The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is a good option if you are looking for cash back, and you can take advantage of this card’s extra cash back at U.S. supermarkets, select U.S. streaming services, U.S. gas stations, transit, and ridesharing.
Below is our review of the Blue Cash Preferred card and its benefits.
We have a lot to cover, so let’s dive right in.
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- 6% Cash Back at U.S. Supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year; 1% thereafter) and on Select U.S. Streaming
- 3% Cash Back on Transit, Ridesharing, Parking, and at U.S. Gas Stations
- $0 Intro Annual Fee for the First Year, then $95 (rates & fees).
Welcome Bonus
The Blue Cash Preferred currently offers the following welcome bonus:
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Earning Cash Back
The Blue Cash Preferred earns cash back at the following rates:
- 6% back at U.S. Supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year, then 1% back);
- 6% back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions;
- 3% back on transit, including taxis, rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses, and more;
- 3% back at U.S. gas stations; and
- 1% back on all other eligible purchases.
Cash back is received as Reward Dollars that can be redeemed for statement credits.
Blue Cash Preferred 6% Cash Back Streaming Services
- Amazon Music Unlimited
- Apple Music
- Apple TV+
- Audible
- DirecTV Stream
- Disney+
- ESPN+
- Fubo TV
- HBO Max
- Hulu
- iHeartRadio
- Kindle Unlimited
- Luminary
- MLB.TV
- NBA League Pass
- Netflix
- NHL.TV
- Pandora
- Paramount+
- Peacock
- Prime Video
- Showtime
- Sling TV
- SiriusXM Streaming and Satellite
- Spotify
- Stitcher
- TIDAL Music
- YouTube Music Premium
- YouTube Premium
- YouTube TV
Card Benefits
The Blue Cash Preferred offers the following benefits:
0% Intro APR on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 12 Months
You can enjoy a 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months from the date of account opening. After that, it will be a reg_apr,reg_apr_type APR. Variable APRs will not exceed 29.99%.
The 0% intro APR is great if you have a large purchase coming up or want to transfer a balance to Blue Cash Preferred.
There is a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
$7 Monthly Statement Credit on the Disney Bundle
The Blue Cash Everyday Preferred card offers $7 back as a statement credit each month (up to $84 annually) after spending $9.99 or more each month on an eligible subscription to the Disney Bundle, which includes Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. Enrollment is required and subject to auto renewal.
$120 Equinox+ Credit
Get up to $120 in statement credits annually when you pay for an auto-renewing subscription to Equinox+ at equinoxplus.com with your Blue Cash Preferred® Card. That’s $10 in statement credits each month. Enrollment required.
Equinox+ costs $39.99 per month, which is cheaper than Peloton’s monthly membership.
After factoring in the statement credit, the monthly credit effectively reduces the Equinox+ cost to only $29.99 per month.
Complimentary ShopRunner Membership
This card offers a complimentary membership to ShopRunner, giving you free two-day shipping and free returns at 100+ online retailers.
Eligible stores include Bloomingdales, Under Armour, American Eagle, Saks Off 5th, Cole Hann, Fanatics, Vera Bradley, Jockey, Kate Spade, NFL Shop, NBA Store, MLB Shop, and Coach.
Access to Amex Offers
This card has access to Amex Offers, which are deals that are linked to your card, allowing you to save money or earn extra points on shopping, dining, and travel.
For example, there could be an offer such as spending $200+ at Marriott Hotels and Resorts and receiving $50 cash back as a statement credit.
You can find all of your Amex Offers by signing into your American Express account. You will need to “Add to Card” each offer to be eligible for the special offer.
Secondary Rental Car Insurance*
Secondary rental car insurance covers any damage to or theft of a rental car not covered by your primary insurance when you pay for the rental using this card.
Other credit cards offer primary rental car insurance, which pays before your insurance and saves you the hassle of filing multiple insurance claims.
You still need to maintain liability car insurance to cover damage to another person or property.
Extended Warranty*
Credit card extended warranty protection adds up to an additional year of coverage for eligible purchases on manufacturer’s warranties up to 5 years.
For example, if you bought a TV with a manufacturer’s warranty of three years, this card would extend the warranty for free to the fourth year.
Purchase Protection*
Purchase protection could save you a lot of money if you bought an eligible item that is damaged or stolen within 90-days.
For example, if you accidentally dropped your new phone or laptop and broke the screen, you could file a claim to get it replaced if the item was purchased within the last 90 days.
Return Protection*
American Express offers return protection which allows you to return an item purchased in total with an eligible card when the retailer refuses to accept the item under its return policy.
Some items are excluded, such as jewelry, plants, perishable items, software, books, formal wear, tickets, and seasonal items.
This coverage is up to $300 per item with a maximum of $1,000 per cardmember year.
*(Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/
Redeeming Rewards
The Blue Cash Preferred earns cash back rewards, which are received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit.
Pros and Cons of Blue Cash Preferred
Here’s a quick overview of this card’s advantages and disadvantages:
Pros:
- 6x Points at U.S. Supermarkets and U.S. Streaming Services
- 3% Cash Back at U.S. Gas Stations, Transit, and Ride Sharing
- Nice shopping protections like return protection, purchase protection, and extended warranty.
Cons:
- A foreign transaction fee of 2.7%
- Lack of travel protections
Alternatives to Blue Cash Preferred
Now that you know about the pros and cons of this card and its benefits, it’s time to review the alternatives.
Or, if you are like me, who loves to maximize my rewards, here are other cards you should add to your wallet in addition to this card:
American Express® Gold Card
The American Express® Gold Card (review) is one of my favorite cards because it earns:
- 4x Membership Rewards® points at restaurants, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.,
- 4x Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1x).
- 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
Plus, card members get nice credits when you enroll your Gold Card to offset the annual fee:
- $120 Uber Cash: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account, and each month automatically get up to $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations.
Citi® Double Cash Card
The Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer boasts a strong 2% rewards rate on purchases, where you get 1% back when you buy and 1% when you pay.
This zero-annual-fee card offers a solid earning potential as long as you pay your balance on time, and it provides a simple way to rack up points with no bonus categories to track.
You can also boost your rewards by also holding the Citi Premier® Card (review), which allows you to transfer points to airline and hotel programs. This combination effectively allows you to earn 2 airline miles per dollar on all spending with the Citi Double Cash.
Is the Blue Cash Preferred Worth It?
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express can be worth it if you maximize the 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets and streaming services, and 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations, transit, and ride-sharing to help offset the annual fee.
The Blue Cash Preferred also offers excellent shopping protections like purchase protection, extended warranty, and return protection.
But if you like to travel, I recommend the American Express® Gold Card (review) over the Blue Cash Preferred due to its higher points points earning potential and more usable monthly credits.
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- 6% Cash Back at U.S. Supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year; 1% thereafter) and on Select U.S. Streaming
- 3% Cash Back on Transit, Ridesharing, Parking, and at U.S. Gas Stations
- $0 Intro Annual Fee for the First Year, then $95 (rates & fees).
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, please click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, please click here.
