American Express Blue Cash Preferred Review: A Powerful Grocery and Everyday Spending Card

Most products on this page are from partners who may compensate us. This may influence which products we write about and where and how they appear on the page. However, opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain.

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

Learn More

Terms Apply

Rates & Fees

• Our Rating 4.5/5 How our ratings work
• APR18.24%-29.24% (Variable)
• Annual Fee$95 More info

  $0 Intro annual fee for the first year, then $95

• Welcome Bonus $250Cash Bonus More Info

  Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.

The Blue Cash Preferred offers outstanding rates of cash back in common categories like U.S. supermarkets, streaming services, gas stations and transit. If you have significant spending on these categories and care about cash back, then this card is for you.

A Powerful Cash-Back Card With a Modest Annual Fee

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express offers outstanding rates of cash back on common household purchases , like groceries at U.S. supermarkets, select U.S. streaming services, U.S. gas stations and transit. While this card has a lot going for it, it’s still not a perfect fit for everyone, and the deciding factor will likely be your daily lifestyle. Those who spend a lot on activities like eating in and streaming will benefit the most from the Blue Cash Preferred Card’s up to 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets and on U.S. streaming subscriptions. Daily commuters will also be rewarded nicely with impressive rates on U.S. gas stations and transit expenses (Terms Apply).

Welcome Offer

The American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card features three valuable offers for new applicants:

• Welcome offer: New account holders can earn $250 as a statement credit after spending $3,000 in eligible purchases within the first six months of card membership.
• Intro APR: This card offers 0% APR introductory financing for purchases made within the first 12 months of account opening and balance transfers requested within 60 days of account opening. After that, an APR of 18.24%-29.24% (Variable) applies. (See rates & fees).
• Buy Now, Pay Later Plan: This offer includes $0 Plan It® fees on plans created during the first 12 months of account opening for select qualifying purchases of $100 or more. Plans created after that have a fixed monthly plan fee up to 1.33% of each purchase amount moved into a plan based on plan duration, the APR that would otherwise apply and other factors. (See rates & fees).

Requirements to Receive Welcome Offer

This card's welcome offer is only available to applicants who haven't had this card before. This also applies to the intro APR offer and the Plan It® offer. American Express may also consider the number of other American Express cards you have opened and closed as well as other factors when making a decision on your welcome offer.

It's also worth keeping in mind Amex's once-per-lifetime rule, which prohibits users from earning a welcome bonus for an Amex card more than once, with a few exceptions.

Related Article

The Complete Guide to Credit Card Application Rules

Read More

Rewards Rate

• 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 in spending per year, then 1%
• 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions
• 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations
• 3% cash back on transit
• 1% cash back on other purchases

While many cash back rewards credit cards offer bonuses for groceries, the American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card offers a stellar 6% cash back for purchases made at U.S. supermarkets. Just note that the 6% cash back you earn at U.S. supermarkets is limited to the first $6,000 you spend each calendar year, and you'll only earn 1% cash back after that. 

And when you want to stay in and watch movies and tv shows on your favorite U.S. entertainment streaming service, you'll earn 6% cash back on subscriptions offered by companies like Netflix, Hulu, Max, Spotify and others.

This card also offers you 3% cash back for purchases from U.S. gas stations and for transit. Qualifying transit purchases include taxis rideshare, parking, tolls, trains and buses. And like most cash-back cards, you earn 1% cash back on all other eligible purchases.

Redeeming Rewards

The American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card provides cash back in the form of Reward Dollars. As long as your card is active, any cash back Reward Dollars you have earned do not expire. Reward Dollars can be redeemed as a statement credit to your account or at Amazon.com upon checkout.

Annual Fee

This credit card has a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 annual fee thereafter. An annual fee is a set charge that occurs yearly, on your card anniversary. If you don’t pay the annual fee in the billing statement you receive it in, you’ll start to pay interest on it.

Foreign Transaction Fee

A foreign transaction fee of 2.7% (see rates & fees) is applied on all charges processed outside of the United States (it's somewhat unusual for a premium rewards card like this with an annual fee to charge this). 

