Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; data as of September 27, 2026. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.
Annual fees: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express $95/yr, NHL® Discover It® $0/yr. Strongest bonus categories: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express on streaming, NHL® Discover It® on grocery stores.
Card data as of September 27, 2026.
Annual Fee
Welcome Bonus
| Category | Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express | NHL® Discover It® |
|---|---|---|
| Grocery Stores | 6X | 5X |
| Streaming |
The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express wins in 4 of 4 categories. The NHL® Discover It® leads in 0. 2 more categories depend on booking channel or caps.
Streaming
Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 6X vs 5X
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; NHL® Discover It® earns 5X (1X without restrictions)
Ridesharing
Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 3X vs 1X
Wholesale Clubs
Depends: up to $1,500/quarter
NHL® Discover It® earns 5X when conditions are met; Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 1X (1X without restrictions)
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.
Published annual fees: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express $95/yr, NHL® Discover It® $0/yr — a $95 difference before welcome offers and credits.
| 6X |
| 5X |
| Wholesale Clubs | 1X | 5X |
| Gas Stations | 3X | 1X |
| Ridesharing | 3X | 1X |
| Transit | 3X | 1X |
Network
Key Benefits
Pros
Cons
Modeled value is close across spend levels — especially once statement credits are counted.
| Scenario | Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express | NHL® Discover It® | Ongoing winner | Year-one winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light spender: $1,000/month | Rewards: $144 Credits (our usable estimate): $96 − Annual fee ($95) Ongoing: $145 Year one: $240 | Rewards: $120 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $120 Year one: $120 | Close — depends on how much of the credits you use | Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express |
| Heavy spender: $4,000/month | Rewards: $576 Credits (our usable estimate): $96 − Annual fee ($95) Ongoing: $577 Year one: $672 | Rewards: $480 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $480 Year one: $480 | Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express | Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express |
The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express costs $95/yr — that's $95 more than the NHL® Discover It® (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.
Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; data as of September 27, 2026. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.
