Review of the Amex EveryDay and Amex EveryDay Preferred Credit Cards

American Express offers this pair of unique cards: the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card and the Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card.

What makes them different? They give you extra points if you use your card a certain number of times during a billing period. They’re meant to be used “every day.”

You’ll get the most rewards value from one of these cards if you use it frequently for groceries, and gas too with the Preferred. If you can transfer your Membership Rewards points to a travel partner you can get the best value for them, but the normal redemption options can be pretty rewarding too.

The EveryDay Preferred card is an upgraded version of the regular EveryDay card, and it comes with an annual fee. But for that you’ll also earn points at a higher rate and get a better bonus for using your card frequently.

These cards both have solid 0% intro APR offers. But the basic EveryDay card also has a great balance transfer offer, offering 15 months at no interest and no transfer fees.

Our Ratings: 4 out of 5 Stars

Why we like these cards

We give both of these cards 4 out of 5 Stars because they’re basic rewards cards, but they have very interesting rewards programs. They’re good, but they’re not must-get cards.

• You can earn valuable Membership Rewards points for no annual fee (EveryDay Card) or a low annual fee (EveryDay Preferred).
• These cards provide more rewards when you use them more in a given month. We’ve never seen a bonus point program like this on any other cards, and it can be a very rewarding feature if you’re able to take advantage of it every month.
• The EveryDay card has a great 15-month 0% intro APR offer for both purchases and balance transfers, with no fee for transfers. This is a rare find on a rewards card like this.
• The EveryDay Preferred has a 12-month 0% intro APR offer, which is not bad. It will charge a fee for balance transfers.
• Depending on your purchasing habits and how often you’ll use the card, the annual fee for the EveryDay Preferred could easily pay for itself.

Why these cards could be better

• If you don’t meet the purchase threshold each month you won’t earn as many points.
• Earning and redeeming points can be a little confusing, since it takes some work to figure out how you should redeem points to maximize their value. Instead, you could go for the simplicity of cash back with the Blue Cash EveryDay or Blue Cash Preferred card from American Express.
• You’ll be charged a fee for foreign transactions.
• The EveryDay Preferred has an annual fee you’ll need to pay.

These cards get 4 Stars because they’re good card offers for their respective prices. But you may be able to earn a higher cash back equivalent with other cards depending on where you spend and how you redeem points, which is why these cards didn’t get 5 Stars. See some alternatives to the Amex EveryDay cards below.

Insider Advice: Using One of These Cards as Part of Your Credit Card Strategy

• The main reason to have one of these cards is the bonus you get for using it a certain number of times in each billing cycle. If you don’t think you’ll be able to get to the minimum number of transactions each cycle, you can probably earn more rewards value with other cards.
• Use one of these cards for small transactions or recurring bills to help you trigger the bonus each month and maximize the points you’re earning.
• You probably won’t want both of these cards in your wallet since they’re so similar, so choose the one that’s a better fit for your spending.
• Use one of these cards as your go-to card at the supermarket, and gas stations too if you have the EveryDay Preferred.
• If you already have a card that rewards you for spending at supermarkets, consider whether one of these cards would be more rewarding as a possible replacement.
• You may want to get one of these cards just to use at supermarkets (or gas stations and amextravel.com if the Preferred version make sense for you). Then you could use a different rewards credit card for purchases at other merchants to maximize your rewards.
• Add an authorized user or two to your account to help you reach the reward threshold more quickly. Be sure to only add people you trust.
• If you’re unsure about these cards, you could start with the no-annual-fee EveryDay, and then evaluate your spending on the card after a year. If the annual fee would have been worth it to you, consider upgrading to the EveryDay Preferred.
• If you have the EveryDay Preferred, be sure to earn enough points each year to offset the annual fee. You can do this by spending as little as $2,112 per year, if you redeem for 1 cent per point.
• Consider how you redeem your points, as there is a wide range of values you could get per point depending on how you redeem. You can transfer your points to a partner airline to potentially maximize their value.
• There’s a solid 15-month 0% introductory APR offer for purchases and balances transfers with the EveryDay card. There are also no balance transfer fees, making this a good card for both earning rewards and transferring balances.
• The EveryDay Preferred offers 12 months at 0% interest for purchases and balance transfers. It also charges a fee for transfers. So it’s not quite as good as the basic EveryDay for balance transfers, but still pretty good for making purchases at no interest.

The Rewards

Earning

Amex EveryDay

This card earns the equivalent of 0.5%–2.4% cash back when you use the normal redemption methods, depending on how much you spend, where you spend, and how you redeem your points. With a point transfer, you could potentially earn up to 3% cash back or more.

