Review: American Express Everyday Preferred Card

The American Express Everyday Preferred Card is the upgraded version of the American Express Everyday Card. And it can be an excellent alternative to the American Express Gold Card for groceries. It has a $95 annual fee (NOT waived the first year) and some great bonus categories for common purchases.

Those who use a credit card for everything and have good sized grocery store and gas expenses will like the Everyday Preferred Card’s earning structure. This is especially true if you use your card at least 30 times per month consistently.

Earning

The Everyday Preferred Card has a unique earning structure. It earns 3x Membership Rewards (MR) points per dollar at US Grocery Stores, 2x points on US Gas Stations, and 1x on everything else. There is an annual spending limit of $6,000 for the two bonus categories.

Furthermore, you will receive a 50% points bonus if you use your card at least 30 times per month. This bonus gives you the potential to earn 4.5x at Grocery Stores, 3x at Gas Stations, and 1.5x on everything else. With the bonus, the Everyday Preferred is a higher earner than the Amex Gold Card for grocery purchases.

Plus, the Everyday Preferred has a public sign-up bonus worth 15,000 MR points. It can be earned after spending just $1,000 in the first 3 months. This bonus is meager compared to competing cards with similar annual fees. I wish Amex would increase the bonus on this card to better compete with the likes of Chase and Citi.

Burning

Earning points is fantastic, but points earned are useless if you cannot redeem them for anything of value. Amex has multiple options for redemption:

Transfer Partners

American Express’ transfer partners are this card’s most valuable redemption option. Amex transfers points at a 1 MR to 1 partner currency ratio unless otherwise noted.

Hotels

• Choice Privileges
• Hilton (1 MR = 2 Hilton Honors Points)
• Marriott

Airlines

• Aer Lingus
• Aeromexico (5 MR = 8 Premier Points)
• Air Canada
• Air Italia Millemiglia
• Asia Miles / Cathay Pacific
• Avianca Lifemiles
• British Airways
• Delta Airlines
• Emirates
• Etihad Guest
• Hawaiian Airlines
• Iberia
• JetBlue (5 MR = 4 TrueBlue Points)
• KLM Flying Blue / Air France
• Nippon Airways
• Qantas
• Singapore Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic

Your mileage may vary for each partner. But for most partners, you should be able to easily redeem your points for at least 1.5 cents per point (CPP).

Other Options

I do not recommend redeeming for gift cards, merchandise, or statement credits. You will earn less than 1 CPP using these options. If cash back or gift cards are what you want, this card is probably not for you.

Don’t confuse this card with the American Express Blue Cash Preferred. The Blue Cash Preferred earns cash back and not points on similar purchases. Therefore, it might be a better option if cash back is more desirable than points.

Perk: Return Protection

The Everyday Preferred has one significant perk. That perk is Return Protection and it could justify the card’s annual fee if used enough.

Similar Cards

American Express Gold Card

The American Express Gold Card is currently Amex’s flagship card for grocery store purchases. It supplanted the Everyday Preferred in late 2018 after it was revamped to critical acclaim. The Gold Card has a $250 annual fee (NOT waived the first year). But this high fee is countered by a rich earning structure and a plethora of credits.

Amex’s golden charge card earns 4x MR points at US Grocery Stores and at Restaurants worldwide. The Gold Card also earns 3x MR points on travel booked via amextravel.com and one point for non-bonus spend. This earning structure is better than that of the Everyday Preferred Card for those who plan to use their card less than 30 times per month at the grocery store.

Plus, the Gold Card comes with $240 in total annual credits. It comes with $120 in Uber credits and $120 in annual dining credits. Both sets of credits are split into 12 monthly credits worth $10 each. The dining credits are not very useful because they are split up into 12 small credits. $10 per month will not get you much at one of Amex’s select restaurants or with Uber.

Overall, the Gold Card is the better option for more people. Those who dine out and shop at the grocery store often will love the Gold Card. However, the Everyday Preferred Card is a solid alternative for those who gas up often, those who don’t want to spend $250 per year, and those who cannot justify the Gold Card’s credits.

American Express Everyday Card

The Amex Everyday Card is the Everyday Preferred card’s little “sibling”. Both cards have similar earning structures. But the regular Everyday Card is not as lucrative. It earns 2x MR points at Grocery Stores and just one on everything else (including gas stations). This card might be better for you if you plan to use it between 20 and 30 times per month.

Like the Everyday Preferred, you will still receive a points bonus. But the Everyday Card’s bonus is only 20% and the threshold is using the card 20 times per month. You can earn 2.4x points at Grocery Stores and 1.2x on everything else with the points bonus.

The Everyday Card has no annual fee and a public sign-up bonus worth just 10,000 MR points. This bonus can be earned after spending just $1,000 in the first 3 months.

Downgrading to this card is a great alternative to cancelling your Everyday Preferred Card (if you decide to do so). In turn, you will maintain your MR points balance, your credit history, and your relationship with American Express.

Final Draw

The Amex Everyday Preferred Card is a great card for earning MR points stateside. While this card is not a perks card, it’s a great earner. You also can transfer MR points to Amex’s travel partners for a modest annual fee.

This is a great card for travelers who spend heavily at the grocery store and gas station. However, light spenders and those who want more perks or more travel-oriented bonus categories should look elsewhere.

Apply Today: American Express Everyday Preferred Card