Our take: Only the most frequent swipers who spend big on groceries and gas are likely to wrangle decent value from the Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card.
Pros
- High rewards on groceries.
- A 50% points boost when you use the card 30+ times in a billing cycle.
- Amex perks include return protection and access to Amex Offers.
Cons
- Requires a lot of card use to get the 50% bonus.
- You’d have to spend $3,200 on groceries to break even with the annual fee.
- Other cards–including one from Amex–offer better rewards for the same annual price tag.
Amex EveryDay Preferred Highlights
Card type: Travel, 0% APR, Balance Transfer
- Welcome Bonus: 15,000 Membership Rewards Points after spending $2,000 on eligible purchases within six months
- Annual Fee: $95
- Rewards: 3X points at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1X), 2X points on U.S. gas stations and eligible travel purchases like prepaid hotel stays, vacation packages and cruises booked through AmexTravel.com and 1X points on other eligible purchases, as well as a 50% bonus if you use the card more than 30 times each month.
Amex EveryDay Preferred Overview
The Amex EveryDay Preferred will give your upper limbs and brain a workout. Think about what it entails to remember how many times in a month you’ve used your card. Are you up for the challenge of whipping out your credit card to swipe, dip or tap at least once daily? And, if you don’t use your card for a day or two in a row, are you committed enough to the at-least-30-times goal to make small purchases repeatedly to compensate for the days you didn’t use the card?
If so, you’re most likely the kind of person who has plastic containers for their cereal boxes and binge-watched Marie Kondo on Netflix. That is, you’re highly organized and no mess is too much for you to fix, whether it’s in the form of a credit card rewards structure or a jumble of shoes left at your front door.
The point here is that it takes a special kind of discipline to make the most of this card. But even for those who are up for the task, owning the Amex EveryDay Preferred is like taking the long way home uphill in the snow both ways–why bother when there are other cards that offer an easier, quicker route to similar or better rewards?
Who is Amex EveryDay Preferred good for?
It’s not clear who can benefit from this card when there are better, simpler options available for the same or no annual fee. But if you like the challenge of remembering to use your card 30 or more times per month, and you want just-ok earnings on your spending, this card is a fit.
Who shouldn’t get Amex EveryDay Preferred?
If you want to earn the best cash-back rewards possible on your spending, particularly at the grocery store and on gas and/or you use your credit card less than 30 times a month, this card is not for you.
Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card: How to earn rewards
With the Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card, you’ll earn:
- 3X Membership Rewards points on the first $6,000 spent at grocery stores per year
- 2X Membership Rewards Points spent at gas stations
- 2X points per $1 on eligible travel purchases like prepaid hotel stays, vacation packages and cruises booked through AmexTravel.com.
- 1X Membership Reward Points spent on all other purchases
However, if you use the card 30 or more times in a billing period, your purchases that period will earn an additional 50% boost, effectively making the rewards for that cycle:
- 4.5X points at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1 point per $1).
- 3X points on U.S. gas stations.
- 2X points per $1 on eligible travel purchases like prepaid hotel stays, vacation packages and cruises booked through AmexTravel.com. (This category of spending is not eligible for the 50% points boost.)
- 1.5X points on other eligible purchases.
That points structure isn’t bad, if you can handle making sure you’ve used the card at least 30 times per billing cycle, each time every time to get those rewards at an ongoing rate.
However there yet another twist to be aware of: Amex does not count superstores, convenience stores, warehouse clubs, and meal-kit delivery services as grocery purchases and gas purchased at superstores, supermarkets and warehouse clubs that sell gasoline as eligible for the higher rewards, meaning if you make a purchase from one of those places, you’re only eligible for the 1 point (or 1.5 points if you hit 30 times using the card) per $1 reward rate.
The card also comes with a relatively easy-to-earn welcome bonus of 15,000 Membership Rewards Points after spending $2,000 on eligible purchases within six months.
How to redeem Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card Membership Rewards Points
Membership Rewards points can be redeemed in multiple ways. Here’s what you can do with the points earned on the Amex EveryDay Preferred card.
Redeem for travel with Pay with Points
You can use Membership Rewards to book travel through AmexTravel using the Pay with Points feature. Using points this way will give you a value of 1 cent per point for flights and hotels in the Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts Collection, and 0.7 cents per point for prepaid hotel bookings, cruises, rental cars, and vacation packages.
Redeem for travel by transferring to airline and hotel partners
One of the best uses of Membership Rewards points is transferring them to one of Amex’s airline partners. Amex has 18 airline partners and three hotel partners and in most cases you’ll get more value from your Membership Rewards by transferring points to a partner.
That’s because when you use your rewards to book a flight through Amex Travel, a point is always worth one cent. For example, a $300 flight booked this way will cost 30,000 Membership Rewards points. But, transfer 30,000 points to an eligible transfer partner and things get more interesting–and valuable.
Here’s a quick example: We found a round trip nonstop flight in the main cabin from New York’s JFK airport to Toronto Airport (YYZ) on Air Canada in early May 2024 for $341.20 including taxes and fees or 34,120 Membership Rewards points to book it through Amex Travel. That same flight costs just 19,000 Aeroplan points plus CA $144 (about $109 in USD) in taxes and fees if you transferred your Membership Rewards to Air Canada’s Aeroplan program and booked directly that way.