With this card you’ll get:

• 2X Membership Rewards points per dollar:
  • at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 in purchases per year, then 1 point per dollar)
  • at the Amex Travel website
• 1X Membership Rewards point per dollar on all other purchases
• A 20% point bonus if you make at least 20 purchases in a billing period
• Signup bonus: 10,000 points for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months after account opening

So, if you use this card to make at least 20 purchases in a given billing period (about a month’s time), you’ll get a 20% bonus on however many points you earned. Membership Rewards points don’t expire as long as the account is open and in good standing, so you can save up points over time without worrying they’ll go away.

Let’s say you earned 500 points and had over 20 transactions in the previous statement period. 20% of 500 is 100, so you would get an additional 100 points, for a total of 600 points during that statement period. One way to look at this percentage-based point bonus is that if you hit the bonus, it’s the equivalent to earning 2.4 points per dollar at supermarkets, and 1.2 points per dollar for other purchases.

As you can see in the Redeeming section, there are a variety of ways to redeem your points. And you’ll get a different value for them depending on how you redeem.

If we assume a value of $0.01 per point and you always hit the transaction threshold to trigger the bonus, you’re basically earning the equivalent of 1.2% to 2.4% cash back with this card, depending on the categories of your purchases. If you don’t hit the threshold, you’ll be getting the equivalent of 1% to 2%. But remember, you could get more by redeeming your points in a way that values them above $0.01.

Amex EveryDay Preferred

This card earns the equivalent of 0.5%–4.5% cash back with the normal redemption methods. Point transfers may be able to provide the equivalent of more than 6% cash back in some cases.

For its annual fee you get better rewards than the basic version:

• 3X Membership Rewards points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 in purchases per year, then 1 point per dollar)
• 2X Membership Rewards points per dollar:
  • at U.S. gas stations
  • at the Amex Travel website
• 1X Membership Rewards point per dollar on all other purchases
• A 50% point bonus if you make at least 30 purchases in a billing period
• Signup bonus: 15,000 points for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months

You’ll need to use this card 30 times in a given billing period — or an average of about once per day — to earn the 50% point bonus.

As an example, say you earned 500 points during a statement period where you hit the bonus: 50% of 500 is 250, so you’d get 250 extra points, or 750 points total.

When you hit the threshold that’s the equivalent of earning 4.5 points per dollar at supermarkets, 3 points per dollar at gas stations, and 1.5 points per dollar for all other purchases.

You’ll be able to redeem points with this card just like the basic EveryDay described above. So, assuming a value of 1 cent per point, if you hit the threshold you’ll get the equivalent of 0.75% to 4.5% cash back with this card. If you don’t hit the threshold you’ll earn the equivalent of 0.5% to 3% cash back. What you get will depend on the categories of your purchases, and you could get more by redeeming your points in a way that values them above 1 cent per dollar.

Comparison: Which card should you use?

These cards offer several ways to earn points. And, as you can see, you have the potential to earn a lot more points with the Preferred card.

The unique value of these cards come from the point bonuses for frequent spending, but the question is: will you really use one of these cards enough to earn the bonus?

You may find it difficult to use the basic EveryDay card 20 times per month. And no doubt many people would have a hard time using the EveryDay Preferred 30 times per month to get the 50% bonus (unless you go out of your way to make a lot of tiny purchases). Remember, if you’re not hitting that transaction threshold you’re not using these cards to their full potential.

Thankfully there is a way around this — you can sign up your (trusted) friends and family as authorized users on your account, which will give them their own cards to use. Having 2 or more people spending with the card will make it much easier to reach those thresholds.

If you’re trying to decide between these two cards, first consider how much you’ll spend at supermarkets. If you spend the full $6,000 per year in the supermarket category, you’ll earn 12,000 points with the regular EveryDay card or 18,000 points with the EveryDay Preferred.

Assuming a value of $0.01 per point, that’s $120 in rewards versus $180 in rewards. That $60 difference alone is not enough to cover the annual fee of the EveryDay Preferred. And that means you’d get more value out of the basic EveryDay card.

However, now let’s assume you’re hitting the bonus threshold each month. Now, if you spend the full $6,000 per year at supermarkets, you’ll earn 14,400 points with the regular EveryDay card or 27,000 points with the EveryDay Preferred.

Assuming a value of $0.01 per point, that’s $144 in rewards versus $270 in rewards. And that $126 difference more than covers the annual fee of the EveryDay Preferred. This doesn’t even consider the additional rewards you can earn at gas stations or Amex Travel with the EveryDay Preferred.

You may need to do a little math and consider your spending to decide which card can earn you more when you factor in the annual fee. But as you can see it’s possible you can come out way ahead with the Preferred version. That will happen if you spend enough at supermarkets and gas stations, and take advantage of the whopping 50% bonus you get for having at least 30 transactions per month.

Redeeming

Both of these cards earn Membership Rewards points, which can be redeemed in a variety of ways. Each card has the same redemption options, and the points they earn will be worth the same amount. However, since the EveryDay Preferred offers up to 3X points with a 50% bonus, you’ll be able to get a higher cash back equivalent with that card compared to the basic EveryDay.

