Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card vs. Citi Double Cash Card [Detailed Comparison]

We’re a fan of everyday-spending cards. After all, what’s not to like about earning rewards on the purchases you make daily?

And, while earning rewards for purchases you’re already making may sound like a smart decision, selecting a card that earns the most rewards possible for your spending mix is even smarter.

This is one of the primary reasons we compare popular cards. This can help you learn how similar cards work and thus find the best card for your specific situation.

Today, we’ve selected 2 popular everyday purchasing cards: the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express and the Citi^® Double Cash Card. Each card has its strengths when it comes to earning cash-back, redeeming rewards, features, and benefits.

Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card vs. Citi Double Cash Card — Overview

We’ll be covering the details of the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card and Citi Double Cash card next.

But first, let’s look at an overall comparison of our featured cards.

Card	Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express	Citi® Double Cash Card
Welcome Offer	Earn a $250 statement credit after spending $3,000 in purchases in the first 6 months.	No welcome offer available.
Annual Fee	$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 (rates and fees)	$0
Earning	6% cash-back at U.S. supermarkets, up to $6,000 in purchases each year, then 1% 6% cash-back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions 3% cash-back at U.S. gas stations and on parking and transit  1% cash-back on all other purchases	2% unlimited cash-back (1% when the purchase is made, 1% when the balance is paid)
Redemption Options	Statement credits, gift cards, merchandise	Transfer to select travel partners, redeem for travel, statement credits, check, bank transfer, gift cards, Amazon
Statement Credits (enrollment required)	Up to $120 each year (up to $10 per month) for qualifying Equinox+ purchases Up to $7 per month on a Disney Bundle subscription of $12.99 or more, up to $84 each year	None
Top Travel Protections and Benefits	Secondary car rental insurance Global Assist Hotline	Lyft credits
Top Shopping Protections and Benefits	Purchase protection, extended warranty, return protection Amex Offers	DoorDash Citi Merchant Offers
Authorized Users	No charge to add authorized users (rates and fees)	No charge to add authorized users

The Value of a Welcome Offer

Once you’re approved for the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card, you can qualify for the welcome offer after meeting minimum spending requirements within a specified period after card approval. The Citi Double Cash card does not currently have a welcome offer.

Because welcome offers can vary over time, we’ve included a card snapshot that includes the current welcome offer for the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card and more information on each of our featured cards:

Bottom Line:

The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card includes a welcome offer that can be earned after card approval by meeting minimum spending requirements. The Citi Double Cash card does not have a welcome offer.

Earning Potential

Referral Bonus Opportunites

Once you’ve been approved for your Amex Blue Cash Preferred card, you can earn additional cash-back by referring friends or family members. American Express is unique in that your referral can select any offered American Express card, and once they’re approved, you’ll receive a referral bonus.

The current referral bonus is $100 in cash-back for each approved referral, up to $550 per year.

Citi does not currently offer referral bonuses for U.S. credit cards.

Spending on the Card

The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card earns cash-back in the form of Reward Dollars, and the Citi Double Cash card earns cash-back in the form of ThankYou Points.

We’ll expand on redeeming the different rewards currencies next, but first, let’s look at how you earn rewards on each of our featured cards.

Spending Category	Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card	Citi Double Cash Card
U.S. Supermarkets	6% cash-back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 in purchases each year, then 1%	2% cash-back (1% cash-back at the time of purchase and an additional 1% cash-back when the balance is paid)
Select U.S. Streaming Services	6% cash-back
U.S. Gas Stations and Transit	3% cash-back
All Other Purchases	1% cash-back

You’ll earn best on the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card when you spend an average of $500 monthly at the grocery store and have high expenses for dining, streaming services, gas, and transit. The Citi Double Cash card earns just 2% cash-back (1% at time of purchase and 1% when you pay) in those bonus spending categories compared to as much as 6% on the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card.

If you spend more in non-bonus categories (such as tuition, household repairs, medical/legal bills, or insurance, for example), earning a total of 2% cash-back (1% at time of purchase and 1% when you pay) with the Citi Double Cash card could be a sound decision. The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card earns just 1% cash-back in these categories.

