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Blue Cash Preferred® Card
Table of Contents
Welcome bonus:
You will get $250 cash back after spending $1,000 in 6 months. The advertised deadline is 3 months, but AMEX is allowing an additional 3 months to finish the spending due to COVID-19.
Annual fee:
$95
Welcome bonus terms:
You won’t get the welcome bonus on this card if you have had this card in the past.
Card earnings:
With air travel at a standstill and lucrative redemptions on hold, cash is definitely king.
This card won’t compete with the Citi Double Cash® Card, which earns 2% cash back everywhere for general purchases.
However the Blue Cash Preferred has awesome cashback categories:
- This card earns a whopping 6% cash back at US supermarkets. That includes large chains and standalone grocery stores. There is a cap of $6,000 in annual spending for this bonus, so you can get up to $360 cash back annually on grocery shipping. After $6,000 spent at grocery stores you’ll earn 1% cash back.
- You’ll get 6% cash back on US streaming services with no cap, including Amazon Music Unlimited, Apple Music, Apple TV+, AT&T Now, Audible, CBS All Access, Disney+, ESPN+, Fubo TV, HBO Now, Hulu, iHeartRadio, Kindle Unlimited, Luminary, MLB.TV, NBA League Pass, Netflix, NHL.TV, Pandora, Prime Video, Showtime, Sling TV, SiriusXM Streaming and Satellite, Spotify, Stitcher, YouTube Music Premium, YouTube Premium, YouTube TV
- You’ll get 3% cash back at US gas stations, with no cap.
- You’ll get 3% cash back with on transit with no cap, including taxis, rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more.
- You’ll get 1% cash back on everything else
AMEX Offers:
Earn statement credits at websites and stores that you register for in your AMEX account.
Return Protection And Other AMEX Protections:
My favorite AMEX benefit is return protection. If you need to return an item up to $300 and a store won’t take it back due to a time limited or final sale policy, AMEX will gladly refund you thanks to return protection. Nearly all of the time you’ll even be able to keep the item, but if you are asked to send it back, the return shipping will be free. This benefit is valid for $1,000 of returns per card per calendar year. Additional users are free and also get their own $1,000 annual return protection allowance.
Additionally, if a store charges a restocking fee to return an item then AMEX will cover that cost, up to $300/item, as part of their return protection coverage.
Unfortunately as of 2020, most AMEX cards got rid of return protection. Cards that no longer have return protection include higher end cards like AMEX Business Gold ($295/year), AMEX Gold ($250/year), Delta Platinum and Delta Business Platinum ($250/year), AMEX Green ($150/year), Marriott Business ($125/year), Delta Gold and Delta Business Gold ($99/year), and most lower end cards as well.
The Blue Cash Preferred card escaped unscathed though and continues to offer return protection!
Other AMEX benefits include:
- An additional year of warranty coverage, double the original manufacturers warranty, and if you have any issue in the extended warranty year they’ll pay to have it fixed or refund your entire purchase price without a hassle. This benefit is far more valuable than warranty benefits offered by other banks.
- If you need to dispute a charge there’s nobody who makes it easier or as pain-free as American Express does. It’s the easiest dispute resolution process in the industry by leaps and bounds and you can do it all online.
- If your item is stolen or broken within 90 days you’ll be covered.
- Complimentary Shoprunner 2 day free shipping and return shipping on hundreds of websites.
- Secondary car rental CDW protection worldwide and primary available for $19.95/rental.
- See this post to see just how amazing AMEX benefits can be.
Intro APR:
This card offers 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months.
Will you signup for a Blue Cash Preferred® Card?
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44 Comments On "Is The Blue Cash Preferred Card The Best AMEX To Have Now? $250 Welcome Bonus, 6% Back On Groceries, And Return Protection"
All opinions expressed below are user generated and the opinions aren’t provided, reviewed or endorsed by any advertiser or DansDeals.
pop up window saying welcome bonus offer not available even though never had the card
Yup, I opened one up as of 1/1/20 when my other amex cards lost return protection!
Smart!
Annual fees a killer. Is there a downgrade option after the first year?
You can downgrade to Blue Cash Everyday with no fee, but you would lose return protection and 6% streaming cashback, your grocery cashback would drop to 3% and gas would drop to 2%.
If you buy $100 in weekly groceries that means you would get back $312/year with Blue Cash Preferred vs $161/year on Blue Cash Everyday, much more than the difference in the annual fees.
Does it work on a amazon prime membership? ( or just prime video though I have never seen a way to pay for that by it self)
Prime video is probably referring to the video rentals that they charge you for on some premium rentals or just videos that are not included in the prime bundle…
Amazing info!!! Thanks Dan … I checked though and the everyday preferred has the return on it as well … Why would you recommend this over the everyday preferred?
If you want points instead of cashback, that’s a good card as well with the same $95 annual fee.