There are three main options for redeeming your points:

• Normal redemption methods (flights, hotel reservations, gift cards, point of sale): 0.5–1.0 cents per point
• Point transfer to frequent traveler loyalty program: highly variable point values, more than 1 cent per point in some cases
• Statement credit: 0.6 cents per point

Unlike with some other rewards cards, the points you get with the EveryDay cards aren’t worth very much when you cash them in for statement credits. Instead, your best options will be either the normal redemption methods, which provide up to 1 cent per point, or point transfers where you might get more than that.

For most people, it will probably be easiest to use the normal redemption methods like flights and gift cards. But if you can save up your points for a big point transfer to your favorite loyalty program, you could potentially get much more value out of them.

We’ll go over some examples of the normal redemption methods, showing what you can get for your points. And then we’ll go over a couple of point transfer examples, one using the basic EveryDay card and the other using the EveryDay Preferred. In these examples we’ll assume that you’re trading in 10,000 Membership Rewards points, unless otherwise noted.

The cash back equivalent you get on any redemption will depend on how you earned your points, so we show ranges for each card below. If you earn at a higher rate, like 3X points per dollar, you’ll get the higher end of the range. If you’re only getting 1X point per dollar, you’ll get the lower end of the range. The high end of the ranges also includes the point bonus you can get with the card, 20% for the EveryDay and 50% for the EveryDay Preferred.

Travel

When redeeming for travel expenses you’ll have several options, but the most valuable is for airline flights. The main way is to redeem through American Express Travel, though there are a couple other travel services you can use as well. You’ll be able to redeem 10,000 points in the following ways.

Redemption Method	Travel Service	Redemption Value	Point Value (in cents)	Cash Back Equivalent (EveryDay)	Cash Back Equivalent (EveryDay Preferred)
Find Flights	Amex Travel	$100	1.0	1.0%–2.4%	1.0%–4.5%
Reserve Prepaid Hotels	Amex Travel	$70	0.7	0.7%–1.68%	0.7%–3.15%
Plan Vacations	Amex Travel	$70	0.7	0.7%–1.68%	0.7%–3.15%
Take Cruises	Amex Travel	$70	0.7	0.7%–1.68%	0.7%–3.15%
Airbnb Bookings	Airbnb	$70	0.7	0.7%–1.68%	0.7%–3.15%
Flights and Hotels on Expedia	Expedia	$70	0.7	0.7%–1.68%	0.7%–3.15%

Gift Cards

For 10,000 points, you can get a gift card of up to $100 for a variety of merchants. Here are just a few.

Merchant	Gift Card Redemption Value	Point Value (in cents)	Cash Back Equivalent (EveryDay)	Cash Back Equivalent (EveryDay Preferred)
MGM Grand Hotel & Casino	$100	1.0	1.0%–2.4%	1.0%–4.5%
Legal Sea Foods	$100	1.0	1.0%–2.4%	1.0%–4.5%
Cole Haan	$100	1.0	1.0%–2.4%	1.0%–4.5%
Coach	$100	1.0	1.0%–2.4%	1.0%–4.5%
Old Navy	$100	1.0	1.0%–2.4%	1.0%–4.5%
iTunes	$85	0.85	0.85%–2.04%	0.85%–3.825%
Sephora	$85	0.85	0.85%–2.04%	0.85%–3.825%
Hilton	$70	0.7	0.7%–1.68%	0.7%–3.15%
Uber	$70	0.7	0.7%–1.68%	0.7%–3.15%
Starbucks	$70	0.7	0.7%–1.68%	0.7%–3.15%
American Express Gift Card	$50	0.5	0.5%–1.2%	0.5%–2.25%

Point of Sale and Entertainment

You can use your points at checkout with the following merchants. 10,000 points will get you:

Merchant	Total Redemption Value	Point Value (in cents)	Cash Back Equivalent (EveryDay)	Cash Back Equivalent (EveryDay Preferred)
New York City Taxis	$100	1.0	1.0%–2.4%	1.0%–4.5%
Uber	$100	1.0	1.0%–2.4%	1.0%–4.5%
Rite Aid	$70	0.7	0.7%–1.68%	0.7%–3.15%
AXS	$50	0.5	0.5%–1.2%	0.5%–2.25%
Telecharge	$50	0.5	0.5%–1.2%	0.5%–2.25%
Ticketmaster	$50	0.5	0.5%–1.2%	0.5%–2.25%

We recommend that you actually avoid using your points to pay for purchases at checkout. When you do, you won’t earn any points on that purchase. So pay for purchases as normal to earn points, and then redeem your points in other ways.

Transferring to Loyalty Programs

Membership Rewards points can be transferred to different airline and hotel loyalty programs. The Plenti retail program is included too.

We’ll go over the basics of point transfers, and then provide two real-world examples: the first using the EveryDay, and the second using the EveryDay Preferred.