Bottom Line:

If your household spending mix includes grocery stores, streaming services, gas stations, and transit, the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card is likely the better rewards card. If your spending is heavy in non-bonus categories, you may do better earning with the Citi Double Cash card.

Redemption Options

Although the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card and Citi Double Cash Card are both cash-back rewards earning cards, you’ll find differences in redemption options at redemption time.

Here’s how our featured cards compare when it’s time to redeem your rewards.

Redemption Option	Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card	Citi Double Cash Card
Travel	Redeem Reward Dollars as a statement credit for previous travel purchases	Transfer ThankYou Points to Choice Privileges, JetBlue TrueBlue, or Wyndham Rewards Redeem for travel via Citi Travel Redeem as a statement credit for previous travel purchases
Additional Redemption Options	Statement credits, gift cards, merchandise	Statement credits, bank transfers, a check, gift cards, Amazon

Cash-back earned on the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card is earned as Reward Dollars that can be redeemed for a statement credit. The benefit of Reward Dollars is that you can save up and use your rewards for an emergency, a vacation, or as a statement credit to offset additional expenses — it’s your choice. You can also redeem Reward Dollars for gift cards or merchandise, but you may not receive good value.

The Citi Double Cash card earns cash-back as ThankYou Points. ThankYou Points are valuable flexible rewards that can be transferred to select airline and hotel partners to redeem for award flights and free hotel nights. Additionally, you can use your points to purchase travel via Citi Travel. You can also redeem your ThankYou Points for statement credits, direct deposit to your bank, a check, gift cards, or shopping at Amazon.com.

Travel Protections and Benefits

Though neither of our featured cards comes with a strong collection of travel protections or benefits, there are a few potentially useful ones.

Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card

Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance

Pay for your entire car rental with the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card, decline the rental agency’s CDW/LDW coverage, and receive secondary coverage for damage and theft of the rental card. Secondary coverage requires first filing a claim with any other applicable insurance before card coverage applies.

As a cardholder, you’ll also have access to Amex Premium Protection, which provides primary car rental insurance for 1 low price ($12.25 to $24.95) that covers the entire rental period, up to 42 days. Primary protection does not require filing a claim before card coverage kicks in.

Global Assist Hotline

It’s comforting to know you’ll have 24/7 access to help when traveling. With 1 call to the Global Assist Hotline, you can receive assistance finding English-speaking medical/legal referrals, translation services, help to arrange emergency transportation, directions for finding lost luggage, replacing lost passports, and more.

Citi Double Cash Card

Lyft Credits

Pay for 3 eligible Lyft rides with your Citi Double Cash card and receive $5 in Lyft credits.

Bottom Line:

Neither the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card nor the Citi Double Cash card is considered a travel rewards card, and neither is strong on travel protections and benefits. Additionally, both cards charge foreign transaction fees, making either card a poor choice for use when traveling internationally.

Shopping Protections and Benefits

Shopping protections that come with your card may provide coverage if something should go wrong with your eligible purchase. Shopping benefits offer an opportunity to earn additional cash-back rewards on select purchases.

Here are the shopping protections and benefits that come with the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card and the Citi Double Cash card.

Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card

Purchase Protection, Extended Warranty, and Return Protection

If you purchase an eligible item with your card, purchase protection will provide coverage for damage and theft for up to 90 days from the purchase date. Coverage limits are $10,000 per item and up to $50,000 per card account each calendar year.

For eligible items purchased with your card, the extended warranty protection will add 1 additional year to an item’s manufacturer’s warranty of 5 years or less.

With return protection, if an eligible item is not accepted for return by the merchant within 90 days of the purchase date, you could receive up to $300 per item, up to $1,000 per card account per calendar year.

Amex Offers

Amex Offers can be money savers — you could earn hundreds of dollars each year in additional cash-back with offers from select retailers and service providers. Log in to your online card account, scroll down to the list of up to 100 Amex Offers, select those you like, and then make the required purchase. You’ll receive a statement credit for the amount of the offer.

