American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card Review 2022
Written by
Dawn Allcot
Edited by
Lindsey Kloosterman
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American Express National Bank
-
Balance Transfer
4.8
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Cash Back
4.4
Pros
- No annual fee
- Generous introductory APR
- Cash back rewards
- Buy Now, Pay Later program
- Access to experiences
- Purchase protection
Cons
- High APR
- Few travel benefits
- Foreign transaction fees
Overview of
The is a solid, simple cash back rewards credit card for people with good to excellent credit. With no annual fee and all the benefits you’d expect from American Express, Member FDIC, it’s an easy card to carry and use for virtually all your purchases within the United States.
The rewards are not as robust as some. and offer 5% cash back on purchases in specific categories. But if you want a solid card for everyday use, without worrying about rotating categories, American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card could be the card for you.
The card has a 2.7% foreign purchase transaction fee (see Rates & Fees), so you’ll want to carry another card — like the American Express Gold credit card — when you travel overseas.
Who It’s Best For
If you’re looking for a straightforward rewards credit card that delivers cash back, put American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card on your list of cards to consider. You will earn 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, on U.S. online retail purchases and at U.S. gas stations on up to $6,000 per year in each of these categories. After the category caps are hit you will earn 1% back and will also earn 1% back on all of your other eligible purchases.
The generous introductory APR also makes it a good card to have in case of emergency or if you’re planning a vacation, home renovations, or a treat for yourself and want to space out the costs over time. That introductory APR also applies to any balance transfers made within the first 60 days of account opening, an offer that earns the card a spot on GOBankingRates’ Best Rewards Card list.
The spending limit of $6,000 on groceries at U.S. supermarkets for 3% cash back is only $500 per month, so larger families are likely to max out that category cap quickly.
Interest Rates
The American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card competes favorably with Chase Freedom, another credit card in the same class, offering a 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months. Once your intro APR expires, you’ll have an APR between (see Rates & Fees).
The American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card has another feature that can help you manage your money. The American Express Plan It program, similar to a buy now, pay later plan, allows you to choose any purchase of $100 or more and then set a plan option where you pay a fixed monthly fee to pay down that debt. For the first 15 months, you won’t have any fees when you use the Plan It option. After that, you’ll pay up to 1.33% of each purchase. (see Rates & Fees)
Rewards Program
The Rewards program for Blue Cash Everyday Card is super simple. Here’s how it works:
- Earn 3% cash back on the first $6,000 (then 1%) worth of grocery store purchases annually at U.S. supermarkets. After that, you’ll receive 1% on U.S. supermarket rewards. Purchases at wholesale clubs and superstores like Target or Walmart earn 1% back every day, not 3%.
- Earn 3% cash back on the first $6,000 (then 1%) at gas stations across the U.S., again excluding gas purchases at warehouse clubs or superstores.
- Earn 3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases, on up to $6,000 per year (then 1%)
- Finally, earn 1% cash back every day on all other purchases.
When it comes to bonus cash back, you don’t have to worry about rotating categories or “activating” your card to receive bonus points. It all happens automatically, which means you can earn more without thinking about it. You can redeem your rewards for a statement credit as soon as you accrue $25 in cash back.
Plus, you can earn a $200 welcome offer. You will earn $200 after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card within the first 6 months.
Fees
American Express Blue Cash Everyday stands out with no annual fee — ever (see Rates & Fees). Plus, you can request as many additional cards as you’d like for authorized users on your account, all with no extra fee.
However, there are a few other fees you should be aware of. The card has a cash advance fee of the greater of $10 or 5% of the amount of the cash advance (see Rates & Fees).
There are foreign transaction fees of 2.7% after the purchase is converted to U.S. dollars.
Finally, be aware of late payment and returned payment fees of up to $40 (see Rates & Fees), which is comparable to Chase Freedom.
Benefits
American Express travel credit cards are known for their robust benefits, including experiences, travel insurance, and emergency services for travelers far from home. As an everyday cash rewards card, however, the American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card doesn’t exactly shine in the benefits department.
But what it does offer is solid and useful, including fraud protection, access to exclusive American Express experiences, the American Express Global Assist Hotline for emergencies away from home, and car rental loss and collision damage waiver insurance.
Good To Know
The American Express Blue Cash Everyday card can go the distance for you with no annual fee. If you don’t want to think about rewards and want to receive easy statement credits, the American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card delivers.
What Sets American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card Apart
The American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card is a credit card, not a charge card, providing greater flexibility when it comes to making payments. The American Express Plan It feature can help families on a budget ensure they don’t get in over their head with debt by establishing monthly payment plans for purchases over $100.
