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 U.S. supermarkets, but there are a few key differences.
• The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express has a $95 (waived the first year if you apply by 12/10/2020) annual fee (See Rates) and earns a higher rate of cash back at U.S. supermarkets, while the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express has no annual fee (See Rates).
• With the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, you'll also earn 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and transit, and with the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express you'll earn 2% back at U.S. gas stations and select department stores. 
• If you spend more than $3,167 at U.S. 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 straightforward — you'll earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. The welcome offer on the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express is a $150 statement credit after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.

Cash back on purchases

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express does have a $95 (waived the first year if you apply by 12/10/2020) 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 on groceries at U.S. 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 in cash back, compared to $180 if you spend the $6,000 on the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express.

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.

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 U.S. streaming services (including Hulu, Netflix, and Spotify) and 3% back at U.S. gas stations and transit, while the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express offers 2% back at U.S. gas stations and at select US department stores.

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express 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 from American Express. Both cards offer 1% cash back in all other categories.

Which Amex Blue Cash card is right for you?

When comparing the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express and the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, 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® Card from American Express has a $95 (waived the first year if you apply by 12/10/2020) 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 US supermarkets in order for the higher cash-back rate at U.S. supermarkets to offset the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express 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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