Blue Cash Preferred versus Blue Cash Everyday: We compare two of the best Amex cards for cash back

• The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express and the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express both earn bonus cash back at US supermarkets, but there are a few key differences.
• The Blue Cash Preferred card has a $95 annual fee and earns a higher rate of cash back at US supermarkets, while the Blue Cash Everyday card has no annual fee.
• With the Blue Cash Preferred, you'll also earn 3% cash back at US gas stations and transit, and with the Blue Cash Everyday you'll earn 2% back at US gas stations and department stores. 
• If you spend more than $3,167 at US supermarkets in a year, you'll earn enough cash back to make the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express worth its annual fee.
• See Business Insider's list of the best cash-back credit cards »

American Express markets most of its credit cards with different color combinations. Beyond the Green, Gold, and Platinum cards, a handful of cards are marketed with the "Blue" label.

In this article, we'll take a look at two of American Express's Blue cards — the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express and Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express. We'll compare the two cards, look at the pros and cons of each, and help you decide which might be right for you.

Blue Cash Preferred vs. Blue Cash Everyday: the biggest differences

The two cards also share minor benefits such as car rental loss and damage insurance, fraud protection, access to Amex's Global Assist Hotline and exclusive access to ticket presales and Amex cardmember-only events.

Welcome bonus

The welcome bonus on the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is slightly higher — with a $250 statement credit after you spend $1,000 in the first three months of having the card. The welcome offer on the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express is a $150 statement credit after spending $1,000 in the first three months of having the card.

However, when you subtract out the $95 annual fee that comes with the Blue Cash Preferred card, the welcome bonuses are nearly identical: $155 ($250 minus $95) on the Blue Cash Preferred compared to $150 with the Blue Cash Everyday.

Cash back on purchases

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express does have a $95 annual fee, but the higher bonuses can more than make up for it, if you maximize them.

If your family spends at least $6,000 in groceries at US supermarkets each year (which works out to $500 per month), the 6% cash back will more than offset the $95 annual fee. You'll get $360 of cash back, compared to $180 if you spend the $6,000 on the Blue Cash Everyday card.

Since the 6% cash back is capped at $6,000 per year (then 1%), if you spend more than that, you'll want to switch your spending to a different card, such as the Chase Freedom Unlimited® or Citi® Double Cash Card.

Read more:The best credit cards for buying groceries

The two cards have different rates and categories for other spending as well. The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express offers 6% back on select US streaming services (including Hulu, Netflix, and Spotify) and 3% back at US gas stations and transit, while the Blue Cash Everyday offers 2% back at US gas stations and at department stores.

The Blue Cash Preferred has higher rates at gas stations, though if you have higher than average spending at select US department stores, you may prefer the Blue Cash Everyday card. Both cards offer 1% cash back in all other categories.

Which card is right for you?

When comparing the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express and the Blue Cash Everyday cards, you'll want to look at your own specific spending patterns.

If you're already tracking your monthly spending, this will be as easy as reviewing your spreadsheet or tracking tool. If you don't have exact numbers, make your best estimates for your monthly spending in grocery, gas, department stores, transit, and streaming services. Since the Blue Cash Preferred has a $95 annual fee, subtract that out and add the welcome bonus.

If you spend at least $500 per month on groceries and plan to use one of these two cards for your U.S. supermarket spending, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is the way to go. The extra cash back you'll earn will more than make up for the annual fee, and the other bonus categories (streaming services, gas stations and transit) will provide even more cash back.

The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express could be a better option if you won't spend the full $6,000 at U.S. supermarkets, or if you spend a lot at department stores. You'll need to spend at least $3,167 at U.S. supermarkets in order for the higher cash-back rate at U.S. supermarkets to offset the Blue Cash Preferred card's annual fee.

You'll also want to consider that there are many other cash-back cards out there, so it's possible that the best card for you may be a different card entirely. 

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