Blue Cash Preferred® Card From American Express Review 2024: Top Rewards At Supermarkets

• Amex Blue Cash Preferred Introduction
• Amex Blue Cash Preferred Fine Print
• Amex Blue Cash Preferred Quick Facts
• What Is the Amex Blue Cash Preferred Best For?
• American Express Blue Cash Preferred Rewards
• Amex Blue Cash Preferred Benefits
• Our Experience Using the Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card
• How To Maximize Amex Blue Cash Preferred Rewards
• Complementary Cards for the Amex Blue Cash Preferred
• How the Blue Cash Preferred® Card From American Express Stacks Up
• Is the Blue Cash Preferred® Card From American Express for You?
• Methodology
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The high cash-back rate at U.S. supermarkets for the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express should turn heads for anyone looking to save on their grocery spending. Note though that the increased cash-back category for supermarkets is capped at $6,000 spent annually and does not include superstores like Walmart or Target or wholesale clubs like Costco. Also, for those who hit the cap, additional purchases will only earn 1%.

The Blue Cash Preferred also earns bonus cash back on U.S streaming services, at U.S gas stations and on transit. Plus, it has a decent intro APR offer on purchases: Get a 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers requested within the first 60 days of account opening, followed by a variable APR of 18.74%-29.74% variable. A balance transfer fee of $5 or 3%, whichever is greater, applies. Cardholders can also get up to an $84 Disney Bundle credit for eligible purchases, available as $7 monthly statement credits (enrollment required), access to Amex Offers and travel benefits, including secondary car rental loss and damage insurance¹ and a global assist hotline² for those in tricky situations over 100 miles from home.

One potential drawback of the Blue Cash Preferred is that rewards are redeemed as statement credits and do not apply toward minimum payments. This is standard for most Amex cards that earn cash back.

Interest Rates

• Regular APR: 18.74%-29.74% Variable
• Purchase intro APR: 0% on purchases for 12 months
• Balance transfer intro APR: 0% on balance transfers for 12 months

Fees

• Annual fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95
• Balance transfer fee: Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
• Foreign purchase transaction fee: 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars.

• Earn 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more) and 1% cash back on other eligible purchases. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout
• $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95
• Get 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers requested within the first 60 days of account opening, followed by a variable APR of 18.74%-29.74% variable. A balance transfer fee of $5 or 3%, whichever is greater, applies

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express could be a great choice for anyone who spends a significant amount of money in the card’s bonus categories: groceries, streaming, gas and transit. It will be the very best fit for those who spend close to, but not much more than, $6,000 on groceries at U.S. supermarkets per year as this will allow them to maximize the 6% cash-back rate without exceeding the bonus cap.

The Amex Blue Cash Preferred has made the list of our top cards in multiple categories, including:

• Best Credit Cards
• Best American Express Credit Cards
• Best Credit Cards for Groceries
• Best 5% Cash Back Cards (or More)

Earning Rewards

With the Blue Cash Preferred, cardholders earn:

• 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%)
• 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions
• 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more)
• 1% cash back on other eligible purchases.
• Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout

There’s also a first-year welcome bonus: Earn a ​​$250 statement credit after spending $3,000 in eligible purchases within the first 6 months.

Redeeming Rewards

Cash back is earned as Reward Dollars, which may be redeemed for a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout. Rewards cannot be applied toward minimum payments.

Rewards Potential

To determine the rewards potential of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, we look at the bonus categories and calculate what an average household might spend in those areas. Forbes Advisor uses data from various government agencies to determine baseline income and spending averages across various categories. The 70th percentile of wage earners brings in $118,438 annually and has $39,337 that can reasonably be charged to a credit card. We base spending on that number.

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express Rewards Potential

Category	Earning Rate	Estimated Annual Spend	Estimated Annual Earnings
U.S. Supermarkets	6%	$6,000	$360
U.S. Streaming Services	6%	$679	$40.74
U.S. Gas Stations and Transit	3%	$3,562	$106.86
All Other Purchases	1%	$29,096	$290.96
			Total: $798.56

See More See Less

Our sample household earns $798.56 in cash back plus the first-year welcome bonus.

