Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express: Review
Is the Amex Blue Cash Everyday Card worth it?
Yes, the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express 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.
▶︎ See more: Best credit cards for groceries
Blue Cash Everyday® Card: Highlights
- The Blue Cash Everyday Card has no annual fee.
- Cardholders can 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. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
- The current welcome offer on the Blue Cash Everyday Card is $200 after spending $2,000 in the first 6 months after opening your account.
- Comes with Disney Bundle, ShopRunner membership, and Home Chef statement credits. Terms apply. Enrollment may be required.
- The cap on bonus categories, limited partner benefits, and foreign transaction fee are a few potential drawbacks of this card (see rates and fees).
Who is the Blue Cash Everyday Card best for?
The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express is best for individuals or families who like the idea of earning cash back on everyday purchases without having to pay an annual fee. It’s ideal for those who frequently shop at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. online retailers, as it offers the best rewards in these categories.
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express: Rewards
Earning rewards
With the Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express, you can earn:
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3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year, then 1%
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3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases on up to $6,000 per year, then 1%
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3% cash back at U.S. gas stations on up to $6,000 per year, then 1%
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1% cash back on all other eligible purchases
Reward potential
- Imagine you spend $800 per month on groceries at U.S. supermarkets. That’s $9,600 total for the year. You would earn 3% cash back on the first $6,000 and 1% on the remaining $3,600. That’s $216 in cash back.
- Perhaps you also spend $300 on gas at U.S. gas stations each month, for a total of $3,600 per year. Cash back on that amount at 3% is $108.
- Finally, you use your card to make online purchases at U.S. retailers, averaging $250 per month. That’s $3,000 per year, which means $90 in cash back.
Also imagine that you pay off your credit card statement every month, never accruing interest expenses. At the end of the year, you’ve earned $414 in cash without any expense — all for buying things you had to buy anyway.
Redeeming rewards
Cash-back on the Blue Cash Everyday card is earned as Blue Cash Rewards Dollars. These are not points, and you can’t convert them to Membership Rewards points. However, you can redeem them for a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
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.
Welcome offer
New cardholders can earn $200 after spending $2,000 in the first 6 months after opening their account.
This welcome offer is easier to earn than many cards, as $2,000 in 6 months requires you to spend less than $350 per month. For many people, it’s easy to spend that much just by walking into Target a few times per month or by doing some therapeutic online shopping throughout the week.
▶︎ See: Best credit card sign-up bonuses
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express: Benefits
Travel benefits
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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ShopRunner membership. Being an Amex Blue Cash Everyday cardholder gets you a 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.
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Pay It Plan It®. This feature allows you to split large purchases into equal monthly payments. Instead of charging interest, Amex charges you a fixed monthly fee on these purchases, making it easier to budget your money.
Other perks
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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. Enrollment required.
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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. Enrollment required.
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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.
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Instant use. After getting approved for the Blue Cash Everyday Card, you’ll receive your card info so you can use your card immediately.
Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express: The fine print
Fees
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Annual fee: $0
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Foreign transaction fees: 2.7% on every purchase outside of the United States
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Late and returned payment fees: Up to $40
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Cash advance fees: 5% of the withdrawal amount or $10, whichever is more
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Balance transfer fees: 3% of the balance transfer or $5, whichever is more
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Interest rates
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Introductory APR on purchases & balance transfers: 0% for the first 15 months after opening the account
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Regular APR after introductory offer: 19.24% to 29.99%, variable, based on your creditworthiness and other financial factors
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APR for Cash Advances: 29.99% variable
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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
▶︎ See more: Best 0% APR credit cards
Credit limit
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.
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express: Drawbacks
Cap on reward categories
While the 3% reward rate on U.S. supermarket, U.S. gas station, and U.S. online retailer spending is a pretty solid rate for a card with no annual fee, there’s a caveat. This rate only applies to the first $6,000 spent in each of these categories per year, then it drops to a mediocre 1%. If you spend less than $500 per month in each category, you shouldn’t have to worry about this, but if you’re a big spender, the 1% rate isn’t ideal.
If you’re a big spender at U.S. supermarkets, you can do better than this card’s 3% rate. The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express offers 6% back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 spent per year, then 1% (see rates and fees). While it does have the same earning cap as the Blue Cash Everyday, you can earn double the cash back before meeting that cap. Then, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can use the Blue Cash Everyday to cover the following $6,000 at U.S. supermarkets and earn 3% on those purchases, rather than 1%.
Limited partner benefits
It’s unsurprising considering this card’s lack of an annual fee, but in our opinion, Blue Cash Everyday doesn’t excel when it comes to partner benefits. If you can take advantage of the Disney Bundle credit, Home Chef credit, and ShopRunner membership, it’s not too bad. But if those aren’t up your alley, you may do better with another card with different partner benefits.
Foreign transaction fees
The Blue Cash Everyday Card isn’t an ideal credit card for traveling internationally, as it has a 2.7% foreign transaction fee. While this may not seem like a ton, it can add up quickly. This equates to $2.70 in fees for every $100 you spend, and it can be a little too easy to spend a lot of money when traveling overseas. Along the same lines, being an American Express card, international acceptance is lower than it is with a Mastercard or Visa.
▶︎ See more: Best cards with no foreign transaction fee
How Blue Cash Everyday® compares
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express vs. Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
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 U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per year, then 1%) and U.S. streaming services, 3% on transit and U.S. gas station purchases and 1% on all other eligible purchases. Cash back is earned in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed for statement credits or at Amazon.com. Terms apply.
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.
▶︎ Read more: American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card review
▶︎ Read more: Amex Blue Cash Preferred vs Blue Cash Everyday
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express vs. Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
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 (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), streaming service and entertainment purchases. If you’re more likely to dine 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.
▶︎ Read more: Capital One SavorOne Credit Card review
Should you get the Amex 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 reward cards may be a better fit.
