Amex Cash Back Card Review: Expert Insights and Advice

The American Express Cash Back Card is a popular choice for those looking to earn rewards on their everyday purchases. It offers a generous cash back rate of up to 6% in certain categories.

One of the standout features of this card is its rotating 6% cash back categories, which change quarterly. This means you can earn higher rewards in various categories, such as groceries, gas stations, and department stores.

To maximize your earnings, it's essential to keep track of the changing categories and plan your spending accordingly. By doing so, you can earn significant rewards and make the most of this card's benefits.

The card also offers a $200 statement credit after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months, which can help offset the annual fee.

The American Express Cash Back Card offers a range of benefits and features that can enhance your shopping and entertainment experience.

You can earn rewards on purchases for things you love with Amex Offers, which allows you to redeem rewards by enrolling in the offer and using your enrolled card to pay.

Purchase Protection is an embedded benefit of your Card Membership, requiring no enrollment, and can help protect Covered Purchases made on your Eligible Card against accidental damage or theft for up to 90 days from the Covered Purchase date.

With Amex Send & Split, you can send money and split your Amex Purchases with other Venmo or PayPal users directly from the American Express App, with enrollment required.

Global Assist Hotline provides 24/7 medical, legal, financial, or other select emergency coordination and assistance services when you travel more than 100 miles from home.

The card also offers a 3% back* at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 spent per year, 3% back at U.S. gas stations on up to $6,000 spent per year, and 3% back on U.S. online retail purchases on up to $6,000 spent per year.

Additionally, you'll earn 1% back on other purchases, with a 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, and then the ongoing APR of 18.24%-29.24% Variable APR.

Some cards, like the Blue Cash Everyday Card, also come with exclusive benefits, such as a $180 credit for Home Chef and a $84 credit for The Disney Bundle.

Here's a quick rundown of the benefits and features of the American Express Cash Back Card:

The Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express offers a range of bonus categories to maximize your cash back on certain purchases.

You'll earn 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 spent per year, then 1% back. This is a great opportunity to stock up on groceries and earn rewards.

Online retail purchases also earn 3% cash back on up to $6,000 spent per year, then 1% back. This includes purchases made on websites or digital applications from U.S. retail merchants that sell physical goods or merchandise directly to consumers.

To give you a better idea of what's included in online retail purchases, here are some examples: Major retailers like Amazon.com and Walmart.comOnline bookstores, pet stores, department stores, shoe stores, and more

However, there are some exclusions to keep in mind: Airline ticketsConcert ticket purchasesFood delivery platformsOnline grocery ordersRideshare servicesStreaming servicesWireless cellular providers

To earn rewards and cash back, you need to understand the bonus categories of your credit card. For the Blue Cash Everyday Card, you'll earn 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, gas stations, and online retail purchases on up to $6,000 spent per year.

You can maximize your cash back on online retail purchases, which include purchases made on a website or a digital application from a U.S. retail merchant that sells physical goods or merchandise directly to consumers.

Some online purchases won't earn bonus rewards, though, such as airline tickets, concert ticket purchases, and food delivery platforms.

Here are the bonus categories for the Blue Cash Everyday Card:

Keep in mind that online retail purchases also include major retailers like Amazon.com and Walmart.com, and merchants like online bookstores, pet stores, department stores, shoe stores, and the like.

To redeem your Blue Cash Everyday rewards, log in to your online account and select “Use Reward Dollars.” You can redeem your rewards in any amount with no redemption minimum, but keep in mind that you can't use the cash back to pay your minimum balance due.

You can redeem your rewards as statement credits, which will usually appear within three days. This is a great option if you want to apply the cash back directly to your bill.

To redeem your rewards for statement credits, follow these steps: log into your American Express account and click “Use Reward Dollars,” 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 rewards at Amazon.com checkout, but first, you'll need to link your Card Account to your Amazon.com account. To do this, go to www.amazon.com/amexcashback and follow the instructions.

Remember that your Reward Dollars will never expire as long as your Card's account is in good standing – i.e., not canceled or past due.

The Amex cash back card has some attractive rates and fees that are worth considering.

The annual fee is $0, which is a great perk for those who want to earn rewards without incurring extra charges.

You can earn a 1%-3% rewards rate, depending on your spending habits.

To sweeten the deal, Amex offers a bonus of $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.

This card also offers a 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, which can save you a lot of money if you have large purchases or high-interest debt.

After the intro period, the APR jumps to 18.24%-29.24% Variable APR, so be sure to pay off your balance before then.

You'll also pay a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.

And, be aware that you'll pay a foreign transaction fee of 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars.

Here's a quick rundown of the key fees to keep in mind:

To qualify for the Amex Blue Cash Everyday Card, you'll need at least good credit, which is generally defined as a score of at least 690.

Issuers consider your income, existing debts, and other information when evaluating your creditworthiness. To get approved, you'll typically need a good to excellent credit score, which is usually a FICO score of 670 or higher.

Amex considers your full financial profile when evaluating eligibility, so consistent income, proof of financial responsibility, and other qualities can help you establish your creditworthiness.

The Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express comes with a bonus offer for new cardholders: Earn a $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.

You can earn this bonus offer by meeting the spending requirement within the specified time frame. Terms Apply.

This bonus offer is a nice incentive to get you started with earning cash back on your everyday purchases.

The Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express is a solid choice for those who spend a lot at the grocery store, gas pump, and online. It offers a 3% cash-back rate on these categories, with a $6,000 spending cap per year.

The card's benefits are especially appealing for those who can't stand the idea of paying an annual fee. However, it's essential to consider the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express, which offers higher cash-back rewards but comes with a $95 annual fee.

You can use a calculator to determine whether the Blue Cash Preferred Card is worth it for you, considering your spending habits. If you spend more than $61 a week at U.S. supermarkets, you'll likely come out ahead with the Preferred Card.

The Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express has a strong competitor in the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card, which earns up to 8% cash back on select entertainment.

If you're looking for a no-annual-fee credit card with high cash back rates, the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card is a top pick. It earns 8% cash back on select entertainment, 5% back on select travel, and 3% on groceries, dining, and streaming services.

The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express, on the other hand, has an annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, then $95 (rates and fees). This fee is waived for the first year.

Both cards offer a generous cash back program, but the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card has a zero-interest intro period: 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months (3% fee for the first 15 months, then 4% at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer you at any other time).

The Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express earns 3% back at U.S. gas stations and on transit, and 1% back on everything else.

The Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express is a great option for those who spend a lot at the grocery store, gas pump, and online, but can't stand the idea of paying an annual fee.

For a $0-annual-fee card, it pays an excellent 3% cash-back rate at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. online retail purchases. You’ll earn that 3% rate on the first $6,000 in spending per year in each of those three categories.

All other purchases (including above the $6,000 cap in the categories) earn 1% cash back. Terms apply.

The card is frequently compared with its sibling, the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express, which has a $95 annual fee.

It offers some of the highest rewards rates of any cash-back card, but that doesn't mean the Everyday can't hold its own against its fellow AmEx or the rest of the cash-back competition.

It all comes down to how you spend, and the Blue Cash Everyday Card is a fine choice for those who refuse to pay an annual fee.

If you spend more than $61 a week at U.S. supermarkets, you’ll come out ahead with the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express, even after paying the annual fee.

However, the Blue Cash Everyday Card is a better option for those who don't meet that threshold.

Consumer ratings vary on this credit card, but most people say it depends on whether you max out the bonus categories each year.

The Blue Cash Everyday Card is great for bonus rewards on gas and groceries, but some cardholders prefer other cards that also earn the same 3% back on these household expenses.