6 American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card Benefits You Didn’t Know About
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Written by
Emily Sherman
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Edited by
Emily Gadd
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Reviewed by
Jasmin Baron
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, an advertising partner, is my favorite credit card. Not only does it offer me the best return on my spending — thanks to high earning rates on U.S. supermarket and U.S. gas station purchases — but it includes perks that I actually use. Between the monthly credit for eligible streaming subscriptions and generous rewards, it’s easy for me to get outsized value, even with the card’s $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
Plus, the Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card has plenty of other perks that can be useful day-to-day, from entertainment benefits to payment flexibility tools. Here’s what you should know.
1. Welcome Offer and Rewards Categories
Before exploring the ancillary benefits of the American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card, it’s important to ensure that the card suits your needs in terms of rewards and basic features. The card offers:
- Rewards rate: The Blue Cash Preferred Card earns 6% cash back on U.S. supermarket purchases (up to $6,000 in purchases per year, then 1% back), 6% back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% back on transit and at U.S. gas stations and 1% back on all other purchases.
- Introductory APR: New cardholders can enjoy a 0% intro APR on purchases and on balance transfers for 12 months from the date of account opening, then 19.99%-28.99% Variable APR; balance transfers must be requested in the first 60 days to qualify.
- Welcome offer: American Express is currently offering a welcome offer of $250 (in the form of a statement credit) to new cardholders who spend at least $3,000 in the first six months of card membership.
- Annual fee: The Blue Cash Preferred Card has a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
The high cash back rate on U.S. supermarket purchases can be particularly valuable, as it’s the highest you can find on a cash-back credit card. Considering groceries are a big line item in many people’s budgets, this can net quite a bit in rewards. As of the time of writing this article, I’ve already earned $240 in cash back for 2025, mostly on my weekly grocery runs.
Additionally, the introductory APRs on both new purchases and balance transfers can offer flexible payment options to those who need to finance a large purchase or pay down debt to save on interest charges.
2. Streaming Subscription Credit
Each month, the Blue Cash Preferred Card offers up to a $10 statement credit for a subscription, or bundle subscription, with the DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com or Plus.espn.com U.S. websites (enrollment required). If you’re like me, and spend a bit too much time bingeing your favorite shows, this can be a particularly valuable perk. Over 12 months, that comes out to $120 in credits — more than enough to outweigh the card’s annual fee.
For example, the Disney Bundle offers subscriptions to various streaming services, with multiple combinations to choose from. You can bundle Disney+ and Hulu; Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+; or Disney+, Hulu and HBO Max, with choices for ad-full or ad-free subscriptions to each combination. Depending on which you choose, Disney Bundle subscriptions currently start at $10.99 per month. With that option, the $10 monthly statement credit covers most of your bill.
3. American Express Entertainment
As an American Express card, carrying a Blue Cash Preferred Card gains you access to American Express Experiences. This includes exclusive presale ticket access to concerts or other entertainment or special benefits at certain events (while supplies last).
For example, I’ve used my Amex Events perks to access an exclusive lounge at the Austin City Limits music festival — a welcome respite from crowded alternatives.
4. Purchase Protections
It seems like shopping benefits are becoming harder to find on credit cards, but the Blue Cash Preferred Card still offers several useful purchase protections. These include:
- Purchase protection: When you make a purchase with your Amex, you can be covered for 90 days if that item is stolen or damaged. Coverage is limited to $1,000 per purchase and up to $50,000 per year.
- Return protection: If you try and return a covered purchase within 90 days that you made with your Blue Cash Preferred Card, but the seller won’t take it back, Amex will allow you to return the item to them instead, for a refund of up to $300 per item ($1,000 maximum per calendar year).
- Extended warranty: Your Blue Cash Preferred Card can add an additional year of coverage to a manufacturer’s warranty of five years or less for purchases made with the card. Coverage is for up to $10,000 per item, with a maximum of $50,000 per year. Terms apply.
5. Rental Car Insurance
Though the Blue Cash Preferred Card is not marketed as a travel credit card, it does have one useful travel benefit — rental car insurance. If you use your card to pay for your rental car and decline the rental company’s collision and damage waiver (CDW), you can be covered if the car is damaged or stolen.
Exclusions may apply, including the type of vehicle coverage extends to. Also, note that this is secondary rental car insurance coverage, meaning you will need to first file a claim with your primary car insurance, and Amex will only pay what is not covered.
6. Payment Flexibility Perks
American Express also extends some useful payment flexibility features to its personal credit card holders, including those with a Blue Cash Preferred Card.
First, the American Express Plan It® service allows cardholders to split eligible purchases of $100 or more into monthly installments for a fixed fee. Terms will vary, but you can view the Plan It options on eligible purchases in the Amex app.
Additionally, American Express partners with Venmo and PayPal with its Send & Split tool. It lets you split group expenses with friends directly in the Amex app, selecting the contact you want to split the total with, the amount you need to charge them for and whether you want their portion to apply to your Amex statement or linked Venmo or PayPal account.
You can also fund your Amex Send account with an American Express card — a useful feature if you don’t have the balance in your Venmo or PayPal accounts or a linked checking account.
For the Purchase protection on the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, 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 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.
Return protection on the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, 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.
For the Extended warranty on the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, 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.
For the Rental Car Insurance on the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible Card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the Commercial Car Rental Company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply. 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.
Frequently Asked Questions About Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card Benefits
Is the Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card good for travel?
The Blue Cash Preferred Card is primarily designed for earning cash back on everyday expenses, rather than as a travel credit card. Notably, it includes a foreign transaction fee of 2.7%, meaning it is not the best choice for international travel. That said, the card does have rental car insurance, so it could be useful for domestic travel.
Is the Blue Cash Preferred Card hard to get?
The Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card is designed for applicants with good to excellent credit scores. This can make it difficult for those still building their credit to qualify.
Does Blue Cash Preferred Card get lounge access?
No, the Blue Cash Preferred Card does not offer airport lounge access. If you’re interested in taking advantage of airport lounges on your next trip, you may want to consider alternative cards with access to the Amex Global Lounge Collection, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, an advertising partner.
Which Amex Card has the best benefits?
The answer to this depends on the benefits that are most useful to you. For instance, the Amex Platinum is packed with travel benefits like airport lounge access and elite status with partner brands, but if you don’t travel frequently, it can be difficult to get the full value out of perks. Meanwhile, the Blue Cash Preferred Card streaming subscription credit could be a better choice for homebodies. Consider your personal habits and choose a card that matches them to find the best fit.
