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If you’re considering adding a new card to your wallet, both the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express and the Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card are great options. But despite their similar names and common issuer, the two cards couldn’t be more different.
Finding which card is best for you will depend on the kind of rewards you’re looking to earn, and how you usually spend.
We’re focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won’t be worth it if you’re paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it’s important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.
Compare Blue Cash Preferred and Amex EveryDay Preferred
Both Amex rewards credit cards offer similar annual fees, but the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express has an objectively more appealing offer: New cardholders pay an annual fee of Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express. This is huge for folks interested in trying a higher-earning rewards card, but are wary of paying an annual fee.
Even so, the Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card only charges a low Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card annual fee.
The biggest difference between the Amex cards is the type of rewards they earn. The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express earns cash back in the form of Reward Dollars, which can be redeemed for statement credits, while the Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card earns Amex Membership Rewards points.
Blue Cash Preferred and Amex EveryDay Preferred welcome bonus offers:
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: Earn a Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American ExpressAmex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card: Earn Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card (worth around Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card in travel, based on Insider’s points and miles valuations)
The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card’s bonus is technically easier to earn, but neither card’s spending requirement is that high, and you’ll have six months to meet the requirement.
Reward rates
While they share many of the same bonus spending categories, earning rates vary (usually in the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express’s favor). Keep in mind, however, after you use the Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card 30 times, you’ll earn 50% more points on purchases during that billing cycle. This benefit is unique to the EveryDay Preferred card (and its sister card, the no-annual-fee Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express).
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express earns:
6% cash back at US supermarkets up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%)6% cash back on select US streaming subscriptions3% cash back at US gas stations and on transit 1% cash back on all other purchases
The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card earns:
3x points at US supermarkets up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1x)2x points at US gas stations1x on all other purchases
The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card’s rewards rates mentioned above are what you’ll earn before the 50% bonus is applied. With the bonus, cardholders could earn 4.5x at US supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year), 3x at US gas stations, and 2x on all other purchases.
Redeeming rewards
Cash back always has the same value, while the value of American Express Membership Rewards points depends on how you redeem them. Although you’ll only get a value of 0.7 to 1 cent per point if you redeem for gift cards or for travel through the Amex travel portal, you can get much more value by transferring them to Amex’s airline and hotel partners.
With that, the cash back you earn from the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express can only be redeemed as statement credits. If you’re looking for more flexible redemption options — including being able to directly redeem for travel — then you’re better off with the Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card.
Benefits and features
Blue Cash Preferred Card benefits
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express doesn’t offer premium perks, but there are a few money-saving benefits worth mentioning. One of the most noteworthy perks is also one of the newest; the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express now gets cardholders a monthly $7 credit when they pay for the Disney Bundle (enrollment required).
The card also gets you monthly Equinox+ credits**, car rental loss and damage insurance, return protection, purchase protection, extended warranty, and more. You’ll also get access to the Amex Offers** program where you can get cash back or bonus points when you shop at specific retailers and travel brands.
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express offers a Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express (then a Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express APR). That’s super handy if you have larger purchases coming up you want to pay for over time, or want to consolidate debt from other high-interest credit cards.
Amex EveryDay Preferred benefits
Although Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card doesn’t come with lucrative perks, there are some decent lifestyle and shopping benefits (such as return protection, purchase protection, extended warranty, and a ShopRunner membership). It also provides secondary car rental insurance (doesn’t include liability).
The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card has a Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card (then a Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card APR).
Amex Blue Cash Preferred versus the Amex EveryDay Preferred: the biggest differences
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express
Annual fee
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit CardWelcome bonus offer
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit CardRewards rate
6% cash back at US supermarkets*
6% cash back on select US streaming subscriptions
3% cash back at US gas stations and transit
1% cash back on all other purchases
3x points at US supermarkets*
2x points at US gas stations
1 point per dollar on all other purchases
50% more bonus points when you make at least 30 purchases in a billing cycle
Card benefits
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express (then a Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express APR)
Car rental loss and damage insurance
Global Assist Hotline
Purchase protection
Return protection
Extended warranty
Amex Offers
Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card (then a Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card APR)
Car rental loss and damage insurance
Global Assist Hotline
Purchase protection
Return protection
Extended warranty
Amex Offers
Statement credits
Monthly Disney Bundle credits
Monthly Equinox+ credits
N/AReview
Blue Cash Preferred card review
Amex EveryDay Preferred card review
*6% cash back/3x points at US supermarkets on up to $6,000 spent per year, then 1%/1x
Bottom line
Overall, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express comes out on top. It’s hard to beat its high-earning reward rates — especially considering it earns 6% cash back on US supermarkets (up to spending limits) and streaming services. If you maximize the bonus at US supermarkets, you can get up to $360 in cash back each year. It also gets cardholders helpful perks, like monthly Disney Bundle and Equinox+ credits — but those are only valuable if those are services you use.
That said, the Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card is great for folks who regularly use and maximize Membership Rewards points. If you’re able to meet the monthly transaction bonus target of 30 transactions per month and unlock the 50% bonus points on purchases, you’ll definitely get a lot of value out of the Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card.
Another reason to consider the Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card is if you have a decent amount of Amex Rewards points piled up and you’re looking to downgrade from a more expensive Membership Rewards card (such as The Platinum Card® from American Express or American Express® Gold Card).