Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express Review: No-Annual-Fee Rewards for Daily Essentials

Imagine getting cash back* rewards after everyday purchases at the grocery store, gas station and online. That’s exactly what you get with the Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express.

The $0-annual-fee card lets you earn a higher-than-average cash back* rate on purchases from U.S. supermarkets, gas stations and online. Plus, new cardholders can earn a good welcome offer and take advantage of a monthly streaming subscription credit (enrollment required) and car rental loss and damage insurance¹.

There are downsides to this card as well. Only purchases within the U.S. qualify for bonus cash back*, and there’s a cap on the highest earning rates each year. In addition, the card charges foreign transaction fees, so you should think twice about bringing it with you when traveling abroad.

 

• Annual fee: $0
• Welcome offer: Earn a $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months. 
• Rewards rate: Earn 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, 3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases, 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations, on eligible purchases for each category on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%). Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit and at Amazon.com checkout.
• Regular purchase APR: 20.24%-29.24% Variable
• Foreign transaction fee: 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars.
• Other benefits: Car rental loss and damage insurance¹, Plan it® installment payment option, ability to use cash back* at Amazon.com checkout
• Recommended credit: Good / Excellent

• Elevated rewards on everyday purchases

  The Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express offers bonus cash back* on purchases that most households make on a regular basis. You’ll earn 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, 3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases, 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations, on eligible purchases for each category on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%). Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit and at Amazon.com checkout.

  This is one of the highest rewards rates you’ll find on these everyday purchases for a $0-annual-fee card. However, if you’re willing to pay an annual fee, you can find even more rewarding cards, like the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express (see rates & fees).

  See how Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express rewards compare to those of the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express:

  	Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express	Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
  Rewards rates	Earn 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, 3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases, 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations, on eligible purchases for each category on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%). Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit and at Amazon.com checkout.	Earn 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in eligible purchases (then 1%), 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% cash back at eligible U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more) purchases and 1% cash back on other purchases. Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit and at Amazon.com checkout.

• Solid welcome offer

  With the Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express, you can earn a $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.  This is a solid offer with a relatively easy spending hurdle – you only need to spend approximately $333 per month for six months to earn it.

  That said, the amount of this bonus is pretty on par with similar $0-annual-fee credit cards, like the Citi Custom Cash^® Card.

• Relatively long intro APR

  A long intro APR offer provides extra time to repay your balance before being charged interest. With this card, you’ll get more than a year to pay off new purchases and transferred balances without incurring interest charges. That’s longer than the average introductory period, which we’ve found to be around 12 months.

  Cardholders receive an intro APR of 0% on purchases for 15 months, then a regular 20.24%-29.24% Variable APR will apply to any unpaid portion of the balance. You also get an intro APR of 0% on balance transfers for 15 months, then the regular 20.24%-29.24% Variable APR applies to the remainder of the balance.

  → See cards with the longest 0% intro APR offers.

• $0 annual fee

  The Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express has a $0 annual fee. If you pay your credit card statement balance in full every month and avoid interest charges, it’s possible that you won’t pay a cent to carry this card in your wallet. While no-annual-fee credit cards are common, this one does have a few more benefits than most.

  → See more credit cards with no annual fee.

• Monthly streaming subscription credit (enrollment required)

  Cut your streaming subscription costs dramatically with up to a $7 monthly statement credit after using your enrolled Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express for a subscription purchase, including a bundle subscription purchase, at Disneyplus.com, Hulu.com, or Plus.espn.com U.S. websites. Subject to auto-renewal.

• Car rental loss and damage insurance

  Rental insurance is a rare benefit among cards with no annual fees, so if you use rental vehicles, this benefit adds both protection and peace of mind as you drive off the lot. When you use your Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express to reserve and pay for the entire rental and decline the collision damage waiver, you are covered for damage to or theft of a rental vehicle in a covered territory¹.

  → See additional credit cards that offer car rental protection.

• Limit on higher rewards rate

  The card’s bonus categories are capped at $6,000 spent per year in each category: U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations and U.S. online retail purchases. That amounts to $500 in spending per month per category. Keep in mind, though, that this is still a generous limit — you can earn $180 per category and $540 in total by reaching the cap on each category. That’s a huge amount of cash back* from a $0-annual-fee card.

