Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express review

Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express: A Full Review

The Blue Cash Everyday Card offers a rewards rate tailored for average spenders, offering generous cash back in categories including U.S. supermarket and U.S. gas station purchases. For families who spend a lot on groceries and commuting, the Blue Cash Everyday can be one of the most lucrative cash back cards available.

On top of a great rewards rate, the card also comes with a lengthy intro APR on new purchases. If you need to finance a large purchase over time without racking up interest – but don’t want to sacrifice rewards – this card is a great option.

Earning cash back at supermarkets and gas stations

For a card with no annual fee, the Blue Cash Everyday card has a great rewards rate. Cardholders earn 3 percent cash back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1 percent), 2 percent cash back at U.S. gas stations and select U.S. department stores and 1 percent cash back on general purchases.

Even with a spend cap on U.S. supermarket purchases, this is a very valuable category. The limit comes out to around $500 a month on groceries, and if you can meet the full cap you can earn $180 per year on U.S. supermarket purchases alone.

While the earning rate on the Blue Cash Everyday is very good, it is not the highest available. We estimate the average spender earns around 1.64 percent cash back on average with the card. Cash back cards with an annual fee or high flat rate cards can often outpace the Blue Cash Everyday with an average spend. (Note: To calculate the earning rate on the following cards, we used average category and overall spend as defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.)

To get a bit more value out of the Blue Cash Everyday, weigh your spending toward the card’s bonus categories. The card also makes a great pair to a flat rate card, so you can divide your purchases to maximize rewards.

See related: Best fixed bonus category cash back cards

Introductory bonus

The Blue Cash Everyday card comes with a decent welcome bonus of a $100 statement credit for cardholders who spend $1,000 in the first six months. This is not the highest offer available – even among cards with no annual fee – and is $100 lower than the card’s previous offering of $200 after spending $1,000 in the first three months. That said, you’ll get double the amount of time to reach the spending requirement.

Along with the flat cash back bonus, you’ll earn 20% back on purchases at Amazon.com for the first six months when you pay with the card, up to a limit of $200 back. To maximize this offer, you’d need to spend $1,000 at Amazon.com in the first six months (at least $166 per month).

Redeeming cash back

In order to redeem the cash back you earn, you’ll need to meet a minimum threshold of $25. Once you do, however, cashing in on rewards is simple. You can choose from a statement credit, gift card or merchandise purchase.

If you want to use your rewards for a travel purchase, you won’t be able to apply them toward American Express Travel bookings. However, you do have full access to the booking platform, and you can use your cash back toward a statement credit to offset the cost.

Intro APR for new purchases

The Blue Cash Everyday also comes with an intro APR on new purchases – 0 percent for the first 15 months (13.99 to 23.99 percent variable thereafter). This is a great way to finance a larger purchase over time without worrying about racking up substantial interest charges. Just be careful not to charge more than you can pay off in the intro period, as the ongoing APR can be high.

Pairing the Blue Cash Everyday with other rewards cards

The earning rate on the Blue Cash Everyday is not the highest you can find when used on its own, but the card makes a great pair for a card with a flat rate of cash back. Since the Blue Cash Everyday awards a high rate of cash back in bonus categories such as U.S. supermarket purchases, you can use the card for all bonus category purchases and use a flat rate card for general purchases to boost your overall rate.

For example, imagine you own both the Blue Cash Everyday card and the American Express Cash Magnet® Card – which earns 1.5 percent cash back on every purchase. If you use the Blue Cash Everyday for all U.S. supermarket, gas station and department store purchases and the Cash Magnet for everything else, you’ll earn the following reward rate.

Potential rewards rate: Blue Cash Everyday + American Express Cash Magnet

We estimate the average earning rate on this pairing at around 1.94 percent cash back, significantly higher than the estimated 1.64 percent on the Blue Cash Everyday alone. If you choose to pair the Blue Cash Everyday with an even higher flat rate card – like the Citi Double Cash Card – you can earn even more rewards.

