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 U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® 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.

Should I get the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express or the U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card?

Use the spend scenarios on this page: the U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® 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 U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card

Annual fees: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express $95/yr, U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card $0/yr. Strongest bonus categories: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express on streaming, U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card on telecom.

Card data as of September 27, 2026.

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express

American Express

U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card

U.S. Bank

Fees & Welcome Offer

Annual Fee

$95(waived year 1)

Welcome Bonus

As high as $300 cash back — offers vary

$200 cash back

Earn Rates

Category	Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express	U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card
Grocery Stores	6X	2X

Category-by-Category Winner

The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express wins in 3 of 4 categories. The U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card leads in 1. 12 more categories depend on booking channel or caps.

Streaming

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 6X vs 5X

Transit

Depends: up to $2,000/quarter

U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card earns 5X when conditions are met; Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 3X (3X without restrictions)

Gas Stations

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 3X vs 2X

Grocery Stores

Depends: up to $6,000/yr

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 6X when conditions are met; U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card earns 2X (2X without restrictions)

Ridesharing

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

Telecom

Depends: up to $2,000/quarter

U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card earns 5X when conditions are met; Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 1X (1X without restrictions)

Cable Tv

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, U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® 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 U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® 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 U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card?: Both cards earn 0X 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 U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card?: Use the spend scenarios on this page: the U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® 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 · U.S. Bank cards

Benefits & Features

Network

AMEX

VISA

Key Benefits

✓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

+5% cash back on two categories of your choice (from 12+ options)
+2% on one everyday category (dining, gas, or grocery)
+No annual fee
+Visa Signature benefits
+$200 welcome bonus

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

−Must select 5% categories each quarter (defaults to 1% if forgotten)
−$2,000 combined quarterly cap on 5% categories
−3% foreign transaction fee
−Base rate only 1% on non-category spend

Depends: up to $2,000/quarter

U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card earns 5X when conditions are met; Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 1X (1X without restrictions)

Movie Theaters

Depends: up to $2,000/quarter

U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card earns 5X when conditions are met; Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 1X (1X without restrictions)

Fitness

Depends: up to $2,000/quarter

U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card earns 5X when conditions are met; Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 1X (1X without restrictions)

Department Stores

Depends: up to $2,000/quarter

U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card earns 5X when conditions are met; Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 1X (1X without restrictions)

Electronics

Depends: up to $2,000/quarter

U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card earns 5X when conditions are met; Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 1X (1X without restrictions)

Travel

Depends: via issuer travel portal

U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card earns 5X when conditions are met; Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 1X (1X without restrictions)

Sporting Goods

Depends: up to $2,000/quarter

U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card earns 5X when conditions are met; Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 1X (1X without restrictions)

Fast Food

Depends: up to $2,000/quarter

U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card earns 5X when conditions are met; Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 1X (1X without restrictions)

Utilities

Depends: up to $2,000/quarter

U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card earns 5X when conditions are met; Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 1X (1X without restrictions)

Dining

U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card earns 2X 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.

Scenario	Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express	U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® 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: $168 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $168 Year one: $368	Close — depends on how much of the credits you use	U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card
Heavy spender: $4,000/month	Rewards: $576 Credits (our usable estimate): $96 − Annual fee ($95) Ongoing: $577 Year one: $672	Rewards: $672 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $672 Year one: $872	U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card	U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card

Is the Fee Difference Worth It?

The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express costs $95/yr — that's $95 more than the U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® 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 U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card if you:

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