However that card requires you to make 30 transactions every month to get the full earnings such as 4.5 points per dollar on groceries, which is a rather big annoyance. With Blue Cash Preferred you get 6% cash back with no hoops to jump through.
The redemption of the blue cash isn’t as straightforward as it seems it can only be redeemed in increments unless its been changed.. Just as annoying in some ways
$25 for cash back. You can get that after $420 spent on groceries/streaming.
That’s not nearly as annoying as trying to ensure 30 transactions per month on Everyday Preferred when there are now better cards for general purchases.
Yeh, I just recently redeemed my cashback. I think the minimum was $25, although I was way above that, it was very straightforward.
Do I qualify for this card if I already have the (free) Amex Blue Cash Card?
Yes, that is a different product.
Chase Freedom currently has 5 UR points per dollar on groceries with no annual fee. I’ll stick with that card for now.
Sure, but that’s capped at $1,500 in spending and is only valid on groceries for this quarter instead of year-round.
Plus it doesn’t have return protection.
With the $6k cap on grocery spend, as well as only 3% on gas as opp to 3.5 pts, the everyday preferred for me may seem like a better option for some. But def comparable.
1. Everyday Preferred has the same $6K cap on groceries. But that card needs 30 transactions/month to get 4.5 points/dollar.
2. Everyday Preferred get 3, not 3.5 points/dollar on gas, but again, only if you make 30 transactions/month.
3. Everyday Preferred doesn’t earn a bonus on streaming or transit.
The cards are certainly comparable and which you get will depend on your preference between cash/points and whether you are willing to babysit the number of monthly transactions you make on the card.
Everyday Preferred was more lucrative before cards like Blue for Business, Freedom Unlimited, and Ink Unlimited came out, all of which are better for everyday purchases if you want points. Having and using those cards also made it harder to get to 30 transactions/month on Everyday Preferred.
To get return protection that means I have to spend on this card even when the points would not be worth it such as in stores and online….making 1% only…
True, but if it’s a purchase from a final sale or a store with a limited return policy then it’s well worth sacrificing the extra 1% earnings on an everyday purchase. You just need to use it strategically.
Does it work in my local kosher market or needs to be in a major us supermarket?
It will work for both.
I used to have this but switched to the everyday preferred when I got into points. I only use that one for groceries and gas. Sure, the 30 transactions to get the 50% bonus is annoying, but I just submit a bunch of $1 payments to my cable or cell phone bill to round out what I don’t make from groceries and gas. Takes like 10 minutes one night each month so that’s not a big deal to me. Both great cards and we’ll worth the fee (unless maybe of you’re single and never cook) just depends if you prefer cash or points.
Yup, if you prefer the points and don’t mind babysitting the 30 transactions, that’s a great card as well!
just got this We’ve received your application, but we can’t give you a decision right now.
any # i could call to get me accepted
“This benefit is valid for $1,000 of returns per card per calendar year”
Is that per card, as in 99 cards each one has that protection? or per account?
Additional users have their own $1,000 limit!
“Coverage is limited to 90 days from purchase, up to $300 per item and up to a maximum of $1,000 per Card Member account”
I read this as $1000 max regardless of additional users
what options do i have if i get pop up saying will not get bonus?
Apply without a bonus?
I have 1 under myself and 1 under my wife. As a growing Jewish family we have no issue maxing out the grocery benefit each year! Well worth annual fees. Plus return protection is great.
Makes sense!
Is it a metal card?
No
Does Walmart count as supermarket?
Dan, you’re pretty active in responding to comments on this thread. We like it! Hope you’re staying safe and doing well!
Hi Dan,
I hope you are doing well.
Just curious; what’s your opinion about amazons cc.
We purchase from amazon a lot, pay full balance due on time…
and 5% back sounds good.
thanks
If I can chip in before he does, the response will probably be that the main issue is that you can get better card benefits i.e. return protection etc on other cards, more than the Amazon card.
And it will add to your 5/24.
If it make sense for you to get the chase ink, it’s a bit of a runaround, but you can buy Amazon gift cards from office supply stores which, for purchasing them from there, will give you five points per dollar. And then you use the gift card on Amazon just like a cc.
If your not going for the ink card and not worried about 5/24 and your purchases are such that you don’t really need any of the benefits, then go for it.
Great card … Even better now with return protection. Just max the 6k of groceries to make the annual fee worth it.
Dan, you wrote that “most” lower end cards lost return protection – are there any no AF ones that still offer it?
I just signed up! At 6% cash back it is well worth the annual fee.
Dan, are you sure each additional user has $1,000 in return protection per calendar year, Bec I always heard otherwise?
hi
are they any free amex cc that still have warranty coverage?
(best if its a point one & buisness)
I was looking to get this card and glad that you have a link to it here. Always appreciate what you do so made sure to sign up with your link. Got approved.