Amex Blue Cash Preferred Review

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The Blue Cash Preferred is Amex’s straightforward cash-back option, built around one standout number: 6% back at U.S. supermarkets. Unlike the Gold or Platinum, this card earns real cash, not transferable points — a genuinely different, simpler value proposition for households whose priority is groceries and streaming rather than travel redemptions.

The Card at a Glance

Annual Fee	$0 intro (first year), then $95 (See Rates & Fees)
Welcome Offer	Up to $300 cash back (varies by applicant)
Rewards Currency	Cash back (Reward Dollars)
Foreign Transaction Fees	2.7% per transaction
Issuer	American Express

Terms current as of this writing (July 2026). Unlike most Amex travel cards in this series, this card does charge a foreign transaction fee — worth factoring in if you travel internationally.

A family spending $500 a month at the supermarket earns $360 a year from the 6% category alone — before streaming, gas, or transit even enter the picture. That’s the entire pitch of this card in one sentence.

Earning Rates

6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 per year in spending (then 1%)
6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions (including Disney+, Netflix, Paramount+, and YouTube TV)
3% cash back at U.S. gas stations
3% cash back on transit — taxis, rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, and buses
1% cash back on everything else

Important exclusion: warehouse clubs and superstores don’t count as supermarkets for the 6% rate. Costco, Walmart, Target, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s purchases earn the base 1% rate instead, even though many people do their grocery shopping there.

Other Benefits

What’s Included

0% introductory APR on purchases for the first 12 months, then a variable 19.49%-28.49%
Return Protection — return eligible purchases within 90 days for a refund if the seller won’t take them back, up to $300 per item and $1,000 per year
Cash back redeemable as a statement credit or directly at Amazon.com checkout
No additional-fee authorized users

Who This Card Is For

Families with significant grocery spending — the $6,000 supermarket cap covers $500/month in spending, right where many households actually land.
Streaming subscribers who’ll capture the 6% rate on Disney+, Netflix, and similar services.
Anyone who wants simple cash back rather than transferable points requiring more research to redeem well.

Worth pausing before applying if: you do most of your grocery shopping at Costco, Walmart, or similar warehouse/superstore retailers, since those purchases won’t earn the headline 6% rate — or if you travel internationally often, given the 2.7% foreign transaction fee.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Blue Cash Preferred worth the $95 annual fee?

For most grocery-spending households, yes — a family spending $500/month at supermarkets earns $360/year from that category alone, well above the fee, especially with a free first year to test it out.

Does Costco count toward the 6% supermarket rate?

No. Amex specifically excludes warehouse clubs and superstores like Costco, Walmart, Target, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s from the supermarket category — those purchases earn the base 1% rate instead.

Does this card charge a foreign transaction fee?

Yes, 2.7% per transaction — worth bringing a different no-foreign-transaction-fee card if you’re traveling internationally.

Ready to put this into practice? Explore our full Credit Cards guides →

American Express Blue Cash Preferred Review