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When looking for the next best credit card for your wallet, you've got hundreds of options to consider. You might often find a particular bank card attractive, but two similar cards are on offer — one with an annual fee and one without. Which should you choose?
In this post, we're going to compare two cards from American Express that match this exact scenario: the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card and the Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card.
Let's dive into the details to see which card is best for you.
Page Contents
- Amex EveryDay vs. Amex EveryDay Preferred: Welcome Offers
- Amex EveryDay vs. Amex EveryDay Preferred: Annual Fee
- Amex EveryDay vs. Amex EveryDay Preferred: Earning Categories
- Key Benefits of Amex EveryDay and Amex EveryDay Preferred
- Alternatives to the Amex EveryDay and Amex EveryDay Preferred
- Bottom Line
Amex EveryDay vs. Amex EveryDay Preferred: Welcome Offers
Both cards offer a relatively insignificant welcome offer for new card members. Let's look at the current publicly-available offer you'll find on each card:
- Amex EveryDay® Credit Card: Earn 10,000 Membership Rewards® points after you use your new Card to make $2,000 in purchases in your first 6 months.
- Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card: Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you use your new Card to make $2,000 in purchases in your first 6 months.
American Express Membership Rewards are a valuable currency — and one of our favorites to collect. An easy way to extract the most value from your points is to transfer them to one of Amex's 18 airline or three hotel partners.
However, it might go without saying that 10,000 or 15,000 Amex points won't take you very far. You might consider alternative Membership Rewards-earning cards if you want to earn a more lucrative welcome offer.
Winner: The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card for its slightly higher welcome offer.
- 3X points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year (then 1X)
- 2X points at U.S. gas stations
- 1 point per dollar on all other purchases
- Use your card 30 or more times on purchases in a billing period and earn 50% extra points on those purchases less returns and credits.
Amex EveryDay vs. Amex EveryDay Preferred: Annual Fee
The Amex EveryDay features a $0 annual fee while the Amex EveryDay Preferred charges a $95 annual fee. Additionally, both cards also have no additional annual fee for added or authorized users.
And with a $95 annual fee, you might expect the Amex EveryDay Preferred to offer more benefits than its no-annual-fee counterpart. It does, and we'll cover those shortly. But for this section, the answer is clear. The no-annual-fee Amex EveryDay gives the Amex EveryDay Preferred a slight edge.
Winner: The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card for having a $0 annual fee.
- 2x points at US supermarkets, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1x)
- 1x points on other purchases
- Use your Card 20 or more times on purchases in a billing period and earn 20% more points on those purchases less returns and credits.
Amex EveryDay vs. Amex EveryDay Preferred: Earning Categories
Next, how many points does each credit card earn? Let's break down the earning categories, starting with the Amex EveryDay. On purchase, you'll earn Membership Rewards points at the following rates:
- 2x points at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1x).
- 1x points on other purchases.
- Use your card 20 or more times on purchases in a billing period and earn 20% extra points on those purchases, less returns and credits.
Frequent spenders will find value in the added 20% extra points on eligible purchases. With the 20% bonus applied, you'll Amex points at the following elevated rates:
- 2.4x points at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1x).
- 1.2x points on other purchases.
What about the Amex EveryDay Preferred? Let's check out its earning rates:
- 3x points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year (then 1x).
- 2x points at U.S. gas stations.
- 1x point per dollar on all other purchases.
- Use your card 30 or more times on purchases in a billing period and earn 50% extra points on those purchases less returns and credits.
And with the 50% bonus applied, you'll Amex points at the following elevated rates:
- 4.5x points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year (then 1x).
- 3x points at U.S. gas stations.
- 1.5x points per dollar on all other purchases.
With both cards, you'll also earn 2x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on all travel purchases booked through the Amex Travel portal.
Are the better earning rates on the Amex EveryDay worth it?
