Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card Benefits for Active-Duty U.S. Military Members [2023]

If you’re an active-duty military member looking for an everyday spending card, you’re going to want to keep reading.

American Express is known for doing an excellent job of providing military benefits for active-duty cardholders. These military benefits, based on the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) passed in 2003 and the Military Lending Act (MLA) in 2006, deliver bottom-line economic value for military members who are cardholders.

We’ll expand on these acts shortly, but our overall focus of this article is to talk specifically about how the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express, a popular American Express card for daily spending, can be a good choice for active-duty service members.

Join us as we look briefly at the SCRA and MLA, the overall and military-specific benefits of our featured card, and the process for securing American Express military benefits.

How the SCRA and MLA Work

To address some of the financial challenges our servicemembers face, the SCRA and MLA were passed to govern financial transactions specifically involving military members.

Initially, the laws applied to transactions other than credit cards. Mortgages, car loans, rental agreements, IRS dealings, and installment loans are just examples of transactions that fell under the laws.

In 2017, credit cards were added to the list. Since then, financial institutions have had to change how credit card debt granted to military members is handled.

Briefly, this is how the acts apply to credit cards:

• The SCRA caps interest rates at 6% on credit cards acquired before active duty
• The MLA caps interest rates at 36% on credit cards, including all associated credit card fees, acquired during active duty

How American Express Applies Military Benefits to Its Credit Cards

For credit cards acquired before active duty, American Express caps the interest rate at 6%. For cards acquired during active duty, American Express complies with the cap of 36% by eliminating associated card fees.

These fees include the annual fee, over-limit fees, late fees, returned payment fees, and fees for statement copy requests.

Bottom Line:

American Express caps interest rates at 6% for credit cards acquired before active duty. For cards acquired during active duty, American Express will eliminate card fees including annual fees, over-limit fees, late fees, returned payment fees, and statement copy request fees.

Potential Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card Benefits for Active-Duty Military Members

Removal of the Annual Fee

One of the most valuable American Express military benefits for active-duty members with the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card is the removal of the annual credit card fee. As the fee is $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 (rates and fees), you could realize significant savings over time.

Earning Potential and Redemption Options

Welcome Offer

A welcome bonus allows you to quickly earn cash back by completing minimum spending requirements in the period after card approval.

As welcome offers vary, we’ve provided the most current information in the following card overview:

Referral Bonus Opportunities

You may be able to earn additional cash by referring a friend or family member for an American Express credit card. Once the person has been approved, you’ll receive your reward as a cash-back statement credit.

American Express is unique in that the person you refer can select any available American Express card, not just the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card, and you’ll still receive the referral bonus.

We give you step-by-step instructions on how the Amex referral process works in our detailed article.

Spending on the Card

The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card is the ultimate everyday spending card as its bonus earning categories align with purchases you might make daily.

Here’s how cash-back can accumulate quickly from spending on the card:

• 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 services
• 3% cash-back at gas stations and on transit purchases
• 1% cash-back on all other purchases

If you were to maximize the grocery store bonus category alone by spending just $500 per month at the supermarket, you would earn $360 in cash-back (6% x $6,000 in purchases). Add the additional cash-back you’ll earn on streaming services, gas, and transit for cash-back results that add significant value.

Hot Tip:

Commissaries can count as grocery stores and earn bonus cash-back. This benefit makes the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card a good choice for active-duty military.

Redemption Options

The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card makes redeeming rewards a simple process. Unlike some other cash-back credit cards that automatically apply the cash-back you earn each month as a statement credit, cash-back rewards on the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card accumulate until you’re ready to redeem them.

This makes it possible to save your cash-back Reward Dollars for a special trip, a major purchase, another planned expenditure, or even as an emergency fund. You can also redeem cash-back for gift cards and merchandise. There is a minimum redemption of at least $25.

Bottom Line:

Cash-back Reward Dollars can be earned on the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card by qualifying for the welcome offer, referring family and friends, and spending on the card. When it’s time to redeem your rewards, you can select cash-back as a statement credit, a gift card, or merchandise.

Introductory 0% APR Period and $0 Plan It Fees

The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card comes with a 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%.

You’ll also be able to split a large purchase into monthly installments with Plan It and enjoy $0 plan fees for the first 12 months after card approval.

