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Both the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card are 2 top-notch credit card options for consumers.
While the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card is a traditional cash-back credit card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is a travel rewards-focused card whose rewards can also be redeemed for cash-back.
Given that, how should you decide which credit card is better suited for you? In this post, we are going to cover everything each card has to offer to help you make that decision.
Amex Blue Cash Everyday Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred Card — Summary
Before we dive deep into the benefits of each card, here is a quick overview of how they compare.
Bottom Line: The rewards and benefits of the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card are geared towards cash-back on everyday purchases, while the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is more rewarding for those looking for an all-around travel rewards card.
The Value of a Welcome Offer
While welcome bonuses can vary, here here is a look at how each card stacks up.
Amex Blue Cash Everyday Card
Since the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card only earns cash-back, it’s only natural that the welcome bonus would also come in the form of cash. Usually, you can earn a welcome bonus on the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card that ranges somewhere between $200 to $250.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card, on the other hand, earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which we value at 2 cents per point.
Earning Potential
One of the key parts of evaluating whether or not a rewards card is worth it for you is determining how many rewards you’ll actually earn on the purchases you spend the most on. Here is what both cards offer in their respective bonus categories:
Bonus Category
Amex Blue Cash Everyday Card
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
Lyft
1% cash-back
5x points
Travel Portal Purchases
1% cash-back
5x points
U.S. Supermarkets
3% cash-back (on up to $6,000 in spend each year)
1x point
Online Grocery Store Purchases
3% cash-back (on up to $6,000 in spend each year)
3x points
Dining
1% cash-back
3x points
Select Streaming Services
1% cash-back
3x points
General Travel
1% cash-back
2x points
U.S. Gas Stations
3% cash-back (on up to $6,000 in spend each year)
1x point
U.S. Online Retail Purchases
3% cash-back (on up to $6,000 in spend each year)
1x point
All Other Purchases
1% cash-back
1x point
As you can see, as a travel-focused card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is better for purchases made through the Chase Travel portal and general travel purchases; but is also very rewarding for dining, select streaming services, and online grocery store purchases.
You’ll also want to consider that, on each account anniversary, you’ll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year. That means if you spend $20,000 on purchases with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card in a year, you’ll get a further 2,000 bonus points on your account anniversary.
The Amex Blue Cash Everyday card, on the other hand, earns 3% cash-back on 3 separate bonus categories, including U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. online retail purchases, with a cap of up to $6,000 in purchases each year per category.
U.S. online retail purchases really stands out for the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card because it is one of the only rewards cards to offer such a category, and includes any online purchase made from major retailers like Amazon or Walmart, computer and electronic stores, department stores, drugstores, furniture stores, and more.
When determining which card bonus category is better suited for you, you’ll want to analyze your monthly spending habits to see which card would earn you the most rewards on the spend you are already making.
Redemption Options
Amex Blue Cash Everyday Card
With the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card, all of your cash-back is earned in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit to offset purchases made with your card. There is no minimum threshold required to redeem, allowing you to redeem your cash-back as often as you’d like.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
Cardholders of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card have significantly more redemption options at their disposal.
For starters, our favorite redemption method is using one of the Chase travel transfer partners, such as Air Canada Aeroplan to book business class flights or World of Hyatt to book 5-star hotel stays for a fraction of what the standard cash price would be.
If you prefer more simplicity, you can redeem your Ultimate Rewards points through the Chase travel portal for virtually any travel purchase, and you’ll receive a 25% bonus in value to 1.25 cents per point when doing so. This doesn’t offer the value upside of transfer partners, but can be a lot more convenient as you can book flights, hotels, rental cars, and other items without needing to worry about award space.
Lastly, you can always redeem your points for cash-back if you so choose at a rate of 1 cent per point as a statement credit. Chase also gives you the option to redeem your points for gift cards, or through merchants like Amazon and Apple.
Statement credits are a great way to get added value out of your card each year. Here is a look at what both the cards offer to card members.
Amex Blue Cash Everyday Card — Disney Bundle and Home Chef
It is pretty uncommon to see a no-annual-fee card offer a statement credit, but the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card offers 2!
The first is an up to $7 monthly credit towards The Disney Bundle after spending $12.99 or more each month on the subscription. The bundle includes Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, so if you are already paying for one or more of these services, this is a great way to save up to $84 each year by paying with your Amex Blue Cash Everyday card.
Meal delivery services have rapidly grown in popularity, which is why the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card also offers an up to $15 monthly statement credit towards Home Chef meal plans. If this is a service you were paying for already, then purchasing your Home Chef deliveries with the card can save you up to $180 each year.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card — Annual Hotel Credit, GoPuff, Instacart
Each year when you use your Chase Sapphire Preferred card to purchase a hotel stay through the Chase Travel portal you’ll receive a $50 statement credit for doing so. There is no minimum purchase amount needed to receive the credit, and since it requires booking through the Chase portal it can be used on virtually any hotel you’d like.
