Blue cash credit cards
From Travel Strategies
American Express Credit Cards
Amex Webpage
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Annual Fee
$95
Current Offer
$250 ($1,000 initial spend) with a referral link or $350 ($2,000 initial spend) available via private browsing.Typical Signup Offer
200 dollars
$1,000 initial spend
($90 net value, .09/$)
Signup Bonus ChartBonus Categories
6% US Supermarkets
3% US Gas Stations
3% Select US Department Stores
1% Everywhere Else
2.7% Foreign Transaction Fee
The Blue Cash Preferred card earns a great reward rate on grocery and gas spending. The only card that can earn higher rewards on groceries is the Amex EveryDay Preferred card, but earning good rewards with that card requires you to make 30 transactions every month, and to redeem your points on frequent flyer tickets.
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Amex Blue Cash Card Options
There are two different Blue Cash cards.
- Blue Cash Preferred. For almost everyone, the extra rewards from the Preferred version are likely to be valuable enough to justify the $95 annual fee.
- Blue Cash Everyday. The lower reward rates from the no-annual-fee version are far less interesting. Higher $200 signup bonus available with referral link. Official Webpage. Signup Bonus Chart.
Collecting the Signup Bonus
- This card is primarily interesting for its bonus rewards, not for its signup bonus. After subtracting the opportunity cost of using the card for $cash of spending, the calculated net value for the initial year is $200 (Expression error: Unrecognized word "cash". cents per dollar spent). It isn't very much, but it is better than nothing..
- You can only earn the signup bonus once per lifetime. With Amex cards, you are normally not entitled to earn the signup bonus, if you've ever had the card before. However, you may eventually receive a targeted offer that bypasses this limitation, allowing you to earn the bonus an additional time.
- However, you can earn the bonus from both versions of the card. The no-annual-fee Blue Cash Everyday card only has a $150 signup bonus. But, if you start running out of other Amex cards to take advantage of, you might want to eventually collect that bonus as well.
- You may want to wait until you receive a better than normal offer. Since Amex will normally only let you receive the signup bonus once per lifetime, and frequently offers promotional signup offers, it can be worthwhile to postpone signing up, so you don't waste your bonus on a less valuable offer.
After subtracting the annual fee, and the opportunity cost of using the card for $1,000 of spending, the calculated net value of the sign-up is $90 (9 cents per dollar spent).
Other Notable Benefits
- Access to Amex Offers. Amex continuously provides discount offers to their cardholders. Most of the offers are in the form of "Spend $x, get $y back", but other offers are in the form of "x% off your entire order" or "Earn an extra Membership Reward point on your purchases". To take advantage of the offers, you need to go to the Amex website, find the ones you are interested in, and "add them" to your card. Each offer will then be automatically applied when you use your card to make the corresponding purchase. Amex Offers Website.
- Free ShopRunner membership. As with all Amex cards, you are entitled to a complimentary ShopRunner membership, which provides free two-day and return shipping from around 150 of the largest online retailers. ShopRunner Website
- Exclusive access to entertainment events. Amex sponsors cardmember-only events around the country and also provides early ticket access for some other shows.
Bonus Categories
- The Blue Cash Preferred card offers one of the most valuable reward rates on Grocery purchases. You'll earn 6% on grocery spending. The only card that earns more is the Amex EveryDay Preferred card, and only if you make at least 30 transactions per month, and are able to get good value from using your points for frequent flyer tickets. Best Credit Cards for Grocery Spending.
- It is also one of the only cards that earns bonus rewards when you shop at department stores. The bonus reward rate for department stores is only 3%, but that is better than you can get from most general-purpose reward cards. The only better options are some cards where department stores are one of a set of categories you can choose, for department stores that accept mobile wallet payments, and for online purchases. Best Credit Cards for Retail Purchases.
- There are better options for your gas purchases. The rewards from this card are more valuable than what you would get from a good general-purpose reward card, but not as good as what you could get from a card that offers good bonus rewards for this category. While there are a few other cards that earn higher rewards on gas purchases, it doesn't usually make sense to take up an extra credit card slot, just to earn some extra rewards on gas. Best Credit Cards for Gas Spending.
- The reward rates on the no-annual-fee Blue Cash Everyday card aren't that interesting. It does earn 3% on groceries, but that is lower than most of the other options. Most people can earn enough extra rewards from the Preferred version to offset its annual fee.
- You don't want to use these cards for your everyday spending. You'll earn higher rewards from a good general-purpose reward card. Get a Great General Purpose Reward Card and Use It for All of Your Spending.