With comparatively higher earning rates, the Amex EveryDay Preferred appears the clear winner. However, you'll want to weigh the spending categories alongside the $95 annual fee to ensure you earn more than you pay to carry the card each year. Better spending categories aren't worth as much if you're underwater on the Amex EveryDay Preferred‘s annual fee.
Assuming you're using the Amex EveryDay Preferred 30 times each billing cycle to maximize the points bonus, you'll need to spend $2,431 a year in the grocery category, $2,837 on gas, or $17,023 on non-bonused spend to make the annual fee worth it.
It's clear who the winner is here, but I do give the Amex EveryDay card “points” for having a bonus points option for cardmembers.
Winner: The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card for having stronger spending and bonus categories.
- 3X points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year (then 1X)
- 2X points at U.S. gas stations
- 1 point per dollar on all other purchases
- Use your card 30 or more times on purchases in a billing period and earn 50% extra points on those purchases less returns and credits.
Key Benefits of Amex EveryDay and Amex EveryDay Preferred
Access to 21 Amex transfer partners
One of the best perks of both cards is the access to the Membership Rewards program. By extension, you can enjoy complete access to Amex's 21 transfer partners. Leveraging these partners is the best way to maximize your spending and save on the cost of future travel.
The list below shows the full roster of Amex transfer partners, the ratios you can expect, and the average transfer times observed by AwardWallet users:
Related: The Best Flexible Rewards Points for Free Travel
Introductory APR and balance transfer offers
If you need the flexibility of a 0% intro APR period or a favorable balance transfer offer, you'll find similar offerings on the Amex EveryDay as you will the Amex EveryDay Preferred. Here's a look at each offer:
- Amex EveryDay® Credit Card: Intro APR of 0% on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months from the date of account opening, then a Variable APR, 14.49% - 25.49%.
- Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card: Intro APR of 0% on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a Variable APR, 18.24% - 28.24%.
Related: Best Credit Cards With No Annual Fee and 0% Introductory APR
Travel and purchase protections
The Amex EveryDay and Amex EveryDay Preferred differ when you look at the under-the-hood benefits such as travel, purchase, and shopping protections.
The Amex EveryDay Preferred offers return protection if the seller won't take purchases back up to 90 days from the date of purchase. The amount offered is up to $300 per item, up to $1,000 per calendar year, and only for U.S. purchases. If need be, you can also take advantage of dispute resolution.
Conversely, the no-annual-fee Amex EveryDay only offers dispute resolution.
Travel-wise, both cards offer secondary rental car insurance and access to the Global Assist Hotline, which can help you with lost luggage, medical and legal issues, emergency cash wires, and more. These protections are nice to keep in your back pocket.
Related: Best Credit Cards for Purchase Protection
Alternatives to the Amex EveryDay and Amex EveryDay Preferred
Both the Amex EveryDay and Amex EveryDay Preferred offer bonus points on groceries. But if you're looking for the best credit card for groceries with a more compelling welcome bonus, here are some top options:
(Terms apply)
- 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. (on up to $50,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels and other eligible travel booked on amextravel.com
- 1X on other eligible purchases
(Terms apply)
- 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions
- 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%)
- 3% Cash Back on transit including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more
- 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations
- 1% Cash Back on other purchases
- Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
(Terms Apply)
- 12X bonus points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio
- 6X bonus points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your card at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations
- 4X bonus points on U.S online retail purchases
- 3X bonus points for all other eligible purchases on your card
Bottom Line
Overall, both cards offer compelling reasons to be in your wallet. While other options exist to maximize your spending, the Amex EveryDay provides a compelling no-annual-fee option to earn Membership Rewards points and access valuable transfer partners. On the other hand, if you're spending a lot at U.S. gas stations or U.S. supermarkets, the $95 annual fee Amex EveryDay Preferred can deliver excellent value.
But if we're being honest, getting access to the Amex Membership Rewards program (if you don't already) is one of the most compelling reasons to apply for either card. Or if you make a lot of transactions each billing period, the elevated earning rates are valuable, too.
Learn more:
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees), Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), and Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (Rates & Fees)
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