Are you looking to compare credit card offers? Here’s one review of a great American Express credit card.
If you aren’t currently enrolled in a rewards program or if you’re looking for an alternative to your current one, then you might want to consider the American Express Blue Cash credit card. It’s a credit card with a cash rewards program that makes it simple to earn its benefits.
American Express Blue Cash Review
To start off, when your total year-to-date purchases fall between $0 and $6,500 you can earn 1% cash back on items that are designated as Everyday Purchases. Everyday Purchases are classified as items purchased at supermarkets and drugstores as well as gas purchased from gas stations. This means that you can earn cash back on the things that you pick up for dinner or your next fill up if you drive a vehicle. All other eligible purchases will earn you cash back at the rate of .50%.
The program gets even better when your year-to-date spending increases to over $6,500. The rate for Everyday Purchases rises to a generous 5%. For other purchases, you’ll earn 1.25%. In other words, the more you use your Blue Cash card, the more you’ll earn back.
To help you visualize how much cash back you can earn, you can investigate the Blue Cash Calculator. When I selected the Moderate Spender tab, the calculator suggested I could earn up to $960 per year in cash back for my gas purchases. For groceries, it says I could earn almost $2,000 back in a year. You can do some comparisons among the different spending styles or use the Set It Yourself tab for more customized results.
Credit Card Rewards Made Easy
Unlike some credit card rewards programs, you don’t have to scramble to meet a minimum spending limit before you can earn your cash back. Also, there isn’t a ceiling on how much you can earn. That way, you don’t have to worry about hitting the rewards program’s maximum when you’re about to embark on a lengthy shopping list, say around the holidays.
So how do you get your hands on that glorious cash back? It’s easy as checking your statement. A month past your anniversary date with the card, look for a credit on your statement. You won’t have to fill out fifteen forms, clamor for attention from customer service, or play detective on the trail of your rewards because it will be there in plain print on your statement.
If you’re interested in beefing up your cash back, you can add your family members and friends to your account. Their eligible purchases will build your cash back, too. There’s no extra fee for adding on additional members.
Another easy tactic to build up your rewards is to enroll in the Automatic Bill Pay program. For instance, I already have automatic bill pay on my checking account for things like my phone and Internet bill and some utilities. If such spending is eligible for cash back, then I could shift these accounts to a Blue Cash card to earn cash back each month I pay these bills.
For some people, keeping track of a rewards program might be as involved as a long session of Monopoly. In contrast, the Cash Tracker tools can help you keep tabs on your rewards amount and the date of your rebate, and provide you with advice on getting ahead with your Everyday Purchases.
0% APR for Purchases to Start
The APR for purchases is 0% for the first six months. Then it can be as low as the Prime Rate plus 13.99%. Also, you won’t have an annual fee.
You’re the recipient of travel benefits, too. When you’re looking to book a trip, you can make your plans with American Express Travel, which offers good rates on flights, hotel rooms, car rentals, and other services. The card also offers car rental insurance, a Global Assist Hotline, guaranteed room reservations, and travel accident insurance.
Additional benefits include extended warranties on certain purchases, access to special deals, and entertainment exclusives and discounts.
In the past, I’ve avoided credit card rewards programs because they seemed to put consumers through a lot of effort to track and redeem rewards. However, American Express Blue Cash appears to make the rewards process user friendly. The fact that this card isn’t weighted down with an annual fee makes it that much more appealing.
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