Most transfers are at a 1:1 rate, though some are different. And there are also limited-time offers and special deals occasionally. There’s a fee of $0.0006 per point when transferring to U.S. airlines, with no charge for any other transfers. And different programs will allow you to transfer points in different increments, like 500 points at a time or 1,000 points at a time.

Here are some example programs, along with their transfer rates and a point conversion example. Take note that offers may change.

Loyalty Program	Type	Transfer Rate	You Give	You Get
Aeroplan®	Airline	1:1.6	1,000	1,600
ANA Mileage Club	Airline	1:1	1,000	1,000
Flying Blue® Award Miles	Airline	1:1	1,000	1,000
Delta Air Lines	Airline	1:1	1,000	1,000
Hawaiian Airlines®	Airline	1:.8	1,000	800
Choice Privileges®	Hotel	1:1	1,000	1,000
Hilton Honors™	Hotel	1:2	1,000	2,000
Starwood Preferred Guest	Hotel	1:.33	1,000	333
Plenti	Retail	1:1	1,000	1,000

Let’s go through some examples to illustrate the potential value of Membership Rewards points after you convert them to a frequent traveler program. Keep in mind that there are many factors that influence the price of flights and hotel rooms. They include time of year, demand, availability, and special events. Airlines and hotel chains offer special deals and packages pretty frequently, as well. All of this will affect the value you get from your points.

While the following are actual real-world examples, the point transfer values you find for your flights and rooms may differ from what we show here.

EveryDay Card — Delta SkyMiles

Say you want to get away from wintry climes and see what the weather’s like down in Florida. For this example, imagine you’ll be flying with your family from Syracuse, New York, to Daytona Beach, Florida.

Specifically, you’ll be taking a Delta flight on February 27^th. And there will be three passengers total — you, your spouse, and your child.

The cheapest Main Cabin offer available for three passengers is for $501. That same offer would cost 58,500 Delta SkyMiles, plus $16.80 in fees.

How much would you need to spend with the EveryDay card to earn these seats? You have to transfer in increments of 1,000 with Delta, so you’ll need 59,000 Membership Rewards points.

In this example, we’ll assume that you’re earning points at the 2X rate, and also getting the 20% point bonus. That means you’ll actually be getting 2.4X points per dollar.

At that rate, you’ll need to spend $24,584 to earn 59,000 points. Then you can transfer them to Delta SkyMiles, and the transfer fee for that many points will cost $35.40.

So, the total amount spent is $24,563.20 when the fees are added in. That got you three seats valued at $501. That means your effective cash back equivalent for this transfer is 2.04%.

That’s not bad, but it’s not as good as the 2.4% you could get with the normal redemption methods, like flights and gift cards.

EveryDay Preferred Card — Hilton Honors Points

Now let’s see a transfer example using the EveryDay Preferred, which can provide more points per dollar.

After arriving in sunny Florida in our last example, you’ll all need a hotel to stay in. Let’s say you want to get a single room for the three of you at the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort.

This will cost about $163 per night. Or, you could get the room for 32,000 Hilton Honors points per night.

How much would you need to spend with your EveryDay Preferred to get a night in this room? Hilton Honors points have a transfer rate of 1:2. So you’ll need to earn 16,000 Membership Rewards points for this deal.

Let’s assume you earn at the 3X rate and get the 50% point bonus. That will give you an effective rate of 4.5X points per dollar for your purchases.

Getting 4.5X points per dollar, you need to spend $3,556 to earn 16,002 points. You can then transfer them to get the 32,000 Hilton Honors points you need.

So in this example you spend $3,556 to get one night in a room valued at $163. That means your effective cash back equivalent is 4.58% for this deal. 

That’s just a little bit better than the maximum of 4.5% you can get with the normal redemption methods.

How to Offset the Annual Fee

The EveryDay Preferred has an annual fee of $95, so you’ll want to use this card enough to make it worth the cost. The points you earn can offset that fee.

You can offset the $95 fee by spending a minimum of $2,112 per year. To do that you’ll need to earn at the best rate of 3X points per dollar, get the 50% bonus, and redeem for 1 cent per dollar.

The amount you’ll need to spend will depend on two things:

1. the rate that you earn points: 3X per dollar, 2X, or 1X
2. the value you get per point when you redeem them

If you earn at a lower rate and redeem for a lower value, it will take more spending. If you can redeem for a higher value, like through a point transfer, it will take less spending.

The following table shows how much you’ll need to spend to offset the annual fee in a variety of ways. You can see how much you’ll need to spend at each rate to reach the equivalent of $95. This table includes what you’ll get at several spending rates, both with the 50% bonus and without.

Most people will have a mix of spending, of course, so it won’t be so clear cut as this. But you can use this as a guide to see how much you’ll need to spend to earn those points.

