Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is one of my favorite cards to use for my grocery purchases thanks to the card’s generous rewards at U.S. supermarkets. Currently, the best public offer on the Blue Cash Preferred card is $250 cash back after you spend $3,000 on the card within 6 months. Plus, Amex offers new cardmembers a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year (then $95.) (See Rates and Fees)
- The best public welcome bonus offers a $250 statement credit after spending $3,000 on the card within 6 months.
- Amex will sometimes show a better bonus offering a $300 statement credit after spending $3,000 on the card within 6 months when you click through to its website.
Here’s what you need to know about these Amex Blue Cash Preferred bonus offers.
Best public offer: $250 Blue Cash Preferred® welcome offer
The current public welcome offer on the Blue Cash Preferred® gives you a $250 statement credit when you spend $3,000 or more in purchases in 6 months. This is the best offer that we’re able to link to directly, but you may see a better targeted offer once you hit the American Express website. More on that below.
Blue Cash Preferred® Card welcome offer: Earn a $250 statement credit after $3,000 of purchases in 6 months. (Annual fee: annual_fees)
bonus_miles_full Get this welcome bonus.
(See Rates and Fees)
Decent bonus, and we like that the card gives you 6 months to complete the required spending. This car earns cash back rewards.
Increased rewards on groceries at U.S. supermarkets, gas at U.S. gas stations, and on U.S. streaming services, plus excellent consumer insurance benefits. (More in our card review.)
This is an affiliate link.
Targeted $300 Blue Cash Preferred® welcome offer
American Express often offers better targeted welcome bonuses on its cards. And there is better targeted offer out there for the Blue Cash Preferred®.
We’ve seen an offer for $300 back after spending $3,000 occasionally pop up when reaching americanexpress.com. Here’s what you’ll see if you are targeted for this offer:
American Express targeted welcome bonuses sometimes show up once you get to the American Express website. These offers sometimes pop up through most channels, including google searches, direct visits to americanexpress.com, and affiliate links. You can find more details in our article on how to get the best Amex welcome bonus.
My take on the Blue Cash Preferred® bonus
While $250 isn’t the biggest welcome incentive available, Amex does give you 6 months to meet the $3,000 spending requirement. If you’re maximizing the rewards at U.S. supermarkets, you’re likely spending this much on groceries alone within 6 months and the welcome bonus should be pretty easy to get.
There are definitely larger cash back bonuses and easier cash back bonuses available, but the Blue Cash Preferred® is a card that you get for its ongoing value. It’s one of the best cards for groceries, one of the best cards for gas, and offers the trifecta of Amex consumer insurance protection benefits: extended warranty, return protection, and purchase protection.
If you can get the larger targeted welcome bonus, that’s extra cash in your pocket. But, honestly, if you’re delaying getting the card in order to hope for a larger bonus, you’re probably losing money by not using the card for your groceries and gas.
About the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is the upgraded version of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, offering increased rewards on purchases at U.S. supermarkets, select U.S. streaming subscriptions, and U.S. gas stations. It comes with a $0 introductory fee for the first year, then $95/year. (See Rates and Fees)
The card offers 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 in purchases per year, plus 6% back on a long list of streaming providers. The card earns unlimited 3% cash back on U.S. gas stations and on transit. Other eligible purchases earn 1% cash back.
The Blue Cash Preferred® can be a great choice to use for retail purchases, as it offers the trifecta of retail insurance benefits: Purchase protection, return protection, and extended warranty. Terms apply to all benefits.
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.
A few notes on applying for American Express credit cards
Here are a few things that you should know about applying for American Express cards.
- Amex will let you know if you’re ineligible for the welcome bonus when applying. If you don’t qualify for a welcome bonus for any reason, American Express will inform you during the application process and let you withdraw your application before they perform a “hard pull” on your credit report. If you withdraw your application, the withdrawn application will have no impact on your credit score.
- No hard pull if they deny you. If Amex denies your credit card application, they usually won’t issue a hard pull on your credit report. This means that your credit score won’t decrease because of the denied application.
- One bonus per card per “lifetime”. Most Amex card terms say that you’re ineligible for a welcome bonus if you’ve ever had the card before. Some targeted offers do not have this lifetime language. Readers and other blogs have reported that Amex may internally define “lifetime” as 7 years—if it’s been 7 years since you’ve had a card, you might be eligible to get a welcome bonus again.
- Some cards allow one bonus per card “family”. Some American Express cards, like the personal Platinum card or the Charles Schwab Platinum card have language that prohibits you from earning a welcome bonus if you’ve ever had a card from the same card family before.
- Maximum 5 Amex credit cards and 10 pay-over-time cards. You can have a maximum of 5 American Express credit cards at one time. In addition, you can hold up to 10 American Express pay-over-time cards (like the Platinum, Gold, and Green cards.) These limits are known to occasionally be flexible for some cardmembers, some of the time.
- You might be able to get a better welcome offer than the public offer. American Express offers some customers targeted offers. See our post on how to get the best welcome offers from American Express and try those methods before applying for an American Express card. You might be able to get an elevated welcome bonus.
- Check your application status online. You can check the status of your American Express card application online through the Amex website.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Blue Cash Preferred earn points or cash back?
The Blue Cash Preferred earns cash back rewards. The card’s welcome bonus comes in the form of cash back rewards that can be redeemed as a statement credit.
What are the biggest perks of Blue Cash Preferred?
Perhaps the biggest perk of the Blue Cash Preferred is the rewards. The card earns 6% cash back on the first $6,000 purchases at U.S. supermarkets each year (then 1%). It also earns 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and 6% on select U.S. streaming services. The card also offers excellent consumer insurance benefits, including extended warranty, return protection, and purchase protection.
American Express card disclosures
- For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees
- For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees
Amex Extended Warranty benefit disclosure: When an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase to an Eligible Card, Extended Warranty§ can provide up to one extra year added to the Original Manufacturer’s Warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your Card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
Amex Return Protection benefit disclosure: With Return Protection, you may return eligible purchases to American Express if the seller won’t take them back up to 90 days from the date of purchase. American Express may refund the full purchase price excluding shipping and handling, up to $300 per item, up to a maximum of $1,000 per calendar year per Card account, if you purchased it entirely with your eligible American Express® Card. Purchases must be made in the U.S. or its territories. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.
Amex Basic Purchase Protection benefit disclosure: When an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase with their Eligible Card, Purchase Protection can help protect their Covered Purchases for up to 90 days from the Covered Purchase date if it is stolen or accidentally damaged. The coverage is limited to up to $1,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.