Of course, you can commit to paying off a large purchase over time by dividing the total charge by the number of months in which you hope to pay it off. But the Plan It feature keeps you accountable, factoring in that payment as part of your monthly minimum payment due.
What’s more, the generous, easy rewards without the need to remember rotating categories or “opt-in” to earn cash back could be enough to earn American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card a place in your wallet.
American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card vs.
The Citi Double Cash Card is one of the top competitors to American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card. It’s equally simple to use and delivers more flexibility in how you earn rewards. You can redeem Citi’s rewards — called ThankYou Points — for your choice of cash back in the form of a statement credit, direct deposit, or a check. You can also redeem Citi ThankYou points for a variety of gift cards, merchandise or travel, making it a more flexible card.
However, the cash back rewards don’t compare to Blue Cash Everyday, which offers up to 3% cash back on certain purchases. Citi Double Cash delivers up to 2% cash back for every dollar spent — one when you make the purchase and one when you make a payment on that purchase.
Like Blue Cash Everyday, Citi Double Cash has no annual fee. It also has a longer intro APR on balance transfers, so if you’re looking to consolidate debt onto a cash back rewards card, the Citi Double Cash should be your choice over Blue Cash Everyday. However, if you’re looking to maximize your rewards, consider Blue Cash Everyday instead.
American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card vs. American Express Blue Cash Preferred
Many people considering the Blue Cash Everyday Card might want to take a second look at the Blue Cash Preferred Card instead. Blue Cash Preferred delivers 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, which is double Blue Cash Everyday. The spending limit of $6,000 is still in place, and any purchases past that maximum will receive 1% rewards. Blue Cash Preferred also delivers 6% rewards on select U.S. streaming subscription services, 3% at U.S. gas stations and also on select transit services such as taxis or rideshare services, tolls, trains, and buses, and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Plus, this welcome offer bonus allows you to earn $250 after you spend $3,000 in purchases in the first six months.
The higher rewards, easier welcome offer bonus, plus the additional categories could make Blue Cash Preferred a better value for many cardmembers, but all these rewards come at a cost — a $95 annual fee which is $0 your first year (See Rates & Fees).
Is It Right For You?
If you are looking for a straightforward cash back rewards card and the $6,000 limit on groceries at U.S. supermarkets, online retail purchases and U.S. gas stations doesn’t bother you in terms of bonus rewards, the American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card could be a good card to carry. It doesn’t deliver best-in-class rewards, but there’s no annual fee.
If you’re looking for a card for a specific large purchase, the Blue Cash Everyday can also fit the bill with a generous introductory APR. After that, you’ll want to pay off your balance in full every month to avoid finance charges.
American Express Blue Cash Everyday FAQ
Here's some more answers to questions about the American Express Blue Cash Everyday credit card.- Is American Express Blue Cash a good card?
- When you're evaluating credit cards, you want to consider the interest rate, annual fee, rewards, and the features and benefits it offers. American Express Blue Cash Everyday is a good, straightforward card that delivers cash back rewards and has a generous introductory APR. With no annual fee, it is safe to consider American Express Blue Cash Everyday a "good" credit card for many people.
- Is it hard to get an American Express card?
- While American Express has fostered a reputation as a prestigious, high-end luxury credit card, it's not actually any harder to qualify for Blue Cash Everyday than another cash back rewards card like Chase Freedom or Citi Double Cash. This is not a "starter" credit card for people building their credit. You will need an American Express Blue Cash credit score of 670 or higher to qualify for Blue Cash Everyday.
- Can I withdraw cash from my American Express Blue Cash Everyday card?
- Your Amex Blue Cash Everyday card allows cash advances through an ATM. Be aware there is a cash advance rate, so there may be cheaper ways to get cash if needed. Consider paying with your card, instead, or using the American Express Send & Split feature to send money to friends through Venmo or PayPal using the American Express app.
- What is American Express Blue Cash Reward Dollars?
- American Express Blue Cash describes American Express' line of credit cards that permit you to carry a balance. Both Blue Cash Everyday and Blue Cash Preferred have 0% introductory APRs, but after that period expires, you'll pay interest charges on your purchases if you carry a balance.
Alicia Bodine contributed to the reporting for this article.
Rates and fees are accurate as of October 6, 2022, and are subject to change. For rates and fees of the American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card, please visit AmericanExpress.com.
All information about American Express card offers have been collected independently by GOBankingRates and have not been reviewed or approved by American Express. These offers are not available through GOBankingRates. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Editorial Note: This content is not provided by American Express. Any opinions, analyses, reviews, ratings or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author alone and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. American Express credit card products are not available through GOBankingRates.com.
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