Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
American Express · Amex · $95/yr · Earns Cash Back
Rates verified August 16, 2026 · Issuer source: americanexpress.com
Rewards by category
| Category | Rate |
|---|---|
| Groceriesup to $6,000/yr | 6% |
| Streaming | 6% |
| Gas | 3% |
| Transit & Rideshare | 3% |
| Everything else | 1% |
Our take
The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express is built around the grocery run. It pays 6% cash back on groceries and holds the top spot in SwipeCaddy's groceries ranking, and the same 6% applies to streaming, where it also ranks first. Add 3% on gas and the shape is clear: this is a card for households whose spending revolves around food, subscriptions, and the commute.
The tradeoffs are the $95 annual fee and a cap: the 6% on groceries applies only up to $6,000 per year, and anything past that earns the card's 1% base rate. That base rate is the other honest caveat, because outside its bonus categories this card is a weak everyday spender. Since rewards come as plain cash back, though, there is no points math to second-guess: 6% means six cents on the dollar.
In a small wallet the Blue Cash Preferred works best as a specialist. Send groceries, streaming, and gas its way and route everything else through a flat-rate card, since 1% is a low floor for general spending. If your food budget is modest, the $95 fee is harder to justify; this card rewards volume in its bonus categories, and light spenders may do better with a no-fee flat-rate option.
The math
Run $600 a month of groceries through this card and you're earning about $432 a year at our conservative valuations. Against the $95 annual fee, that top rate needs roughly $200 a month of groceries spend before it beats a no-fee flat 2% card.
Where it lands in our rankings: #1 for groceries · #1 for streaming
Common questions
- Does Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express have an annual fee?
- Yes — $95 per year.
- What does Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earn on groceries?
- 6% on groceries (up to $6,000/yr).
- What rewards does Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earn on everything else?
- 1% on all other purchases, in Cash Back.
- What's the catch with the Blue Cash Preferred's 6% grocery rate?
- The 6% applies to the first $6,000 of grocery spending per year. Once you cross that cap, grocery purchases earn the 1% base rate until the year resets. Heavy grocery households can hit the cap, since around $500 a month exhausts it, so check your monthly food spend before counting on 6% all year.
- Is there a cap on the Blue Cash Preferred's streaming cash back?
- No cap applies to streaming in SwipeCaddy's data: the 6% grocery rate is limited to $6,000 per year, but the streaming rate carries no such restriction. That makes the card a steady pick for subscription-heavy households, and the Blue Cash Preferred holds the number-one spot in our streaming ranking as well as in groceries.
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