Introductory Rates

The Blue Cash Preferred Card comes with a 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers requested within the first 60 days of account opening, followed by a variable APR of 18.74%-29.74% variable. A balance transfer fee of $5 or 3%, whichever is greater, applies.

American Express Blue Cash Preferred Travel Benefits.

• Global Assist Hotline². Get help coordinating and finding resources during a travel emergency.

American Express Blue Cash Preferred Car Rental Benefits

• Car rental loss and damage insurance¹. Rental cars are covered with secondary coverage when the card is used to pay for the rental and the rental company’s insurance is declined.

American Express Blue Cash Preferred Shopping Benefits

• Return protection³. Get return coverage up to $300 per item and $1,000 per year on eligible purchases made in the U.S.
• Amex Offers. Save money with targeted Amex Offers available to cardholders using an enrolled Amex credit card.
• Fraud protection. Get $0 cardholder liability for unauthorized transactions.
• Pay It Plan It®. Get a payment plan option for purchases in categories under or over $100.

Other American Express Blue Cash Preferred Benefits

• Up to $84 credit on The Disney Bundle. Spend $9.99 or more on the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card each month on an auto-renewing subscription to The Disney Bundle and get a $7 monthly statement credit with enrollment.

Because the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express offers a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95, you can treat it as an invitation to take the card for a ride and see if it would work for you. It certainly worked for our family of three, and here’s why.

We go through groceries like gas through an old guzzler, so spending around $500 a month at U.S. supermarkets (to take full advantage of the 6% cash back) is never an issue. In fact, we usually leave the card’s $6,000 annual spend cap in the rear-view mirror long before the year is over (earn 1% back thereafter).

Another appeal of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is 6% cash back on U.S. streaming services. These earnings aren’t as profound as those for grocery spending, but we do have a strong trifecta of Netflix, Prime Video and Max streaming, along with a couple of other services, so the cash back adds up. No complaints from where we’re sitting.

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card also offers 3% cash back on transit and at U.S. gas stations, a solid earning rate on two popular categories. While I have cards with better cash back on gas, my daughter commutes to college in NYC every day, so the 3% cash back on transit is certainly welcome.

The most appealing and rewarding feature of the Amex Blue Cash Preferred is the 6% cash back on up to $6,000 per year in U.S. supermarket purchases (then 1%). The average household spends at least $6,000 in groceries per year, according to government data, but to be eligible for the 6% cash back, you must be careful to shop in traditional grocery stores.

Cash-back bonus categories also apply to authorized users on the card. Amex Blue Cash Preferred authorized user cards are free. So, by adding family members to the account, cash back can also be earned on their purchases.

Adding the card to your mobile wallet means you will always have it on hand to use. Similarly, you can enter your Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card as your default payment method on your streaming accounts, transit app, automatic toll reload and parking app to ensure you’ll earn your rewards with minimal effort.

Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express works wonderfully with the no annual fee Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express (Terms apply, see rates & fees).

If you spend more than $500 a month on groceries, you’ll hit the spending cap on the Blue Cash Preferred Card well before the year’s end. This is when the Blue Cash Everyday Card comes in.

This card offers 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and online retail purchases in the U.S. (on up to $6,000 in each category per year in purchases, then 1%), and 1% cash back on other purchases. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout. However, if you use it with the Blue Cash Preferred Card, you get increased cash back on most of your supermarket expenses—if not all.

Just like its higher-earning sibling, the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express excludes wholesale clubs from the increased cash-back category. However, you’ll earn 3% cash back for online retail purchases in the U.S., a fantastic standalone feature, especially for a card with no annual fee.

Citi Custom Cash® Card

The Citi Custom Cash® Card doesn’t offer increased cash back on groceries specifically—instead, you earn 5% cash back on purchases in a top eligible spend category up to the first $500 spent each billing cycle, 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2026 and 1% cash back on all other purchases.

The 5% eligible categories include restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs and live entertainment.

