Amex upgrades welcome bonus on Blue Cash cards

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While many banks are upping sign up bonuses on their travel credit cards to new highs, American Express is responding by boosting the welcome bonuses on some of its top cash back cards.

Today, Amex has launched elevated bonuses on the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express and Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express.

Blue Cash Preferred increased welcome bonus

With the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express you’ll earn 20% back on Amazon.com purchases on the card within the first six months of card membership, up to $200 back. Plus, earn $150 back after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the card within the first 6 months of card membership. There is a $0 introductory annual fee for one year, then $95 (see rates and fees). Cash back received in the form of statement credits.

The Blue Cash Preferred is a solid option for the current times while we’re mostly stuck at home since it offers 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per calendar year in purchases (then 1%). That’s one of the best returns on grocery spend. If you can max out that out, you’ll earn $360 on grocery purchases alone.

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express also earns bonus cash back in the following categories:

• Earn 6% cash back on select U.S. Streaming subscriptions
• Earn 3% cash back on Transit, including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more
• Earn 3% cash back at U.S. Gas Stations
• Earn 1% cash back on other purchases

Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed for statement credits.

Basically, you’re guaranteed at least $350 from the card in the first year if you can meet the minimum spending requirements plus another $360 if you can max out the U.S. supermarket category bonus. If you aren’t satisfied with the annual fee, you can always downgrade to the no-annual-fee Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express.

Read our review of the Amex Blue Cash Preferred.

Blue Cash Everyday increased welcome bonus

For the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express you’ll earn 20% back on Amazon.com purchases on the card within the first six months of card membership, up to $150 back. Plus, earn $100 back after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the card within the first 6 months of card membership. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed for statement credits.

The card doesn’t come with an annual fee (see rates and fees) and has solid earning rates in popular bonus categories. It earns cash back at the following rates:

• Earn 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per calendar year in eligible purchases (then 1%)
• Earn 2% cash back at U.S. gas stations
• Earn 2% cash back at select U.S. department stores
• Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases

Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed for statement credits.

Read our review of the Amex Blue Cash Everyday.

Which card should you get?

Since the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express comes with a higher welcome bonus, I’d recommend going with that card. You’ll also get more value from the bonus categories. After the first year, you could pretty easily walk away with $710 in cash back just from the welcome bonus and spending at U.S. supermarkets.

However, the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express is a solid option for those who don’t expect to spend at least a couple thousand dollars at grocery stores per year and who want to avoid an annual fee.

Bottom Line

More credit card bonuses are better for consumers, and it’s great to see that it’s not only travel cards that are getting larger sign-up bonuses. If you prefer cash back to travel points or airline miles, these new card offers are definitely worth considering.

For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred card, click here.

For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday card, click here.

Featured image by Nattanan Kanchanaprat / EyeEm / Getty Images.