Pay with points at checkout
You can use your points to pay at checkout with eligible partners like Amazon, Best Buy and PayPal. Points are typically worth 0.7 cents per point this way. This is generally considered a poor redemption value.
Redeem for gift cards
You can redeem your rewards to buy gift cards from a variety of options including hotel brands, airlines, restaurant chains, retailers and more. The value of redeeming your rewards this way is between 0.7 cents and 1 cent per point, depending on the specific gift card.
Redeem for statement credits
Redeeming Ultimate Rewards for a statement credit is worth just 0.6 cents per point, making this the least valuable redemption option.
Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card rates and fees
- Purchase APR: 18.24%–28.24% variable
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Balance transfer: 0%, APR for the first 12 months from the date of account opening on balance transfers requested within 60 days of account opening. After that, your APR for those transactions and any other balance transfer requests, will be 18.24% to 28.24% variable
- Balance transfer fee: Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
- Intro APR: 0% APR for the first 12 months from the date of account opening. After that, your APR will be 18.24%–28.24% variable
- Annual fee: $95
- Foreign transaction fee: 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars
Additional benefits
- Access to Amex Offers: When you log into your card account you will see a variety of limited-time offers where you can earn a statement credit with various vendors for meeting certain spending requirements. Enrollment required.
- Car rental loss and damage insurance: Pay for your entire car rental with your Amex card and decline the rental company's coverage and you're automatically covered by car rental loss and damage insurance. This coverage is secondary to your personal insurance policy.
- Global Assist Hotline: If you are traveling 100 miles or more from your home and need assistance, the Global Assist Hotline can help you with everything from medical referrals to emergency cash wires. Any fees for provided services are not included, and the cost is your sole responsibility.
- Return protection: If you use your card for an eligible purchase and the seller won't accept a return within 90 days of its purchase date, Amex may refund the entire purchase price up to $300 per item, up to a maximum of $1,000 over a calendar year.
Credit cards similar to Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card
If your goal is to earn cash back, with higher rewards on your grocery and gas spending, there are other cards that do it better. Here’s some examples.
Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express vs. Amex EveryDay Preferred
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express has a similar carrying cost as the EveryDay Preferred of a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95. But the Blue Cash Preferred earns 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more), and 1% cash back on other eligible purchases.
That makes the Blue Cash Preferred a much more powerful earner than the Amex EveryDay Preferred, without any cumbersome usage requirements. The Blue Cash Preferred also comes with a similar helpful intro APR offer as the Amex EveryDay Preferred: 0% introductory APR for the first 12 months from the date of account opening (after that, the variable APR will be 19.24%–29.99%) and 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 12 months from the date of account opening on requests within 60 days of account opening (after that, the variable APR will be 19.24%–29.99%). Unless you're hoarding Membership Rewards points it’s hard to find any reason to pick the Amex EveryDay Preferred over the Blue Cash Preferred card.
Capital One Savor vs. Amex EveryDay Preferred
The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card also has a $95 annual fee and earns an unlimited 4% cash back on dining, entertainment, and popular streaming services, 3% cash back at grocery stores and 1% cash back on everything else. If you ever leave your house to do anything, it’s likely that over the course of a year, you’re going to earn more cash rewards back on the dining, entertainment and streaming than you will with the 2% rewards on gas offered on the Amex EveryDay Preferred. And the Savor’s 3% on eligible groceries is unlimited, unlike the EveryDay Preferred’s $6,000 spending cap.
Is the Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card right for you?
The Amex EveryDay Preferred card is good for giving your wrist a good workout. We don’t mean by using it 30+ times a month. Rather, we’d recommend taking any paperwork or offers you may have received for this card and chucking it frisbee-style into the trash.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between the Amex EveryDay Preferred and the Amex EveryDay?
The Amex EveryDay card has no annual fee and earns 2 points on up to $6,000 in grocery purchases per year, then 1, 2 points on eligible travel purchases made through AmexTravel.com, 1 points per $1 on all other purchases and 20% bonus when you make 20+ purchases in a billing cycle. It also offers a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months from the date of account opening, then a variable APR, 18.24% to 29.24%.
The Amex EveryDay Preferred card has a $95 annual fee and earns 3 points per $1 at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1 point per $1), 2 points per $1 on U.S. gas stations and eligible travel purchases like prepaid hotel stays, vacation packages and cruises booked through AmexTravel.com and 1 point per $1 on other eligible purchases.
It offers a shorter intro offer of 0% introductory APR for the first 12 months from the date of account opening (after that, the variable APR will be 19.24%–29.99%) and 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 12 months from the date of account opening on requests within 60 days of account opening (after that, the variable APR will be 19.24%–29.99%).
Is the Amex EveryDay Preferred card hard to get?
American Express cards generally require good or better credit, which means a FICO Score of 670 or better to have the best chance of being accepted. If you’re not sure of your current score, here are five easy ways to check. If your score isn’t quite up to par, there are steps you can take to improve your score.
What is the credit limit on the Amex EveryDay Preferred?
Amex doesn’t disclose a minimum or maximum credit limit for the Amex EveryDay Preferred card. Most issuers look at a combination of factors when determining individual credit limits including your credit profile, income and amount of any other current debts.
Please note that card details are accurate as of the publish date, but are subject to change at any time at the discretion of the issuer. Please contact the card issuer to verify rates, fees, and benefits before applying.
Fortune Recommends™ credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
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.
