22 Benefits of the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express — [$1,400+]

Everyday spending can add up quickly. When you make a few trips to the grocery store, fill up the gas tank, take an Uber ride out to dinner, and then add on the cost of that Netflix subscription, you’ll easily have spent hundreds of dollars in purchases.

We’re all about earning rewards, especially on purchases you make daily. Earning rewards on these purchases can add significant extra cash to your household.

One way to ensure you receive all the rewards you deserve is to select a credit card that earns the highest rewards on your most significant expenses. If your highest expense categories are those everyday purchases, you may find that the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express could add value to your daily life.

Let’s talk about how easy it is to earn rewards on the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card, look at its redemption options, and peruse the travel and shopping benefits and protections included with the card. We’ll also look at the estimated value of each card benefit to help you determine the economic value the card could provide.

Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card Benefits

*The bonus value of the welcome offer and the value of benefits are estimated valuations calculated by UP after analyzing redemption options, transfer partners, award availability, and how much UP would pay to buy these points.

Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card Overview

Earning Rewards — [$832]

With the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card, you earn cash-back in Reward Dollars on every purchase. Thanks to its bonus categories of supermarkets, gas stations, and streaming services, the card is one of the best for monthly bills.

1. A Valuable Welcome Offer ($250)

Jump-start your earnings with the welcome bonus shown below:

• Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases within the first 6 months.

After meeting minimum spending requirements, you receive the rewards as a statement credit.

2. Earning at Supermarkets ($360)

Earn up to $360 cash-back yearly when you spend at U.S. supermarkets. You earn 6% cash-back on up to $6,000 in purchases each card anniversary year. After that, supermarket purchases earn just 1% cash-back.

Note that warehouse clubs and big box stores like Walmart and Target are not considered grocery stores.

3. Earning on Streaming Services ($100)

For every dollar you spend on U.S. streaming services, you receive 6 cents in cash-back. Examples of streaming services that earn this 6% cash-back include Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Pandora, Spotify, Prime Video, and many more.

There is no limit on the 6% cash-back earnings for streaming services. If you spend $150 monthly, you receive $108 in cash-back each year.

4. Earning on Transit and at Gas Stations ($72)

Spend a lot at gas stations and transit? You get unlimited 3% cash-back for every dollar you spend. Transit includes ride-sharing services (like Uber and Lyft), buses, subway transport, parking, tolls, and much more.

If you spent $2,400 annually in this category, you’d receive $72 cash-back.

5. Earning on Every Purchase ($50)

Every purchase you make that doesn’t fall into 1 of the bonus earning categories earns 1% cash-back.

Note that the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card does charge a foreign transaction fee of 2.7% (rates & fees) on “transactions converted to U.S. dollars” — meaning it may not be the best card for frequent travelers.

Bottom Line:

The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card earns up to 6% cash-back on everyday purchases including grocery stores, streaming services, gas stations, and transit.

Redeeming Rewards [Value Varies]

Reward Dollars earned on the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card offer several options at redemption time.

We won’t assign additional values in this section, as we’ve accounted for the value of earning cash-back in the previous section.

6. Redeem for Statement Credits

Simplicity also rules when it comes time to redeem your Amex Blue Cash Preferred card Reward Dollars. The cash-back you’ve earned can be used as a statement credit toward purchases — this couldn’t be easie if you value a straightforward redemption.

Reward Dollars must be redeemed in $25 increments.

7. Redeem for Merchandise and Gift Cards

You can redeem your Reward Dollars for merchandise and gift cards, or even at Amazon.com checkout, but always compare prices elsewhere.

For example, when purchasing merchandise, check other retailers to ensure the price is a good deal. You can always redeem your Reward Dollars for cash and buy the item where you found the best deal.

Travel Benefits and Protections — [$225]

You’ll find a nice collection of travel perks and protections on the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card. Here are some of the core travel benefits you can expect.

8. Lowest Hotel Rate Guarantee ($50)

If you book your prepaid hotel with AmexTravel.com using your eligible card and find the same room advertised online for less, you could receive the price difference (restrictions apply).

9. Rental Car Program Benefits ($35)

Cardholders receive Hertz car rental benefits including discounted pricing, waived additional-driver fees, and a 1 car class upgrade for rentals of 5 days or more.

Use your eligible card and code 705500 when booking.

10. Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance ($140)

Use your card to reserve and pay for your rental car, decline the agency’s collision damage waiver coverage, and receive secondary rental car coverage for damage, theft, and loss of use. Rentals of 30 days or less are covered, up to $50,000 per rental agreement.

Secondary coverage means a claim needs to be filed with any other applicable insurance company before card coverage applies.

CDW/LDW coverage can be expensive. If you rented just 7 days each year, at $20 per day, you’d save $140.

