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 $39/yr for the SavorOne Rewards from Capital One. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $56 gap must be offset by higher earn rates, welcome offers, or credits you will use.

Should I get the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express or the SavorOne Rewards from Capital One?

Use the spend scenarios on this page: the SavorOne Rewards from Capital One has a lower $39/yr fee; the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $95/yr.

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express vs SavorOne Rewards from Capital One

Annual fees: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express $95/yr, SavorOne Rewards from Capital One $39/yr. Strongest bonus categories: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express on streaming, SavorOne Rewards from Capital One on hotels.

Card data as of October 12, 2026.

Credit card comparison
Overview
	Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express American Express · $95/yr	SavorOne Rewards from Capital One Capital One · $39/yr
Annual fee	$95 Waived first year	$39 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 World Elite
Earn ratesPer $1 spent
Grocery Stores	6% Highest	3%
Streaming	6% Highest	3%
Dining	1%	3% Highest
Entertainment	1%	3% Highest
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
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	—
Other perks	Amex Offers Early access to concerts and events Global Assist Hotline available 24/7 worldwide	Free Concierge Service 24 Hours a Day Year Round Get 50% Off All Handcrafted Beverages at Capital One Cafes Exclusive Capital One Dining Access to Award Winning Exclusive Capital One Entertainment Access with Early Ticket Zero Foreign Transaction Fees on All International Purchases Around the Clock 24 Hour Travel Help
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
Trip insurance	—	Travel Accident Cover at No Extra Charge
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	—
Extended warranty	Extended Warranty up to one year	Extended Warranty Cover at No Charge on Eligible Purchases
Other protections	Zero liability protection on fraudulent charges	Credit monitoring Zero Dollar Fraud Liability Cover on All Unauthorized Virtual Card Numbers from Eno for Secure Online Shopping
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	3% cash back on popular categories for a $39 annual fee 3% back on dining, groceries, entertainment, and streaming services 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment ticket purchases 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars via Capital One Travel No foreign transaction fees for international spending
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	Grocery exclusions for Walmart, Target, and warehouse clubs 1% base rate on non-bonus categories is below average $39 annual fee, no welcome bonus and no intro APR 29.24% variable purchase APR No travel benefits or lounge access
	Card details	Card details

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
American Express · $95/yr
SavorOne Rewards from Capital One
Capital One · $39/yr

Overview

Annual fee: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
$95
Waived first year
SavorOne Rewards from Capital One
$39
Lowest
Welcome offerCurrent public offer: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
As high as $300 cash back — offers vary
SavorOne Rewards from Capital One
—
Rewards: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Cash back
SavorOne Rewards from Capital One
Cash back
Foreign transaction fee: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
2.7%
SavorOne Rewards from Capital One
None
Lowest
Network: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
American Express
SavorOne Rewards from Capital One
Mastercard World Elite

Earn ratesPer $1 spent

Grocery Stores: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
6%
Highest
SavorOne Rewards from Capital One
3%
Streaming: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
6%
Highest
SavorOne Rewards from Capital One
3%
Dining: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
1%
SavorOne Rewards from Capital One
3%
Highest
Entertainment: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
1%
SavorOne Rewards from Capital One
3%
Highest
Gas Stations: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
3%
Highest
SavorOne Rewards from Capital One
1%
Ridesharing: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
3%
Highest
SavorOne Rewards from Capital One
1%
Transit: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
3%
Highest
SavorOne Rewards from Capital One
1%
Everything else: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
1%
SavorOne Rewards from Capital One
1%

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

Entertainment & streaming: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
$10 monthly Disney Bundle credit available · $10 monthly
SavorOne Rewards from Capital One
—