Hot Tip:

Both the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card and Citi Double Cash card come with complimentary ShopRunner membership. Enjoy free 2-day shipping, free returns, and special deals from dozens of merchants.

Citi Double Cash Card

DoorDash DashPass

Cardholders receive 3 free months of DoorDash DashPass membership plus a $5 credit each month after activating the complimentary DashPass membership.

Citi Merchant Offers

Log in to your online Citi card account, select the Citi Merchant Offers you like, add those offers to your card, and earn additional cash-back when making the associated purchase.

Bottom Line:

The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card comes with shopping protections and benefits such as purchase protection, extended warranty, return protection, and Amex Offers. The Citi Double Cash card comes with Citi Merchant Offers that help you earn additional cash-back.

Additional Features and Benefits

Introductory 0% APR Periods and $0 Plan It Fees

If you have large purchases to make and want to pay it back over time, you could save money with the 0% APR periods and $0 Plan It fees benefits that come with the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card.

If you have credit cards with high-interest balances, the introductory 0% APR for balance transfers on the Citi Double Cash card could allow you to pay it back without interest charges.

• Amex Blue Cash Preferred card:
  • 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a variable APR, 19.24% to 29.99%.
  • $0 Buy Now, Pay Later intro Plan It fees on plans created during the first 12 months from the date of account opening. Plans created after that will have a fixed monthly plan fee up to 1.33% of each purchase amount moved into a plan based on the plan duration, the APR that would otherwise apply to the purchase, and other factors.
• Citi Double Cash card:
  • 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 19.24% - 29.24%.

Annual Fees and Authorized Users

The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card has a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 (rates and fees). The Citi Double Cash card has a $0 annual fee.

There is no fee to add authorized users to either card.

Recommended Credit Levels for Approval

You will need a good to excellent credit score to qualify for the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card. A good to excellent score is generally considered 670 and above, although we recommend a score of 700 or greater to increase your chances of approval.

While the Citi Double Cash card may be easier to qualify for than the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card (fair to excellent credit score), a good to excellent score improves the likelihood of approval.

In addition to your credit score, your income and credit history will also be considered.

Additional Card Recommendations for Everyday Spending

The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card and Citi Double Cash card are both fine choices for everyday spending cards.

If you’re interested in broader choices for travel redemptions and no foreign transaction fees, you may want to consider these 2 additional cards that earn on common everyday purchases.

Citi Premier^® Card

With the Citi Premier card, you can earn 3x ThankYou Points for many daily purchases, including dining, gas stations, and supermarkets. Plus, travelers will enjoy the 3x earnings on air travel and hotel purchases.

At redemption time, the ThankYou Points you’ve earned on your card can be used to purchase travel via Citi Travel or transferred to airline or hotel partners for even greater potential value.

American Express^® Gold Card

The Amex Gold card is a smart choice for an everyday spending card. The card earns flexible Membership Rewards points that can be transferred to airline and hotel partners for excellent potential value.

With strong 4x earnings on restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., 4x earnings at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases; and 1x thereafter), and statement credits for select purchases, the card can make economic sense. Plus, you’ll earn bonus points on flight purchases via Amex Travel and directly from the airline.

Final Thoughts

It’s a smart choice to have an everyday spending card for purchases you’re making daily. The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card could be a strong choice for you if your spending includes dining, streaming services, gas, and around $6,000 each year at the supermarket.

But if you don’t spend a lot in those bonus categories and you prefer a no-annual-fee card, the Citi Double Cash card could better reward a broader mix of spending. The Citi Double Cash card is also a good choice if you have high-interest credit card balances you would like to pay off over time by utilizing the introductory 0% APR for balance transfers.

If you travel frequently, you may want to consider having a travel rewards card in addition to an everyday spending card. Our recommendations can work for the avid traveler who values earning well on travel purchases, wants flexible travel redemption options, and can use the accompanying premier travel benefits.

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For the return protection benefit of the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.

For the purchase protection benefit of the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express, 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.

For the global assist hotline benefit of the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Card members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.

For the extended warranty benefit of the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express, 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.

For the car rental loss and damage insurance benefit of the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express, 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. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express^® Gold Card, click here.