Good Redemption Value
	4.5X points (4.5% cash back)	3X points (3% cash back)	2X points (2% cash back)	1.5X points (1.5% cash back)	1X point (1% cash back)
Normal Methods: 1 cent per point	$2,112	$3,167	$4,750	$6,334	$9,500
Point Transfer: 1.5 cents per point	$1,408	$2,112	$3,167	$4,223	$6,334
Statement Credit: 0.6 cents per point	$3,520	$5,278	$7,917	$10,557	$15,834

As you can see, redeeming for point transfers where you get 1.5 cents per point will require the least amount of spending. It’s just $1,408 per year, as long as you earn at the 4.5X rate. But the normal redemption methods may be easier for most people, most of the time.

This is a good redemption example, but remember that if you redeem in certain ways you’ll get a lower value for your points. This could happen if you choose a normal redemption method that only offers 0.5 cents per point. Or if you make a point transfer that only grants 1 cent per point or less, for example.

So, no matter what rate you earn points at, redeem them for the best value you can get. And if there are no options that seem particularly appealing, you can hold on to your points until you see something you like.

The Benefits

The EveryDay card and the EveryDay Preferred card come with pretty standard benefits you’d expect to see on most American Express cards.

The benefits on these cards are almost entirely the same, except for extra baggage insurance with the EveryDay Preferred. Read the Guide to Benefits that comes with your card to learn about the specific benefits you have and how to access them.

Amex Offers

You’ll have access to discounts at a wide variety of merchants — currently there are about 80 different offers available, and the selection changes now and then.

You just need to head to the Amex Offers program and click ‘Add to Card’ for the deals you want. Then, just use your card as you normally would to make a purchase with that merchant. Your savings will appear as a statement credit later on, reducing your account balance. You may or may not earn additional rewards at the regular rate — this will depend on the particular offer.

Many of the deals can be quite valuable, saving you from $5 up through more than $100 for some of them. For most of them, you’ll need to spend a certain amount to get a certain discount. Some of the current offers include:

Merchant	Need to Spend	Cash Back	Maximum Savings
Maggianos Wine	$25	$20	80%
Stitch Fix	$50	$25	50%
Sun Basket	$70	$35	50%
Crayola.com	$25	$10	40%
Rover.com	$75	$30	40%
H&R Block	$30	$10	33.33%
Etsy	$40	$10	25%
High Fashion Home	$400	$80	20%
Kimpton Hotels	$300	$60	20%

There are many fantastic deals waiting to be had here, though many other credit card issuers will offer a similar service. For example, Chase provides the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, Bank of America has their “BankAmeriDeals” offers, and Discover has the Discover Deals service. You’ll find a range of discounts in all of them.

Save 10% on Some Utilities

Occasionally you’ll be given the opportunity to save 10% on your cable, satellite TV, and/or cell phone bills. Just find the offer and click ‘Add to Card,’ and then use your card to pay for the utility as normal.

Lowest Hotel Rates Guaranteed

If you book an eligible prepaid hotel room through Amex Travel and then find the same room being advertised online for a lower price, you can be refunded for the difference. You must submit your claim before the check-in date, and be sure to check your card details because some restrictions apply.

Entertainment Benefits

American Express offers an “Entertainment Access” benefit, which they claim provides exclusive access to pre-sale and member-only events in big cities around the world. I’ve seen this happen occasionally when a popular concert is coming to town — American Express will send out an email to cardholders, who can purchase tickets before they go on sale to the general public.

In addition to concerts, other live events like musicals are included. And there are also some more expensive options, like exclusive experiences in countries around the world.

American Express Personal Loans

Cardholders have the opportunity to apply for a loan through American Express (but only if they have been pre-approved). Loans are offered from $3,500 to $25,000, with fixed interest rates from as low as 6.90% up to 19.97%.

Shopping Benefits

Most major credit card issuers offer some shopping benefits, and these cards are no exception. Here’s a quick overview of the shopping benefits:

• Extended Warranty: Adds up to 1 year to the manufacturer’s warranty on eligible items, for warranties of 5 years or less.
• Purchase Protection: Eligible items are protected against damage and theft for 90 days after the date of purchase. This can be nice if you buy a smartphone on your credit card and drop it the next month, for example.
• Return Protection: If a retailer refuses to take back an item, American Express will provide a refund for eligible items. Up to 90 days after the date of purchase, up to $300 per item and $1,000 per year.
• Dispute Resolution: American Express will work with you to resolve any problems you have with unauthorized or unrecognized charges.

Some similar cash back cards, like the Citi Double Cash, offer a price protection benefit too. This will refund you the difference when you buy an item then find it at a lower price somewhere else shortly after your purchase. There are no such benefits on the Amex EveryDay cards.

