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 SoFi Smart 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 SoFi Smart Card?

The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express has a higher base earn rate (1X vs 0X), but both cards have different bonus categories where they excel.

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express vs SoFi Smart Card

Annual fees: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express $95/yr, SoFi Smart Card $0/yr. Strongest bonus categories: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express on streaming, SoFi Smart Card on grocery stores.

Card data as of November 13, 2026.

Credit card comparison
Overview
	Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express American Express · $95/yr	SoFi Smart Card SoFi · No annual fee
Annual fee	$95 Waived first year	$0 Lowest
Welcome offerCurrent public offer	$250 cash back	—
Rewards	Cash back	Cash back
Foreign transaction fee	2.7%	—
Network	American Express	Mastercard
Earn ratesPer $1 spent
Grocery Stores	6% Highest	5%
Streaming	6%	— Rate not published
Gas Stations	3%	— Rate not published
Ridesharing	3%	— Rate not published
Transit	3%	— Rate not published
Everything else	1%	— Rate not published
Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record
Entertainment & streaming	$10 monthly Disney Bundle credit available · $10 monthly	Not yet documented
Perks & access— means none on record
Hotel status & programs	Amex Travel Best Price Guarantee for hotels	Not yet documented
Other perks	Amex Offers Early access to concerts and events Global Assist Hotline available 24/7 worldwide	Not yet documented
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
Rental car	Hertz Car Rental Benefits with upgrades $50,000 car rental loss and damage insurance	Not yet documented
Purchase & returns	$1,000 purchase protection for eligible items $300 return protection per eligible item	Not yet documented
Extended warranty	Extended Warranty up to one year	Not yet documented
Other protections	Zero liability protection on fraudulent charges	Not yet documented
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	Secured by your SoFi Checking and Savings balance, with no hard credit pull to apply Unlimited 5% cash back rewards on eligible grocery store purchases No annual fee SoFi reports Smart Card activity to Experian, so on-time payments can help build credit
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	Secured card - you need a SoFi Checking and Savings account, and the balance sets your spending limit The balance must be paid in full each month Superstores, warehouse clubs, convenience stores and grocery delivery do not count as grocery stores for the 5% rate Reports to Experian only
	Card details	Card details

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
American Express · $95/yr
SoFi Smart Card
SoFi · No annual fee

Overview

Annual fee: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
$95
Waived first year
SoFi Smart Card
$0
Lowest
Welcome offerCurrent public offer: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
$250 cash back
SoFi Smart Card
—
Rewards: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Cash back
SoFi Smart Card
Cash back
Foreign transaction fee: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
2.7%
SoFi Smart Card
—
Network: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
American Express
SoFi Smart Card
Mastercard

Earn ratesPer $1 spent

Grocery Stores: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
6%
Highest
SoFi Smart Card
5%
Streaming: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
6%
SoFi Smart Card
—
Rate not published
Gas Stations: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
3%
SoFi Smart Card
—
Rate not published
Ridesharing: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
3%
SoFi Smart Card
—
Rate not published
Transit: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
3%
SoFi Smart Card
—
Rate not published
Everything else: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
1%
SoFi Smart Card
—
Rate not published

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
SoFi Smart Card
Not yet documented

Perks & access— means none on record

Hotel status & programs: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Amex Travel Best Price Guarantee for hotels
SoFi Smart Card
Not yet documented
Other perks: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Amex Offers
Early access to concerts and events
Global Assist Hotline available 24/7 worldwide
SoFi Smart Card
Not yet documented

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
SoFi Smart Card
Not yet documented
Purchase & returns: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
$1,000 purchase protection for eligible items
$300 return protection per eligible item
SoFi Smart Card
Not yet documented
Extended warranty: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Extended Warranty up to one year
SoFi Smart Card
Not yet documented
Other protections: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Zero liability protection on fraudulent charges
SoFi Smart Card
Not yet documented

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
SoFi Smart Card
Secured by your SoFi Checking and Savings balance, with no hard credit pull to apply
Unlimited 5% cash back rewards on eligible grocery store purchases
No annual fee
SoFi reports Smart Card activity to Experian, so on-time payments can help build credit
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
SoFi Smart Card
Secured card - you need a SoFi Checking and Savings account, and the balance sets your spending limit
The balance must be paid in full each month
Superstores, warehouse clubs, convenience stores and grocery delivery do not count as grocery stores for the 5% rate
Reports to Experian only

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 SoFi Smart 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; SoFi Smart Card earns 5X (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.

The better card depends on how much you spend.

Scenario	Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express	SoFi Smart 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: $418	Rewards: $120 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $120 Year one: $120	SoFi Smart Card	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: $850	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

Is the Fee Difference Worth It?

The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express costs $95/yr — that's $95 more than the SoFi Smart 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.

The Bottom Line

The better card depends on how much you spend.

Published annual fees: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express $95/yr, SoFi Smart 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 SoFi Smart 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 SoFi Smart Card?: The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express has a higher base earn rate (1X 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 SoFi Smart Card?: Use the spend scenarios on this page: the SoFi Smart 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 · SoFi cards

Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; catalog last published November 13, 2026, and each card page shows when its terms were last checked. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.