Blue Cash Everyday vs. Blue Cash Preferred

For cardholders looking to maximize their cash back on U.S. supermarket purchases, American Express also offers a card with an annual fee – the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express. Compared to the Blue Cash Everyday, the Blue Cash Preferred offers a higher rate of cash back on U.S. supermarket purchases and a higher introductory bonus, but it comes with a $95 annual fee ($0 first year for a limited time until 12/10/20).

See Related: Blue Cash Everyday vs. Blue Cash Preferred

The Blue Cash Preferred card offers a generous 6 percent cash back on U.S. supermarket purchases (up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1 percent), 6 percent on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3 percent cash back at U.S. gas stations and on transit and 1 percent cash back on general purchases. In order to earn enough more in U.S. supermarket rewards to offset the annual fee in year two and earn more cash back per year than the Blue Cash Everyday, we estimate a Blue Cash Preferred cardholder would need to spend at least $3,200 per year on groceries.

Annual cash back on U.S. supermarket purchases ($3,200 spend)

This is a relatively low spend to reach, only requiring around $267 a month in U.S. supermarket purchases. If you regularly spend that much on groceries, the Blue Cash Preferred might be worth the annual fee after your first year.

Other features

The Blue Cash Everyday card also comes with some additional benefits that add to its value – especially for frequent shoppers and travelers.

• Car rental insurance – When you use the Blue Cash Everyday to book and pay for your rental car, you receive secondary coverage in cash of damage or theft.
• Purchase protection – If an item you buy with your card is lost or damaged in the first 120 days, you can be reimbursed up to $1,000 per purchase in covered instances ($50,000 max per year).
• Access to pre-sales tickets – As an American Express cardholder, you’ll have exclusive access to pre-sales tickets to concerts, sporting events and more.
• “Pay It Plan It®” – Pay off small purchase amounts (under $100) right away and split larger purchases (over $100) into a custom monthly payment plan for a fixed fee with this flexible payment option. Payment plans can last from three to 24 months. Eligibility is based on your account and credit history.

To take advantage of these protections, you should put all big purchases on your Blue Cash Everyday card.

See related: American Express card benefits

Approval odds

The Blue Cash Everyday card is recommended for users with good to excellent credit (above 670), so you’ll want to ensure you meet those qualifications before you apply.

Customer service

American Express has one of the best customer service reputations among major issuers, finishing first among 11 issuers in J.D. Power’s 2020 customer satisfaction survey. In addition to 24/7 customer service and an online chat feature for quick answers to simple questions, the American Express app rates very well among users. It rates 4.3 out of 5 in the Google Play Store and 4.9 out of 5 in the Apple App Store.

How does the Blue Cash Everyday compare to other cash back cards?

The Blue Cash Everyday card is a very rewarding option for users who spend a lot on U.S. supermarket and gas station purchases, but it might not be the best choice for every kind of cardholder. If you prefer to earn cash back in different bonus categories or put all your spend on one card that earns a high flat rate of cash back, one of these options might be better for you:

Bank of America® Cash Rewards credit card	Citi® Double Cash Card	Chase Freedom Flex
Rewards rate 3% cash back on a category of your choice (gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores or home improvements and furnishings) 2% cash back on grocery stores and wholesale club purchases $2,500 combined limit on purchases on 2% and 3% categories each quarter 1% cash back on other purchases	Rewards rate 1% cash back on general purchases 1% additional cash back as you pay for those purchases	Rewards rate 5% cash back on rotating bonus categories that you must activate each quarter (up to $1,500 per quarter) 5% cash back on Ultimate Rewards travel 3% back on dining and drugstore purchases 1% cash back on general purchases
Sign-up bonus $200 online cash rewards if you spend $1,000 in first 90 days	Sign-up bonus None	Sign-up bonus $200 if you spend $500 in first 3 months
Annual fee $0	Annual fee $0	Annual fee $0
Other things to know Minimum $25 required to redeem cash back Bank of America checking and savings account holders can boost earning rate with Preferred Rewards program Spend analysis each month to help choose your bonus category	Other things to know Minimum $25 required to redeem cash back Lengthy intro period for balance transfers Rewards expire if card is not used over 12 months	Other things to know Includes cell phone protection Transfer points to another Chase Ultimate Rewards card to potentially boost value Redeem rewards for cash back, travel purchases, merchandise or gift cards Lengthy intro period on both new purchases and balance transfers

