Is the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express worth the higher annual fee?

The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express costs $95/yr vs $0/yr for the Apple Card. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $95 gap must be offset by higher earn rates, welcome offers, or credits you will use.

Which card earns more rewards, the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express or Apple Card?

Both cards earn 1X on everyday purchases. The difference is in bonus categories — check the earn rate comparison above for a full breakdown.

What benefits does the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express have that the Apple Card doesn't?

The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express focuses on earn rates, while the Apple Card offers travel credits.

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express vs Apple Card

Annual fees: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express $95/yr, Apple Card $0/yr. Strongest bonus categories: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express on streaming, Apple Card on everyday spending.

Card data as of October 12, 2026.

Credit card comparison
Overview
	Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express American Express · $95/yr	Apple Card Goldman Sachs · No annual fee
Annual fee	$95 Waived first year	$0 Lowest
Welcome offerCurrent public offer	As high as $300 cash back — offers vary	—
Rewards	Cash back	Cash back
Foreign transaction fee	2.7%	None Lowest
Network	American Express	Mastercard
Earn ratesPer $1 spent
Grocery Stores	6% Highest	1%
Streaming	6% Highest	1%
Gas Stations	3% Highest	1%
Ridesharing	3% Highest	1%
Transit	3% Highest	1%
Everything else	1%	1%
Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record
Travel	—	Extra 2% Booking.com Travel Credits · $2 per transaction
Rideshare & transit	—	$60 Uber One trial · $60 one-time
Entertainment & streaming	$10 monthly Disney Bundle credit available · $10 monthly	—
Perks & access— means none on record
Hotel status & programs	Amex Travel Best Price Guarantee for hotels	—
Car rental	—	5%+ off Hertz rentals + perks
Other perks	Amex Offers Early access to concerts and events Global Assist Hotline available 24/7 worldwide	Share card with family and teens Interest-free payments on Apple gear Color-coded spending insights
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
Rental car	Hertz Car Rental Benefits with upgrades $50,000 car rental loss and damage insurance	—
Purchase & returns	$1,000 purchase protection for eligible items $300 return protection per eligible item	Zero Liability on unauthorized transactions No fees on international purchases Biometric security on every purchase
Extended warranty	Extended Warranty up to one year	—
Other protections	Zero liability protection on fraudulent charges	No late fees or penalty APR 24/7 lost/stolen card assistance worldwide
Pros & cons
Pros	6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000/year ($360 max annual value) 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming services with no annual cap $120 annual Disney Bundle credit effectively reduces fee to net-negative 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on transit with no spending cap 0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers	No annual fee, no late fees, and no penalty APR Daily Cash deposited immediately rather than monthly 3% back at Apple and select merchants (Uber, Walgreens, Nike, etc.) 2% back on all Apple Pay purchases No foreign transaction fees
Cons	$95 annual fee after first year (offset by $120 Disney credit if used) 2.7% foreign transaction fee makes it poor for international use 6% grocery cap at $6,000/year limits high-spending households Warehouse clubs (Costco, Sam's Club) do not code as supermarkets 1% back on non-category purchases is below average	Only 1% back when using physical card (non-Apple Pay) Requires iPhone to apply and manage the card No sign-up bonus No travel-related benefits or protections Limited 3% merchant list compared to category cards
	Card details	Card details

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
American Express · $95/yr
Apple Card
Goldman Sachs · No annual fee

Overview

Annual fee: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
$95
Waived first year
Apple Card
$0
Lowest
Welcome offerCurrent public offer: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
As high as $300 cash back — offers vary
Apple Card
—
Rewards: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Cash back
Apple Card
Cash back
Foreign transaction fee: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
2.7%
Apple Card
None
Lowest
Network: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
American Express
Apple Card
Mastercard

Earn ratesPer $1 spent

Grocery Stores: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
6%
Highest
Apple Card
1%
Streaming: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
6%
Highest
Apple Card
1%
Gas Stations: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
3%
Highest
Apple Card
1%
Ridesharing: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
3%
Highest
Apple Card
1%
Transit: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
3%
Highest
Apple Card
1%
Everything else: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
1%
Apple Card
1%

Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record

Travel: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
—
Apple Card
Extra 2% Booking.com Travel Credits · $2 per transaction
Rideshare & transit: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
—
Apple Card
$60 Uber One trial · $60 one-time
Entertainment & streaming: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
$10 monthly Disney Bundle credit available · $10 monthly
Apple Card
—

Perks & access— means none on record

Hotel status & programs: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Amex Travel Best Price Guarantee for hotels
Apple Card
—
Car rental: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
—
Apple Card
5%+ off Hertz rentals + perks
Other perks: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Amex Offers
Early access to concerts and events
Global Assist Hotline available 24/7 worldwide
Apple Card
Share card with family and teens
Interest-free payments on Apple gear
Color-coded spending insights

Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record

Rental car: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Hertz Car Rental Benefits with upgrades
$50,000 car rental loss and damage insurance
Apple Card
—
Purchase & returns: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
$1,000 purchase protection for eligible items
$300 return protection per eligible item
Apple Card
Zero Liability on unauthorized transactions
No fees on international purchases
Biometric security on every purchase
Extended warranty: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Extended Warranty up to one year
Apple Card
—
Other protections: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Zero liability protection on fraudulent charges
Apple Card
No late fees or penalty APR
24/7 lost/stolen card assistance worldwide

Pros & cons

Pros: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000/year ($360 max annual value)
6% cash back on select U.S. streaming services with no annual cap
$120 annual Disney Bundle credit effectively reduces fee to net-negative
3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on transit with no spending cap
0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers
Apple Card
No annual fee, no late fees, and no penalty APR
Daily Cash deposited immediately rather than monthly
3% back at Apple and select merchants (Uber, Walgreens, Nike, etc.)
2% back on all Apple Pay purchases
No foreign transaction fees
Cons: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
$95 annual fee after first year (offset by $120 Disney credit if used)
2.7% foreign transaction fee makes it poor for international use
6% grocery cap at $6,000/year limits high-spending households
Warehouse clubs (Costco, Sam's Club) do not code as supermarkets
1% back on non-category purchases is below average
Apple Card
Only 1% back when using physical card (non-Apple Pay)
Requires iPhone to apply and manage the card
No sign-up bonus
No travel-related benefits or protections
Limited 3% merchant list compared to category cards

Card details

Add a 3rd or 4th card to this comparison →

Category-by-Category Winner

The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express wins in 4 of 4 categories. The Apple Card leads in 0. 1 more category depend on booking channel or caps.

Streaming

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 6X vs 1X

Transit

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 3X vs 1X

Gas Stations

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 3X vs 1X

Grocery Stores

Depends: up to $6,000/yr

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 6X when conditions are met; Apple Card earns 1X (1X without restrictions)

Ridesharing

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 3X vs 1X

Year One vs Ongoing Value

Modeled net value (bonus categories at unconditional rates, caps applied). Spend mix: dining 15%, groceries 15%, gas 10%, travel 10%, everything else 50%. Statement credits use the same recurring usable estimates as each card's detail page; first-year-only credits count in year one only. Welcome offers valued at each card's program rate shown on this page.

Modeled value is close across spend levels — especially once statement credits are counted.

Scenario	Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express	Apple Card	Ongoing winner	Year-one winner
Light spender: $1,000/month	Rewards: $144 Credits (our usable estimate): $24 − Annual fee ($95) Ongoing: $73 Year one: $168	Rewards: $120 Credits (our usable estimate): $35 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $155 Year one: $185	Apple Card	Close — depends on how much of the credits you use
Heavy spender: $4,000/month	Rewards: $576 Credits (our usable estimate): $24 − Annual fee ($95) Ongoing: $505 Year one: $600	Rewards: $480 Credits (our usable estimate): $35 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $515 Year one: $545	Close — depends on how much of the credits you use	Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express

Is the Fee Difference Worth It?

The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express costs $95/yr — that's $95 more than the Apple Card (no annual fee). To justify that gap, you need to extract at least $95 in annual value from the card's higher earn rates and benefits.

Bottom line: Use the year-one vs ongoing table for modeled earn value at your spend level. The $95 fee gap means the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express needs roughly $95 more in annual rewards (or credits you will use) to break even on streaming and grocery stores and everyday spend.

Which Card Is Right for You?

Get the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express if you:

+Do most of your spending at grocery stores

The Bottom Line

Modeled value is close across spend levels — especially once statement credits are counted.

Published annual fees: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express $95/yr, Apple Card $0/yr — a $95 difference before welcome offers and credits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express worth the higher annual fee?: The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express costs $95/yr vs $0/yr for the Apple Card. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $95 gap must be offset by higher earn rates, welcome offers, or credits you will use.
Which card earns more rewards, the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express or Apple Card?: Both cards earn 1X on everyday purchases. The difference is in bonus categories — check the earn rate comparison above for a full breakdown.
What benefits does the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express have that the Apple Card doesn't?: The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express focuses on earn rates, while the Apple Card offers travel credits.
Should I get the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express or the Apple Card?: Use the spend scenarios on this page: the Apple Card has a lower $0/yr fee; the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $95/yr.

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Official issuer pages: American Express cards · Goldman Sachs cards

Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; catalog last published October 12, 2026, and each card page shows when its terms were last checked. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.