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What we think: The Blue Cash Everyday card is one of our favorite cash-back cards out there, with above-average rewards on purchases in everyday categories and no annual fee.
The Blue Cash Everyday card doesn’t have an annual fee.
The card includes introductory purchase and balance transfer APR offers, which can help you maximize benefits and cash-back opportunities.
You’ll need at least good credit to get approved for this card.
SUMMARY
The Blue Cash Everyday card from American Express is a cashback card that makes it easy to earn rewards on daily spending. This card is great for people who spend regularly at the grocery store and gas pump as well as those who like to shop online.
Check out our American Express Blue Cash Everyday review below to find out:
How you earn cashback with this card and how to redeem it
How interest rates and fees impact your ability to earn cashback
Whether a similar card might be a better match for you
What other perks you can expect as a Blue Cash cardholder
Pros & Cons
Pros
No annual fee
0% APR on eligible purchases for 15 months
Generous rewards at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations & online shopping
Cons
Rewards cap on spending at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and online retail purchases
Earn 3% cash back on up to $6,000/year spent at U.S. supermarkets (then 1%), 3% back on up to $6,000/year at U.S. gas stations (then 1%), 3% back on up to $6,000/year on online retail purchases (then 1%), and 1% back on all other eligible purchases. No annual fee.
Is the Amex Blue Cash Everyday worth it?
Yes, the Blue Cash Everyday card is likely worth it if you’re looking for a no-annual-fee cash back credit card that lets you earn on day-to-day purchases you’d be making anyway.
The best way to maximize your benefits with this card is to use it to make your grocery, gas and online retail purchases rather than using the funds in your checking account. Then, you can use those checking account funds to pay off your statement each cycle to avoid interest expenses that eat into your cashback perks.
Pros of the Blue Cash Everyday card
Easy cashback structure many people can maximize
No annual fee
0% introductory APR offer for purchases and balance transfers
Potential cons of the Blue Cash Everyday card
3% cashback earnings are limited to the first $6,000 in spending each year per category
Some other rewards cards may offer enhanced cashback earnings
Foreign transaction fees that reduce cashback earnings if you shop outside of the United States
Unlike travel and luxury rewards credit cards, which often offer cash back or points on purchases the average person doesn’t make on a regular basis, the Blue Cash Everyday card offers benefits on everyday spending.
Blue Cash Everyday welcome bonus
Cash back rewards with this card come out of the gate swinging with an easy-to-earn, attractive welcome offer. To secure the welcome offer, you must spend $2,000 with your Blue Cash Everyday card within the first six months of opening the account.
That’s only around $334 a month, and most people spend that much on groceries and gas alone. Simply swipe the Blue Cash card to pay for purchases you’re already making, pay your statement off with money you would have used on those purchases, and collect the welcome offer.
The signup bonus can be up to $250 as a statement credit. The exact amount you’re offered as a welcome bonus may vary, and this offer is presented to you after you prequalify for the Amex credit card.
Earning Blue Cash Everyday rewards
The rewards rate for cash back on the Blue Cash Everyday card is 1% to 3%. You’ll get a rewards rate of 3% when you use this card at supermarkets and gas stations and to make online retail purchases (all within the United States). All other qualifying purchases earn you 1% cashback.
Note that the 3% cashback is limited every calendar year — you only earn it on the first $6,000 in spending in each category. After that, you earn the regular 1% on any further spending.
Here’s a hypothetical breakdown of potential cash-back earnings with this card.
Imagine someone spends $800 per month on groceries at supermarkets. That’s $9,600 total for the year. They would earn 3% cash back on the first $6,000 and 1% on the remaining $3,600. That’s $216 in cash back.
Perhaps the individual also spends $300 on gas each month, for a total of $3,600 per year. Cash back on that amount at 3% is $108.
Finally, the individual uses their card to make online purchases averaging $250 per month. That’s $3,000 per year, which means $90 in cash back.
Also imagine that this person pays off their credit card statement every month, never accruing interest expenses. At the end of the year, they have earned $414 in cash without any expense — all for buying things they had to buy anyway.
Redeeming Blue Cash Everyday rewards
The Blue Cash Everyday card cash back is earned as Blue Cash Rewards Dollars. These are not points, and you can’t convert the dollars to Membership Rewards points. However, you can redeem them for a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
So, imagine that you have $300 in Blue Cash Rewards Dollars. You want to use them to help cover the cost of a weekend getaway. You could pay for the trip with your Blue Cash Everyday card and then use the cash back to pay down your statement total.
