4 Unique Perks of the Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card
KEY POINTS
- The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express has high cash back rates, especially on U.S. supermarket and eligible streaming purchases.
- You could get a monthly spending credit if you use this card to pay for a Disney Bundle.
- This is one of only a few cards that still offers return protection.
There aren't many cash back cards as feature-rich as the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express. It has excellent cash back rates in everyday spending categories where people spend the most and plenty of other valuable perks.
Unlike most cash back cards, this one has an annual fee: a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95. (see rates and fees). But the benefits could easily save you $500 or more per year. Here's a closer look at the most unique perks this American Express card offers.
On American Express' Secure Website.
Terms apply
On American Express' Secure Website.
Terms apply
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR
Purchases: 0%, 12 months
Balance Transfers: 0%, 12 months
APR
19.24%-29.99% Variable
Rewards 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 at U.S. gas stations. 3% Cash Back on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more). 1% Cash Back on other purchases. Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
1%-6% Cash Back
Annual Fee
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
Welcome Offer Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
$250
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This card offers market-leading cash back at U.S. supermarkets. The welcome bonus and intro APR offer sweeten the deal. Terms apply. If you spend a lot on groceries (excluding wholesale clubs and superstores like Costco and Walmart), this card is worth considering.
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- Big welcome offer
- U.S. supermarkets rewards
- U.S. gas stations rewards
- Streaming subscription rewards
- Travel and purchase protections
- Annual fee
- Foreign transaction fee
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- Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
- Buy Now, Pay Later: Enjoy $0 intro plan fees when you use Plan It® to split up large purchases into monthly installments. Pay $0 intro plan fees on plans created during the first 12 months from the date of account opening. Plans created after that will have a monthly plan fee up to 1.33% of each eligible purchase amount moved into a plan based on the plan duration, the APR that would otherwise apply to the purchase, and other factors.
- 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%.
- 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 at U.S. gas stations.
- 3% Cash Back on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more).
- 1% Cash Back on other purchases.
- Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
- $84 Disney Bundle Credit: With your enrolled Blue Cash Preferred Card, spend $9.99 or more each month on an auto-renewing Disney Bundle subscription, to receive a monthly statement credit of $7. Valid only at Disney Plus.com, Hulu.com or Plus.espn.com in the U.S.
- Terms Apply.
1. A sky-high cash back rate at U.S. supermarkets
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express earns an impressive 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, up to a spending cap of $6,000 per calendar year. After that, it earns 1% cash back in that category for the rest of the calendar year (terms apply).
The $6,000 spending cap comes out to $500 per month. If you spend that much, you'll earn $360 in cash back per year just at U.S. supermarkets. You receive cash back with this card as Reward Dollars, which you can redeem as a statement credit.
2. Bonus streaming rewards
Most of us pay for our fair share of streaming services. In fact, one-third of consumers pay $100 or more per month on subscriptions, according to a recent survey by The Motley Fool Ascent.
This American Express card also earns 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions. There's no spending cap on that like there is for the U.S. supermarket rewards (terms apply). If you spend $1,500 per year on eligible streaming services, then you'll earn another $90 cash back.
The list of select U.S. streaming providers is pretty long, too, and it includes more than just TV-and-movie services. You'll also earn bonus cash backon streaming music services (including Spotify, Apple Music, and SiriusXM), YouTube Premium, Audible, and sports streaming (including NBA League Pass and MLB.TV).
3. A Disney Bundle credit
Another reason this card is great for streaming is its Disney Bundle credit of up to $84 back annually. You receive $7 back monthly after spending at least $9.99 each month on an eligible subscription to the Disney Bundle using your card. Enrollment required and terms apply.
Disney Bundle plans start at $9.99 with ads and $19.99 with no ads. Whichever plan you have, it will be much cheaper with this American Express card.
4. Return protection
One of the more underrated perks this card offers is return protection. You can file a return protection request if you want to return an eligible purchase within 90 days and the merchant won't take it back. American Express may refund the full purchase price up to a limit of $300 per item, excluding shipping and handling, and up to $1,000 per card member account per year (terms apply).
Return protection has become much harder to find in recent years. Most of the credit cards that offer it are premium cards with expensive annual fees -- many of them cost $500 or more. The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is one of the few affordable cards that still has this benefit.
A high-powered cash back card
If you've been considering gas and grocery credit cards, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is one of the best out there. Keep in mind that the features listed above are just some of its unique perks that you won't find with many other cards.
It also earns 3% cash back on transit and at U.S. gas stations. And it has a large welcome offer: a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 6 months (terms apply). With all this card has to offer, the annual fee is a bargain.
Our Research Expert
We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent, a Motley Fool service, does not cover all offers on the market. The Ascent has a dedicated team of editors and analysts focused on personal finance, and they follow the same set of publishing standards and editorial integrity while maintaining professional separation from the analysts and editors on other Motley Fool brands.
Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply.
Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.
For rates and fees for the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, click here
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