Amex Blue Cash Preferred
The Amex Blue Cash Preferred from American Express has a $95 annual fee ($0 the first year). At $2,650 a month of typical household spending it pays about $582 a year after fees, before statement credits, $54 less than the Citi Double Cash, a flat 2% card.
Terms checked October 26, 2026. Net values use the spending mix of 1,229 U.S. households in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Expenditure Interview Survey. This is an estimate, not financial advice.
What does the Amex Blue Cash Preferred earn?
6% groceries up to $6,000 a year, then 1%. 6% streaming, 3% transit and gas.
How much would it pay you a year?
This is the card's rewards minus its annual fee, at three spending levels, with spending split the way the survey households split theirs. Statement credits and sign-up bonuses are left out.
| Spending a month | Amex Blue Cash Preferred | Citi Double Cash (2%) |
|---|---|---|
| $1,500 | $341 | $360 |
| $2,650 (the survey median) | $582 | $636 |
| $5,000 | $916 | $1,200 |
The mix is 30% everything else, 25% groceries, 16% phone and utilities, 13% dining, and smaller shares elsewhere. Your own split decides the real answer: add your statements to work it out on what you actually spent.
How did it do for real households?
We ran each of the 1,229 households in the 2024 survey through every card, on 12 straight months of their own spending. It would have been the best of 53 cards for 4% of households, and paid more than the Citi Double Cash, a flat 2% card, for 25%. For the median household it paid $71 a year less than the flat 2% card.
The survey records spending categories but not merchants, so merchant bonuses and statement credits never count there, which favors flat cards. How we ran the household test.
What credits does it come with?
Up to $120 a year in credits, worth that much only if you would spend at these merchants anyway. PointMaxx counts a credit only when your statements show you'd have used it.
| Credit | Up to |
|---|---|
| Disney streaming credit | $10 a month ($120 a year) |
Fees and sign-up bonus
- Annual fee: $95, $0 the first year.
- Foreign transaction fee: 2.7%.
- Sign-up bonus: $250 after $3,000 of spending in 6 months. Offers change and can differ by applicant, so check the issuer's page.
Other benefits
- Car rental loss and damage insurance: secondary, up to $50,000, rentals up to 30 days
- Premium Car Rental Protection: optional primary coverage, $12.95-$24.95 per rental, up to $100,000
- Purchase protection: 90 days
- Return protection: 90 days
- Extended warranty: adds 1 year to warranties of 5 years or less
- Hertz discounts: discounted rates, waived additional-driver fee, one-class upgrade on 5+ day rentals
- Global Assist Hotline: 24/7 help when more than 100 miles from home
- VIP Entertainment Access: presale tickets and priority seating for select events
Cards that pay about the same
At $2,650 a month, these pay closest to the Amex Blue Cash Preferred:
- Citi Strata: $572 a year
- Chase IHG Premier: $592 a year
- Capital One Savor: $569 a year
- U.S. Bank Altitude Connect: $560 a year
See what it would have paid you
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PointMaxx runs a year of your own card statements against 53 U.S. cards, after annual fees, caps and the credits you'd really use. No statements on hand? The quick estimate asks seven questions instead.
Sources
- americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/card/blue-cash-preferred/
- upgradedpoints.com/credit-cards/reviews/american-express-blue-cash-preferred/benefits/
- upgradedpoints.com/news/amex-blue-cash-cards-disney-streaming-credit/
- awardwallet.com/news/cash-back/amex-disney-streaming-credit-update/
- Household spending: BLS Consumer Expenditure Surveys public-use microdata, 2024 Interview Survey.
See a wrong rate? Tell us. PointMaxx is not affiliated with or endorsed by American Express; the card's name is used only to say which card is meant.