Evan’s Ultimate Amex Blue Cash Cashback Calculator
The American Express Blue Cash credit cards are some of the best cashback cards for gas and groceries on the market.
The Everyday card gives 2% cashback on gas, and 3% cashback on groceries.
The Preferred card offers 3% cashback on gas, and 6% cashback on groceries ($95 annual fee).
The Preferred card additionally offers 6% cashback on select streaming services and 3% cashback on transit, while the Everyday card offers 2% cashback at select department stores.
Which card is better for your budget? Use the sliders to find out.
Summary of Benefits
| Amex Blue Cash Everyday | Amex Blue Cash Preferred |
 |
 |
|
$0 annual fee
|
$95 annual fee
|
| 3X supermarkets ($6,000/yr limit) |
6X supermarkets ($6,000/yr limit) |
| 2X gas stations | 3X gas stations |
| 1X transit | 3X transit |
| 1X streaming services | 6X streaming services |
| 2X department stores | 1X department stores |
| 1X other purchases | 1X other purchases |
| $0 total value | $0 total value |
Budget Analysis
Monthly grocery spend:
Monthly gasoline spend:
Monthly transit spend:
Streaming services spend:
Monthly total spend:
Neither of these credit cards Learn more
Frequently Asked Questions
Do all grocery purchases qualify for extra cashback?
Grocery purchases at superstores (Target, Walmart, Costco, etc) do not quality.
Do all gas purchases qualify for extra cashback?
Gas purchases at supermarkets and superstores do not quality — only gas purchased at actual gas stations.
What transit purchases qualify for extra cashback?
The Blue Cash Preferred card offers 3% cashback for taxis, Uber/Lyft, parking, tolls, trains, buses, ferries, and subway/metro systems.
Why does the grocery slider stop working once it hits $500?
The Blue Cash cards award extra cashback for grocery purchases, but only on the first $6,000 of grocery purchases per year. $6,000 divided by 12 months works out to $500/month.
What the heck are “select streaming services”?
The Blue Cash Preferred card gives 6% cashback for certain U.S. music and video streaming services. The eligible services are: Amazon Music Unlimited, Apple Music, Apple TV+, AT&T TV Now, Audible, CBS All Access, Disney+, ESPN+, Fubo TV, HBO Max, HBONow, Hulu, iHeartRadio, Kindle Unlimited, Luminary, MLB.TV, NBA League Pass, Netflix, NHL.TV, Pandora, Peacock, Prime Video, Showtime, Sling TV, SiriusXM Streaming and Satellite, Spotify, Stitcher, TIDAL Music, YouTube Music Premium, YouTube Premium, and YouTube TV.
Purchases on all other streaming services earn 1% cashback. The Blue Cash Everyday card does NOT offer extra cashback on streaming services.
And what are “select department stores”?
The Blue Cash Everyday card gives 2% cashback at certain department stores. The eligible stores are: Bealls, Belk, Bloomingdale's, Bon Ton Stores, Boscov's, Century 21, Dillard's, J.C. Penney, Kohl's, Lord & Taylor, Macy's, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sears, and Stein Mart.
Purchases at all other stores earn 1% cashback. The Blue Cash Preferred card does NOT offer 2% cashback at any department stores.
Where did the department store slider go?
When American Express updated the Blue Cash benefits to include transit and streaming services in 2020, the sliders here got a little out of hand. The department store slider was removed to keep things simple.
Do these cards work outside the United States?
Both cards work outside the U.S. However, all purchases will earn only 1% cashback, and will incur a 2.7% foreign transaction fee. (This is equivalent to earning no cashback and incurring a 1.7% foreign transaction fee on all purchases.)
Do these cards earn travel rewards?
Both cards earn cashback in the form of statement credits. If you’re looking for travel rewards, check out the Amex EveryDay cards, which earn American Express Membership Rewards points. Membership Rewards points can be redeemed for flights and hotels through the American Express travel portal.
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