Travel Benefits

It’s common for major credit cards like these to have some basic travel benefits. There’s nothing that stands out too much on these cards, but here’s a quick overview of the travel benefits:

• Global Assist Hotline: When traveling more than 100 miles from home, provides 24/7 access to legal, medical, emergency, and other assistance services.
• Travel Accident Insurance: Provides coverage against accidental death and dismemberment when traveling by Common Carrier.
• Roadside Assistance Hotline: If you break down on the road, Roadside Assistance will help you find nearby services to get you back on track. Third-party service charges will apply.
• Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance: Provides coverage if your rented car is damaged or stolen, when the rental company’s own insurance is declined. Not all vehicle types and rentals are covered.
• Baggage Insurance Plan (EveryDay Preferred Only): When traveling by Common Carrier, this benefit provides coverage if your checked or carry-on bags are lost or damaged.

Comparison

As you can see, both of these cards provide some nice benefits to help you out when shopping and traveling. But benefits like these are pretty standard on most major rewards cards, so nothing really stands out. The Amex Offers is a very good shopping portal to find discounts, though some other credit card issuers offer similar services.

The EveryDay Preferred card only has the one baggage insurance benefit that the regular EveryDay card doesn’t offer. So there isn’t a lot to consider when comparing the benefits these two cards offer.

The Costs & Fees

Card	Intro APR for Purchases and Balance Transfers	Regular APR	Regular Balance Transfer APR	Cash Advance APR
Amex EveryDay	0% for 15 months	14.24%–25.24% Variable	14.24%–25.24% Variable	26.49% Variable
Amex EveryDay Preferred	0% for 12 months	14.24%–24.24% Variable	14.24%–24.24% Variable	26.49% Variable

Card	Foreign Transaction Fee	Balance Transfer Fee	Cash Advance Fee
Amex EveryDay	2.7%	$0	3%; Min:$5
Amex EveryDay Preferred	2.7%	3%; Min:$5	3%; Min:$5

Card	Penalty APR	Late Fee	Returned Payment Fee
Amex EveryDay	29.99% Variable	Up to $38	Up to $38
Amex EveryDay Preferred	29.99% Variable	Up to $38	Up to $38

Comparison

When it comes to the costs and fees, there are a few key differences between these cards:

• The Preferred version has an annual fee, while the basic version does not.
• The basic version has an intro period of 15 months, while the Preferred card offers 12 months.
• The basic version has no fee for balance transfers.

So the basic EveryDay card has more favorable terms. It has a slightly longer intro APR period. And it’s definitely the better card for balance transfers because it doesn’t charge a fee. If you want to use either card for a balance transfer, you’ll need to request the transfer within 60 days to get the 0% APR.

Notice they both have a foreign transaction fee. So if you’re planning to use your next card for purchases outside of the country, there may be a better choice for you.

Examine your shopping habits carefully before making a decision between the regular EveryDay and the EveryDay Preferred — will that $95 fee be worth it? If you spend a lot at supermarkets and make plenty of purchases to hit that 30 purchase threshold, it’s likely that the card will be worth the fee.

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American Express has consistently ranked well for customer service. Last year they came in first in J.D. Power’s annual Credit Card Satisfaction Survey. They have always come in either first or second, going back to the inception of the survey.

We’ve called them a number of times to learn about their card offers. Usually we can find the answers we’re looking for pretty quickly. Sometimes we end up on hold for a bit, but in most cases it doesn’t take too long.

Occasionally, however, we’ve spoken with reps who ended up confusing the situation rather than clarifying. In those cases we could usually sort it out by speaking to someone else, or calling back to get a different rep.

Card issuers are usually quite eager to help their cardholders, and American Express is no exception. So give them a call if you’re having any problems or questions about your card.

Web Support

Amex makes it simple to find information about their consumer credit cards. You should be able to browse their cards fairly easily, and find what you’re looking for.

Once on a card page, you’ll see the most important information (as far as Amex is concerned) right up front. And you can scroll around to learn more about the rewards and benefits.

Overall it’s a pretty good design, which you should expect from one of the major credit card issuers.

The Bottom Line

The Amex EveryDay and EveryDay Preferred both have the potential to be pretty rewarding. You’ll need to decide if one of these cards is right for you:

• Will you use one of these cards enough each month to get the bonus?
• Do you already have a credit card that’s giving you more rewards at supermarkets?
• Do you already have a general-use rewards card you use for small purchases? (small purchases can help you hit the transaction threshold quickly)

If you don’t already have a card that gives you more rewards at supermarkets and you shop at them somewhat frequently, the EveryDay card might make sense since there is no annual fee. If you don’t use it enough, it won’t cost you anything. It also has a great balance transfer offer, 15 months at no interest and no transfer fees.

However, maybe you know that you’ll be using the card for at least 30 transactions per month, and you’ll spend a lot at supermarkets and gas stations. In that case the EveryDay Preferred may be more than worth the annual fee for you. We saw above that if you spend $6,000 on groceries per year and hit the spending threshold, the Preferred card ends up being very rewarding and more valuable than the basic EveryDay.

