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Cash-back credit cards can be extremely lucrative, especially during the holiday shopping season. Both the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express and the Prime Visa (see rates and fees) offer easy-to-earn welcome bonuses and bonus cash-back categories that ensure more money ends up in your wallet.
But picking the right card largely depends on where you spend and how much you value an Amazon Prime membership. Read on to learn more about these cards and which one is the best fit for you.
The Prime Visa is only available to Amazon Prime members ($139 for an annual membership and $14.99 for a monthly membership) but is very rewarding for Amazon purchases.
- High rate of return at Amazon.com, Whole Foods Market and on Chase Travel purchases
- Offers an automatic gift card welcome bonus after card approval
- Option to earn rewards or take advantage of 0% promo APRs
- Includes a wealth of travel insurance protections
- Requires an Amazon Prime membership for approval
- If you choose the promo APR, you won't earn rewards on those purchases
- Rewards can't be pooled with other Chase credit cards
Rewards
- Earn unlimited 5% back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market and on Chase Travel purchases with an eligible Prime membership
- Unlimited 2% back at gas stations, restaurants, and on local transit and commuting (including rideshare)
- 10% back or more on a rotating selection of items and categories on Amazon.com with an eligible Prime membership
- Unlimited 1% back on all other purchases
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 4% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express has no annual fee and bonus rewards on a wide range of common expenditures. On top of that, you also have access to an intro-APR offer for purchases and balance transfers. So this card can help you save in a variety of ways.
- Up to $264 in streaming service and meal kit credits every year (subject to auto renewal)
- High cash-back rates in popular spending categories
- No annual fee
- The best bonus cash-back categories are capped
- Has a foreign transaction fee
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Apply and find out your welcome offer. As High As $200 cash back* after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply, and if approved: 1. Find out your offer amount 2. Accept the Card with your offer 3. Spend $2,000 in 6 months 4. Receive the cash back. *Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed for a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
- No Annual Fee.
- Enjoy 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months from the date of account opening. After that, your APR will be a variable APR of 19.49%-28.49%.
- Earn 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, 3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases, 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations, on eligible purchases for each category on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%). Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit and at Amazon.com checkout.
- Get up to a $7 monthly statement credit after using your enrolled Blue Cash Everyday® Card for a subscription purchase, including a bundle subscription purchase, at DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com, or Stream.ESPN.com U.S. websites. Subject to auto-renewal.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Foreign transaction fee
2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars
Prime Visa vs Blue Cash Everyday Card
Annual fee
The Amex Blue Cash Everyday has no annual fee (see rates and fees). The Prime Visa doesn't have an annual fee; however, you must have a Prime membership to obtain it (there are other Amazon credit cards you can get if you don't have a Prime membership).
Although they are technically both no-annual-fee cards, comparing these two annual fees isn't quite apples to apples. If you already have a Prime membership ($139 per year or $14.99 per month), getting the Prime Visa could be worthwhile. However, that's a steep cost to justify compared to not having to pay anything for the Blue Cash Everyday.
Winner: Amex Blue Cash Everyday
Welcome bonus
The Amex Blue Cash Everyday card offers as high as $200 cash back* after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply, and if approved: 1. Find out your offer amount 2. Accept the Card with your offer 3. Spend $2,000 in 6 months 4. Receive the cash back. *Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed for a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
The Prime Visa comes with an instant $150 Amazon gift card upon approval as a welcome bonus.
Both bonuses are easy to qualify for, especially when you realize that the Amex Blue Cash Everyday gives you six months to spend $2,000 (if approved for the as high as $200 cash back bonus). That said, nothing compares to the instant value you receive with the Prime Visa.
Winner: Prime Visa. There's no spending requirement for its bonus, so once you're approved for the card, you can use the Amazon gift card right away.
