Does Amex Blue Cash Preferred count Walmart as a supermarket?

Amex Blue Cash Preferred is worth it for cardholders who spend enough to recoup the value of the card’s $95 annual fee (waived the first year) in rewards earnings. The easiest way to do that is by spending $3,000 within 6 months of opening an account. That will trigger the Blue Cash Preferred card’s $150 initial bonus, which will pay for the annual fee for a couple of years.… read full answer

The Blue Cash Preferred card will continue to be worth it if you consistently charge purchases to the card after meeting the initial bonus, especially in its bonus rewards categories. To break even on the annual fee, you could spend $1,584 on groceries and streaming services per year, $3,167 on gas and transit, or $9,500 on purchases not in those categories. Of course, your spending will probably be a mix of all those categories.

Ultimately, the best way to figure out if Blue Cash Preferred is worth it is to figure out how much you spend in each category per year, determine how much you would earn in rewards based on that, and then compare the rewards value to the annual fee. If you break even or make money, the card is worth it. If not, you should consider a cheaper card.

It is possible to upgrade from Amex Blue Cash Everyday to Preferred, as long as the Blue Cash Everyday account has been open for at least 12 months. American Express sometimes sends targeted upgrade offers to Blue Cash Everyday cardholders, either through the mail or by e-mail. Or, you can call customer service at 1 (800) 528-4800 to request an upgrade to Blue Cash Preferred. To increase the odds of getting an upgrade, make sure your Blue Cash Everyday account is in good standing. That means a history of on-time payments and low credit utilization, preferably less than 30 percent of your credit limit.… read full answer

When you request an upgrade from Amex Blue Cash Everyday to Preferred, there’s no hard inquiry on your credit report, so there’s no effect on your credit score. Approval for an upgrade typically takes just a few minutes, but there’s no guarantee you will be approved.

If you are approved for an upgrade, your card number won’t change, but you will receive a new card with an updated expiration date and security code. You should receive your card within 7 business days from when the upgrade was approved. You can use your old card until the new one arrives, but it will have all the benefits of the new card within a day after the upgrade. Your current credit limit and APR will carry over to the new card, as will your unredeemed rewards. But you won’t qualify for any introductory bonus offers unless they are cited in your upgrade offer from Amex.

Finally, the Blue Cash Preferred card comes with an annual fee of $0 intro 1st yr, $95 after. If you’re approved for an upgrade, the first fee will not be charged. After that, the entire fee will be charged to the account on your next anniversary date.