Updated: August 20, 2024
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Both the Blue Cash Everyday and the BofA Customized Cash offer enticing cash back rewards with no annual fees, making them strong contenders for your wallet. The BofA Customized Cash leads with its flexibility to earn high cash back in customizable categories.
However, the Blue Cash Everyday with its competitive 3% cash back should not be overlooked, especially for those who frequently spend at U.S. supermarkets, online retailers and gas stations.
You might prefer the Blue Cash Everyday if you value simplicity and spend regularly on groceries, online shopping, and gas. With 3% cash back in these categories without the need to select them, you can earn rewards effortlessly. The introductory APR period can also provide a respite from interest on new purchases and balance transfers.
You might prefer the BofA Customized Cash if you enjoy tailoring your credit card to your spending habits. With the ability to choose your 3% cash back category, you can align your rewards with your largest expenses. This card is also beneficial if you're looking to minimize interest on purchases or balance transfers with its introductory APR offer.
Evaluating APRs, fees, credit requirements, rewards, introductory offers, and other features will illuminate which card aligns with your financial habits. For instance, if you spend heavily in specific categories, the BofA Customized Cash might be advantageous, whereas consistent supermarket shoppers may prefer the Blue Cash Everyday. Assess each card's details here to find out what works best for you.
Regular APR: Tie
Both the Blue Cash Everyday and BofA Customized Cash cards offer a regular APR range starting at 19.24%, making them equally competitive in terms of interest rates.
Annual Fee: Tie
Both the Blue Cash Everyday and the BofA Customized Cash offer a $0 annual fee, making them equally appealing for those looking to avoid extra costs.
Introductory 0% APRs: Tie
Both the Blue Cash Everyday and the BofA Customized Cash offer identical introductory 0% APR periods for both purchases and balance transfers, lasting 15 months. However, the balance transfer fee is slightly different, with the Blue Cash Everyday card charging either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, while the BofA Customized Cash card charging a flat 3% of each transaction.
Rewards: Blue Cash Everyday
The Blue Cash Everyday card is better for rewards, offering 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. online retail purchases, and U.S. gas stations on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%. This straightforward rewards structure contrasts with the BofA Customized Cash card, which requires choosing a category for 3% cash back and has a combined spend limit on higher cash back categories.
Welcome Offers: BofA Customized Cash
For welcome offers, the BofA Customized Cash outperforms with a $200 reward for a lower $1,000 spend in the first 90 days, compared to the Blue Cash Everyday® Card's $200 for a $2,000 spend in six months.
Recommended Credit Score: Tie
Both the Blue Cash Everyday and the BofA Customized Cash require a credit score range of 670–850, indicating they are accessible to individuals with good to excellent credit. This makes them equally positioned in terms of credit score requirements.
Penalties and Fees: Tie
Both cards charge up to $40 for late payments and have similar penalty APRs. The BofA Customized Cash charges a 3% fee on foreign transactions, slightly higher than the Blue Cash Everyday's 2.7%. Cash advance fees also vary slightly. Overall, penalties and fees are comparable, leading to a tie.
Issuer Satisfaction: Blue Cash Everyday
For issuer satisfaction, the Blue Cash Everyday's issuer, American Express, outperforms with a rating of 5.0, compared to the 4.5 rating of Bank of America, the issuer of BofA Customized Cash.
Other Features & Perks: Tie
Both cards offer unique perks. The Blue Cash Everyday provides up to $15 back per month on Home Chef meal kit subscriptions and a $7 monthly statement credit for eligible The Disney Bundle subscriptions. The BofA Customized Cash offers extra cash back for Preferred Rewards members. Choosing the best card depends on which perks align more closely with your spending habits and preferences.
The Blue Cash Everyday leads with strong rewards in everyday spending categories, offering 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, online retail purchases, and gas stations, up to the annual limit, then 1%. This makes it an attractive option for those who spend consistently across these areas. On the other hand, the BofA Customized Cash card's most compelling feature is its customizable 3% cash back category. While it may not offer as high a reward rate across the board, it can be particularly beneficial if you have significant expenses in one of the eligible categories where you can earn more than the Blue Cash Everyday.
For the Bofa Customized Cash, you can choose one category to earn 3% cash back each quarter, from the following options: gas (including electric vehicle charging stations), online shopping (including cable, streaming, internet, and phone services), dining, travel, drug stores, or home improvements and furnishings. This flexibility can be advantageous if your spending is concentrated in one of these areas.
Below is a table of bonus categories to help you compare the rewards programs at a glance.
Category | Blue Cash Everyday | BofA Customized Cash |
|---|---|---|
U.S. Supermarkets | 3% for the first $6,000 annually/1% thereafter | 2% (part of 2% and 3% categories combined limit of $2,500 per quarter) |
U.S. Gas Stations | 3% for the first $6,000 annually/1% thereafter | 3% (part of 2% and 3% categories combined limit of $2,500 per quarter) |
Online Shopping | 3% for the first $6,000 annually/1% thereafter | 3% (part of 2% and 3% categories combined limit of $2,500 per quarter) |
Dining | 1% | 3% (part of 2% and 3% categories combined limit of $2,500 per quarter) |
Travel | 1% | 3% (part of 2% and 3% categories combined limit of $2,500 per quarter) |
Drug Stores | 1% | 3% (part of 2% and 3% categories combined limit of $2,500 per quarter) |
Home Improvements and Furnishings | 1% | 3% (part of 2% and 3% categories combined limit of $2,500 per quarter) |
Wholesale Clubs | 1% | 2% (part of 2% and 3% categories combined limit of $2,500 per quarter) |
All Other Purchases | 1% | 1% |
Moving from earning rewards to using them, both the Blue Cash Everyday and BofA Customized Cash cards offer redemption options that add flexibility to their cash back benefits. With the Blue Cash Everyday, you can redeem your cash back as a statement credit, directly at Amazon.com checkout, and there's no minimum amount required for redemption. Additionally, there are no rotating categories to keep track of, simplifying the redemption process.
On the other hand, the BofA Customized Cash allows you to redeem your cash back directly into a Bank of America checking or savings account or as a statement credit. The cash back you earn doesn't expire as long as your account remains open, giving you the freedom to redeem on your schedule. However, to fully benefit from the BofA Customized Cash card, you'll need to actively manage your choice categories to maximize your cash back earnings.
MoneyGeek evaluates credit cards like the Blue Cash Everyday and BofA Customized Cash based on their performance in various use cases. For this comparison, we focus on the cash back use case where each card scores highest. The largest factors in our scoring include the cash back value of the rewards program and the return on investment for card offers. Our rankings are designed to be transparent and informative. For a deeper understanding of our process, you can explore our ranking methodology.
The Blue Cash Everyday offers a cash back reward of 3% at U.S. supermarkets, while the BofA Customized Cash offers 3% in a chosen category.
No, both cards come with no annual fee.
Both cards have 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers.
Yes, with the BofA Customized Cash, you can choose your cash back categories.
The Blue Cash Everyday has a 2.7% fee, while the BofA Customized Cash has a 3% fee.
About Doug Milnes, CFA
Doug Milnes is a CFA charter holder with over 10 years of experience in corporate finance and the Head of Credit Cards at MoneyGeek. Formerly, he performed valuations for Duff and Phelps and financial planning and analysis for various companies. His analysis has been cited by U.S. News and World Report, The Hill, the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and many other outlets.
Milnes holds a master’s degree in data science from Northwestern University. He geeks out on helping people feel on top of their credit card use, from managing debt to optimizing rewards.
