Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express Review – Great For Grocery Purchases

KEY LINK: Blue Cash Preferred® Card 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. (see rates and fees)

We talk a lot about credit cards and welcome offers here, because that is one of the best ways to get a lot of points quickly. It’s too hard to get any appreciable amount of points when you only earn them 1 or 2 per dollar, unless you have a LOT of spending. Depending on how many credit cards you’re willing to carry in your wallet, it can make a lot of sense to have a few cards that have high bonuses in one or two categories. That way you can get a high return on all your spending, no matter where you are. The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is one such card, with its outstanding cashback return at U.S. supermarkets and on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express – $250 welcome offer

Currently, the Blue Cash Preferred card has a welcome offer where you can earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases in the first 6 months. While you can’t get outsized value from cashback, you also don’t have to worry about maximizing your rewards. Cash is cash after all! There is no annual fee the first year, and then a $95 annual fee after that.

American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card Review – Earning Rates

The Blue Cash Preferred card has a tiered earning structure

• 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 on transit including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more
• 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations
• 1% Cash Back on other purchases

The real gems to this earning structure are the grocery and streaming categories. 6% cashback is one of the highest earning rates for both of those categories. You are limited to only $6,000 per year on grocery purchases (and only in the United States), but that still would be $360 each year if you maximize your earnings at that category each year. That’s significantly more than the $95 annual fee each year, and remember, for the first year there is no fee AND you get a welcome bonus.

American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card Benefits

The American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card doesn’t have a ton of benefits that come with the card, but there are a few that you might find interesting.

• 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%.
• $7/month back in the form of a statement credit after you spend $9.99 or more each month on an eligible subscription to the Disney Bundle which can include Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+
• Access to potentially lucrative Amex Offers.

Alternatives to the Blue Cash Preferred® Card

If you’re looking for a card to maximize your grocery purchases, the Blue Cash Preferred card can be a great option. Here are two other cards to consider:

• Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express – $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases in the first 6 months. $0 annual fee (see rates and fees). 3% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%.
• American Express® Gold Card – Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. $325 annual fee (see rates and fees). 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).

The Bottom Line

KEY LINK: Blue Cash Preferred® Card 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.

Grocery purchases are among the biggest single expenses for many families each month, and getting 6% on up to $6,000 per year (then 1%) is an outstanding rebate on those purchases. That averages out to be around $500 per month, which for our large family would not quite cut it, but if you have a big family like me, then you can have your spouse also sign up for a Blue Cash Preferred to double the amount you can get 6% on :-).

As always, don’t apply for a credit card just because some guy on the internet said you should, but if you are planning on applying and would like to support the site, we appreciate it.

Are you planning on getting the American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card? Leave your thoughts in the comments below

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