6% back at U.S. supermarkets and on streaming — unmatched for grocery-heavy households. The fee pays for itself fast.
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Drag your spend. We earn 6% on groceries (to the cap), 3% on gas, 1% elsewhere as cash, then subtract the $95 fee.
Your household spends $300+/month on U.S. groceries, you stream, and you drive — the bonus categories cover everyday family life.
You shop at warehouse clubs (excluded), travel abroad, or want travel points rather than cash back.
The Blue Cash Preferred is issued by American Express, carries an annual fee of $95, currently offers a welcome bonus of $250, and charges a foreign transaction fee. It scores 8.2/10 on the Cards Made Simple methodology. 6% back at U.S. supermarkets and on streaming — unmatched for grocery-heavy households. The fee pays for itself fast.
Drag your spend. We earn 6% on groceries (to the cap), 3% on gas, 1% elsewhere as cash, then subtract the $95 fee. At a benchmark spend of $500/month on u.s. groceries, $200/month on gas & transit, $1100/month on everything else, the card returns about $564 a year in rewards value. Set against the $95 annual fee, that nets out to +$469 per year. 6% grocery rate applies to the first $6,000/yr (~$500/mo); spend above that earns 1%. Warehouse clubs excluded. Drag the sliders in the calculator above to run the numbers on your own spending.
6% on u.s. supermarkets (On up to $6,000/yr, then 1%). 6% on select streaming (Most major U.S. services). 3% on transit & u.s. gas (Rideshare, parking, tolls, fuel). 1% on everything else (As Reward Dollars).
The current welcome offer is $250. Welcome bonuses change frequently and are the single most time-sensitive number on this page, so treat it as a snapshot: measured against the $95 annual fee, the bonus does the heavy lifting on first-year value — most cardholders come out ahead in year one before the ongoing math takes over. What the bonus should never do is talk you into a card whose ongoing earn structure doesn't fit your spending — run the calculator above on year-two numbers, with no bonus, before you apply.
Start with what the card does well. 6% at U.S. supermarkets is the highest grocery rate available. 6% on streaming and 3% on gas & transit. Strong intro APR offer. Welcome offer recovers the first-year fee. Those strengths are why the Blue Cash Preferred scores 8.7/10 on rewards value in our breakdown — the earn structure holds up when you run it against real monthly budgets rather than best-case scenarios.
Now the other side of the ledger, because every card has one. $95 annual fee (sometimes $0 the first year). 6% grocery rate caps at $6,000/year. Foreign transaction fee. Rewards come as statement-credit Reward Dollars. None of these are dealbreakers on their own, but they are exactly the kind of fine print that decides whether this card beats the no-fee 2% benchmark for your specific spending pattern — which is why the fine-print factor scores 8.0/10 here.
Five factors go into every CMS score. Rewards value measures what the card actually returns at realistic spend, not headline multipliers. Fees and APR weighs the annual fee against the credits and earn that offset it. Perks and protection covers insurance, credits, and lounge or statement benefits. Approval reality reflects the credit profile the issuer actually approves. Fine print catches caps, exclusions, enrollment requirements, and category definitions that quietly change the math.
Rewards value scores 8.7/10, fees and APR 8.0/10, perks and protection 7.4/10, approval reality 8.0/10, and fine print 8.0/10 — an overall CMS score of 8.2/10. Scores follow the published Cards Made Simple scoring methodology, which weights real reward math over headline rates and reads the fine print so you don't have to.
Get it if: Your household spends $300+/month on U.S. groceries, you stream, and you drive — the bonus categories cover everyday family life.
Skip it if: You shop at warehouse clubs (excluded), travel abroad, or want travel points rather than cash back.
| Card | CMS score | Annual fee | Welcome | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Cash Preferred | 8.2/10 | $95 | $250 | Cash Back |
| American Express Gold | 9.4/10 | $325 | 60k pts | Dining |
| Citi Double Cash | 8.1/10 | $0 | $200 | No annual fee |
| Chase Freedom Unlimited | 8.3/10 | $0 | $200 | No annual fee |
Against the American Express Gold (9.4/10, $325 annual fee): The highest food-spend return on the market. If your household lives on dining and groceries, nothing else comes close — and the math clears the fee fast. Read the American Express Gold review →
Against the Citi Double Cash (8.1/10, none annual fee): 2% on everything (1% when you buy, 1% when you pay) with no annual fee — the math floor every other card has to beat. Read the Citi Double Cash review →
Against the Chase Freedom Unlimited (8.3/10, none annual fee): 1.5% on everything, no annual fee — and it quietly becomes a points powerhouse when paired with a Sapphire card. Read the Chase Freedom Unlimited review →
See the full rankings on the best cards page for every tier we score, from secured builders to premium travel.
The grocery-aisle MVP. For families who spend on groceries, streaming, and gas, the cash adds up faster than almost anything else — and unlike points, you don’t have to optimize it. Just watch the $6,000 grocery cap.
Links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Card details as of July 2026 — verify current terms with American Express before applying. This content is for informational purposes only and is not financial advice. Credit card terms, rates, and offers change frequently. Verify all details with the card issuer before applying.
For families who spend on groceries, streaming, and gas, the cash adds up faster than almost anything else — and unlike points, you don’t have to optimize it. Just watch the $6,000 grocery cap.
Links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
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