Adding an authorized user or two could help you hit the threshold to trigger point bonuses faster. And this can be a great way to rack up rewards (as long as everyone uses his or her card responsibly).

These are both good rewards cards, but there are many other options for earning points on groceries and gas. Check out some alternatives to the Amex EveryDay Cards below.

How to Apply for the Amex EveryDay or Amex EveryDay Preferred

You can apply for these cards online, and you may get an instant decision on American Express’ website. When you apply, American Express will check one or more of your credit reports, from the three major credit bureaus.

These cards are meant for people with good to excellent credit, so you may not necessarily get one if you apply.

You may also be able to get a better offer if you check for pre-qualified offers on the American Express website.

Alternatives to the Amex EveryDay and Amex EveryDay Preferred

There’s a lot of competition among cash back cards and other rewards cards that aren’t specifically designed for travel. That means there are quite a few cards to pick from that could be considered good alternatives to the EveryDay and EveryDay Preferred.

• Blue Cash Everyday & Blue Cash Preferred (Review of both): very similar, cash back instead of points, slight variations in reward categories
• Citi Double Cash (Review): flat 2% cash back rate, longer 0% intro APR on balance transfers
• Discover it (Review): rotating 5% cash back category, 14-month 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers, nice introductory bonus opportunity
• Chase Freedom Unlimited (Review): flat 1.5% cash back rate, better introductory bonus
• Amazon Rewards Visa Signature and Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature (Review of both): more reward categories, 3–5% back on Amazon purchases

Blue Cash Everyday & Blue Cash Preferred

The Blue Cash Everyday and Blue Cash Preferred from American Express (Review of both) look very similar to the EveryDay and EveryDay Preferred. And the “Blue Cash Everyday” name certainly adds to the confusion.

The main difference between these cards and their EveryDay card cousins is that the EveryDay cards reward you for using them a certain number of times per month. The Blue Cash cards don’t have this type of bonus, although they have the potential to earn you more cash back in certain categories.

If you don’t think you’ll hit the minimum number of transactions to trigger the bonus, one of the Blue Cash cards may be a better choice for you.

While the EveryDay cards earn points, the Blue Cash cards earn cash back. Cash back cards can also be simpler if you don’t ever plan on transferring points to a travel partner, or just don’t want to think about collecting and redeeming points.

The Blue Cash Everyday provides:

• 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 in purchases per year, then 1% cash back)
• 2% cash back at U.S. gas stations and select U.S. department stores
• 1% cash back for all other purchases
• A $150 signup bonus for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months

And the Blue Cash Preferred is more rewarding, with:

• 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 in purchases per year, then 1% cash back)
• 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and select U.S. department stores
• 1% cash back for all other purchases
• A $200 signup bonus for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months

So, the EveryDay cards are missing any extra rewards for “select department stores,” which consists of the 16 brands you can find here. If you value a Membership Rewards point at $0.01 and hit the transaction threshold bonus, the Blue Cash Everyday is more rewarding than the Amex EveryDay (2.4% cash back). And the Blue Cash Preferred is more rewarding than the Amex EveryDay Preferred (4.5%).

However, if you plan to redeem through a travel partner you may be able to get a higher value for your points. That would make the EveryDay cards the better choice for you.

The Blue Cash Everyday gives you a $100 statement credit after you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months, and with the Preferred version the statement credit is $200. If you value a Membership Reward point at $0.01, these introductory bonuses are basically the same as what you get with the EveryDay cards.

The Blue Cash Everyday and Preferred both have a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months. That’s the same as the EveryDay Preferred, but the basic EveryDay is the best card offer when it comes to these intro APR deals.

The Blue Cash Everyday has no annual fee, and the Blue Cash Preferred has a $95 annual fee. Sound familiar?

Unless you spend over $6,000 per year at grocery stores, it probably doesn’t make sense to get one of the Blue Cash cards and one of the EveryDay cards. But they seemed important to include as alternatives since the cards are so similar, and people often ask us questions about the differences. You may decide one of the Blue Cash cards is a better fit for you than either EveryDay card.

Citi Double Cash

The Citi Double Cash (Review) is a simple card that earns the same amount of cash back on all purchases.

• 2% cash back on all purchases
  • 1% back when you make a purchase
  • 1% back when you pay off that purchase

There are no particular spending categories to worry about or points to redeem. This card has no introductory bonus, and no annual fee.

If you don’t think you’ll use your card for enough transactions to trigger the bonus each month, you may want to get the Double Cash instead of one of the EveryDay cards.

The Double Cash has a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months. So even though it’s longer than the 0% intro APR on either EveryDay card, it only covers balance transfers, not purchases. It also charges a fee for those transfers, unlike the basic EveryDay card.

The foreign transaction fee is slightly higher than the EveryDay cards, at 3% instead of 2.7%. So you’ll want to pick a different card than any of these for purchases outside the U.S.