Travel Protections and Benefits

The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card is not strong on travel protections or benefits but does offer a couple of potentially useful perks. And, the card does offer several useful shopping protections and benefits.

Here are the key perks you can expect to see on the card.

Car Rental Insurance

Reserve and pay for your car rental with the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card, decline the rental agency’s CDW/LDW coverage, and receive coverage for damage or theft of the rental car. This complimentary coverage is secondary, meaning you must file a claim with any other applicable insurance first before card coverage kicks in.

The card also comes with access to Amex Premium Protection, which includes primary car rental insurance for just 1 low fee that provides coverage for up to 42 days. You’ll pay between $12.25 and $24.95 for the entire rental period, depending on the coverage level selected and your state of residence. Primary coverage takes over immediately and does not first require filing a claim with other insurance.

Travel and Emergency Assistance Services

Receive 24/7 assistance during your travels for translation services, help finding lost luggage, legal and medical referrals, emergency transportation arrangements, and more with just 1 phone call to the Global Assist Hotline. Cardholders are responsible for the actual services received after referral.

Shopping Protections and Benefits

The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card comes with a surprising number of shopping protections and benefits. Shopping protections can help minimize your loss should something go wrong with an eligible purchase, and shopping benefits can save you money on select purchases.

Here are the protections and benefits you’ll find on the card.

Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty

Purchase an eligible item with your Amex Blue Cash Preferred card and receive protection for damage or theft of the item for up to 90 days from the date of purchase. Coverage limits are $10,000 per item, up to $50,000 per account.

For eligible items with manufacturer’s warranties of 5 years or less, extended warranty coverage will add 1 additional year.

Return Protection

For qualifying items purchased with your card, that are not accepted for return by the merchant, you may receive up to $300 per item, up to a maximum of $1,000 in a calendar year. This coverage is valid for up to 90 days from the purchase date.

Equinox+ Monthly Credit

Use your card to make a purchase via equinoxplus.com and receive a statement credit of up to $10 per month with a maximum of $120 each year. Learn more about which purchases qualify for the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card Equinox+ credit.

Disney Bundle Statement Credit

Use your enrolled card to spend at least $12.99 on a monthly Disney Bundle subscription and receive a $7 statement credit each month, up to $84 in statement credits each year.

Amex Offers

Amex Offers can save you hundreds of dollars each year (enrollment required).

When you log into your online card account and scroll to the bottom of the homepage, you’ll find up to 100 Amex Offers from various retailers and service providers. Add the offers you like to your card, make the required purchase using your card, and receive additional cash-back as a statement credit.

Bottom Line:

The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card comes with travel protections and benefits including secondary car rental insurance and travel and emergency assistance services. Shopping protections and benefits on the card include purchase protection, extended warranty, return protection, Amex Offers, and statement credits for eligible Equinox+ and Disney Bundle purchases.

Qualifications and Applying for Benefits

The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card can add value for an active-duty military member and their family. However, before you apply for the card, you’ll want to review this section.

Let’s look at who qualifies for military benefits, some tips for applying for the card, and how to request Amex military benefits should they not be applied to your account automatically.

Who Qualifies for Amex Military Benefits

The following active-duty individuals are listed by American Express as qualifying for MLA benefits on cards acquired during active-duty service:

• Any regular or reserve member of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, or Coast Guard under a call or order not specified as 30 days or less
• Active-duty or Reserve Guard member under that same term as defined in 10 U.S.C. 101(d)(6)

American Express will also grant military benefits for spouses and eligible dependents of the above individuals (as defined in 38 USC 101(4)).

If you have questions on qualifications, you can contact American Express at 800-253-1720.

Hot Tip:

You’ll want to access your Department of Defense military service records via the MLA website to verify your active-duty status is showing correctly before applying for a card eligible for military benefits.

How To Apply for the Blue Cash Preferred Card as an Active-Duty Military Member

Once you’ve determined you meet the qualifications for Amex military benefits, you can move forward and apply for the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card.

Here are a few tips to follow before you complete the application:

• Review American Express Card Approval Requirements — Each credit card issuer has its rules as to how many cards you can have, the frequency of applications, and even how much credit will be issued to an individual. Be sure to review the rules before applying.
• Check Your Credit Score — You’ll need a good to excellent credit score to qualify for the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card. A good score is generally considered 670 or above. We recommend having at least a 700 or better score to increase your chances for approval.
• Application Information — Be sure to select Military from the dropdown box as your income source when completing the application. This can help trigger Amex to add military benefits automatically to your card account.