Since you receive this $50 hotel credit each year on your account anniversary, it is a great way to help offset the $95 annual fee you pay for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.
Additionally, you’ll also receive a monthly GoPuff credit. For those unfamiliar, GoPuff is a delivery service specializing in snacks, drinks, and household essentials delivered right to your door. Well, with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you receive a $10 monthly credit towards GoPuff orders through December 31, 2023. Depending on when you open the card, this could easily amount to over $100+ in savings on GoPuff orders.
Cardholders of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card receive a few other solid benefits that can be beneficial, including a free year subscription to DoorDash DashPass which offers free delivery and reduced service fees on orders of $12 or more. Usually, a DashPass subscription costs $10 per month, giving you $120 in value each year from this benefit for those who occasionally order through DoorDash.
Up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for your prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses
Baggage Delay Insurance
Not offered
Receive coverage of up to $100 a day, for up to 5 days, on bags that are delayed by more than 6 hours
Trip Delay Reimbursement
Not offered
For flights delayed by 12 hours or more, you can receive up to $500 in coverage for expenses like meals and lodging
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
Not offered
Yes
As you can see, you really can’t compare the 2 when it comes to travel protections because the Chase Sapphire Preferred offers a robust collection of travel protections, including trip delay coverage, baggage delay coverage, and primary rental car coverage, while the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card offers virtually none. Further, the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card is not one you’d want to bring with you on your overseas travels as it tacks on a 2.7% foreign transaction fee on international purchases.
Shopping Benefits and Protections
A card’s shopping benefits and protections don’t get nearly as much buzz as other benefits, but they can still offer plenty of value to cardholders.
The Amex Blue Cash Everyday card offers these benefits:
Amex Offers — Discounts and opportunities to earn more points with 100 merchants each month
American Express Experiences — Exclusive access to ticket presales
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers these benefits:
Purchase Protection — Covers new purchases against damage or theft for up to 120 days from purchase with up to $500 in coverage per claim and $50,000 per account
Extended Warranty Coverage — Extends a U.S. manufacturer’s warranty by an additional year on eligible warranties of 3 years or less
Annual Fees and Adding Authorized Users
Annual Fees
As mentioned throughout the post, the annual fee for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is $95, while the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card does not charge an annual fee. While it can be easy to write off certain cards that charge an annual fee, make sure you run the numbers of the benefits and rewards of each card to see which would provide more value and savings to you each year.
Authorized Users
Fortunately, there is no added cost to add authorized users to both the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and Amex Blue Cash Everyday card. Any authorized users you add will receive all of the same benefits and ad rewards earnings as the primary card, with the exception of additional statement credits.
Final Thoughts
Whichever way you slice it, both the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card and Chase Sapphire Preferred card are fantastic card options. Deciding which card is better for you comes down to what you are looking for out of a rewards credit card.
Those looking for a strong cash-back credit card that features rewards for supermarket, gas station, and online purchases and helps save money on The Disney Bundle and Home Chef subscriptions should go for the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for a top-notch travel rewards card with lots of bonus categories, access to transfer partners and flexible redemption options, excellent benefits, and solid travel protections, then the Chase Sapphire Preferred card might be the card for you.
For the car rental collision damage coverage benefit of the Blue Cash Everyday® from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. For the purchase protection benefit of the Blue Cash Everyday® from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday® from American Express, click here.
Featured Image Credit: Upgraded Points
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on what you are looking for. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is better for people who are looking for a travel rewards card with access to transfer partners, a 25% bonus on travel portal redemptions, travel protections, and more.
While the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card is better suited for those looking for a no-annual-fee cash-back card that rewards them for purchases at the supermarket, gas station, and online purchases.
The top benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card are that it earns between 2x to 5x points on 6 different bonus categories and offers a $50 annual hotel statement credit, benefits with GoPuff and DoorDash, access to Chase travel transfer partners, and solid travel protections.
The top benefits of the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card are that it offers 3% cash-back at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. online retail purchases (on up to $6,000 in spend per category), along with a $7 monthly credit towards The Disney Bundle and a $15 monthly credit towards Home Chef.
Yes, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card charges a $95 annual fee.
No, the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card does not charge an annual fee.
No, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card does not charge foreign transaction fees.
Yes, the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card charges a 2.7% foreign transaction fee, so you’ll want to choose another card for international purchases.
Boasting a portfolio of over 20 cards, Jarrod has been an expert in the points and miles space for over 6 years. He earns and redeems over 1 million points per year and his work has been featured in outlets like The New York Times.
Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.
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