Blue Cash cards from American Express boost welcome bonuses

If you’ve been considering a Blue Cash card from American Express, you’ll be happy to learn that the cards just got even more appealing thanks to their elevated welcome bonuses.

If you get the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, you can earn $350 cash back after spending $3,000 in the first six months of account opening. You’ll get your cash back in the form of Reward Dollars that you can redeem as a statement credit.

Meanwhile, the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express offers a lower welcome bonus, which is $200 in cash back when you spend $2,000 in the first six months of account opening. You’ll receive your cash back in the form of Reward Dollars for this card as well.

Here we take a look at these cards’ bonuses, rewards rates and annual fees to give you a sense of their value in the first year and beyond.

Amex Blue Cash card bonus value: At a glance

	Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express	Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Rewards rate	3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 on eligible purchases per year, then 1%) 3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases (up to $6,000 on eligible purchases per year, then 1%) 3% cash back on gas at U.S. gas stations (up to $6,000 on eligible purchases per year, then 1%) 1% cash back on other purchases Terms apply	6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year, then 1%) 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions 3% cash back on transit and at U.S. gas stations 1% cash back on all other purchases Terms apply
Introductory bonus	$200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases within the first 6 months Terms apply	$350 back after you spend $3,000 in purchases within the first 6 months Terms apply
Annual fee	$0	$95
Estimated value in the first year ($15,900 spend)	$508	$623

Which card is better?

The Blue Cash Preferred card offers a higher rewards rate and a better welcome bonus than the Blue Cash Everyday card. These two points may make the Preferred card seem like the obvious choice.

But since the Preferred card includes a $95 annual fee, you may be wondering: Is the Preferred card really the best value long-term?

First-year earnings

Thanks to its higher bonus cash back rate in practical categories like purchases at U.S. supermarkets and gas stations, the Blue Cash Preferred carries a higher average rewards rate for most consumers than the Blue Cash Everyday.

Based on an average consumer’s spending on gas, groceries and department stores, we estimate that you can earn a total of $623 in cash back on $15,900 in spending with the Blue Cash Preferred card in the first year. This takes into account the $350 welcome bonus (after spending $3,000 in the first six months) and cash back earned in all spending categories.

The Blue Cash Everyday card’s average earnings are up to $508 in the first year ($308 plus the $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases within the first six months). While this is impressive on its own, it’s $115 less than the Preferred card’s first-year earnings.

Second year and beyond

Once you’ve completed the first year of card membership, the difference in value between the two cards is closer, but the Preferred card still wins. Even without the benefit of its welcome bonus, the Preferred card offers $323 in annual value on average, while the Everyday card offers only $308 — a difference of $15.

Check out our side-by-side comparison below to see for yourself how the cards stack up in year two and beyond, when no welcome bonus is in play.

Blue Cash cards: Second-year earnings (based on $15,900 spend)

Bottom line

The ongoing $95 annual fee for the Blue Cash Preferred card is worthwhile for the majority of cardholders who are committed to using it in the short- and long-term. The Blue Cash Everyday card is a good option to earn rewards if you’re looking for a credit card without an annual fee, as the reward values are comparable to those of the Blue Cash Preferred after the first year.