11. Access to Premium Car Rental Protection

Amex Blue Cash Preferred card members qualify to purchase Premium Car Rental Protection for a flat rate of $12.95 to $24.95 per rental period of up to 42 consecutive days in length.

Premium Car Rental Protection is primary car rental insurance, offering up to $100,000 in benefits. You do not have to file a claim with other insurance to receive this coverage.

12. Concierge and Travel Assistance

Receive help planning your trip or assistance services 24/7 when traveling more than 100 miles from home.

13. Global Assist Hotline

Get help any time of the day or night with services that include legal and medical referrals, translation services, help to replace a lost passport, making emergency arrangements, and much more. Referral services are complimentary, but cardholders are responsible for the cost of actual services.

Shopping Benefits and Protections — [$425]

Using your Amex Blue Cash Preferred card for shopping can save you plenty of money and offer protection for eligible items. Here are some of the benefits you receive when shopping with your card:

14. 0% Introductory APR Period ($100)

The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card is currently offering:

• 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a variable APR of 19.24% - 29.99% (rates & fees)

Depending on the dollar amount of your purchases, you could save significantly on interest charges.

15. Amex Offers ($100)

Log in to your online card account and select from up to 100 Amex Offers offered by select merchants and service providers. You could save hundreds (even thousands) of dollars yearly on specific purchases.

16. American Express Auto Purchasing Program

The American Express Auto Purchasing Program saves members money by offering discounted pricing on new car purchases. In addition, you may be able to pay up to $2,000 or more of the purchase price when using your Amex Blue Cash Preferred card.

17. Purchase Protection ($100)

It can be frustrating when a new item you’ve purchased gets damaged or stolen. If you purchase an eligible item with your Amex Blue Cash Preferred card, you have coverage for damage or theft for 90 days from the purchase date. Benefit amounts are $1,000 per item, up to a maximum of $50,000 per eligible card.

18. Return Protection ($100)

Purchase an item with your eligible card and if, within 90 days of purchase, the merchant does not accept the return, you could receive up to $300 per item, up to a maximum of $1,000 in a calendar year per account.

19. Extended Warranty

Eligible items purchased with your card having manufacturer’s warranties of 5 years or less have the warranties extended by 1 year. Benefit amounts are $10,000 per item, up to a maximum of $50,000 per account.

20. VIP Entertainment Access

Cardholders can access presale ticket availability before the general public for members-only exclusive events, and priority event seating.

21. Complimentary ShopRunner Membership ($25)

It can be irritating to pay to return a purchased item. With the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card, you receive free, 2-day shipping and free returns with your complimentary ShopRunner membership. Just use your card to shop at over 100 different retail stores. Membership has a regular value of $79.

Bottom Line:

For eligible items and services purchased with the card, the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card comes with travel assistance benefits, car rental coverage, money-saving shopping benefits, and protections.

Additional Benefits

22. No Authorized User Fee

You can earn more cash-back faster by adding additional cardholders at no charge (rates & fees).

Alternative Card to the Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card

If you are considering the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card because of its earnings on everyday purchases, you may find the American Express^® Gold Card a viable alternative. The card earns especially well on dining and grocery stores.

Amex Gold Card

Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a welcome bonus offer of up to 90,000 points with the Amex Gold card. The current public offer is 60,000 points + up to $100 back. (This targeted offer was independently researched and may not be available to all applicants.)

Earning cash-back rewards on the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card is simple, but if you’re a traveler who enjoys earning elevated rewards on everyday spending and travel purchases, the Amex Gold card could offer better value.

The Amex Gold card also earns flexible Membership Rewards points that can be transferred to American Express transfer partners for greater potential value. Membership Rewards points can also be redeemed via AmexTravel.com.

Can’t decide which card might be a better fit for you? Check out our comparison of the Amex Blue Cash Preferred and the Amex Gold card.

Final Thoughts

If you spent $6,000 a year at U.S. grocery stores, you’d more than maximize the value of having the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card. The additional Reward Dollars you earn at U.S. gas stations, streaming services, and transit would be a plus and add even more value.

The card does have an annual fee, so you need to make eligible bonus category purchases to offset that cost or the card may not be worth it. It would take $1,584 in 6% cash-back purchases to offset the current annual fee.

While the card pairs well with those who want to earn rewards on everyday spending, it falls short for frequent travelers. If you travel often, the foreign transaction fees, lack of bonus earnings on general travel purchases, and lack of flexible travel transfer or redemption options mean this card may not be the best fit for you.

However, the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card could make an appropriate companion card to a travel rewards credit card.

Frequent travelers may want to check out our recommendations for the best travel rewards cards.

If you are an active-duty U.S. military member, find out more about additional Amex Blue Cash Preferred military benefits you can receive.

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For the car rental loss and damage insurance benefit of the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express, 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 Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express, 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 purchase protection benefit of the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express, 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 Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express, 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 the extended warranty benefit of the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express, 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.