American Express Blue Cash Preferred: what it earns

Updated September 17, 2026 · from RightCard's verified card and merchant data

American Express Blue Cash Preferred earns 6% at supermarkets, 6% at streaming, 3% at gas stations, 3% at transit & rideshare, and 1% on everything else. Annual fee: $95.

Every category, as published

The everyday rates only. No welcome bonus, no limited-time offers. Where a rotating 5% quarter is live today it is noted in the row.

Category	Earn	≈ value / $1
Restaurants	1%	1¢
Supermarkets	6%	6¢
Gas stations	3%	3¢
Travel	1%	1¢
Online shopping	1%	1¢
Drugstores	1%	1¢
Transit & rideshare	3%	3¢
Streaming	6%	6¢
Everything else	1%	1¢

Where it beats a flat 2% card

Supermarkets, Gas stations, Transit & rideshare, Streaming. Everywhere else a plain 2% card earns more, so this card is a category card, not an everything card.

Statement credits

Verified from the issuer's terms. A credit is worth its face value only if you would spend there anyway.

Credit	Amount	Per year
Disney Streaming Credit	$10 monthly · enrollment required	$120 / yr

Tick the ones you would use and get the fee verdict →

Where the grocery bonus will not post

Superstores and warehouse clubs code outside the supermarket category, so the grocery rate usually does not post at Walmart, Target, Costco, Sam's Club or BJ's. Check any store.

See it against the rest of your wallet →

How RightCard handles this: add the American Express Blue Cash Preferred in the app and it competes with your other cards at every store, with your bank offers and this quarter's rotating bonus folded in. The app is free and private. No bank login. Recommendations are computed on your phone.

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FAQ

What does the American Express Blue Cash Preferred earn at supermarkets?

6% at stores that code as supermarkets. Superstores and warehouse clubs usually do not count.

What does the American Express Blue Cash Preferred earn on everything else?

1% on purchases outside its bonus categories.

Is the American Express Blue Cash Preferred's $95 fee worth it?

Only if the credits and rewards you would actually use add up to more than $95 a year. Our coupon-book tool lets you tick the credits you would use and see the verdict.

Where these numbers come from: RightCard's data pipeline re-checks each card's published rates weekly and lists a rate only after two independent sources agree. Merchant codes come from our merchant directory. If a card or store is missing here, it is because we could not verify it, not because we guessed.

More guides: Rate my wallet · All cards · Supermarkets guide · Gas stations guide · Transit & rideshare guide · Streaming guide