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 TD Cash Credit 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 TD Cash Credit 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 TD Cash Credit Card doesn't?

The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express focuses on earn rates, while the TD Cash Credit Card offers cell phone protection.

Should I get the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express or the TD Cash Credit Card?

Use the spend scenarios on this page: the TD Cash Credit 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.

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express vs TD Cash Credit Card

Annual fees: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express $95/yr, TD Cash Credit Card $0/yr. Strongest bonus categories: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express on streaming, TD Cash Credit Card on top spend category.

Card data as of November 13, 2026.

Credit card comparison
Overview
	Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express American Express · $95/yr	TD Cash Credit Card TD Bank · No annual fee
Annual fee	$95 Waived first year	$0 Lowest
Welcome offerCurrent public offer	$250 cash back	$200 cash back
Rewards	Cash back	Cash back
Foreign transaction fee	2.7% Lowest	3%
Network	American Express	Visa Signature
Earn ratesPer $1 spent
Grocery Stores	6% Highest	3%
Streaming	6% Highest	1%
Dining	1%	3% Highest
Entertainment	1%	3% Highest
Gas Stations	3%	3%
Ridesharing	3% Highest	1%
Top Spend Category	1%	3% Highest
Transit	3% Highest	1%
Travel	1%	3% Highest
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	Breakfast for 2, upgrades and VIP status at luxury hotels
Other perks	Amex Offers Early access to concerts and events Global Assist Hotline available 24/7 worldwide	24/7 Visa Signature Concierge service Free ticket + presale at Sofar Sounds concerts
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
Baggage	—	Up to $3,000 lost luggage coverage per trip
Rental car	Hertz Car Rental Benefits with upgrades $50,000 car rental loss and damage insurance	Car rental benefits
Purchase & returns	$1,000 purchase protection for eligible items $300 return protection per eligible item	$500 per claim on theft or damage
Extended warranty	Extended Warranty up to one year	Extended warranty adds up to 1 year
Cell phone	—	Cell phone protection
Other protections	Zero liability protection on fraudulent charges	Emergency card replacement Roadside Dispatch® Travel and emergency assistance services
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	Customizable categories with 3% on one and 2% on another No annual fee $200 welcome bonus with $1,000 spend requirement 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 15 billing cycles (transfers within the first 90 days) and on purchases for 12 billing cycles Cell phone protection included
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 available to residents of 16 East Coast states 3% foreign transaction fee Must remember to optimize category selections Only 1% on purchases outside chosen categories Regional bank limits branch availability
	Card details	Card details

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
American Express · $95/yr
TD Cash Credit Card
TD Bank · No annual fee

Overview

Annual fee: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
$95
Waived first year
TD Cash Credit Card
$0
Lowest
Welcome offerCurrent public offer: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
$250 cash back
TD Cash Credit Card
$200 cash back
Rewards: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Cash back
TD Cash Credit Card
Cash back
Foreign transaction fee: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
2.7%
Lowest
TD Cash Credit Card
3%
Network: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
American Express
TD Cash Credit Card
Visa Signature

Earn ratesPer $1 spent

Grocery Stores: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
6%
Highest
TD Cash Credit Card
3%
Streaming: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
6%
Highest
TD Cash Credit Card
1%
Dining: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
1%
TD Cash Credit Card
3%
Highest
Entertainment: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
1%
TD Cash Credit Card
3%
Highest
Gas Stations: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
3%
TD Cash Credit Card
3%
Ridesharing: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
3%
Highest
TD Cash Credit Card
1%
Top Spend Category: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
1%
TD Cash Credit Card
3%
Highest
Transit: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
3%
Highest
TD Cash Credit Card
1%
Travel: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
1%
TD Cash Credit Card
3%
Highest
Everything else: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
1%
TD Cash Credit Card
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
TD Cash Credit Card
—

Perks & access— means none on record

Hotel status & programs: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Amex Travel Best Price Guarantee for hotels
TD Cash Credit Card
Breakfast for 2, upgrades and VIP status at luxury hotels
Other perks: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Amex Offers
Early access to concerts and events
Global Assist Hotline available 24/7 worldwide
TD Cash Credit Card
24/7 Visa Signature Concierge service
Free ticket + presale at Sofar Sounds concerts

Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record

Baggage: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
—
TD Cash Credit Card
Up to $3,000 lost luggage coverage per trip
Rental car: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Hertz Car Rental Benefits with upgrades
$50,000 car rental loss and damage insurance
TD Cash Credit Card
Car rental benefits
Purchase & returns: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
$1,000 purchase protection for eligible items
$300 return protection per eligible item
TD Cash Credit Card
$500 per claim on theft or damage
Extended warranty: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Extended Warranty up to one year
TD Cash Credit Card
Extended warranty adds up to 1 year
Cell phone: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
—
TD Cash Credit Card
Cell phone protection
Other protections: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Zero liability protection on fraudulent charges
TD Cash Credit Card
Emergency card replacement
Roadside Dispatch®
Travel and emergency assistance services

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
TD Cash Credit Card
Customizable categories with 3% on one and 2% on another
No annual fee
$200 welcome bonus with $1,000 spend requirement
0% intro APR on balance transfers for 15 billing cycles (transfers within the first 90 days) and on purchases for 12 billing cycles
Cell phone protection included
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
TD Cash Credit Card
Only available to residents of 16 East Coast states
3% foreign transaction fee
Must remember to optimize category selections
Only 1% on purchases outside chosen categories
Regional bank limits branch availability

Card details

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

Category-by-Category Winner

The TD Cash Credit Card wins in 4 of 7 categories. The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express leads in 3. 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

Grocery Stores

Depends: up to $6,000/yr

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 6X when conditions are met; TD Cash Credit Card earns 3X (3X without restrictions)

Ridesharing

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

Top Spend Category

TD Cash Credit Card earns 3X vs 1X

Dining

TD Cash Credit Card earns 3X vs 1X

Entertainment

TD Cash Credit Card earns 3X vs 1X

Travel

TD Cash Credit Card 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.

Both scenarios favor the TD Cash Credit Card on net value (rewards, usable credits, fees, and welcome offer).

Scenario	Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express	TD Cash Credit 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: $240 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $240 Year one: $440	TD Cash Credit Card	TD Cash Credit Card
Heavy spender: $4,000/month	Rewards: $576 Credits (our usable estimate): $24 − Annual fee ($95) Ongoing: $505 Year one: $850	Rewards: $960 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $960 Year one: $1,160	TD Cash Credit Card	TD Cash Credit Card

Is the Fee Difference Worth It?

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

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

The Bottom Line

Both scenarios favor the TD Cash Credit Card on net value (rewards, usable credits, fees, and welcome offer).

Published annual fees: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express $95/yr, TD Cash Credit 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 TD Cash Credit 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 TD Cash Credit 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 TD Cash Credit Card doesn't?: The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express focuses on earn rates, while the TD Cash Credit Card offers cell phone protection.
Should I get the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express or the TD Cash Credit Card?: Use the spend scenarios on this page: the TD Cash Credit 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 · TD Bank 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.