If you’re looking to maximize rewards, you could get the Double Cash to complement one of the EveryDay cards. When you’re spending in a category where the EveryDay earns more than 1 point per dollar, use the EveryDay. If you’re already on track to hit the transaction threshold for the EveryDay and spending in a category where it would only earn 1 point per dollar, use the Citi Double Cash instead to get 2% cash back (unless you’re able to redeem Membership Rewards points for over $0.02 per point).

Since the Double Cash is issued as a Visa or MasterCard, you could also get it as a backup for situations where American Express cards are not accepted.

Discover it

The Discover it (Review) is a cash back card with rotating categories.

Unlike either of the EveryDay cards, the Discover it doesn’t have a set of stable reward categories. Instead, it has categories that rotate every 3 months, offering cash back at a variety of merchants.

• 5% cash back in categories that rotate throughout the year (see calendar below)
• 1% cash back on all other purchases
• Cashback Match: new cardmembers get double the cash back earned in the first year
• 5–50% cash back at a variety of retailers through the Discover Deals shopping portal

The 5% cash back calendar for the Discover it for 2018 is:

Quarter	5% Cash Back Category
January – March	Gas Stations & Wholesale Clubs
April – June	Grocery Stores
July – September	Restaurants
October – December	Amazon.com & Wholesale Clubs

This card gives you a 0% intro APR for 14 months on purchases and balance transfers. That’s 2 months longer than the EveryDay Preferred, but 1 month shorter than the basic EveryDay.

The introductory offer on this card is rather unique: Discover will double the rewards you earn in your first year, so you have the potential to earn up to 10% cash back in certain categories. If you’re able to spend a lot in the 5% category (they usually do Amazon.com in Q4) you could be looking at some serious cash back during the first year.

Since there’s no annual fee, this card might make a good complement to one of the EveryDay cards to have on hand in situations where you can earn more rewards per dollar with the Discover it. Or, if you don’t think you’ll be able to use an EveryDay card enough each month to get the bonus, you may want to consider the Discover it instead.

Chase Freedom Unlimited

The Chase Freedom Unlimited (Review) has no annual fee and provides:

• 1.5% cash back, unlimited, on all purchases
• Signup bonus: $150 cash back for spending $500 in the first 3 months after account opening

As long as you’re hitting the transaction threshold with one of the EveryDay cards and redeeming your points at a value of at least $0.01, the EveryDay cards have the potential to earn you up to 4.5% back depending on the categories where you spend. But if you don’t want to think about different spending categories or redeeming points, or don’t think you’ll hit the transaction threshold, the Freedom Unlimited can give you more simplicity.

This card also gives you a 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, which is 3 months longer than the EveryDay Preferred card. It’s equal in length to the basic EveryDay, although the Chase card will charge for balance transfers while the basic EveryDay will not.

There’s also the regular Chase Freedom (Review), which is more like the Discover it with its rotating categories.

This card might be a good complement to an EveryDay card, to use when you’ve already met the bonus transaction threshold on the EveryDay but aren’t spending in a point bonus category. It could also be nice to have in situations where American Express cards are not accepted, since it’s a Visa card with great acceptance worldwide.

Amazon Rewards & Amazon Prime Rewards

The Amazon Rewards Visa Signature and Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature (Review of both) are great rewards cards if you shop on Amazon frequently.

The Amazon Rewards cards provide:

• 3% cash back at Amazon and Whole Foods (5% cash back with the Prime Rewards card)
• 2% cash back at:
  • gas stations
  • restaurants
  • drugstores
• 1% cash back on all other purchases

If you have Amazon Prime you’ll get the Prime Rewards card automatically. That earns 5% back instead of 3% on Amazon and Whole Foods purchases. The rewards are all issued in Amazon credit.

So, the 2% bonus category here provides a little more flexibility than the EveryDay or EveryDay Preferred’s 2X category for just gas stations and Amex Travel.

There’s no annual fee for either of these cards. But of course you’d need to pay the $99 annual fee for a Prime membership separately to get the Prime version of the card, which is also made of metal.

I chose to include this card here as an alternative for a few reasons. If you’re like me, you’ve been shifting a lot of your supermarket spending to Amazon. Unlimited 5% back on Amazon may be more appealing than the roughly 4.5% cash back at supermarkets you can get with the EveryDay Preferred, which is capped at $6,000.

Also, depending on the categories where you spend most, it might make sense to get one of the EveryDay cards along with one of the Amazon cards. You could use the EveryDay card at supermarkets and for small transactions. And use an Amazon card for Amazon purchases, restaurants, drugstores, and gas stations (if you only have the regular EveryDay).

Since the Amazon cards are Visa Signature cards, you could use one of them as a backup in case a merchant doesn’t accept American Express cards.

If you liked this review, go ahead and share it with a friend! And if you use either of these cards, do you have a hard time getting to the purchase threshold? How do you do it? Leave your own review of the EveryDay card or the EveryDay Preferred, we’d love to here from you!