Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card vs. Freedom Flex Card [Detailed Comparison]

The Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express and the Chase Freedom Flex℠ are 2 of the top cash-back credit cards on the market. Each offers great bonus categories, interesting card benefits, statement credits, and protections to help keep you covered.

If you’re trying to decide which card would make the better addition to your wallet, this guide will provide a detailed comparison of all of the offerings of each card to help you decide just that.

Summary

Here is an overview of how each card stacks up in each category.

Bottom Line: Both cards really shine when it comes to their respective cash-back rates. The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card leads on supermarket, streaming, gas, and transit purchases. The Freedom Flex card is optimized for its rotating categories, Chase travel portal purchases, Lyft rides, dining, and drugstore purchases. 

The Value of a Welcome Offer

Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card

HIGHEST CASH BACK

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

This card is great for those who want to earn cash-back with U.S. supermarkets, U.S. streaming subscriptions, transit, and U.S. gas stations.

Learn More(at Amex's secure site)

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Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express

This card is great for those who want to earn cash-back with U.S. supermarkets, U.S. streaming subscriptions, transit, and U.S. gas stations.

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

Annual Fee

$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.

APR

18.49%-29.49% Variable,0% on purchases for 12 months

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

The Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express is a stellar cash-back credit card for those looking to maximize every purchase they make.

With bonus categories like U.S. supermarkets, select U.S. streaming services, U.S. gas stations, and transit purchases, this card rewards you for the items you spend the most on in a big way! For those looking to earn up to 6% cash-back on their purchases, this could be the card for you!

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 6% cash-back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year)
• 6% cash-back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions
• 3% cash-back on U.S. gas stations and transit (including rideshares, parking, etc.)

Cons

• $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 annual fee (rates and fees)

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Card Highlights

• 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 18.49% - 29.49%.
• 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.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 18.49%-29.49% Variable,0% on purchases for 12 months
• Foreign Transaction Fees: 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars.

Rewards Center

Redeem cash-back through your American Express account

Freedom Flex Card

Chase Freedom Flex^®

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The Freedom Flex card is an excellent no-annual-fee card that still earns big with 5% cash-back on travel and other bonus categories.

Learn More(at Chase's secure site)

Chase Freedom Flex^®

The Freedom Flex card is an excellent no-annual-fee card that still earns big with 5% cash-back on travel and other bonus categories.

Welcome Offer

Earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.

$200

Annual Fee

$0

APR

0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.99% - 28.74%

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

The Chase Freedom Flex℠ sure does pack quite a punch — especially for a no-annual-fee card.

The Freedom Flex card is an incredible option for those looking for a well-rounded cash-back card, or a powerful point-earner when paired with a premium card in the Ultimate Rewards family.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.99% - 28.74%.
• Powerful cash-back earner: 5% back on quarterly categories and travel purchases through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3% back on dining and drugstore purchases, and 1% back on all other purchases
• No annual fee

Cons

• 3% foreign transaction fees in U.S. dollars

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Card Highlights

• Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
• 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter!
• 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more
• 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
• No minimum to redeem for cash back. You can choose to receive a statement credit or direct deposit into most U.S. checking and savings accounts. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open!
• 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.99%-28.74%.
• No annual fee – You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Flex^® card
• Keep tabs on your credit health - Chase Credit Journey helps you monitor your credit with free access to your latest score, real-time alerts, and more.
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.99% - 28.74%
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Chase Ultimate Rewards

While you can redeem the cash-back bonus through the Chase travel portal, adding a premium Ultimate Rewards card such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card will give you access to the Chase transfer partners where you can get significantly more value for your points.

Earning Potential

Now let’s do a side-by-side comparison of which cards offer more cash-back rewards on select purchases.

As you can see, the 2 cards are quite different when it comes to their respective bonus categories, so this might be a key consideration in helping you decide which card is better for you.

The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card might be significantly more rewarding if you have high amounts of spend in one or more of its 6% or 3% cash-back categories of U.S. supermarkets, select streaming services, U.S. gas stations, and transit purchases.

