American Express Reward Dollars Overview and Comparison

American Express Reward Dollars are a type of rewards currency that can be earned on purchases made with an American Express card.

You can earn American Express Reward Dollars on purchases made with your card, with rates varying between 1-5 Reward Dollars per dollar spent, depending on the card you have.

One of the benefits of earning American Express Reward Dollars is that they can be redeemed for statement credits, which can be applied to your account balance.

Redeeming Reward Dollars for statement credits is a great way to offset the cost of purchases you've already made, essentially getting money back.

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You can earn at least 1% cash back for every dollar you spend with an eligible Amex rewards credit card.

To earn even more cash back, it's essential to choose the right credit card and use it strategically. With the right approach, there's no limit on the amount of cash back you can earn.

To earn American Express Reward Dollars, you'll want to choose one of the two American Express cash back credit cards that's right for your spending style.

The Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express is a tiered cash back Card that offers benefits in specific spending categories like supermarkets and gas stations, with no annual fee.

You can earn 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 in yearly purchases (then 1%).

You can also earn 3% cash back at U.S. online retailers, on up to $6,000 in yearly purchases (then 1%), and 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations, on up to $6,000 in yearly purchases (then 1%).

All other eligible purchases will earn you 1% cash back.

In addition to cash back, Blue Cash Everyday Card Members can also get a $84 Disney Bundle Credit, which is a $7 monthly statement credit (up to $84 back annually) after using your enrolled Blue Cash Everyday Card to spend $9.99 or more each month on a subscription to the Disney Bundle.

You can also get a $180 Home Chef Credit, which is up to $15 in statement credits monthly for online purchases made with meal kit delivery service, Home Chef, on your Blue Cash Everyday Card (up to $180 in statement credits annually).

The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express offers even more cash back rewards in certain spending categories, including 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 in purchases per year.

You can also earn 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations, and 3% cash back on transit, including tolls, parking, trains, buses, and more.

You can use cash back* when shopping at Amazon.com.

A different take: Statement Credit vs Cash Back

American Express offers cash back rewards on purchases in various categories, including consumer and business purchases. You can earn up to 6% cash back on certain purchases, depending on the card and type of purchase.

To earn additional rewards, you'll need to make purchases in eligible categories, such as restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, streaming subscriptions, and online retail purchases. These categories are outlined in the Consumer Categories section of the American Express website.

Here are some examples of consumer categories where you can earn additional rewards:

Note that purchases made on an online marketplace will not receive additional rewards.

Earning categories can be a bit tricky, but it's actually pretty straightforward. American Express determines a merchant's category using merchant codes, which are assigned based on what the merchant primarily sells.

These codes are used to identify purchases and determine if they qualify for additional rewards. If a merchant's code is not eligible, you won't earn additional rewards for that purchase.

For example, if you make a purchase at a restaurant located within a hotel, the merchant code will likely identify it as a hotel purchase, not a restaurant purchase. This means you won't earn rewards in the restaurant category.

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There are some cases where you might not earn additional rewards, even if you think you should. This can happen if the merchant uses a third party to process or submit your transaction, or if you make a purchase on an online marketplace with multiple retailers.

Here are some specific situations where you might not earn additional rewards:

It's always a good idea to double-check your purchases and rewards to make sure everything is accurate. If you have questions or concerns, you can call the number on the back of your card for help.

You can earn additional rewards on consumer purchases with American Express U.S. Consumer and Business Cards. These purchases include restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, streaming subscriptions, and online retail purchases.

The American Express Blue Cash Reward Dollars program offers varying cash back rates on purchases, ranging from 1% to 6% depending on the card and type of purchase. This means you can earn anywhere from 1 to 6 cents per $1 spent.

Some consumer categories offer higher cash back rates, such as 6% cash back on streaming services, including Amazon Music, Apple Music, and Netflix.

Here are some examples of streaming services that offer 6% cash back:

To earn additional rewards, refer to your Card Member Agreement or the Membership Rewards program terms and conditions to learn which rewards you can earn on your Card.

If you spend $500 per month on groceries, you could earn $360 per year in cash back with the Blue Cash Preferred card, which offers 6% cash back on U.S. supermarket spending, up to $6,000 spent per year.

Some supermarkets where you can get 6% cash back include Safeway, Gristedes, Foodtown, Foodland, Publix, Meijer, Shoprite, Stop and Shop, Vons, Whole Foods, and Winn-Dixie.

You can also earn 6% cash back on military commissaries on base, both in the States and on bases outside the States.

However, superstores like Amazon, Target, and Walmart, and warehouse clubs like BJ's, Costco, and Sam's Club do not count as supermarkets and therefore do not earn 5% cash back.

Here are some examples of US supermarkets where you can get 6% cash back:

You can redeem your American Express Reward Dollars in a few different ways. The most straightforward option is to redeem for a statement credit, which will appear on your account within three days.

To redeem for a statement credit, simply log into your American Express account and click the "Use Reward Dollars" button. You can then enter the amount of Reward Dollars you'd like to use as a credit toward your next statement balance.

You can also redeem your Reward Dollars at Amazon.com checkout. To do this, you'll need to register your Card Account with Amazon, which involves linking your Card Account to your Amazon.com account.

Note that the statement credit will not apply to the "minimum payment due" portion of your balance. Additionally, as long as your Card's account is in good standing, your Reward Dollars will never expire.

Here are the steps to redeem your Reward Dollars for a statement credit:

Keep in mind that some cards require you to redeem for at least $25 of cash back to access the most valuable redemption options. It's a good idea to check your card's specific redemption policies before redeeming your Reward Dollars.

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