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The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express offers $250 back in statement credits after spending $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
Cardholders earn 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions and 3% Cash Back on transit including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses & more.
In addition, you an earn 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations; all other purchases earn 1% cash back.
With the 6% reward rate on qualifying groceries, a family really only needs to spend $25 a week on groceries to make up for the annual fee. Unlike the Chase Freedom or Discover it, there are no rotating reward categories and no enrollment required.
Table of Contents
Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express Summary
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| Bonus Available | $250 statement credit after you spend $1,000 in purchases within 3 months. |
| *Bonus Value | $250 |
| Ongoing Rewards/Benefits | 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in spending. 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions. 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations. 3% Cash Back on transit including taxis/rideshares, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more. 1% Cash Back on all other purchases. |
| Foreign Transaction Fees | 2.75% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars |
| Annual Fee | $95 |
Recommended Free Credit Score (Get Free Score) 690 – 850 (Good – Excellent)
PROS
- Great welcome offer
- High cash back at U.S. supermarkets
- Expanded bonus rewards categories
CONS
- Annual fee
- Foreign transaction fees
Editor’s Alternate Pick
 The Capital One® SavorSM Cash Rewards Credit Card offers a one-time $300 cash bonus after spending $3000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. You'll earn an unlimited 4% cash back on dining and entertainment, 2% at grocery stores and 1% on all other purchases. Capital One cardholders get access to premium experiences in dining, entertainment and more. This card does carry a $95 annual fee, however, there is a $0 intro annual fee for the first year. |
The Blue Cash Preferred $250 Bonus Offer
Take advantage of the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express’ $250 statement credit offer by making a minimum spend of $1,000 in purchases within your first three months.
To help you meet the $1,000 spending requirement, here are some things you can do:
| • Plastiq - Using Plastiq allows you to pay for your personal expenses such as rent, tuition, mortgage, auto lease etc. Although they charge a 2.5% processing fee for using your credit card, this will contribute to the card bonus that you will receive. There is also a referral program that allows you to earn "Free-Free Dollars" that goes towards processing fees as well. |
| • Funding Checking Accounts - When it comes to funding a checking account, opening your initial deposit with a credit card is the usual way to go about it. However, if you want to have more opportunities, you should open a checking account that offers a sign-up bonus. This allows you to work towards bonuses from not one but two different sources instead. Banks like Chase, Huntington Bank, TD Bank and BBVA offers credit card funding, and for your opening deposit, you can often fund anywhere from $50-$1000 with a credit card, depending on the bank. |
| • Gift Card Purchases With Using a Credit Card - Another way to acquire the bonus is using your credit card to purchase gift cards. Buying a a gift card or an individual merchant card typically do not require a purchase fee and are used towards leisure, so gift cards are ideal. However, gift cards such as a Visa or American Express do incur purchase fees because they can be spent anywhere, but gift cards that are specifically for a certain online shopping site such as Amazon or eBay don't. |
| As for a Citi Credit Card, you should call customer service and ask them to lower your Cash Advance limit to $0 before making any purchases because Citi tends to read gift card purchases as a Cash Advance. Ideally, you should do this with any card just to be safe. Lastly, there is such thing as a discounted gift card which can be purchased on Raise or eBay. If you use a credit card often for everyday purchases, it can build your credit score that will contribute towards paying for things such as bills and taxes. |
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Earning & Redeeming Cash Back
The Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card has practical cash back reward categories. Users earn 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets up to $6,000 per year in purchases and then receive 1% after.
Reaching the $6,000 maximum amount on this card totals $360 cash back within the year. That doesn’t include the rest of the categories. Unfortunately, major discount superstores and wholesale clubs like Walmart, Target, Sam’s and Costco are not included.
Then, at U.S. gas stations, cardholders earn 3% cash back. This bonus category isn’t capped. Thus, the earning power is also unlimited. This 3% return can really add up.
To add more value, you can earn 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions and 3% Cash Back on transit including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses & more.
All other purchases earn 1% cash back. There’s also no limit on how much you can earn. Cash back rewards and bonuses earned will be in the form of statement credits.
Additional Benefits
- Purchase Protection: Items purchased with your card will receive purchase protections, return protection, and extended warranty.
- Travel Benefits: Get the proper coverage and protection when you travel with car rental loss and damage insurance, travel accident insurance, and roadside assistance hotline.
- Entertainment Access: Card members enjoy exclusive access to ticket pre-sales and member-only events to Broadway shows and concerts, family and sporting events, and much more.
Statement Credit Incentive
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express offers the chance to earn $250 back in statement credits after spending $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. It should be easy to satisfy the spending requirement, especially if you use this card as your primary card for most of your purchases.
Unrivaled 6% Cash Back Rewards
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express has unrivaled cash back reward categories that makes it a favorite among practical consumers and critical analysts alike. Enjoy rewards on everyday spending and watch your savings add up. Cash back rewards and bonuses earned will be in the form of statement credits.