It’s important to note that cash back statement credits don’t reduce your minimum payment due (unless they happen to pay off the entire balance). For example, if you have a balance of $1,000 and a $50 minimum payment due, redeeming $100 in cashback to reduce your balance to $900 doesn’t change the fact that you also have to make that $50 payment.
While the cash-back game is strong with the Blue Cash Everyday card, it also comes with some other notable perks.
Disney Bundle credit
Disney lovers can get a credit to reduce the cost of their streaming entertainment consumption when they pay with this card. If you use your Amex Blue Cash Everyday card to cover $9.99 or more each month in Disney Bundle costs on Plus.espn, Hulu.com or DisneyPlus.com, you can get a $7 statement credit monthly. This perk is only valid in the United States.
Home Chef credit
You can get up to $15 back in statement credit when you use this card to pay for a Home Chef subscription. That’s a benefit of up to $180 per year.
ShopRunner membership
Being an Amex Blue Cash Everyday cardholder gets you complimentary membership in the ShopRunner program. You can get free two-day shipping on online retail purchases from participating retailers. With more than 100 online stores to shop with, chances are you can find what you need and save on shipping with this perk.
Car rental insurance
Use your Blue Cash Everyday card to cover the entire purchase of a car rental, and you don’t need to pop for extra insurance through the rental company. You get automatic coverage for theft and damage. Note that this is only true in covered territories, so ensure you’re in the right geolocation for this benefit before you count on it.
Purchase protection
Your in-store or online retail purchases may be covered against theft or accidental damage up to 90 days from the date you use this card to make the purchase. This benefit does have limits, so always check your cardholder agreement for the fine print.
American Express Experiences
Blue Cash Everyday credit cardholders can take advantage of this program, which lets you purchase tickets for card-member exclusive events. You can also get access to ticket presales that the general public doesn’t have access to, potentially helping you score entry into popular concerts and other events.
Amex Offers
You can browse special offers and deals in your online account and add them to your card. When you shop for related products through Amex Offers and pay with your Blue Cash Everyday card, you can score significant deals.
Global Assist Hotline
If you’re traveling and are more than 100 miles from your home, this benefit can help you handle emergencies. Helpful representatives at this hotline can recommend legal, medical and other services in the area where you are or offer information about customs or other processes.
Amex Blue Cash Everyday fees, rates & limit
It’s important to consider the costs of holding any credit card. When you’re weighing the cashback benefits of an option like the Blue Cash Everyday credit card, you also want to know how much of that cashback is true “profit” for you, so you’ll want to know what fees and interest you might end up paying (see rates and fees).
Amex Blue Cash Everyday credit card fees
The good news is that Blue Cash Everyday is a credit card with no annual fee. Some rewards cards do have annual fees, and that means you have to earn enough rewards to cover the fee before you actually “profit” from the rewards.
Some fees you might pay with the card include:
Foreign transaction fees of 2.7% on every purchase outside of the United States
Late and returned payment fees up to $40
Cash advance fees of 5% of the withdrawal amount or $10, whichever is more
Balance transfer fees of 3% of the balance transfer or $5, whichever is more
All of the above fees are under your control, though, as they only occur in those specific situations.
Amex Blue Cash Everyday credit card interest rates
If you carry a balance from statement to statement on your Blue Cash Everyday card, you’ll be charged interest. That can seriously eat into your cash-back rewards.
APR Type
APR Percentage
Introductory APR rate on purchases
0% for the first 15 months after opening the account
Introductory APR on balance transfers
0% for the first 15 months after opening the account
Regular APR after introductory offer
19.24% to 29.99%, variable, based on your creditworthiness and other financial factors
APR for Cash Advances
29.99% variable
Penalty APR
29.99% for at least six months; penalty APR may be applied if you are late on payments or have a returned payment
Having a cash-back credit card with a 0% intro APR offer can be handy. You might use the card to fund a large purchase and pay that balance off over time without accruing interest — all while earning cash back on the purchase itself.
For example, say you want to buy new living room furniture, and the cost is $4,500. You could put it on this card the first month you have it and get 15 months to pay it off without interest. That’s 15 payments of $300. But you also get 1% cash back on the purchase, so you net $45 from the deal (in addition to whatever welcome bonus you might earn).
Amex Blue Cash Everyday credit card limit
The higher your credit limit, the more flexibility you have in leveraging the introductory APR or credit card balance transfer offers. Your credit limit on this card will depend on your credit score and history, income and current debt load.
