by John Terry |
Last Updated: February 22, 2019 The American Express Everyday Preferred card is one the more unique cards due to its bonus structure. It’s no annual fee brother – Amex Everyday – also makes it a solid option for all cardholders wanting Membership Rewards.
The Important Stuff
- Earn 15,000 bonus after spending $1,000 in three months of being approved for the card.
- $95 (not waived for the first year)
- 3x points at US supermarkets up to $6,000 per year, 2x at gas stations, 1x on everything else back on all purchases
- Earn 50% more bonus points after 30 or more purchases in a billing period
Who should get this card?
Someone who…
- has good credit and is looking for a travel rewards card.
- puts a good amount of their spend on groceries from supermarkets and US restaurants.
- has a high number of purchases every billing period
- values Amex membership rewards more than Chase Ultimate Rewards.
- Amex Everyday card has no annual fee; 2x on US supermarkets; 20% bonus after 20 purchases in a billing period.
The Details
Analysis
For every day people, credit cards that award additional points not involving more spend is always advantageous. The bonus categories of US supermarkets don’t show up much in the Chase family of cards, and the bonus just for the number of purchases is unheard of. It’s one of the things that help make this card one of the best starter credit cards to earn points and miles.
The sign-up bonus has been higher in the past (25,000 MR after $2,000 in three months), but it’s still a solid sign-up bonus for a minimal spend requirement. But, the value in this card is in it’s every day spend (no pun intended).
Earning points based on the number of purchases is great. This is a great card to put a big purchase on that isn’t in a bonus category (school tuition, car insurance, etc.) and then make sure to reach the 30 purchase threshold. You would efficiently earn 1.5 points per dollar – similar to the Chase Freedom Unlimited card.
The earning potential on US Supermarkets for the American Express Everyday Preferred card is also extremely attractive. Assuming 30 purchases are made in the billing cycle, the base 3 points per dollar turn into 4.5 points per dollar with the 50 percent bonus. That’s better than the 4 points per dollar on US supermarkets for the American Express Gold card.
The American Express Everyday Preferred card is a conservative alternative to the American Express Gold card due to its lower annual fee.
As an added bonus, this card has a no-annual fee alternative that you can either apply for or downgrade in the future. Downgrading is a good option to keep your length of credit going with a certain account.
How to earn Membership Rewards
Everyday Spend
The key to the American Express Everyday Preferred card is the number of purchases. While earning Membership Rewards is still possible without the monthly bonus, getting a 50% bonus is what makes it such a great card for an every day person – rarely are there bonuses for number of purchases.
There is also no minimum purchase amount. At the end of the billing cycle, if you were a few transactions short, it’s easy separate a couple of the charges when checking out at the supermarket. Because of this, the American Express Everyday Preferred is the go-to card at supermarkets for many people.
Amex Offers
We wrote an entire article specifically about finding value in Amex Offers. But, in short, they allow for bonus points or cash back. This can not only be an easy way to earn thousands of bonus points for making purchases you were already going to make, but it’s also a good way to recoup some of the annual fee through statement credits.
Ways to redeem Membership Rewards
Travel Partners
Membership Rewards can transfer into 18 airline partners and three hotel partners. While there is some overlap with Chase, Chase has better hotel transfer partners while American Express has better airline partners. Regardless if you have the American Express Gold or Platinum card, Membership Rewards earned through the American Express Everyday Preferred card earn the same type of points.
Airlines:
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- AeroMexico Club Premier (1000 MR = 1,600 Premier Points)
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Flying Blue (KLM & Air France)
- Alitalia Millemiglia
- ANA Mileage Club Miles
- Asia Miles
- Avianca LifeMiles
- British Airways Executive Club
- Delta Skymiles
- El Al Israel Frequent Flyer Club
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Guest
- Hawaiian Airlines
- Iberia Plus
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Hotel
- Choice Hotels
- Hilton Honors (1000 Membership Rewards = 2,000 HHonors Points)
- Starwood Preferred Guest/Marriott Rewards
AmexTravel.com
When you log in to your American Express account on AmexTravel.com, you can use some or all of your points to book a flight, hotel, cruise or vacation package. It’s very similar to redeeming Chase Ultimate Rewards through the Chase Travel Portal.
The only thing to know is that in order to use points, you must you at least 5,000 of them.
Final Thoughts
The American Express Everyday Preferred card, or its no annual fee sidekick Everyday card, is a great card to have your wallet. It will reward for number of transactions, not the amount of transactions, and has a positive earning rate for every day people – supermarkets and gas.