American Express Blue Cash Preferred Critical Analysis (2024)

Card Details From American Express

• Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
• $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
• Buy Now, Pay Later: Enjoy $0 intro plan fees when you use Plan It® to split up large purchases into monthly installments. Pay $0 intro plan fees on plans created during the first 12 months from the date of account opening. Plans created after that will have a monthly plan fee up to 1.33% of each eligible purchase amount moved into a plan based on the plan duration, the APR that would otherwise apply to the purchase, and other factors.
• Low Intro APR: 0% on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months from the date of account opening. After that, your APR will be a variable APR of 19.24% – 29.99%. Variable APRs will not exceed 29.99%.
• 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.
• 3% Cash Back on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more).
• 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.
• 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.
• Thinking about getting the Disney Bundle which can include Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+? Your decision made easy with $7/month back in the form of a statement credit after you spend $9.99 or more each month on an eligible subscription (subject to auto renewal) with your Blue Cash Preferred® Card. Enrollment required.
• Terms Apply.

PROS

• Incredible cash back potential with a lucrative welcome offer and stellar ongoing cash back
• The introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers helps you save money on interest
• The added card member benefits and card member support are top-notch

CONS

• Annual fee may be high for some
• There is a spending cap on the grocery category
• There is a foreign transaction fee so it’s not the best option for purchases outside of the U.S.(see )

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express offers extraordinary cash back rates. You’ll earn a massive 6% back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%), 6% back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, and 3% back at U.S. gas stations and on transit (this includes taxis, rideshares, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more). All of your other eligible purchases will earn you 1% back.

To sweeten the deal, you can earn $250 back after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new card within the first 6 months. The savings keep piling up since you will also pay no interest your first year with an amazing 0% intro APR for 12 months from the date of account opening on purchases and balance transfers. After that 12 months, a 19.24%-29.99% Variable APR will apply based on your creditworthiness and other factors.There is currently a foreign transaction fee so if that’s a deal-breaker we suggest checking out another compelling cash back option, theDiscover it® Cash Back card.

If you’re worried about taking on a card with an annual fee, let us put you at ease. You only need to spend $30.44 a week on groceries to cover the cost of the $95 annual fee with your cashback earnings. Plus the fee is $0 your first year. The 6% you earn on that incredibly low weekly amount nets you $95 in cash back a year, basically canceling out the fee. That still leaves another $265 in cash back you can earn at the 6% rate if you max out that $6,000 spending cap (you’ll keep earning 1% after the cap is hit). Add in what you’ll earn with the other 6% and 3% categories and it makes it an even easier decision.

The generous cash back elements and the intro APR offer may be what excite you most about applying for the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, but it’s worth noting that the benefits don’t come close to stopping there. American Express offers great perks so click Apply Now to view the full list of benefits.