Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
If you are on the hunt for a credit card with no annual fee, consider the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express.
While this card lacks some of the flashier perks that come with credit cards with pricey annual fees, you can still earn rewards and enjoy a lot of great cardholder benefits.
Quick Facts: Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
- Rewards rate: 3% cashback at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. online retailers up to $6,000 in purchases per calendar year in each category; 1% on all other purchases (cashback is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or on Amazon.com at checkout)
- Welcome offer: Earn a $200 statement credit after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 6 months
- Annual fee: $0 (rates and fees)
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Overview of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express offers ongoing cashback, plus valuable perks on everyday spending. The cashback is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or on Amazon.com at checkout.
American Express offers several features to help you manage your balances, such as Plan it®, which lets you break larger purchases into fixed installments. And Pay it®, which lets you quickly pay off small purchases so they don't add to your balance.
It also offers Send & Split, which allows you to send money to friends or request money from friends that will be applied directly to your card. This makes splitting a tab with friends easy to do right on your Amex card. Enrollment required.
If you think the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express may be right for you, you can apply for preapproval and not harm your credit score. While this is not a guarantee that you’ll be approved, it can give you a good idea of whether you’re likely to be. Then, when you’re ready to apply officially, you can receive a decision in as little as 30 seconds.
Pros
- Attainable welcome offer
- No annual fee
- Decent rewards in common categories such as supermarkets and gas stations.
- Secondary rental car insurance,* Global Assist® Hotline*
Cons
- Annual spending caps on bonus categories
- Bonus rewards are only earned on spending in the U.S.
Blue Cash Everyday® Card Benefits
What we love about the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express is that it offers impressive non-travel-related perks.
Pay it®
This feature allows you to quickly pay off a purchase of less than $100. Simply go to the app and select the purchase you'd like to pay for then follow the prompts. This is great when you want to earn cashback on your lunch, but don't want to add to your credit card balance.
Plan it®
This feature allows you to break charges that are over $100 into fixed monthly installments. You won't pay interest on that balance but there is a fee for using the service. Compare the fee against the interest you would have paid otherwise.
Send & Split®
Once you enroll, Send & Split lets you send or request money from any Venmo or PayPal user. You can send money directly from your Amex card to a friend. It also lets you request repayment on any charge to your card and when you receive the funds it is applied to your balance.
$84 Disney+ bundle credit
If you use your Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express to subscribe to the Disney+ Bundle and spend more than $9.99 per month, you can get a $7 monthly statement credit (subject to auto-renewal).
$180 Home Chef Credit
You can receive up to $15 in statement credits every month when you use your card to buy a Home Chef subscription (enrollment required, subject to auto-renewal, available in contiguous U.S. only).
American Express Experiences
Your card will make you eligible for exclusive ticket presale and member-only events such as concerts and sporting events.
Global Assist® Hotline
If you need help when traveling more than 100 miles from home, this 24/7 emergency assistance hotline can help with coordination services dealing with missing luggage, emergency cash wires, and legal referrals.*
LEARN MORE: Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
Who Should Get the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express?
If you have no desire to pay an annual fee for a credit card but still want to earn significant rewards on everyday spending, then the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express could be the credit card you are looking for.
With this card, you can earn a decent amount of rewards and access some fairly standard cardholder perks (like global assistance and exclusive experiences). As well as some more valuable benefits like Disney+ and Home Chef credits.
Because you won’t need to worry about earning enough rewards to cancel out the cost of the annual fee, you don’t have to stress too much about whether or not this card is “worth it.”
Who Shouldn’t Get the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express?
If you are always plotting your next great escape, you are much better off going with a travel credit card. The best travel credit cards come with annual fees (and really good perks to match).
Some travel credit cards even come with perks like TSA PreCheck or free airport lounge access that make your travel days so much easier.
Alternatives to the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
For more earning categories: Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Rewards rate: 8% cashback on Capital One Entertainment purchases; 5% on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel; 3% on dining, entertainment, select streaming subscriptions, and grocery store purchases (excluding superstores); 1% on all other purchases
- Welcome offer: Earn $200 after spending $500 in the first 3 months
- Annual fee: $0
. . .
Which cashback credit card is right for you depends heavily on how you spend your money. Some earning categories may be more beneficial for you. For example, the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card has several categories that offer higher rewards rate, like entertainment and travel.
Neither card charges an annual fee, so the goal here is to simply choose the one that you will benefit from having the most.
LEARN MORE: Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
For a higher cashback rate: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
- Rewards rate: 6% cashback on purchases at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year, then 1%) and on select streaming services; 3% on U.S. gas station and transit purchases; 1% on all other spending (cashback is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or on Amazon.com at checkout)
- Welcome offer: Earn $250 statement credit after spending $3,000 in the first six months
- Annual fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 (rates and fees)
. . .
If you are open to paying an annual fee, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express only charges a moderate fee and waives it for the first year. Plus, you can earn a lot more rewards. Crunch the numbers to see if you will earn enough in rewards to cancel out the cost of the annual fee.
This card also comes with a lot of the same cardholder benefits and perks — like the monthly Disney+ credit.
LEARN MORE: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
For a flat cashback rate: Citi Double Cash® Card
- Rewards rate: Up to 2% on all purchases: 1% when you buy, and another 1% when you pay your balance; limited-time offer of 5% total cashback on hotel and car rentals booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/24
- Welcome offer: Earn $200 cashback after you spend $1,500 in the first 6 months
- Annual fee: $0
. . .
The Citi Double Cash Card doesn't charge an annual fee and earns you a flat cashback rate on all purchases: 1% when you make a purchase and another 1% when you pay it off. This means you don’t have to think about what types of purchases to make. Plus, you’ll have another incentive to pay off your balance on time and in full.
The Bottom Line
The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express may not be a flashy card, but it can earn you decent cashback without having to pay an annual fee.
If you spend a lot at supermarkets, gas stations, and online retailers, you can earn a good amount of cashback — so you're basically saving money on things you'd be buying anyway.
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* 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.
Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
