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The American Express Blue Cash Everyday® card scored 4.2 out of 5, based on our review methodology. The company scored best in the features and benefits category for having points multipliers in several everyday spending categories and offering valuable perks. It scored lowest in user experience for having a hard-to-navigate website and customer reviews that it can be hard to cancel American Express credit cards.
Yes, a zero annual fee is indeed quite alluring. But overall, the fees and rates can be on the high end. The purchase APR hovers anywhere from 18.24% to 29.24%. While there's no overlimit fee, and the balance transfer fee sits on the low end at 3% or $5 flat fee–whichever is more—the foreign transaction fee is 2.7%.
If you don't anticipate using the Amex Blue Cash Everyday® for cash advances or when traveling overseas, you won't have to worry about paying high fees. Focusing on making the most of cashback rewards means enjoying the perks of this no-annual-fee card.
The Amex Blue Cash Everyday® stands out for its robust features, especially since there is no annual fee. As a cardholder, you enjoy 3% cash back on purchases at US supermarkets, USgas stations, and USonline retailers and 1% on everything else. You can earn up to $6,000 a year in each category before the 1% flat fee kicks in.
Doing some basic math averages $500 a month on those three categories. However, card users have reported that the online categories you can reap the 3x points can be ambiguous at times.
The sign-up bonus of $200, if you spend $2,000 or more on your card, could be more generous, but the fact remains that there's a sign-up bonus in the first place, especially for a no-annual-fee card. You also have six months to meet the $2,000 total spending threshold, which averages to about $334.00 a month.
Last, we particularly enjoyed the bonus perks, such as getting $7 ($84 a year) back in statement credits if you have a Disney Bundle streaming subscription and use your card to pay for it and up to $15 monthly ($180 a year) when you have a Home Chef subscription on auto-renew. There's also an opportunity to scoop up extra bonus points when making purchases through Amex Offers' partners with brands and retailers.
While there are not many travel benefits, there is global assistance and rental car insurance. But then again, this isn't a travel card, and you'll want to look elsewhere for a fuller suite of travel perks.
As expected with major card issuers, American Express uses multi-factor authentication when you use your card. For example, its SafeKey asks you to confirm your identity via a face or fingerprint ID, by tapping on the app, or by entering a code at checkout.
Further, you can expect EMV® 3-D Secure technology, which boosts security and prevents fraud on card issuers and merchants. This technology is used for card-not-present transactions, such as online purchases and digital wallet payments.
The American Express Blue Cash Everyday® card comes with fraud alerts should the fraud team spot any suspicious activity on your alert. To enhance your card protections, you can set up notifications for balance updates, big-ticket purchases and reminders for statement due dates. You can select the types and frequency of your alerts.
When shopping around for credit cards, it's easy to look for Amex Blue Cash Everyday's main kernels of information—credit card terms, rates, fees, and features. Plus, you can easily spot the button to apply for a card.
The Amex app is rated 4.9 out of 5 stars in the AppStore (3.8 million ratings). It got 3.9 out of 5 stars out of 10 million downloads and over 42,000 reviews in the Google Play store.
Here's where we think it falls short: finding other information feels like trying to sift through a tome of encyclopedias or the Bible in multiple languages to locate that kernel. We get it: there are a lot of FAQs, legalese, and other useful info for the Amex family of cards. We just wish the website was a tad easier to navigate.
As mentioned, it's easy to locate the main basics on the Amex Blue Cash Everyday® card—details like card fees, terms, benefits and sign-up bonuses. You won't have trouble finding what you're looking for when comparing Amex cards side-by-side.
When we reached out to the customer service team, we connected to live reps quickly. The reps were fairly knowledgeable about the details of their different cards and helpful in guiding us through the application process. One thing: While the customer service team for existing cardholders is 24/7, there are set business hours if you want to apply for the card.
What was also lacking was a live chat or chatbot option for curious prospective applicants. So, if you have additional questions about applying or want greater specifics on the Amex Blue Everyday® Card, you'll need to give Amex a ring. And while an American Express Facebook page exists, you can't send queries via messages.
American Express's customer service is available 24/7 for its current cardholders, and the response times are fairly speedy. If you have an existing account, you can reach American Express by phone (1-800-528-4800), live chat or snail mail.
When we tested these channels:
We connected with a live representative within four minutes.
They were able to provide general details and information about their credit cards.
The live chat option is only available to existing card members and was a bit buried on the American Express website. You can locate it by typing "live chat" in the search bar.
If you are applying for a card, American Express customer service reps are available by phone (1-888-297-1244 or 1-877-621-2639) 7 days a week, 8 am to 11 pm EST.
When we gave them a call:
We reached a live representative within two minutes.
