Blue Cash Everyday® Card From American Express Review

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The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express is a compelling no-annual-fee option for those who frequently shop for groceries, commute or shop online. Earning a Cash Back Score of 4.2 out of 5, it ranks 18th in our rankings of cash back cards. As one of the last no-annual-fee Amex cards (see rates and fees), it fills the gap left by the recent discontinuations of the Amex EveryDay® and Cash Magnet® cards.

The Blue Cash Everyday rewards U.S. grocery stores, gas stations and online retail shopping with 3% cash back on up to $6,000 per year in each category (then 1%). It performs especially well as an online shopping card, ranking 4th for the best online shopping cards. The spending caps hold back its overall cash back score, but it's still plenty rewarding.

The Blue Cash Everyday also scores well for introductory offers, with a 0% APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers. It comes with a sign-up bonus of $200 after spending $2,000, which is competitive, but the spending requirement is a bit high. It's worth looking into an offer with Resy, confirmed as of November 2024. It gives you an additional 10% statement credit up to $150 on restaurants worldwide for the first six months, along with the typical sign-up bonus.

American Express cards are known for their perks and additional benefits. The Blue Cash Everday is no exception. Its perks offering is in the top 10 for comparable cash back cards.

>>MORE: MoneyGeek's Best Cash Back Credit Cards

The Blue Cash Everyday card rewards program is especially good for online retail shopping and also ranks well for gas rewards. Despite additional cash back on U.S. grocery store purchases, there are other cards that either offer 3% on groceries with no cap, like the Capital One Savor Rewards Card or a higher cash back rate, like the Blue Cash Preferred from American Express, which offers 6% cash back on the first $6,000 spent annually (then 1%).

The redemption options are flexible, with cash back available as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout, and the rewards never expire. Whether or not you'll earn the card's bonus cash back rates depends, in part, on the merchant's MCC (Merchant Category Code).

Here are some important details:

• U.S. Supermarkets: Conventional supermarkets like ALDI, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods qualify for the 3% rate. However, wholesale clubs such as Costco and Walmart are excluded. You'll earn a base rate of 1% at these stores.
• U.S. Gas Stations: Only traditional gas stations like Shell, Exxon and Murphy USA qualify. Gas purchased from wholesale clubs is excluded from the bonus rate.
• U.S. Online Retail: To earn 3% cash back, you must make your purchase on a website or app from a U.S. retail merchant that sells physical goods directly to consumers. Major online retailers like Amazon.com, Walmart.com and Chewy.com qualify.

The Blue Cash Everyday card's introductory APR and sign-up bonus offers are competitive with those of other cash back cards.

Introductory APR Offers

The 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months is among the best for cash back cards. The longer period means over a year without interest expenses which can make this card a good option for a large upcoming purchase or just for general debt management.

Sign-up Bonuses

The $200 statement credit after spending $2,000 in the first six months isn't as strong as other introductory offers because of the high spending requirement. For example, the Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards card offers a $200 bonus after you spend $1,000.

As of this review, there's an offering with Resy that provides an additional $150 in statement credits on all restaurant spending in the first six months. While MoneyGeek doesn't have access to this offer, you may be able to find it by searching the internet.

The Blue Cash Everyday card offers a mix of credits and discounts that are above average for a cash back card but are still modest compared to a premium travel credit card. When it comes to statement credits with third parties, it’s not a free service but a discount. If they don’t align with your spending already, taking advantage of these credits may actually end up increasing your spending.

Credits and Discounts

• $180 Home Chef Credit: Receive up to $15 in monthly statement credits for Home Chef meal kit subscriptions, totaling $180 annually.
• $84 Disney Bundle Credit: Enjoy a $7 monthly statement credit after a qualifying purchase at Disneyplus.com, Hulu.com or Plus.espn.com.

Insurance and Protections

• Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance: Offers secondary coverage for damage or theft of rental vehicles.

All Other Perks

• American Express Venue Collection™ Concession Discounts and Entrances and Fast Lanes: These perks offer niche benefits at select venues, but their appeal may be limited.
• Amex Offers and Fan Experiences: Access exclusive offers and experiences. Note that these require active enrollment and may vary in usefulness.

The Blue Cash Everyday card boasts a top-tier issuer satisfaction rating of 5 out of 5, which is related to American Express's strong reputation for customer service. For the card itself, the most helpful user feedback from online forums about using the card was from users having trouble determining if a purchase counted as U.S. online retail shopping.

The Blue Cash Everyday card's interest rates are average, with a regular APR of 18.74%–29.74% variable, depending on your creditworthiness. However, if you miss a payment, its penalty APR and fees are less favorable than those of other cards. Here's a breakdown of the fees and penalties:

• Regular APR: 18.74%–29.74% variable
• Penalty APR: 29.99% variable, can last over six months
• Annual Fee: $0
• Cash Advance Fee: Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater
• Foreign Transaction Fee: 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to U.S. dollars
• Late Payment Fee: Up to $40
• Returned Payment Fee: Up to $40
• Balance Transfer Fee: Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater

The Blue Cash Everyday card is moderately accessible, with a recommended credit rating of good to excellent.

Amex's approval criteria extend beyond just credit scores. User experiences from Reddit reveal mixed approval outcomes. Some applicants with high credit scores faced denials due to having 'too many new bank cards,' while others with lower scores were approved.

Online reports from cardholders indicated credit lines starting at $1,000, but others have been approved for much higher credit lines.

We compare the Blue Cash Everyday with similar cash back cards to help you decide if it meets your needs.

The Blue Cash Everyday® Card was evaluated among 78 cards using a Cash Back Score. Key features considered include:

• Effective Reward Rate (50%): Measures how rewarding the card is.
• Annual Fee (10%): Rates the annual fee, with a 5 out of 5 indicating no fee.
• Introductory Purchase Offer (5%): Rates the 0% APR offer on purchases.
• Recommended Credit (5%): Rates the recommended credit score.
• Issuer Satisfaction (5%): Based on J.D. Power's issuer satisfaction study.
• Penalties (5%): Rates penalty rates and fees.
• Regular APR (5%): Rates the regular APR.
• Foreign Transaction (5%): Rates foreign transaction fees.
• Offer ROI (5%): Measures the rate of return on the introductory bonus offers.
• Perks Value (5%): Rates the value of perks.

For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card From American Express, please click here.

For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card From American Express, please click here.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.