On the other hand, those looking for a card that rewards them for dining and drugstore purchases, along with Chase travel portal purchases, Lyft rides, and quarterly rotating bonus categories should likely opt for the Freedom Flex card. Of course, quarterly rotating bonus categories are a bit vague, so it might feel difficult to determine how useful that would be. In the past, these categories have included categories such as grocery stores, Amazon.com, gas stations, PayPal, and more.

Redemption Options

Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card

Any cash-back that you earn with your Amex Blue Cash Preferred card can be redeemed as a statement credit to offset any purchases made with the card. Unlike other cash-back credit cards, you aren’t required to have a certain amount of cash-back rewards in order to be able to redeem, and you can redeem your rewards as often as you’d like.

Freedom Flex Card

The cash-back earned with your Freedom Flex card can be redeemed towards statement credits to offset purchases, for trips through the Chase travel portal, gift cards, and during checkout with select retailers like Amazon.

However, while the Freedom Flex card is merely a cash-back card on its own, those that pair it with a premium Ultimate Rewards card, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve^®, can pool their rewards together to receive even more value. More specifically, you can redeem your points through the Chase travel portal with a 25% bonus, at a rate 0f 1.25 cents per point, or through Chase transfer partners where you can often get 2 cents per point in value or more.

Bottom Line: When it comes to redemption options, we have to give the edge to the Freedom Flex card here, as it not only offers more options but also opens the door to getting even more value from your rewards when you pair it with an Ultimate Rewards-earning card. 

Statement Credits

Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card — The Disney Bundle

To help offset the annual fee, cardmembers receive $7 back each month (up to $84 back annually) after spending $9.99 or more each month on an eligible auto-renewing subscription to The Disney Bundle, which includes Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, when using their card (valid only at DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com or Plus.espn.com in the U.S.). Note that enrollment is required, so be sure to get the most out of being a cardmember.

Additional Card Benefits

Travel Protections

Here is how each card keeps you covered during your travels.

While neither card is great when it comes to travel protections, the Freedom Flex card is slightly better since it offers trip interruption insurance and emergency assistance services, while the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card does not. Additionally, both cards charge foreign transaction fees, so neither is a good option for your overseas purchases while traveling.

Shopping Benefits and Protections

Both cards fare better when it comes to shopping protections. Here is what they offer.

The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card offers these benefits:

• Amex Offers — Discounts and opportunities to earn more points with 100 merchants each month
• American Express Experiences — Exclusive access to ticket presales

The Freedom Flex card offers these benefits:

• Chase Offers — Discounts with select merchants
• Purchase Protection — Covers new purchases against damage or theft for up to 120 days from purchase with up to $500 in coverage per claim and $50,000 per account
• Extended Warranty Coverage — Extends a U.S. manufacturer’s warranty by an additional year on eligible warranties of 3 years or less
• Cell Phone Protection — Get up to $800 per claim and $1,000 per year in cell phone protection against covered theft or damage when your monthly bill with your card; you can have a maximum of 2 claims in a 12-month period, with a $50 deductible per claim

Annual Fees and Adding Authorized Users

Annual Fees

The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card charges a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 annual fee, while the Freedom Flex card does not charge an annual fee, so you’ll want to take that into consideration when deciding which card is a better fit for you.

Authorized Users

Fortunately, neither card charges an additional fee for you to add an authorized user. Just keep in mind that while authorized users will still earn points and receive the same protections as the primary cardholder, you will not receive a second set of statement credits for the authorized user card.

Final Thoughts

So which is better, the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card or the Freedom Flex card? That entirely depends on your spending habits, along with what benefits and protections you are looking for in a new card.

In our view, if your monthly spending falls in line with the bonus categories of the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card, and/or you’re a subscriber of The Disney Bundle, then that likely would be the card for you. On the other hand, if your spending habits mirror the Freedom Flex card bonus categories, you want a card that offers cell phone protection, and/or you want to pair it with a premium Ultimate Rewards card, then the Freedom Flex card would be the way to go.