  Nonetheless, if you spend a lot of money online, buying groceries or filling up on gas, you could hit the category maximums quickly. So if you have a significant grocery budget, you might be better off with the American Express^® Gold Card, which offers a $25,000 annual limit on its bonus for U.S. supermarket purchases, for a value of $1,000 in rewards. Just know that the card also comes with a $325 annual fee.

  Tip: To leverage their credit cards for additional savings, some Reddit users note that they use both the Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express and Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express.

  After maxing out the higher rewards rate at U.S. supermarkets with the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express, they can still get a higher-than-average earning rate at U.S. supermarkets with the Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express. They can also use the Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express to earn a higher rewards rate on U.S. online retail purchases, and the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express to get elevated rewards on qualifying transit purchases and U.S. streaming subscriptions (up to the annual maximum).

• Bonus categories apply to U.S. purchases only

  Another downside to the Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express is that the elevated rewards rates only apply to purchases made with U.S. supermarkets, gas stations and online retailers.

  For travelers planning to go overseas, the Bank of America^® Travel Rewards credit card is a $0 annual fee card with a foreign transaction fee of none. It earns a flat rate of 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases. 3 points per $1 spent on travel purchases booked through the Bank of America Travel Center.

• Foreign transaction fees

  You should leave your Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express at home when traveling outside the U.S. because you’ll be subject to a foreign transaction fee of 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars.

  If, however, you’re hoping to earn rewards on gas purchases abroad, the Wells Fargo Autograph^® Card is a good $0-annual-fee credit card that charges a foreign transaction fee of none. The card’s elevated rewards rates also apply to travel, restaurants, transit, popular streaming services and phone plans.

Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express vs. Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express

The Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express is a step up from the Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express, since it offers an even higher cash back rate on U.S. supermarket and U.S. gas station spending, additional bonus categories and various protections. Cardholders earn 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in eligible purchases (then 1%), 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% cash back at eligible U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more) purchases and 1% cash back on other purchases. Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit and at Amazon.com checkout.

Similar to the Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express, this card offers a monthly streaming subscription credit (enrollment required) and car rental loss and damage insurance¹. But it also offers purchase protection², return protection² and extended warranty protection².

On the downside, the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express charges a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95. But even with the annual fee, it’s still the better option for cardholders who spend a large amount on groceries, since spending more than $3,010 per year on groceries (only around $250 per month) at U.S. supermarkets earns more than you can get with the Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express.

---

Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express vs. Bank of America^® Customized Cash Rewards credit card

If your spending varies from month to month, the Bank of America^® Customized Cash Rewards credit card could be a better option since it lets you earn the highest earning rate in the category of your choice. Choice categories include: gas and EV charging stations, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores and home improvement and furnishings. Bank of America customers with higher bank and investment balances may even qualify for up to 75% more cash back with Preferred Rewards.

This could be a good card for someone who spends heavily on groceries, since it includes wholesale clubs, which often have great pricing on food. Plus, it has a $10,000 annual cap, so if your annual grocery spending does reach that amount, you would receive more cash back with this card than the Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express.

This card also lets you earn a $200 online cash rewards bonus after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening. Plus, it’s a good option for financing a purchase or transferring a balance, since it offers a long intro APR on purchases and balance transfers.

---

Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express va. Citi Custom Cash^® Card

If you’re looking for a $0-annual-fee card that you’ll strictly use for grocery purchases, the Citi Custom Cash^® Card may be the better way to go.

The Citi Custom Cash^® Card offers robust cash back rewards on the highest eligible spending category each month. You’ll earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter. Also, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. The 5% category includes grocery and gas purchases, beating the Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express‘s bonus on these two categories.

There’s also a sign-up bonus that lets you earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back. And cardholders can take advantage of a similar intro APR offer on purchases and balance transfers to the Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express.

Like the other cards, a big downside is the cap on elevated rewards. The 5% bonus is limited to $500 monthly ($6,000 per year total), and you only earn 1% on most other purchases. If you’re searching for a card that you can earn elevated rewards on for a variety of everyday purchases, you’re better off with the Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express. But if you plan to pair the Citi Custom Cash^® Card with another card, it can be useful, especially with the home improvement and live entertainment spending categories.

The Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express is a good option if you want to maximize your cash back* earning potential at supermarkets and gas stations in the U.S.

But if you want to earn an even higher cash back* rate at U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations, as well as on select U.S. streaming services and transit purchases, the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express may be a better fit. This is especially true if you plan to earn enough to cover the annual fee each year, which you can easily do if you spend at least $140 just on groceries every month.