Rewards
It's easy to earn rewards on both of these credit cards:
Amex Blue Cash Everyday card
The Amex Blue Cash Everyday card is designed for individuals who want to maximize their return on groceries, gas and online purchases. However, the highest rewards categories have annual caps. You'll earn:
- 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year in eligible purchases, then 1%)
- 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations, (on up to $6,000 per year in eligible purchases, then 1%)
- 3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases, (on up to $6,000 per year in eligible purchases, then 1%)
- 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit.
Prime Visa
The Prime Visa offers high bonuses for Amazon purchases, but also has elevated rates for several other categories:
- 5% back on your Amazon.com purchases with an eligible Prime membership
- 5% back at Whole Foods Market online or in-store
- 5% back on Chase Travel purchases with an eligible Prime membership
- 2% back at gas stations
- 2% back at restaurants for dine-in or take-out
- 2% back on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
- 1% back on all other purchases
- 10% back or more on a rotating selection of items and categories on Amazon.com with an eligible Prime membership
Winner: Prime Visa. The 5% at Amazon.com and Whole Foods is excellent and all of the card's other elevated cash-back categories are uncapped.
Redemption options
Cash back on the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card comes in the form of Reward Dollars, which can be redeemed as a statement credit. You can also use it (valid for the same value) to check out at Amazon.com.
You can redeem rewards earned with the Prime Visa for purchases on Amazon.com or through Chase.com for cash back, gift cards, or travel, with no minimum balance requirement. However, if you want to redeem for gift cards, those must be in $25 increments. Note that you can't combine your Prime Visa rewards with Chase Ultimate Rewards® points.
Winner: Tie. Since both cards earn cash back you can redeem for statement credits, the rewards you earn have the same value.
Benefits
The Amex Blue Cash Everyday comes $84 in annual Disney Streaming credit ($7 per month with an eligible subscription purchase; subject to auto-renewal. Enrollment required). That's an excellent value for a cash-back card with no annual fee (see rates and fees).
When you pay for travel using your card, you'll get built-in protections such as secondary car rental loss and damage insurance* and purchase protection*. Note that this card has a 2.7% foreign transaction fee (see rates and fees), so don't use it if you're out of the country.
The Prime Visa comes with a variety of travel and purchase protections, including travel accident insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, baggage delay insurance, secondary car rental loss and damage, purchase protection and extended warranty. The card doesn't have any foreign transaction fees.
*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. Car rental loss or damage coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
Winner: Amex Blue Cash Everyday. The Prime Visa has better travel protections, but is it really going to be your go-to travel card? On top of that, the Blue Cash Everyday has a useful Disney Streaming credit.
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Which should you get?
Choosing between the Amex Blue Cash Everyday Card and the Prime Visa depends mainly on how heavily you spend at Amazon and the upfront cost. If you frequently shop at Amazon and plan to pay for a Prime membership, the Prime Visa is an easy choice, offering many options for earning a lot of cash back in several categories, especially thanks to the card's rotating bonus options.
However, an Amazon Prime membership is a significant cost. To put the $139 annual membership fee in perspective, you'd have to earn 5% cash back on $2,780 of purchases every year to earn $139 in rewards. With the Amex Blue Cash Everyday, you don't have to overcome that expense. Plus, with the Disney Streaming credit, you're saving even if you don't use the card for anything else.
FAQs
Can I get both the Amex Blue Cash Everyday and the Prime Visa?
Yes, you can get the Amex Blue Cash Everyday and the Prime Visa and use them for different types of purchases to maximize the bonus categories. Use your Amex Blue Cash Everyday for groceries, gas and non-Amazon online retail purchases within the U.S. The Prime Visa is better at Amazon and restaurants.
Does the Amex Blue Cash Everyday earn cash back at Amazon?
The Amex Blue Cash Everyday earns 3% back at U.S. online retail purchases (on up to $6,000 in purchases per year, then 1% back). That category includes purchases you make with Amazon. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit.
How do I earn 5% cash back at Amazon?
Outside of special deals, the best way to get a 5% return on your Amazon purchase is with the Prime Visa card. It earns an unlimited 5% cash back at Amazon.com, Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh.
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For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, click here.
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