American Express Blue Card - Amex Cash back Review

This card, without a doubt is one of the best cashback credit cards in the nation. There are a 2 main downsides, but we will discuss those at the end of this article.

Blue Cash Card: Cash back amounts

First, lets look at the goodies. The blue cash card gives a whopping 5% cash back in three heavily frequented categories:

1. Gas Stations
2. Grocery Stores
3. Drug Stores

All other categories, anything else you spend money on will earn 1.5% cashback.
These levels of cash back from Amex are higher than any other card currently on the market. Best of all, there is no cap on your earnings. Some cards limit the amount of cash back you can earn. Last year, I received over $600 is cash rewards.

More benefits to the Amex Blue Cash Card

Besides a great cash back rate the blue cash card also comes with some great perks:

Purchase Protection - Eligible purchases (most purchases) made with your Amex Bluecash are protected for 90 days against accidental damage.

Return Protection - You have 90 days to return eligible purchases, even if the original merchant won't take it back.

Extended Warranty - This is perhaps one of the best extra features of the card. Any eligible purchase you make will have the original manufacturer's warranty will be doubled, up to one year. So if the warranty is for 1 year, amex will extend the warranty to 2 years.

Please read the terms and conditions carefully to see which purchases apply for the above perks.

American Express Blue Cash: The downsides

Please don't expect that I will only share the positives. As with most things in life, there are some downsides.

Firstly, you only qualify for the above cash back amounts after you spend $6,500. On the first $6,500 you spend each year, you earn 1% at Gas, Grocery, and Drugstores and 0.5% everywhere else.

So, if it takes you have a year to charge $6,500 then you may be better off with another cash back card. The american express blue cash card might not be for you.

Secondly, if you carry a balance on your credit card, then you are fooling yourself into thinking you are getting a good deal with a cashback card, or any other reward card for that matter.

You would be much better off getting 0% by using a debit card and avoiding the outrageous interest all credit card companies charge.

Thirdly, Amex is not taken everywhere. Although they are adding new merchants all the time, there are a number of merchants that refuse to take Amex. They have a good reason to do so. It is usually more costly for merchants to accept American Express Cards than other mainstream cards.

Concluding Remarks

I have searched and read the fine print on many cashback credit cards, and this is the card that I use and recommend to others. Please weigh the pros and cons before deciding for yourself. And if you carry a balance, by no means should you be worried about credit card rewards. Your first mission is to pay off the card and get an emergency fund in place.

I hope you have enjoyed my Review of the American Express Blue Cash Credit Card!