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For those of us who are deeply immersed in the miles and points hobby, it’s easy to forget that we’re the outliers in the credit card world. While we love nothing more than to earn a stash of airline, hotel, or transferable points/miles every time we use a credit card, most ‘normal’ people can’t be bothered with all of that.
Getting the most out of a miles or points balance takes work and often quite a bit of effort. People with busy lives and families to look after generally don’t have the time or energy to deal with all of that and this is a big reason why cash back credit cards are so incredibly popular and why the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is a card that would work well in most wallets.
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
In brief
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is one of the more rewarding cashback cards on the market with its market-leading rebate at U.S supermarkets, market-leading rebate on spending with streaming services, great cash back rates on select travel spending, and great cash back at gas stations too.
If you’re someone looking for a strong cash back card or if you’re just someone who prefers to earn statement credits over miles and points, this is probably the card for you and now, for a limited time, the card is offering a $0 introductory fee for the first year ($95/year after that).
In detail
Here’s what you need to know about the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express:
Annual fee:
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95 – rates & fees
Cost of authorized user cards:
- $0 (zero) – rates & fees
Current welcome bonus:
- Earn a $250 statement credit after spending $3,000 on your new card within 6 months of card membership (more details)
Note: The welcome bonus is only available to applicants who have not held this card before.
Earnings (terms apply):
- 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 spending per year*
- 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions
- 3% cash back on transit spending (e.g. taxis/Uber/Lyft, parking, tolls, trains, buses)
- 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations
- 1% cash back on all other eligible spending
*Any spending above $6,000 will earn 1% cash back
Note: Cashback is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit.
Other key benefits (terms apply and enrollment may be required):
- $10/month in statement credits for spending made with Equinox (terms apply).
- $7/month in statement credits for spending $13.99 or more each month on an eligible Disney bundle (includes Disney+, Hulu & ESPN).
- Secondary rental car cover
- Returns protection
- Access to Amex Offers
Why this is a great card
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is a card that you hold for the great cashback that it offers rather than any other benefits that come with it, and there’s no other card that offers more cash back at US supermarkets or on spending with US streaming services.
The welcome offer
Before I go on to point out just how good a cash back card the Blue Cash Preferred® Card is, it’s important to consider just how good the welcome offer is too.
New cardholders have 6 months to spend $3,000 in order to get a rebate of $250 – and that’s a nice length of time to be given to meet the welcome offers spending target (rates & fees).
More importantly, thanks to the fact that most major supermarkets now sell a lot more than just groceries, the welcome offer’s target should be reasonably easy to meet without having to move any spending away from the card’s key bonus category.
6% US supermarket cash back (terms apply)
6% cash back is a fantastic saving to make on all US supermarket spending (up to $6,000 of spending per year), and when you consider that most supermarkets sell gift cards for a variety of eateries, clothes stores, home improvement stores, phone/cable service providers, and department stores (all of which will qualify for the 6% cashback) it quickly becomes apparent that the Blue Cash Preferred® Card is a card that earns 6% cash back on much more than your weekly grocery bill.
6% cash back on U.S. streaming services (terms apply)
The 6% cash back available on select US streaming services will be very appealing to those who spend a lot on services like Netflix, HBO, Disney+, and Spotify…but the cashback can be earned on considerably more services than just those. Here’s the full list:
- Amazon Music Unlimited
- Apple Music
- Apple TV+
- Audible
- DirecTV Stream (formerly known as AT&T TV or AT&T TV NOW)
- Disney+
- ESPN+
- Fubo TV
- HBO
- 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
That leaves very few major US streaming services that the Blue Cash Preferred® Card doesn’t cover. (Link to the most recent list of streaming services that earn 6% cashback)
Also, when you factor in the $7/month statement credit that’s available to cardholders who spend $13.99 or more per month on a Disney bundle, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card becomes one of the best (if not the best) cards to use when paying for streaming services (assuming you need/want an eligible Disney bundle).
3% gas station cash back (terms apply)
For most people, filling up their vehicle with gas is one of the bigger expenses that they can pay using a credit card, so the 3% cash back that the Blue Cash Preferred® Card offers at US gas stations can be a great money saver.
Importantly, the gas station category doesn’t have a spending cap attached to it so, if a cardholder hits the $6,000 spending limit at US grocery stores, they can turn to the gift cards available at most gas stations to ensure that they continue to get a good rate of return on more than just gas.
3% cash back on select travel spending (terms apply)
Holders of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card may not be able to earn 3% cash back on hotels, rental cars, or airfare, but the 3% cash back available on the following can still be incredibly useful:
- Trains
- Taxicabs
- Rideshare services
- Ferries
- Tolls
- Parking
- Buses
- Subways
When a cardholder isn’t earning 3% cash back on the gas they’re putting in their car, they’re earning 3% cash back on most other forms of transport that they’re taking to get to their destination. That’s very good news.
Bottom line
If you prefer to earn cash back to miles and points, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is almost certainly a card that you should have in your wallet. Actually, even if you love the miles and points game you should probably consider it too, and as its annual fee is currently waived for the first year, you can try it out for free.
The card offers great rates of cash back in a range of categories in which a lot of people spend a considerable amount of their budget (gas, groceries & transit) so, used correctly, it can be a fantastic money saver.
On top of all of this, with cashback earned in the form of Blue Cash Rewards Dollars which can be redeemed as statement credits, there’s no need to worry about how to get the best use out of the earnings the card offers – getting the most out of the card couldn’t be simpler and takes no effort or time at all.
Find out how to apply for the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, please visit this page