The Citi Custom Cash® Card doesn’t have an annual fee. While this combination might force you to pay more attention to your spending routine (you need to stick to the highest-paying categories to maximize your 5% cash back), the Citi Custom Cash® Card is an excellent companion to your Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express.

Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card

For those who value simplicity and generous cash back, the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card makes an excellent complement to the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express. You’ll enjoy unlimited 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases, and 1% on all other purchases.

Thanks to no annual fee (rates & fees) and rewards that never expire (as long as your account is open), the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card offers lasting value. And it’s a great card to pack for international travel, with no foreign transaction fees and 3% cash back on select grocery purchases and dining worldwide—not just in the U.S.

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express vs. Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express

Those who frequently spend in the bonus categories offered on the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express but can’t stomach an annual fee may want to consider the Blue Cash Preferred’s no annual fee sibling card, the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express (Terms apply, see rates & fees). With this card, you’ll earn 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and online retail purchases in the U.S. (on up to $6,000 in each category per year in purchases, then 1%), and 1% cash back on other purchases. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.

Those who spend a lot on groceries, streaming and non-gas transit are likely better off sticking with the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express despite its annual fee. However, those who do a lot of their shopping online may come out ahead by choosing the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express.

Read more. Blue Cash Preferred vs. Blue Cash Everyday

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express vs. American Express® Gold Card

The American Express® Gold Card (Terms apply, see rates & fees) is an option for those who wish to earn American Express Membership Rewards points. Some cards offer bonuses for dining and others for U.S supermarket spending, but the American Express Gold Card is an industry leader by offering 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at restaurants (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar beginning on 1/1/2025), 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at US supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar), 3 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or on American Express Travel, 2 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on American Express Travel and 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases. Plus, unlike the Blue Cash Preferred, the Amex Gold card’s Membership Rewards can be transferred to a number of travel partners at a potentially greater value than a penny per point.

The downside? There’s an annual fee of $325, and no intro annual fee the first year. On paper, the fee can be justified by the various annual credits the card offers: Up to $120 in dining credits, up to $120 in Uber Cash, up to $84 in Dunkin’ credits and up to $100 in Resy credits. Enrollment is required for select benefits. However, there’s a big catch with all of these potential credits—they each have their own rules and cannot be used all at once. For example, the $120 dining credit has to be redeemed in $10 monthly increments, is only good at a small selection of restaurants and delivery services and requires enrollment. And the Uber Cash also has to be used at the rate of $10 per month and is only valid for rides and Uber Eats orders in the U.S. You must also link your eligible card to your Uber account.

But this could be a better choice for someone whose spending aligns more closely with the bonus rewards on the Amex Gold than the Blue Cash Preferred, who can use the various credits and prefers Membership Rewards over cash.

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express vs. Citi Double Cash® Card

Unlike the tiered rewards structure of the Blue Cash Preferred, the Citi Double Cash® Card is a flat-rate rewards card that earns 2% cash back on all purchases—1% when purchases are made and another 1% when they’re paid off, and earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/25. It also comes with a balance transfer offer of 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months. After that, the standard variable APR will be 18.74% - 28.74%, based on creditworthiness. An intro balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3%, whichever is greater, applies to transfers completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, the fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).

These two cards might work well paired together for those whose spending priorities align well with the higher-earning categories of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express but who don’t want to miss out on higher cash-back opportunities overall.

Read more. Best Cash-Back Credit Cards

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express was graded according to Forbes Advisor’s rankings methodology for cash-back cards. We consider a variety of criteria when assigning a rating to cash-back cards, including:

• Estimated annual earnings
• Annual fees
• Welcome bonus offers
• Intro APR offers
• Regular APR
• Additional cardholder benefits

We give greater weight to the card features we believe cardholders will use most frequently. These factors combine to generate a star rating for each card.

To learn more about our rating and review methodology and editorial process, check out our guide on how Forbes Advisor rates credit cards.

Forbes Advisor Credit Cards Writer Barbara King contributed to this article.

To view rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for American Express® Gold Card please visit this page.

¹Car 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.
²You 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.
³With 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.