Is the Amex Blue Cash Preferred worth it?

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is one of the most solid earners in the mid-tier cash-back card bucket.

With a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year (then $95 annually thereafter; see rates and fees), you'll enjoy perks like monthly statement credits toward Disney+ purchases after you enroll, plus solid earning rates.

But is it worth paying $95 to keep it each year? Let's dive in to find out.

Welcome offer

With the Blue Cash Preferred, you can find out your offer and see if you are eligible for as high as $300 cash back after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer. Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.

Earning rates

The Blue Cash Preferred offers the following valuable earning rates:

• 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions
• 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per calendar year, then 1%)
• 3% cash back on transit (parking, tolls, ride-hailing apps, subway, etc.)
• 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations
• 1% cash back everywhere else

Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit and at Amazon.com checkout.

Putting aside the welcome offer, it's likely that the 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets alone would make up for most of the Blue Cash Preferred's annual fee. For example, spending $50 weekly at U.S. supermarkets would net you $156 in cash back every year.

In fact, TPG credit cards editor Daisy Hernandez gets excellent value from her Blue Cash Preferred card — over $400 in cash back annually for the past decade that she's had it.

Daily Newsletter

Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter

Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts

Email address

Sign up

By signing up, you will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Disney Streaming credit

With the Blue Cash Preferred, you can enroll to receive up to $120 in annual statement credits (up to $10 each month) for Disney Streaming purchases (valid at DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com or Stream.ESPN.com U.S. websites; subject to auto-renewal).

If you're already spending money on these services, switching to paying with your Blue Cash Preferred should be easy, and you'll receive a nice discount.

Other benefits

The Blue Cash Preferred also offers several travel and shopping protections.

You can enjoy secondary rental car insurance when paying for the rental with your card, up to $50,000 of protection against theft or damage.*

The Global Assist Hotline offers medical, legal, financial and other emergency services coordination 24 hours a day, seven days a week when traveling more than 100 miles from home. This service provides coordination only, however, and you'll be responsible for the costs of any third-party services you use.**

For purchases made with your card, you can enjoy an extra year on top of manufacturers' warranties of five years or less, thanks to extended warranty protection. This coverage is limited to the amount paid for with your card — up to $10,000 and an annual limit of $50,000.^

You also can enjoy return protection, which covers items purchased in the last 90 days for which the merchant won't accept a return. You can be refunded for the full purchase price (excluding shipping and handling costs) — up to $300 per item and up to $1,000 per year. This applies only to purchases in the U.S. or U.S. territories, however.

Purchase protection is another card benefit that covers items purchased with your card in the last 90 days but that are damaged, stolen or lost. You can be covered for up to $1,000 per claim and up to $50,000 per year.^

*Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered, and geographic restrictions apply. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
**Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Cardmembers are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.
^Eligibility and benefit levels vary by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

Bottom line

Between the statement credits, valuable earnings rates and helpful shopping and travel protections, most users can extract plenty of value from the Blue Cash Preferred. And that's before factoring in the welcome offer and first year $0 introductory annual fee. There's a reason we think it's one of the best cash-back cards on the market.

To learn more about the card, read our full review of the Blue Cash Preferred.

Apply here: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express

For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred, click here.