Once you’ve submitted your application and been approved, you can move on to the next step of securing Amex military benefits.

How To Apply for Amex Military Benefits

When you apply for an American Express credit card, MLA benefits may be added to your account automatically. American Express will run your Social Security number through the Department of Defense database to verify your status, apply the appropriate military benefits to your card account, and send you a confirmation.

If your status cannot be verified, if you are applying for SCRA benefits for cards you acquired before active duty, or if you are requesting spouse/dependent benefits, you may need to request benefits manually.

The easiest way to request benefits is to log into your online card account and select the Account Services option. Then select either Credit Management or Payment and Credit options, and then SCRA benefits. Although the option says SCRA (applies to cards acquired before active duty), you can apply for MLA benefits (cards acquired during active duty) via the link as well.

Here are the additional options for requesting military benefits:

• Call American Express at 800-253-1720, or if outside the U.S., call 336-393-1111 (collect)
• Fax your request, along with a cover sheet with identifying information, supporting documents, and account numbers, to American Express at 623-444-3000
• Mail your request and supporting information to American Express, Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, P.O. Box 981535, El Paso, TX, 79998-1535

Allow several weeks for your request to be processed.

If Amex military benefits are not applied to your new card account before the annual fee hits your statement, you may need to pay the fee and receive a subsequent statement credit.

An Additional Amex Card Recommendation for Active-Duty Military

American Express issues dozens of credit cards that include some of the best travel rewards cards available for active-duty servicemembers. Unfortunately, the best travel rewards cards typically come with high annual fees.

Fortunately, active-duty military members can benefit tremendously by enjoying premium card benefits without the expense of that annual fee.

The best American Express credit travel rewards card for active-duty military is The Platinum Card^® from American Express.

The Platinum Card^® from American Express

Why We Like the Card for Active-Duty Military Members

This is just a sampling of the benefits that come with the Amex Platinum card:

• The high annual fee is removed for eligible servicemembers on active duty
• Global lounge access to over 1,400 properties worldwide, including Centurion Lounges
• Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status
• $200 Fine Hotels & Resorts or The Hotel Collection statement credit each year
• $200 airline incidentals purchase statement credit each year
• Hundreds of dollars worth of additional shopping statement credits
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee reimbursement

Final Thoughts

It’s smart to secure a card you can use for everyday purchases and earn rewards. The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card is also a card you can keep indefinitely as it comes with a lower annual fee that can be offset easily by spending on the card.

Additionally, if you’re an active-duty military member who travels, even occasionally, you’ll want to take a serious look at the Amex Platinum card, which offers a long list of economic benefits. If you can use even a few, you’ll find tremendous value in having the card during your military service.

The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card and the Amex Platinum card can also be a good card combination. Earning well on everyday spending, enjoying a mountain of shopping and travel perks, and not having to pay an annual fee could be a prudent decision.

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For the car rental loss and damage insurance benefit of the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card, car rental loss and damage insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the commercial car rental company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. geographic restrictions apply. 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 the global assist hotline benefit of the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card, you can rely on Global Assist Hotline 24 hours a day / 7 days a week for medical, legal, financial or other select emergency coordination and assistance services while traveling more than 100 miles away from your home. Third-party service costs may be your responsibility. 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 Amex Blue Cash Preferred card, when an American Express^® card member charges a covered purchase to an eligible card, extended warranty can provide up to one extra year added to the original manufacturer’s warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per card member account per calendar year. 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 purchase protection benefit of the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card, when an American Express^® card member charges a covered purchase with their eligible card, purchase protection can help protect their covered purchases for up to 90 days from the covered purchase date if it is stolen or accidentally damaged. The coverage is limited up to $1,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per card member account per calendar year. 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 return protection benefit of the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card, with return protection, you may return eligible purchases to American Express if the seller won’t take them back up to 90 days from the date of purchase. American Express may refund the full purchase price excluding shipping and handling, up to $300 per item, up to a maximum of $1,000 per calendar year per Card account, if you purchased it entirely with your eligible American Express^® Card. Purchases must be made in the U.S. or its territories. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.

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