The takeaway
Choose the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express if you’re looking to earn a return on popular spending categories like U.S. gas stations, U.S. supermarkets and U.S. online retail purchases. It’s an inexpensive way to put some money back into your pocket for purchases you regularly make.
Our take
The Blue Cash Everyday offers rewards for some sought after purchase types. You’ll earn a competitive cash-back rate at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations and at U.S. online retailers, without worrying about an annual fee (see rates and fees).
Its introductory APR also offers a way to either finance a large, planned purchase or transfer debt and pay it down while it accrues no interest for 15 months from the date of account opening (then 20.24% to 29.24% variable). Just keep in mind transferring a balance could complicate using it for rewards.
Pros and cons
Pros
- High cash-back rate
- No annual fee
- Intro APR offer
Cons
- Spending limit on reward categories
- Recommended for good to excellent credit
Earning rewards
With the Blue Cash Everyday Card, you’ll earn 3% cash back on up to $6,000 in spending per year (then 1%) in each of these categories:
- U.S. supermarkets
- U.S. gas stations
- U.S. online retail purchases
This means that if you spend $5,000 in a year at U.S. gas stations, you’d earn $150 in cash back for that year. But if you spent $7,000, you’d earn $190. Compared with other cash-back credit cards, especially those with no annual fee, this is a pretty good spread of rewards categories at strong rewards rates.
Note that U.S. supermarkets do not include superstores (like Target or Walmart), convenience stores, warehouse clubs or meal-kit delivery services. And superstores, supermarkets and warehouse clubs that sell gasoline don’t count as gas stations. Online retailers like Target.com and Amazon.com do count for U.S. online retail purchases, though.
Other purchases earn 1% rewards rates, and cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit.
Welcome offer
The spending threshold is high compared to the size of the offer. You can earn a $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card. You’ll have to complete this in the first six months of card membership.
Six months is longer than most cards give you to earn a welcome offer, and it will take eight to 12 weeks after achieving the spending threshold for the statement credit to post to your account. If you’re looking strictly for welcome offer value in a credit card, you may be better off reviewing our picks for the best welcome bonus credit cards.
Introductory APR
With the Blue Cash Everyday, you’ll get 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months from the date of account opening. After that, the variable APR will be 20.24% to 29.24%. These features can enable you to finance a large purchase or consolidate your debt with minimal complications. This card also comes with a Buy Now, Pay Later by Plan It® that lets cardholders finance qualifying purchases with a fixed monthly fee of up to 1.33% (see rates and fees), rather than interest.
As part of the introductory offer, you’ll get $0 intro Plan It® fees on any payment plans opened within the first 15 months of account ownership. Plans created after that will have a monthly plan fee of up to 1.33% of each purchase amount moved into a plan based on the plan duration, the APR that would otherwise apply to the purchase, and other factors.
Note that the use of one of these features may impact your access to the other, per American Express.
Is the American Express Blue Cash Everyday Right for you?
The American Express Blue Cash Everyday is a good no-annual-fee card for everyday spending. But if gas and groceries make up a large portion of your budget, you might get more value from the upgraded version, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express. The Blue Cash Preferred offers cash back in similar categories, but at a higher percentage.
Would the Blue Cash Preferred be better?
If you’re interested in the Blue Cash Everyday as a gas and groceries card, consider leveling up to the Blue Cash Preferred. The Blue Cash Preferred offers one of the highest rates on the market for cash back at U.S. supermarkets — 6% (up to $6,000 in annual spending, then 1%), plus 6% on eligible U.S. streaming subscriptions and 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on transit.
The Blue Cash Everyday can’t keep up with the Blue Cash Preferred’s earning potential, despite its annual fee. It takes just $1,600 in grocery spending each year to earn $96 in rewards — enough to cover the annual fee alone — and that’s without considering the card’s other rewards categories. To add some perspective, on average, people spent $6,053 on food at home in 2023, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics
Also keep in mind the discrepancies between the two card’s additional categories: the Blue Cash Everyday also rewards 3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases, on up to $6,000 per year, (then 1%), while Blue Cash Preferred offers an additional 6% back on select U.S. streaming services. Before applying, evaluate your own spending to see which you may benefit from more.
FAQs
Cash-back credit cards offer cardholders rewards on their spending in the form of statement credits or cash. A statement credit is a reduction in the amount due to the credit card company on your monthly bill. Note that rewards are not always available the month you earn them — they are usually applied to your balance by credit card issuers after one or two billing cycles.
The redemption process for cash-back credit cards is either automatic or very simple. Some cards automatically apply cash rewards to your statement balance each month. Others require you to log in and redeem available rewards points for statement credits. Most points don’t expire, but you will lose them if you close the account before redeeming them.
Deciding which grocery credit card is right for you will depend largely on your shopping habits. Keep in mind that most major credit card companies do not consider wholesale clubs and big-box stores like Walmart and Target to be grocery stores, so your purchases there might not qualify for the same rewards. Before applying for a grocery credit card, you’ll want to closely read the fine print to make sure that your needs will be met depending on where you shop.
One last thing to keep in mind: Don’t fall for credit cards just because of a welcome bonus offer. While the immediate cash back can be appealing, it is typically a one-time or short-lived reward. Groceries are purchases that you need to make every month. You’re better off focusing on maximizing these rewards over time rather than going for the up-front bonus.
A gas credit card is one that rewards cardholders for spending at gas stations. Most gas credit cards aren’t offered by gas stations themselves. Instead, other credit card issuers offer bonus rewards on gas purchases, among others. The best gas credit cards offer up to 5% back on gas purchases, but most offer 2% to 3%.
Methodology
We review the cards that are in the highest demand and offer the best benefits. We scour the fine print so there aren’t any surprises when you open an account. We find the key factors that make a card stand out and compare them with other top cards. That way, readers can opt for a different card with similar features if our pick isn’t right for them. Our reviews are regularly checked and updated to incorporate new recommendations, as well as to reflect changes in offers and the market.
This article includes some material that was previously published on NextAdvisor, which like CNET was previously owned by Red Ventures. It has been edited and updated by CNET Money editors.
**All information about American Express cards have been collected independently by CNET. American Express cards are no longer available through CNET.
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