Card Benefits

The American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card offers some benefits to help offset the card’s $95 annual fee. Some of these benefits do not have a monetary value, so it is up to you to determine what the benefits are worth to you. 

However, this card’s most valuable feature is its earning rate on groceries at U.S. supermarkets  and U.S. streaming purchases. You will be hard pressed to find another card that gives you a better cash back rate in those categories.

$84 Disney Bundle Credit

When you use your enrolled American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card to spend at least $9.99 a month on an auto-renewing subscripton to the Disney Bundle, you get a $7 monthly statement credit. Valid only at Disneyplus.com, Hulu.com, or Plus.espn.com in the U.S.

Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance¹

The American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card provides car rental theft and damage insurance when you use your Card to reserve and pay for your car rental, and decline the optional collision damage waiver (CDW). This provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Covered territories do not include vehicles rented in Australia, Italy or New Zealand. As always, it's important to read the exclusions and restrictions to find out exactly what you're covered against. 

Global Assist® Hotline²

The Global Assist® Hotline can help with coordination and assistance services like lost passport replacement, translation services, missing luggage assistance and emergency legal and medical referrals. Global Assist Hotline can also help you prepare for your trip with things like customs information. Card members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.

Purchase Protection³

When you use your American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card to make an eligible purchase, your card will cover theft and accidental damage to that purchased item through Purchase Protection. Purchase Protection provides coverage of up to 90 days from the date of purchase and $1,000 per occurrence. There is a maximum of $50,000 per calendar year per card. 

Return Protection⁴

If a merchant won't accept your attempted return within 90 days of purchase, American Express’s Return Protection provides a refund of up to the full purchase price excluding shipping and handling for eligible items. The maximum protection provided is $300 per item, up to a maximum of $1,000 per calendar year per card account. The item(s) must be purchased in entirety with your American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card, and purchases must be made in the U.S. or its territories.

Dispute Resolution

If there is a fraudulent or incorrect charge on your credit card statement, American Express will work with you to help resolve the issue. Although dispute resolution is offered by many credit cards, it can come in handy. 

Amex Offers

Amex Offers gives cardholders additional rewards for purchases at featured stores or merchants. Amex Offers are essentially coupons or additional cash-back offers for select restaurants, stores, hotels and even airlines—they constantly vary, so you’ll want to check your offers at least weekly. Amex Offers can be found in your online account or in the Amex mobile app. To use an Amex Offer, select the Offer you want to add to your American Express Blue Cash Preferred Cardcard, and then use your card to pay the merchant or vendor. Rewards will be added directly to your statement.

Is the American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card Right for You?

The American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card is great for people who spend heavily on its bonus categories of U.S. supermarkets, U.S. streaming services, U.S. gas and transit. Combine that with shopping perks and protections, and it’s easy to see why this card is often touted as the great all-around family credit card.

While at least some bonus categories likely already factor into your budget, consider how much you spend on each before applying. For example, if you work from home and mostly order delivery food, you may not spend enough on gas and groceries to justify the card's $95 annual fee. Instead, you may want to consider the American Express Blue Cash Everyday^® Card, which has no annual fee but features less generous rewards. 

On the other hand, larger households could easily earn enough cash back to cover the annual fee. Wherever you fall between these categories, the American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card could reward you with some of the highest cash-back rates we've seen.

Disclosures

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

_{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.}

^{3 When an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase with their Eligible Card, Purchase Protection can help protect their Covered Purchases for up to 90 days from the Covered Purchase date if it is stolen or accidentally damaged. The coverage is limited to up to $1,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year.   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.}

⁴ _{With Return Protection, you may return eligible purchases to American Express if the seller won’t take them back up to 90 days from the date of purchase. American Express may refund the full purchase price excluding shipping and handling, up to $300 per item, up to a maximum of $1,000 per calendar year per Card account, if you purchased it entirely with your eligible American Express® Card. Purchases must be made in the U.S. or its territories.   Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.}