Same annual fee. Same issuer. Wildly different rewards structures. The American Express EveryDay Preferred and Blue Cash Preferred are two of Amex's most popular mid-tier cards — and if you're choosing between them, the decision comes down to one question: do you want cash or points?

Here's the full breakdown.

The Cards at a Glance

Feature	EveryDay Preferred	Blue Cash Preferred
Annual fee	$95	$95 (waived year 1)
Welcome bonus	15,000 Membership Rewards points	$250 statement credit
Grocery rewards	3x MR points (US supermarkets)	6% cash back (US supermarkets, up to $6k/yr)
Gas rewards	2x MR points (US gas stations)	3% cash back (US gas stations & transit)
Streaming	Not a bonus category	6% cash back (select streaming)
All other purchases	1x MR points	1% cash back
Monthly use bonus	+50% points if you make 30+ purchases/mo	None
Redemption type	Flexible Membership Rewards points	Statement credits / direct deposit
Foreign transaction fee	None	2.7%

The Monthly Transaction Bonus — EveryDay Preferred's Secret Weapon

The EveryDay Preferred has a mechanic that no other Amex card offers: if you use your card 30 or more times in a billing period, you earn 50% extra points on all purchases that month.

That turns the base earn rates into:

4.5x at US supermarkets (vs. 3x)
3x at US gas stations (vs. 2x)
1.5x on everything else (vs. 1x)

For someone who regularly hits 30 transactions/month — entirely possible if you use the card for small everyday purchases like coffee, transit, and gas — this dramatically changes the math.

Grocery Spending: Where Most People Decide

Groceries are the battleground.

The Blue Cash Preferred earns 6% cash back at US supermarkets (on the first $6,000/year, then 1%). On the full $6,000 cap, that's $360/year in cash back from groceries alone.

The EveryDay Preferred earns 3x points at US supermarkets (4.5x with the bonus). If Membership Rewards points are worth 1.5¢–2¢ when transferred to airline partners, 4.5x points = 6.75¢–9¢ return per dollar spent.

At face value (1¢/point via statement credits), the BCP wins easily. But if you're transferring EveryDay Preferred points to Delta, ANA, or Air France for premium travel, the EveryDay Preferred can surge ahead.

The tiebreaker: How do you use your points?

Redeemed for travel portal or statement credits → BCP wins on groceries
Transferred to airline partners for business/first class → EDP wins

Streaming and Transit: BCP's Category Edge

The Blue Cash Preferred earns 6% on select streaming (Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Peacock, Spotify, etc.) and 3% on transit (trains, rideshare, taxis, buses, parking, tolls). These are categories where the EveryDay Preferred earns just 1x.

If you spend $100/month on streaming services, that's $72/year in cash back from BCP. The EDP earns 100 MR points (~$1.00 at statement credit rates). Not close.

For city dwellers or heavy streamers, BCP's category coverage is genuinely compelling.

Gas and Other Spending

Both cards earn on US gas stations: 2x for EDP (3x with the bonus), 3% cash back for BCP.

For other purchases, EDP's 1x (or 1.5x with bonus) vs. BCP's flat 1% is basically equivalent at low redemption values — but the EDP can stretch further with airline transfers.

Welcome Bonus Comparison

EveryDay Preferred: 15,000 Membership Rewards points

Value at 1¢/pt (statement credit): $150
Value at 1.7¢/pt (transfer to ANA for domestic flights): ~$255
Value at 2¢/pt (premium transfer partner): $300

Blue Cash Preferred: $250 statement credit

Value: $250 (no variability)

The BCP welcome offer is straightforwardly worth more for most people — $250 cash beats 15,000 points unless you're actively optimizing point transfers. (Note: BCP also historically waives the $95 annual fee in the first year, effectively a further $95 advantage.)

Annual Fee Breakeven: Do Either Cards Pay Off?

Blue Cash Preferred breakeven:

Annual fee: $95
At 6% grocery, 6% streaming, 3% gas/transit
If you spend $4,000/year on groceries: $240 back
Add $100/month on streaming: $72 back
Total: $312 — clear positive ROI after the $95 fee

EveryDay Preferred breakeven (assuming 1¢/point value, no bonus threshold):

Annual fee: $95
3x on groceries: $40/month × $0.03 = $14.40/month = $172/year
2x on gas: $80/month × $0.02 = $19.20/year
Total: ~$191/year — covers the fee, modest positive ROI
With bonus threshold hit regularly: significantly higher

Who Should Get the EveryDay Preferred?

The EDP makes sense if you:

Already collect Membership Rewards points (e.g., you have the Amex Gold or Platinum)
Can consistently hit 30 purchases/month
Plan to transfer points to airline partners for high-value redemptions
Don't have heavy streaming subscriptions
Travel internationally and want to avoid the 2.7% foreign transaction fee BCP charges

Who Should Get the Blue Cash Preferred?

The BCP makes sense if you:

Want simple, guaranteed cash back with no learning curve
Spend heavily on groceries, streaming, and transit
Don't already hold Amex points-earning cards
Want a solid return even if you only redeem as statement credits
Will take advantage of the first-year fee waiver

Can You Have Both?

Technically yes — Amex generally allows holding both cards. A stack that works:

Amex Gold (4x dining/groceries, MR points) — primary grocery/dining card
Blue Cash Preferred (6% streaming, 3% transit) — streaming and transit
Amex EveryDay Preferred — if you're consolidating spending for the bonus threshold

In practice, most people don't need both the EDP and BCP. If you have the Amex Gold, the BCP's streaming and transit categories complement it better than the EDP does.

Real-World Spending Scenarios

Scenario 1: Family of 4, $800/month groceries, $150/month streaming, minimal travel

EDP (1¢/pt, no bonus): $28.80/mo = $345/yr. Minus $95 fee = $250 net
BCP: ($48 + $9)/mo = $57/mo = $684/yr. Minus $95 = $589 net
Winner: BCP by $339

Scenario 2: Solo traveler, $300/month groceries, transfers points to Air France

EDP (30+ purchases/mo, 4.5x groceries at 2¢/pt): $300 × 4.5 × $0.02 = $27/mo = $324/yr. Minus $95 = $229 net
BCP: $300 × 6% = $18/mo = $216/yr. Minus $95 = $121 net
Winner: EDP by $108

Planning Trips Worth Earning Points For

Both cards build toward a travel goal — whether that's cash for flights or points to transfer for an upgrade. Faroway can help you visualize what your rewards can actually unlock: input your destination, travel dates, and style, and get a full personalized itinerary with realistic cost estimates.

Knowing the concrete trip you're saving toward makes it much easier to choose which rewards structure serves you best. A $400 round trip to Cancún? Cashback gets you there. Business class to Tokyo? You want transferable points.

The Verdict

Neither card is objectively better — but they serve different optimizers:

Pick BCP if: You want guaranteed, high-percentage cash back on groceries and streaming with zero effort.

Pick EDP if: You're already in the Membership Rewards ecosystem, you'll hit 30 purchases/month, and you'll transfer points to airline partners.

The biggest mistake is picking the EDP and redeeming points for statement credits at 1¢. That underperforms the BCP on identical spending.

Pick the card that matches how you'll actually use it — not the one with the most impressive earn rate on paper.

Know where you want to go next? Let Faroway build your trip itinerary so you can earn (and spend) your rewards with a real destination in mind.

Amex EveryDay Preferred vs. Blue Cash Preferred: Which $95 Card Wins?