Amex Blue Cash Everyday Review: Lucrative Cash-Back Rewards With No Annual Fee

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Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express

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Rates & Fees

• Our Rating 4/5 How our ratings work
• APR18.24% to 29.24% (Variable)
• Annual Fee$0
• Welcome Bonus $200Cash Bonus More Info

  Earn $200 back after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership. You will receive the $200 back in the form of a statement credit.

The Blue Cash Everyday Card is a great cash back American Express card with no annual fee. It earns a solid 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, on U.S. online retail purchases and at U.S. gas stations (up to $6,000 per year in each category, then 1%).

A No-Annual-Fee Powerhouse

The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express is a cash-back rewards card that offers a good balance of rewards and costs. It’s notable for a 3% cash-back rewards rate on bonus categories and no annual fee (see rates & fees). If you’re looking for a simple card to get cash back on everyday spending categories, this card could fit your needs. Read more about the American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card to decide if it deserves a coveted spot in your wallet (Terms Apply).

Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit, or at Amazon.com checkout.

Welcome Offer

To earn this card's welcome offer, you have to spend at least $2,000 on eligible purchases using the card within the first six months. Once this has been accomplished, you will receive the $200 in the form of a statement credit.

Earning Rewards

The American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card offers competitive rewards for everyday purchases, hence the “Everyday” name.

These are the primary rewards categories and rates for the Blue Cash Everyday credit card:

• 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year: After reaching $6,000, you’ll earn the standard 1% cash back. If you get the full $6,000 annual limit, you will earn $180 per year in rewards from grocery purchases. 
• 3% cash back on gas at U.S. gas stations on up to $6,000 per year: After that, you'll earn 1% cash back in this category.
• 3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases,  up to $6,000 per year: Similarly, you'll earn 1% cash back after reaching that amount.
• 1% cash back everywhere else: You’ll earn 1% cash back on all other eligible purchases.

Some cash-back cards with a higher “everything else” rewards rate may be worth considering as well. 1% cash back is somewhat standard as a base cash-back rate among cash-back cards with no annual fee, but some offer a little more, often without the bonuses for gas and groceries.

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Redeeming Rewards

Cash back rewards for this card can be redeemed in the form of a statement credit. A dollar is a dollar, so a statement credit is a reasonable and good way to redeem rewards. Cash back doesn’t count toward your minimum payment due.

When you're ready to redeem your Reward Dollars, you can open the Amex mobile app or head to AmericanExpress.com to log in and redeem. Rewards don’t expire as long as you keep the account open and in good standing.

If you expected to earn 3% cash back on a purchase and only earned the 1% cash-back rate, check the seller category. Every merchant has a spending category assigned and not all places that sell groceries count as supermarkets, for example. Superstores, convenience stores, warehouse clubs and meal-kit delivery services are not considered supermarkets for bonus purposes. Similarly, superstores, supermarkets, and warehouse clubs that sell gasoline are not considered gas stations.

Benefits and Perks

No-annual-fee credit cards typically don’t have the same insurance and protections you get from cards with an annual fee. The American Express Blue Cash Everyday has a few nice additions, but the benefits are not extremely compelling. Here are a few of them:

• $7 back per month on the Disney Bundle. Get $7 back monthly after using your American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card to spend $9.99 or more each month on an eligible subscription to the Disney Bundle, valid only at DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com or Plus.espn.com in the U.S. Enrollment required.
• Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance¹: When you pay for your car rental entirely with the card, you can avoid the rental company’s expensive daily collision insurance coverage and trust American Express to have your back. This coverage insures the car but adds no liability coverage, so you should still drive carefully.
• 24/7 Global Assist® Hotline²: When traveling at least 100 miles from home, you can call for help with basic emergencies, like a quick card cancelation or referral to medical care. The hotline is free, but you have to pay for any costs charged by third parties.
• American Express Experiences: Access ticket presales and exclusive American Express member events through the American Express website. (I used this benefit to score great tickets to a Rolling Stones concert a few years ago.)

These are great benefits, notably the rental car insurance coverage and Disney Bundle credit. However, there are a couple of coverages this card is missing, like extended warranty protection and cellphone protection coverage. If those were added, this card would be more compelling.

Costs and Fees

This card has no annual fee but here are a few other fees to know with this card, such as:

• Foreign transactions: If you travel outside of the United States regularly, this card may not be the best fit, as there’s a 2.7% foreign transaction fee added to each purchase not made in the United States in U.S. dollars. Many travel rewards cards come with no foreign transaction fees.
• Late payments: If you pay your bill late, you’ll owe up to a $40 fee. It’s best to always pay on time regardless to help your credit and keep costs low. Automatic payments can help you avoid paying late.
• Returned payments: If your check or electronic payment is returned for insufficient funds, you’ll have to pay up to $40 (see rates & fees). Make sure you have enough cash in the bank when you make a payment.

Interest rates vary based on your credit history and current market conditions. Rates are variable and can change at any time. Late or returned payments may trigger a higher default interest rate for at least six months. But again, to emphasize how important it is, if you pay off the card in full every month by the due date, you never have to pay any interest.

Is the Blue Cash Everyday Card Worth It?

For fans of cash back with no annual fee, this card could be a good fit. The opportunity to earn 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, on gas at U.S. gas stations and on U.S. online retail purchases (up to $6,000 per year in each category), plus the ability to earn a $200 welcome offer in the form of a statement credit for new cardmembers is a great way to earn cash back where you may already spend most.

However, if you’re looking to maximize your rewards, you may even want to combine two or more cards to get the best bonus cash back rates possible. But if you prefer to keep it simple with an easy-to-use cash-back card from a reputable credit card company, the American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card might be a good choice.

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Disclosures

_{For rates and fees of The Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express, please visit https://www.americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/card-application/apply/prospect/terms/blue-cash-everyday-credit-card/25330-10-0#FeeTable}

¹ _{Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible Card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the Commercial Car Rental Company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.}

² _{You can rely on Global Assist Hotline 24 hours a day / 7 days a week for medical, legal, financial, or other select emergency coordination and assistance services while traveling more than 100 miles away from your home. Third-party service costs may be your responsibility.   Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.}