The live rep was about to swiftly and confidently answer our questions about credit cards in the Amex family. They also were helpful in providing guidance and options on applying for the card.
The Amex Blue Cash Everyday® card lacks dedicated Trustpilot and Better Business Bureau (BBB) review pages. American Express has a 1.4 Trustpilot score and a 1.11 BBB score.
Happy customers raved about Amex's responsiveness and cash back rewards structure, while unsatisfied customers complained about challenges in disputed charges.
Redditors expressed that it's a solid cash back card with robust Amex Offers. However, what qualifies for 3% cash back under the online purchases category can be tough to decipher.
"It's a pretty solid card in the cash back category," says Chris Diodato, a CFP® and founder of Wellthfp.net. "Plus, you get access to Amex Offers," says Diodato, whose first card out of college was the Amex Blue Cash Everyday® and remains one of his mainstays.
While all credit card issuers give you access to coupons, where you spend a certain amount and get 5% or 10% back, I've found Amex Offers way better than the others."
What Cardholders Are Saying
The Amex Blue Cash Everyday® card lacks dedicated Trustpilot and Better Business Bureau (BBB) review pages. American Express has a 1.4 Trustpilot score and a 1.11 BBB score.
Happy customers raved about Amex's responsiveness and cash back rewards structure, while unsatisfied customers complained about challenges in disputed charges.
Redditors expressed that it's a solid cash back card with robust Amex Offers. However, what qualifies for 3% cash back under the online purchases category can be tough to decipher.
"It's a pretty solid card in the cash back category," says Chris Diodato, a CFP® and founder of Wellthfp.net. "Plus, you get access to Amex Offers," says Diodato, whose first card out of college was the Amex Blue Cash Everyday® and remains one of his mainstays.
While all credit card issuers give you access to coupons, where you spend a certain amount and get 5% or 10% back, I've found Amex Offers way better than the others."
Blue Cash Everyday® | Blue Cash Preferred | |
Annual fee | $0 | $95 |
Base rewards | 3% cash back on groceries, online retailers, and gas (up to $6,000 per year in each category), 1% on everything else | 6% cash back on groceries (up to $6,000 per year), 6% cash back on select streaming services, 3% cash back on gas, and 1% on everything else |
APR | Variable 18.24% to 29.24% | Variable 18.24% to 29.24% |
Sign-on bonus | $250 cash back if you spend $2,000 within the first 6 months | $300 cash back if you spend $3,000 within the first 6 months |
We looked at and rated credit cards in the following categories. Here's how our review process works:
Rates and fees: We looked at rates such as the purchase and promotional APR, and fees like the annual fee, balance transfer fee and foreign transaction fee.
Features and benefits: We consider valuable features and benefits like the rewards structure, base rewards program, sign-on bonus, recurring benefits, and additional benefits
Security: Security measures to protect card and personal data, as well as advanced security measures like card freezes and card alerts for suspicious activity and large transactions, are factored in.
User experience: Different aspects of the user experience, from navigating the card issuer's website to ease of the application process, are analyzed and weighed. Other considerations include how soon one can use the card and how easy it is to make the most of its features and benefits.
Customer service: We compare the credit card issuer's Trustpilot score and BBB ratings with those of its competitors and industry averages. We also consider the company's different customer service channels (e.g., telephone, chat, email, and snail mail) and test response times and quality of experience.
We assign the credit card a score in each category a one to a five—with one being the lowest and five being the highest. To get to our final Editor's score, we take the average of the category scores. Credit cards that score high are considered for our list of best credit cards in their respective category. You can read more in our full credit cards methodology.
This can be a good card for you if you want a solid cash back card with points multipliers for everyday spending. Plus, you don't want to worry about keeping track of rotating categories, which typically change every few months, adds Diodato.
"In the world of cash back, you want to make sure that you pick a card that has cash back or good cash-back [rate] at places you're going to shop at," he says.
The main perks of this credit card include 3% flat cash back on groceries, gas and online purchases, up to $6,000 each year. All other spending categories get 1% cash back. After that, it kicks over to 1% across the board. You can also rake in a welcome bonus of up to $250. To scoop up this bonus, you'll need to spend $2,000 within the first six months after opening their account.
No, you don't have to pay your balance in full each monthly billing cycle. You can pay at least the minimum payment each month when your bill is due, and chip away at your balance over time. You can also choose the Plan It® option, where you can divvy up your purchases that are at least $100 into equal monthly payments.
American Express doesn't mention a specific credit score or range on its website, nor do its live reps specify a score. However, you typically need a good or excellent score, which ranges between 670 and 850. You'll stand the best chance of approval with a score of at least 700.