Amex Blue Cash Everyday cardholders report credit limits ranging from $1,000 to $20,000 with this card, so you can likely expect your initial credit to fall in that range. American Express may increase your credit limit over time as you handle your account responsibly.
American Express is more than just a credit card issuer
The first step in growing and maintaining consistent savings is to understand your personal finances through checking and savings accounts, credit cards, and more.
Before you apply for a credit card, always consider similar options to understand whether it’s the right card for you.
Generally, the Amex Blue Cash Everyday credit card compares favorably to other cash-back cards. It doesn’t have an annual fee, which isn’t always the case, and provides fairly easy ways to earn cash back for most people.
Amex Blue Cash Everyday vs. Amex Blue Cash Preferred
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express comes with an annual fee of $95 after the first year (see rates and fees), which means you have to earn more cash back to benefit from the card. However, cash rewards on this card are 6% for supermarket and streaming services purchases, 3% on transit and gas purchases and 1% for everything else.
If you know that you’ll spend a lot of money at supermarkets, on public transit, or gas in a year, you may be able to maximize benefits to more than make up for that annual fee. Otherwise, the Blue Cash Everyday card lets you earn a bit of cash back without worrying about overcoming the fee.
Neither of these cards has an annual fee, but they offer different rewards structures. The Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card offers 3% back on dining, grocery store, streaming service and entertainment purchases. If you’re more likely to eat out and catch a movie than shop online or in the grocery store, the SavorOne card may let you earn more cashback than the Blue Cash Everyday card.
The Blue Cash Everyday card is a decent rewards credit card, especially when grocery, gas and online retail purchases make up a good portion of your budget. If you want to earn rewards without the hassle of an annual fee, this may be a good card for you.
However, if you tend to spend more in other categories, such as travel or dining out, or you want a credit card with a lot of travel perks, other rewards cards — including many Amex credit cards — may be a better fit.
American Express alternatives to the Blue Cash Everyday card
If racking up miles with airline credit cards is more your style, there is a line of Amex Delta credit cards that might interest you. There are four cards in this line (seven if you include the Delta Amex business cards): Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. They all offer different tiers of rewards and fees. Amex also has several hotel credit card options, including Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors.
How to apply for the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card
You can learn more about the Blue Cash card and apply online. You’ll need your personal information, such as phone number and address, as well as your Social Security number and date of birth. You will also need to provide some information about your current income and debts.
To get approved for this card, you will need at least a good credit score. Typically, the lender looks for credit scores in the high 600s or higher. If you do get approved, you’ll receive your card’s info right away so you can use your card instantly.
Amex Blue Cash Everyday FAQs
Is Amex Blue Cash Everyday a charge card?
No, this is not an American Express charge card. It is a traditional credit card, which means you don’t have to pay the balance off every month. However, outside of the introductory offer, carrying a balance will come with interest expenses.
How does cash back work on the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card?
You earn cash back when you use your card for purchases. You’ll get 3% cash back when you spend on groceries, gas and online retail purchases. Those rewards are limited to the first $6,000 you spend annually in each category. All other cash back is earned at a rate of 1%. You can redeem your cash back as a statement credit.
Is the Amex Blue Cash Everyday hard to get?
It’s somewhat challenging to get approved for this card, as you need a credit score at least in the good range.
What credit score do I need for Amex Blue Cash Everyday?
To get the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card, we recommend you have at least a good credit score (670 FICO score or higher). However, your credit score isn’t the only factor the lender will consider, so you may be approved if your score is slightly lower or denied even if your score is within that range.
Does the Blue Cash Everyday card have a foreign transaction fee?
Yes, the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express has a 2.7% foreign transaction fee, so it’s not the best card for traveling outside the U.S.
Sarah Stasik is well versed in personal finance thanks to her previous role as a Revenue Cycle Manager for a Fortune 500 healthcare company. Using her inside knowledge and expertise, Sarah often covers topics ranging from insurance and the economics of private healthcare to personal finance and small business management.
Over the past 12 years, Sarah has contributed to numerous publications in the personal and small business finance sector, including content on budgeting, bankruptcy, small business accounting, and financial tech. Her writing focuses on making complex or seemingly daunting financial topics more accessible and providing helpful, relevant resources for readers.
* Opinions expressed here are those of the LA Times Compare Cards Team and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser or entities included within this content. See our editorial policy for more details.
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