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 Hilton Honors American Express 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 Hilton Honors American Express Card?

The Hilton Honors American Express Card has a higher base earn rate (3X vs 0X), but both cards have different bonus categories where they excel.

Should I get the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express or the Hilton Honors American Express Card?

Use the spend scenarios on this page: the Hilton Honors American Express 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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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.

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express vs Hilton Honors American Express Card

Annual fees: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express $95/yr, Hilton Honors American Express Card $0/yr. Strongest bonus categories: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express on streaming, Hilton Honors American Express Card on hotels.

Card data as of September 27, 2026.

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express

American Express

Hilton Honors American Express Card

American Express

Fees & Welcome Offer

Annual Fee

$95(waived year 1)

Welcome Bonus

As high as $300 cash back — offers vary

80,000 points

Earn Rates

Category	Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express	Hilton Honors American Express Card
Hotels	1X	7X

Category-by-Category Winner

The Hilton Honors American Express Card wins in 4 of 5 categories. The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express leads in 1. 1 more category depend on booking channel or caps.

Streaming

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

Gas Stations

Hilton Honors American Express Card earns 5X vs 3X

Grocery Stores

Depends: up to $6,000/yr

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 6X when conditions are met; Hilton Honors American Express Card earns 5X (5X without restrictions)

Hotels

Hilton Honors American Express Card earns 7X vs 1X

Dining

Hilton Honors American Express Card earns 5X vs 1X

Everyday purchases

Hilton Honors American Express Card earns 3X on all other spending 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.

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, Hilton Honors American Express 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 Hilton Honors American Express 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 Hilton Honors American Express Card?: The Hilton Honors American Express Card has a higher base earn rate (3X vs 0X), but both cards have different bonus categories where they excel.
Should I get the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express or the Hilton Honors American Express Card?: Use the spend scenarios on this page: the Hilton Honors American Express 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

Benefits & Features

Network

AMEX

Key Benefits

✓Purchase protection

✓Rental car insurance

✓Purchase protection

✓Rental car insurance

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 ever
+Automatic Hilton Silver status with 20% bonus points and late checkout
+Path to Gold status after $20,000 annual spend
+Solid 7X earning at Hilton properties, 5X at restaurants/supermarkets/gas
+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 Silver status (lower than Surpass/Aspire Gold grants)
−Lower earn rates than premium Hilton cards (7X vs 12X at Hilton)
−No annual credits or free night rewards
−Points locked to Hilton with no transfer flexibility
−Amex network less accepted internationally than Visa/Mastercard

Scenario	Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express	Hilton Honors American Express Card	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: $182 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $182 Year one: $502	Close — depends on how much of the credits you use	Hilton Honors American Express Card
Heavy spender: $4,000/month	Rewards: $576 Credits (our usable estimate): $96 − Annual fee ($95) Ongoing: $577 Year one: $672	Rewards: $730 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $730 Year one: $1,050	Hilton Honors American Express Card	Hilton Honors American Express Card

Is the Fee Difference Worth It?

The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express costs $95/yr — that's $95 more than the Hilton Honors American Express 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 Hilton Honors American Express Card if you:

+Spend $300+/month on restaurants and dining out
+Prefer a high flat rate across all spending