- 6% Cash Back can be earned at U.S. supermarket. It’s only available for up to $6,000 per year in purchases. Then, receive 1% after. Reaching the $6,000 maximum amount alone totals $360 cash back within the year. That doesn’t include any of the other categories. Unfortunately, major discount superstores and wholesale clubs like Walmart, Target, Sam’s and Costco aren’t included.
- 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions and 3% Cash Back on transit including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses & more.
- 3% Cash Back can be earned at U.S. gas stations. There’s no cap for this spending category. Therefore, the earning power is also unlimited where a 3% return can really add up.
- 1% Cash Back will be earned on other purchases. There’s also no spending limit.
Dependable Benefits
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express comes with many standout benefits. They will protect your purchases, safeguard and help when you need it most. Plus, they’ll connect you to fun and entertainment. Some restrictions apply with each benefit.
- Purchase Protection: Get an extra level of protection on your purchases. Enjoy purchase protection, extended warranty, return protection, and dispute resolution. If the manufacturers, retailers or service providers of your purchases can’t assist you, your card may be able to handle it.
- Amex Offers: Take advantage of these for opportunities to earn more points or statement credit. Just sign up at amexoffers.com, add offers to your card, and meet the requirements.
- Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance: Use your card for your car rental, then experience coverage if it becomes damaged or stolen. Just decline the collision damage waiver when picking up the car.
- Roadside Assistance Hotline: Having car trouble is always a major inconvenience and is distressing. If you ever become stranded, you can get emergency services. These include towing, repairing a flat tire, battery charges to get back on the road.
- Global Assist Hotline: For unanticipated circumstances while traveling or if you have questions about where you’re traveling to, this program can help you. No matter if the situation is urgent or minor, call the Global Assist Hotline.
- Travel Accident Insurance: Plan ahead without expecting the worse to happen. Know that your family will be less affected financially.
- Destination Family: Get special travel discounts and benefits tailor made for families by American Express travel partners.
- Entertainment Access: Enjoy early access to pre-sale tickets and exclusive reserved seating to the latest events before they go on sale to the general public.
Bottom Line
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express offers other benefits such as free extended warranty, purchase protection, and easy cashback redemption. Don’t miss out on the chance. Review our complete list of credit card bonuses.
Learn more about this card and its features here.
What’s The Competition?
Alternatives With A Similar Annual Fee
 The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®! You'll earn 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide; 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. And when you redeem your points for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards, you'll get 25% more value! |
The Capital One® SavorSM Cash Rewards Credit Card offers a one-time $300 cash bonus after spending $3000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. You'll earn an unlimited 4% cash back on dining and entertainment, 2% at grocery stores and 1% on all other purchases. Capital One cardholders get access to premium experiences in dining, entertainment and more. This card does carry a $95 annual fee, however, there is a $0 intro annual fee for the first year. |
No-Annual-Fee Alternatives
 The Chase Freedom Unlimited® Card offers double cash back. You'll earn 3% cash back on all purchases in your first year up to $20,000 spent. After that earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases. There is no minimum to redeem for cash back & your cash back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open. This card comes with no annual fee and you'll get a free credit score that is updated weekly with Credit JourneySM. |
 The Capital One® Quicksilver® Cash Rewards Card offers a one-time $150 cash bonus after spending $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. You'll be able to earn an unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day with no rotating categories or sign-ups needed to earn cash rewards. This card comes with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees which makes this card a viable option for your go-to everyday card. |
 The Capital One® SavorOneSM Cash Rewards Credit Card offers a one-time $150 cash bonus after spending $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. You'll earn an unlimited 3% cash back on dining and entertainment, 2% at grocery stores and 1% on all other purchases with no rotating categories or sign-ups needed to earn cash rewards. This card comes with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees. |
| PROMOTIONAL LINK | OFFER | REVIEW |
| Chase Premier Plus CheckingSM | $300 Cash | Review |
| Chase Total Checking® + Chase SavingsSM | $350 Cash | Review |
| Chase Total Business Checking® | $200 Cash | Review |
| Chase SapphireSM Checking | $750 Cash | Review |
| Simple High-Yield Checking | $500 Cash | Review |
| Discover Bank Online Savings | $200 Cash | Review |
| HSBC Premier Checking Member FDIC | $750 Cash | Review |
| HSBC Advance Checking Member FDIC | $350 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Asterisk-Free Checking® | $150 Cash | Review |
| Huntington 5 Checking | $200 Cash | Review |
| Chase College CheckingSM | $100 Cash | Review |
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| TD Bank Beyond Checking | $300 Cash | Review |
| TD Bank Convenience CheckingSM | $200 Cash | Review |
| Discover Cashback Debit Account | $360 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Bank Unlimited Plus Business Checking | $500 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Bank Unlimited Business Checking | $400 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Bank Business Checking 100 | $200 Cash | Review |
I think we should get this one. It is worth the $75 annual fee.