American Express has increased the maximum welcome offer on its Blue Cash Preferred® Card, but that comes with the new “as high as” language that it has rolled out across many of its cards. Here’s the current best available Blue Cash Preferred offer:
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
AS HIGH AS $300 CASH BACK after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. You will be able to choose from all available American Express® Personal and Business Card offers. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed for a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
This bonus is awarded as a statement credit.
You may be able to get a better offer—occasionally Amex will show a $300 offer once you link to the website—but we know of no way to link directly to this offer.
Annual fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
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My take: I don’t like “as high as” offers, but this is a great card
It looks like Amex has increased the public offer on this card to match the targeted offer that it sometimes showed on its website. That’s the good news.
However, the new offer is now advertised as an “AS HIGH AS” offer. Which means you could get the advertised offer, you could get a lesser offer, or you could get no offer.
Yes, Amex will tell you what you’ll get during the application process, before you finalize your application and generate a hard pull on your credit report, but I don’t like the move toward advertising the highest possible offer and then offering some customers a lesser offer.
In my view, if you’re going to advertise a welcome offer to the general public, that number should be available to all who can get applied for the card (with limited exceptions like reasonable rules to prevent churning.)
As for the card, the card is my go-to card for gas (at U.S. gas stations) and groceries (at U.S. supermarkets) thanks to its generous rewards in both categories. I also use the card for my Disney+ subscription thanks to the monthly statement credit I earn by charging my subscription to the card. Finally, I prefer to use the card for purchases of larger, more expensive items, thanks to the trifecta of Amex consumer insurance protection benefits: extended warranty, return protection, and purchase protection.
The AAA Daily Advantage Visa Signature Card is now probably a better choice for most people looking for a gas and grocery card, but if you subscribe to Disney+, the credits for Disney+ on the Blue Cash Preferred make this card an easy win.
Are you eligible to earn the bonus?
American Express generally offers welcome bonuses to you once per lifetime. If you’ve ever had either the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, the Morgan Stanley Blue Cash Preferred® American Express Card, or previous versions of these cards, you may not be eligible to earn the bonus.
While this rule doesn’t seem to leave much to interpretation, some readers have reported getting the bonus despite having had the card in the past. In some cases, if it’s been a really long time (7+ years) since you’ve had the card, American Express may decide that you can earn the bonus again.
Fortunately, American Express will tell you during the application process whether you’ll qualify to earn the bonus. If Amex determines that you are ineligible, you can withdraw your application with no harm to your credit score.
About the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express offers market-leading rewards on groceries at U.S. supermarkets, plus great rewards in other categories.
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
AS HIGH AS $300 CASH BACK after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. You will be able to choose from all available American Express® Personal and Business Card offers. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed for a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
This bonus is awarded as a statement credit.
You may be able to get a better offer—occasionally Amex will show a $300 offer once you link to the website—but we know of no way to link directly to this offer.
Annual fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
Annual fee: Column ID value for provided table ID not found!
Rewards
- 6% on groceries at U.S. supermarkets.
on up to $6,000 per year of purchases, then 1%. - 6% on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
- 3% on gas at U.S. gas stations.
- 3% on transit, including taxis, rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, busses, and more.
- 1% on other purchases.
Rewards are earned as cash back reward dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit.
Benefits
Consumer insurance benefits
- Purchase Protection. Covers eligible purchases against theft or accidental damage up to $1,000 per covered purchase and up to $50,000 per account per calendar year. Exclusions and terms apply.
- Return Protection. Covers eligible purchases up to $300 per item and $1,000 per account per calendar year if the seller of an item won’t take it back within 90 days from the date of purchase. Purchases must be made in the U.S. or its territories. Terms and restrictions apply.
- Extended Warranty. Provides up to one year of coverage equivalent to the manufacturer’s original warranty on eligible items with warranties of 5 years or less. Coverage limited to $10,000 per item and $50,000 per account per calendar year. Terms and restrictions apply.
Travel insurance benefits
- Car rental loss and damage insurance.
- Global assist hotline.
Partner benefits and statement credits
- Disney Streaming Credit. Receive a $10 monthly statement credit when you charge an eligible U.S. monthly subscription service to your card. Enrollment required.
- Amex Offers. Receive statement credits or extra rewards with targeted offers from select merchants. Enrollment required.
Rates and fees
- Annual fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
- Foreign transaction fee: 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars.
The Blue Cash Preferred is featured on our lists of the best cards for groceries, the best cards for gas, and cards with a Disney+ credit. For more on the card’s rewards and benefits, check out our overview of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card.
