Amex Blue Cash Everyday vs. Blue Cash Preferred: Which cash-back card is the best fit for you?

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

Using a credit card that rewards your grocery and gas spending can help you save hundreds every year.

With both the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express and the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, you can do just that. While these two cards offer strong rewards programs in these key categories, they differ in other areas.

CNBC Select dives into both of these cards and tells you where they excel, so you can make the best pick for your finances.

The Amex Blue Cash Everyday has no annual fee (see rates and fees), while the Amex Blue Cash Preferred has a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 each year after (see rates and fees).

For both of these cards, you'll start by paying $0 in annual fees when applying, but when year two rolls around, you'll have to pay an annual fee on the Blue Cash Preferred (see rates and fees). Once that annual fee starts applying, you'll need to take advantage of the reward categories and benefits to really maximize what you're spending to have the card.

New cardholders of the Amex Blue Cash Everyday can earn as high as $200 cash back after you spend $2,000 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. Apply, and if approved: 1. Find out your offer amount 2. Accept the Card with your offer 3. Spend $2,000 in 6 months 4. Receive the cash back. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed for a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.

The Amex Blue Cash Preferred welcome bonus is as high as $300 cash back after spending $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in the first 6 months. Apply to find out your offer. If approved, you'll: 1. Find out your offer amount, 2. Accept the Card with your offer, 3. Spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 6 months 4. Receive the cash back. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed for a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.

While the Blue Cash Preferred technically offers a higher welcome bonus, it requires 50% more spending than the Blue Cash Everyday, for a 50% bigger bonus. This could still make sense if you'd hit the higher spending threshold regardless.

These two Amex cards do overlap in some rewards categories, like groceries and gas, but the Blue Cash Preferred offers higher rewards rates, at up to 6% cash back, compared to the Blue Cash Everyday's 3%, and the former earns in categories like streaming and transit.

*For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, click here.

*For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, click here.

While both the Blue Cash Everyday and the Blue Cash Preferred earn solid rewards on everyday categories, the Blue Cash Everyday caps at a maximum of $6,000 per year in eligible purchases before earning just 1% cash back. The Blue Cash Preferred only has a cap for grocery spending, so if you think you'll consistently hit the cap on the Blue Cash Everyday, the Preferred might allow you to earn more rewards.

For both the Blue Cash Everyday and the Blue Cash Preferred, cash back is earned in the form of Reward Dollars. These can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout. From time to time, Amex may offer other ways to redeem reward dollars, such as for gift cards or merchandise.

The Blue Cash Everyday and the Blue Cash Preferred cards share a variety of perks and benefits, including:

• Disney Bundle annual credit ($120 for the Blue Cash Preferred; $84 for the Blue Cash Everyday): For the Blue Cash Preferred® Card earn up to a $10 monthly statement credit after using your enrolled card for a subscription purchase, including a bundle subscription purchase, at DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com, or Stream.ESPN.com U.S. websites. For the Blue Cash Everyday® Card earn up to a $7 monthly statement credit after using your enrolled card for a subscription purchase, including a bundle subscription purchase, at Disneyplus.com, Hulu.com, or Stream.ESPN.com U.S. websites. Card members should visit their benefits dashboard or call the number on the back of their card to enroll in the benefit and learn more. (Enrollment required. Subject to auto-renewal)
• *Travel insurance and protections: When cardholders pay for travel expenses with their card, they can benefit from car rental loss and damage insurance, as well as a global assist hotline. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car rental loss or damage coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
• *Purchase protection: Merchandise purchased with your card may receive return protection, which helps if you try to return an eligible item within 90 days from the date of purchase and the merchant won't take it back. The coverage is limited up to $10,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per cardmember account per calendar year. Coverage limits apply. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

The Blue Cash Preferred offers the above shared benefits, in addition to a couple others:

• *Extended warranty: Cardholders can get one extra year added to the original manufacturer's warranty. Applies to warranties of five 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 cardmember account per calendar year.
• *Return protection: 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. Cardmembers are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.

Both cards offer solid rewards rates on everyday spending categories, like gas and groceries. While the Amex Blue Cash Preferred does carry an annual fee after the first year, it earns a higher rewards rate, helping you offset the annual fee. But if you're newer to credit cards, or unsure of exactly how much you might be spending, the Amex Blue Cash Everyday could be a better fit.

*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.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card comparison is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.

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For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, click here.

For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, click here.