Perks & access— means none on record

Hotel status & programs: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Amex Travel Best Price Guarantee for hotels
SavorOne Rewards from Capital One
—
Other perks: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Amex Offers
Early access to concerts and events
Global Assist Hotline available 24/7 worldwide
SavorOne Rewards from Capital One
Free Concierge Service 24 Hours a Day Year Round
Get 50% Off All Handcrafted Beverages at Capital One Cafes
Exclusive Capital One Dining Access to Award Winning
Exclusive Capital One Entertainment Access with Early Ticket
Zero Foreign Transaction Fees on All International Purchases
Around the Clock 24 Hour Travel Help

Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record

Trip insurance: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
—
SavorOne Rewards from Capital One
Travel Accident Cover at No Extra Charge
Rental car: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Hertz Car Rental Benefits with upgrades
$50,000 car rental loss and damage insurance
SavorOne Rewards from Capital One
—
Purchase & returns: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
$1,000 purchase protection for eligible items
$300 return protection per eligible item
SavorOne Rewards from Capital One
—
Extended warranty: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Extended Warranty up to one year
SavorOne Rewards from Capital One
Extended Warranty Cover at No Charge on Eligible Purchases
Other protections: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Zero liability protection on fraudulent charges
SavorOne Rewards from Capital One
Credit monitoring
Zero Dollar Fraud Liability Cover on All Unauthorized
Virtual Card Numbers from Eno for Secure Online Shopping

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
SavorOne Rewards from Capital One
3% cash back on popular categories for a $39 annual fee
3% back on dining, groceries, entertainment, and streaming services
8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment ticket purchases
5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars via Capital One Travel
No foreign transaction fees for international spending
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
SavorOne Rewards from Capital One
Grocery exclusions for Walmart, Target, and warehouse clubs
1% base rate on non-bonus categories is below average
$39 annual fee, no welcome bonus and no intro APR
29.24% variable purchase APR
No travel benefits or lounge access

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 6 categories. The SavorOne Rewards from Capital One leads in 2. 4 more categories depend on booking channel or caps.

Streaming

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 6X vs 3X

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; SavorOne Rewards from Capital One earns 3X (3X without restrictions)

Ridesharing

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

Dining

SavorOne Rewards from Capital One earns 3X vs 1X

Entertainment

SavorOne Rewards from Capital One earns 3X vs 1X

Hotels

Depends: via issuer travel portal

SavorOne Rewards from Capital One earns 5X when conditions are met; Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 1X (1X without restrictions)

Car Rentals

Depends: via issuer travel portal

SavorOne Rewards from Capital One earns 5X when conditions are met; Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 1X (1X without restrictions)

Vacation Rentals

Depends: via issuer travel portal

SavorOne Rewards from Capital One earns 5X when conditions are met; Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 1X (1X without restrictions)

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.

The better card depends on how much you spend.

Scenario	Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express	SavorOne Rewards from Capital One	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: $192 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($39) Ongoing: $153 Year one: $153	SavorOne Rewards from Capital One	Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Heavy spender: $4,000/month	Rewards: $576 Credits (our usable estimate): $24 − Annual fee ($95) Ongoing: $505 Year one: $600	Rewards: $768 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($39) Ongoing: $729 Year one: $729	SavorOne Rewards from Capital One	SavorOne Rewards from Capital One

Is the Fee Difference Worth It?

The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express costs $95/yr — that's $56 more than the SavorOne Rewards from Capital One ($39/yr). To justify that gap, you need to extract at least $56 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 $56 fee gap means the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express needs roughly $56 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 SavorOne Rewards from Capital One if you:

+Spend $300+/month on restaurants and dining out

The Bottom Line

The better card depends on how much you spend.

Published annual fees: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express $95/yr, SavorOne Rewards from Capital One $39/yr — a $56 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 $39/yr for the SavorOne Rewards from Capital One. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $56 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 SavorOne Rewards from Capital One?: Both cards earn 1X on everyday purchases. The difference is in bonus categories — check the earn rate comparison above for a full breakdown.
Should I get the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express or the SavorOne Rewards from Capital One?: Use the spend scenarios on this page: the SavorOne Rewards from Capital One has a lower $39/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 · Capital One 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.