Our experts answer readers' credit card questions and write unbiased product reviews (here's how we assess credit cards). In some cases, we receive a commission from our partners; however, our opinions are our own. Terms apply to offers listed on this page.
American Express markets most of its credit cards with different color combinations. Beyond the Green, Gold, and Platinum cards, a handful of cards are marketed with the "Blue" label.
Two of American Express's Blue cards — the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express and Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express — are excellent options for earning cash back. Let's look at the pros and cons of each, and help you decide which might be right for you. Amex is an Insider partner.
We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won't be worth it if you're paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.
Blue Cash Preferred and Blue Cash Everyday Welcome Bonus Offers
The welcome bonus offer on the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is straightforward — you'll earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. This is a decent offer, especially considering the annual fee is Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express - Annual Fee.
The intro offer on the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express is a $150 statement credit after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. That's about average for a Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express - Annual Fee-annual-fee cash-back card.
Amex Blue Cash Credit Card Benefits and Rewards
As cash-back credit cards, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express and Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express are light on extra perks compared to travel credit cards that often come with high annual fees. However, there are some benefits to note — especially after the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express added new benefits and features that made it much more appealing.
Aside from the annual fees (the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express has an annual fee of Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, while the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express has no annual fee), the biggest differences between the two cards are where they earn bonus cash back and what statement credits they offer.
Earning Cash Back
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express earns 6% back on groceries, for the first $6,000 spent at U.S. supermarkets each calendar year (then 1%), 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming services for the first $6,000 spent at U.S. supermarkets each calendar year (then 1%), and 3% cash back on transit and 3% back on gas at U.S. gas stations with no cap. You'll earn 1% cash back on all other purchases (cash back is received as Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit).
If your family spends at least $6,000 on groceries at U.S. supermarkets each year (which works out to $500 per month), the 6% cash back will more than offset the annual fee. You'll get $360 in cash back, compared to $180 if you spend the $6,000 on the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express. Since the 6% cash back is capped at $6,000 per year (then 1%), if you spend more than that, you'll want to switch your spending to a different card, such as the Chase Freedom Unlimited® or Citi® Double Cash Card.
With the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, you'll also earn bonus cash back at U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations, but the rates are lower and there is a cap for bonus cash back on gas. You'll earn 3% back on the first $6,000 spent at U.S. supermarkets each calendar year (then 1%) and 3% back on gas at U.S. gas stations (on the first $6,000 spent in purchases at U.S. supermarkets each calendar year, then 1%).
The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express also offers 3% back on the first $6,000 spent on U.S. online retail purchases (then 1% back), and 1% cash back on all other spending. Rewards-wise, the best pick for you comes down to where you spend the most money, and whether it's worth it to you to pay an annual fee to earn 3% more cash back at U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations with the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express. If you spend a lot on transit and gas, the ability to earn an uncapped 3% back on these purchases with the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express could be worth it.
Card Benefits
The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express and the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express both offer statement credits for select purchases.
On the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, you can get up to $120 back each year (up to $10 each month) on an Equinox+ membership when you enroll your card and make the purchase with your card. Equinox+ is a digital workout subscription that gets you access to classes for yoga, running, SoulCycle, and more. It costs $40 per month, so the statement credit would reduce your out-of-pocket cost to $30.
You can also get up to $7 back as a statement credit each month (up to $84 back each year) when you enroll your card and use it to pay at least $9.99 per month for the Disney Bundle (which includes Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+).
The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express also offers two statement credits to cardholders, including the same Disney Bundle credit as the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express. You can also get up to $15 in monthly statement credits when you enroll your card and use it to pay for a Home Chef meal kit subscription.
Depending on whether you value these services, the statement credits on these two cards could help sway your decision — or it could have no impact at all, if you don't use any of them. If you do plan to take advantage, remember to enroll your card via the Amex website so you don't miss out on the statement credits.
The two cards also share minor benefits such as car rental loss and damage insurance, fraud protection, access to Amex's Global Assist Hotline, and exclusive access to ticket presales and Amex cardmember-only events.
Which Amex Blue Cash Card Is Right for You?
When comparing the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express and the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, you'll want to look at your own specific spending patterns.
If you're already tracking your monthly spending, this will be as easy as reviewing your spreadsheet or tracking tool. If you don't have exact numbers, make your best estimates for your monthly spending in grocery, gas, transit, online retail purchases, and streaming services. Since the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express has an annual fee of Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, subtract that out (after the first year) and add the welcome bonus offer.
If you spend at least $500 per month on groceries and plan to use one of these two cards for your U.S. supermarket spending, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is the way to go. The extra cash back you'll earn will more than make up for the annual fee, and the other bonus categories (streaming services, gas stations, and transit) will provide even more cash back.
The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express could be a better option if you won't spend the full $6,000 at U.S. supermarkets. You'll need to spend at least $3,167 at US supermarkets in order for the higher cash-back rate at U.S. supermarkets to offset the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express annual fee. And the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express stands out for offering 3% back on up to $6,000 spent on U.S. online retail purchases each year (then 1%), so if that's a big spending category for you, that could factor into your decision as well.
You'll also want to consider that there are many other cash-back cards out there, so it's possible that the best card for you may be a different card entirely.
Amex Blue Cash Preferred vs Blue Cash Everyday: The Biggest Differences
The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express and the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express are both cash-back credit cards from Amazon, but they differ in many significant ways.
For one, the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express has a Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express annual fee, while on the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express it's Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express.
The cards also have different welcome offers, and earn bonus cash back on different categories. Both cards do offer bonus cash back at U.S. supermarkets (on the first $6,000 spent each calendar year, then 1% back), but you'll earn a higher rate on the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express.
Finally, while both cards have intro APR offers, their terms and lengths are slightly different.
| | Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express | Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express |
| Annual fee | Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express | Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express |
| Welcome bonus offer | $250 statement credit after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months from account opening | $150 statement credit after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months from account opening |
| Cash back at U.S. supermarkets | 6% back on the first $6,000 spent each calendar year, then 1% back* | 3% back on the first $6,000 spent each calendar year, then 1% back* |
| Cash back on everything else | 6% back on select U.S. streaming services* 3% back at U.S. gas stations* 3% back on transit* 1% back on all other purchases* | 3% back at U.S. gas stations on the first $6,000 spent in purchases each calendar year, then 1% back* 3% back at U.S. online retailers on the first $6,000 spent each calendar year, then 1% back* 1% back on all other purchases* |
| Introductory APR offer | Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, then Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express | Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, then Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express |
| Foreign transaction fee | Yes | Yes |
| Review | Amex Blue Cash Preferred card review | Amex Blue Cash Everyday card review |
*Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as statement credits.
