation protection or lounge access.
With travel picking up immensely, having travel benefits may be important to you, which might lead you to consider a card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. However, those benefits don’t come cheap as you’ll be looking at a much higher $550 annual fee for that type of premium credit card.
Should you get the Blue Cash Preferred or Blue Cash Everyday?
This is the million-dollar question — or really the $95 question — since the cards are similar in benefits and mostly vary in welcome offers, bonus categories and annual fees.
Right now, since the Blue Cash Preferred offers an easier way to earn the full bonus offer (as long as you can meet the extra minimum spend requirement) it’s easy to pick it as the winner over the Blue Cash Everyday. You can get the same welcome bonus (with less effort) and enjoy the card’s better earning rates for the entire first year. And as aforementioned, if you find that paying the annual fee isn’t worth it for your situation, you can look into downgrading the card to the no-annual-fee version.
Although, if you routinely make purchases at Home Chef or The Disney Bundle, the statement credit benefit on the Blue Cash Everyday might be a better fit and outweighs the extra cash earned between the two bonus offers.
The only exception is if you need to use the introductory interest rate on purchases for an extra three months, in which case you may want to choose the Blue Cash Everyday. But after the first year, the difference in annual fees between the two cards is $95 per year, so you’ll need to make sure the cash back you’re earning outweighs this fee — and the statement credit benefits — if you decide to get the higher-priced card.
Does it? Well, since the Blue Cash Preferred earns 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (up to the $6,000 mark each year, then 1% cash back) and the Blue Cash Everyday earns 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (again, up to $6,000 each year, then 1% cash back), your break-even point is $3,166 in grocery purchases annually after you take the $95 annual fee into account (starting with your second year as a cardmember since the first year includes the $0 intro annual fee offer). That means if you spend less than that on groceries at U.S. supermarkets each year, you’re better off with the Blue Cash Everyday. If you spend more, get the Blue Cash Preferred.
Although the two American Express Blue Cash credit cards are similar, the small nuances can make a big difference in deciding which card to get. So if you’re considering either the Blue Cash Preferred or Blue Cash Everyday, make sure to look at how much you spend each year in each card’s bonus categories so you can make a smart decision as to which card is the best for you.
Learn more about the Blue Cash Preferred from American Express.
Learn more about the Blue Cash Everyday from American Express.
Click here for rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred card.
Click here for rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday card.
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