Bank of America Cash Rewards card

Rather than lock users into one bonus category, the Bank of America Cash Rewards card gives cardholders the flexibility to choose where they want to earn 3 percent cash back – from gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores or home improvements and furnishings. Plus, you can change your selection once per calendar month so that your rewards shift as your spending does. The Bank of America Cash Rewards card also offers 2 percent cash back on grocery store and wholesale club purchases ($2,500 combined purchase cap on 2 and 3 percent categories each quarter) and 1 percent cash back on general purchases.

See Related: Bank of America Cash Rewards vs. Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express

At first glance, the rewards rate on the Bank of America Cash Rewards card looks very similar to the Blue Cash Everyday. In fact, our estimated rewards rates for the average spender on both of these cards are almost identical. If you are Bank of America or Merrill account holder, however, you can boost that rate with the Preferred Rewards program. Depending on your account balance, you can earn as much as 75 percent more cash back on every purchase.

Preferred Rewards tiers

 Citi Double Cash Card

For cardholders who prefer a flat rate of cash back on every purchase to keeping track of bonus categories, the Citi Double Cash Card offers one of the best rates on the market. Cardholders earn 1 percent cash back on every purchase they make, plus an additional 1 percent cash back when you pay for those purchases – for a total of up to 2 percent cash back on everything.

Unfortunately, the trade-off for this great rate is a lack of a sign-up bonus or intro APR for new purchases. If those features are important to you when choosing a new card, the Citi Double Cash might not be the best option for you.

Chase Freedom Flex

The Chase Freedom Flex card is best for users who don’t mind putting in a bit of work to earn rewards, as it offers 5% cash back in rotating bonus categories that you must enroll in each quarter (up to $1,500 in purchases per quarter). You’ll also earn 5% back on Ultimate Rewards travel, 3% back on dining and drugstore purchases and 1% cash back on other purchases. Though the spend cap on the 5% category is relatively low, savvy spenders can still bring in great rewards with this card.

Users who own another Chase Ultimate Rewards card can potentially get more value out of the Freedom Flex. Since other Ultimate Rewards cards, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve, offer a higher point value when redeemed for travel purchases through the Ultimate Rewards portal, you can transfer points on your Freedom Flex to stretch them a bit further.

Why get the Blue Cash Everyday card?

• You spend a lot on U.S. supermarket and gas station purchases and can take advantage of a good rewards rate on those categories.
• You have a large purchase you want to pay off over time and want to avoid interest in the first 15 months.
• You are looking for a card with lucrative bonus categories to pair with a flat-rate card.
• You plan to spend $1,000 on Amazon.com purchases in the next six months.

How to use the Blue Cash Everyday card:

• Put all U.S. supermarket and gas station purchases on the card.
• Use the card to finance larger purchases or carry a balance at a 0% intro APR for the first 15 months (13.99% to 23.99% variable APR thereafter).
• Be sure to pay off any new purchases before the end of the introductory period to avoid interest charges.
• Use the card for all Amazon.com purchases to earn 20% cash back during your first six months as a cardholder (up to a $200 cash back limit).

Is the Blue Cash Everyday card worth it?

For cardholders who spend a significant amount on U.S. supermarket and U.S. gas station purchases, the Blue Cash Everyday card offers a generous rate of cash back for a card with no annual fee. Plus, you’ll get a long intro APR on new purchases.

However, those looking to maximize rewards on U.S. supermarket purchases who spend at least $3,200 a year on groceries might be better off opting for the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express – despite its annual fee.

For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday Card, please click here.

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