American Express Blue Cash Preferred
American Express, American Express, $95 annual fee. Earns cash back.
Rates checked against the issuer 2026-08. Foreign transaction fee: 2.7% of each purchase abroad.
The short version
- Best at: streaming services (#1, $6.00 per $100).
- A year's rewards: about $632, or $537 after the fee.
- Weighing it up against: Blue Cash Everyday, Costco Anywhere Visa.
Is the annual fee worth it?
It earns about $632 a year on the illustrative household's spending, which is $537 once the fee is paid. The best card with no fee, American Express Blue Business Plus, nets $1,058 on the same spending — so this card is $522 a year behind. On earning alone it does not catch up at any level of spending this looks at — its credits and perks have to make up the difference, or the fee is not paying for itself.
Price its credits, perks and sign-up bonus your way — tick what you would use and say what it is worth to you.
Priced on an illustrative household spending $2,205 a month on a card — the assumption, in full. Credits and perks are not priced: they are worth their face value only if you would have spent that money anyway.
What it earns, category by category
| Earns on | Rate | ConditionsWhat the issuer attaches to this rate: a spending cap, a category you have to switch on, or a booking you have to make through its travel portal. |
|---|---|---|
| Groceries | 6% | Up to $6,000 per year, then the base rate. US supermarkets only |
| Streaming | 6% | Select US streaming services |
| Public Transit, Rideshare & Taxis, Parking & Tolls | 3% | |
| Gas Stations | 3% | US gas stations |
| Everything else | 1% |
Where it ranks
Against every card in the catalogue, scored in dollars per $100 with no rotating categories switched on:
- #1 of 117 for streaming services — $6.00 per $100
Where a year's rewards come from
| Spending on | Earns a yearWhat this card earns on each kind of spending over a year, for the illustrative household on the method page. Before the annual fee. |
|---|---|
| Groceries | $360 |
| Everything Else | $60 |
| Gas Stations | $54 |
| Restaurants & Bars | $36 |
| Streaming | $29 |
| Online Shopping | $18 |
Priced on an illustrative household spending $2,205 a month on a card — the assumption, in full. Credits and perks are not priced: they are worth their face value only if you would have spent that money anyway.
Protections and travel benefits
From the issuer's own benefit summary as of 2026-09. These are read from summaries rather than the full guide to benefits, which has the exclusions — check it before relying on one.
- Purchase protection — up to $1,000 per claim, 90 days
- Extended warranty
What the issuer lists besides rewards
- Monthly Disney Bundle credit after enrolling an eligible subscription
- Purchase protection up to $1,000 per claim for 90 days after you buy
- Extended warranty adds a year to manufacturer warranties of five years or less
Similar cards
- U.S. Bank Business Altitude Connect Visa Signature — annual fee $95 a year
- Navy Federal Flagship Premier Visa Signature — annual fee $95 a year
- PenFed Pathfinder Rewards — annual fee $95 a year
- Bank of America Premium Rewards — annual fee $95 a year
- Every cash back card, ranked
- When an annual fee pays for itself
- The best two- and three-card combinations
Point values: published industry valuations. How every number here is worked out.