If you want a gas card that offers not just rewards at the pump, but generous cash back on common budget items like groceries and online shopping, Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express may be the card for you.
Blue Cash Everyday features 3% cash back on the first $6,000 you spend at U.S. gas stations during the year. Spending $150 on gas each month, approximately the national average, will net you $54 in cash back rewards every year.
- 3% cash back on gas at U.S. gas stations, on up to $6,000 of spending per year, then 1%
- Eligible gas purchases do not include gas purchases from superstores, supermarkets or warehouse clubs
- 3% cash back at U.S. online retail purchases, on up to $6,000 of spending per year, then 1%. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or on Amazon.com at checkout.
- 3% cash back at U.S. supermarket, on up to $6,000 of spending per year, then 1%
- 1% cash back on everything else
- No annual fee
- 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months from the date of account opening. After that, 19.24% to 29.99% Variable APR.
- Terms apply. See rates and fees.
In addition, you can earn 3% cash back on the first $6,000 you spend at U.S. supermarkets and on the first $6,000 at online retailers. All other purchases, and bonus category spending after you hit each category’s limit, gets 1% back.
If your online shopping is mostly at a single large retailer, it may make sense to consider that brand’s card. Both Amazon and Target offer cards that give you an effective 5% discount. But if you shop across a variety of online retailers, the 3% rewards offered by the Blue Cash Everyday Card are hard to beat. That’s why we named this card our Best Gas Card for Online Shoppers.
Are the rewards worth the fees?
The Blue Cash Everyday Card does not come with an annual fee, so you’ll be coming out ahead with rewards from your first purchase, provided you pay your balance in full each month.
For new card members, the Blue Cash Everyday Card offers a $200 cash back bonus. If you are approved for the card and spend $2,000 in purchases on the card within the first six months, you will earn a $200 statement credit. For most Wall Street Journal readers, this welcome bonus is well within reach, as it only requires about $335 in monthly spending.
What kind of rewards can you expect with the Blue Cash Everyday? To start, you will earn 3% cash back on your gas purchases on up to $6,000 of spending. If you spend $150 a month on gas, that means $54 in annual cash back. A $200 purchase online each month will net you $72 in cash each year. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or on Amazon.com at checkout.
While $6,000 a year ($500 a month) is plenty for most Americans’ gasoline budgets, cardholders are far more likely to hit this cap when it comes to groceries or online shopping. The upshot is that bonus rewards in those two categories are effectively capped at $360 a year.
For many families looking for a single card to use for gas, online spending and grocery shopping, the Blue Cash Everyday Card offers rewards on usable categories with little hassle.
Card Details You Might Miss
While Buy Side from WSJ judges rewards credit cards primarily on the value of their cash back rewards, it’s important to understand all the terms and conditions. Here are some of this card’s additional benefits and fees that you should keep in mind:
- The Disney Bundle Credit: Earn up to $7 a month statement credit when you charge your eligible monthly subscription to The Disney Bundle to your card. (Enrollment required; subject to auto-renewal.)
- Home Chef Credit: Receive up to $15 every month in statement credits when you purchase Home Chef meal solutions using your card. (Enrollment required; subject to auto renewal.)
- ShopRunner: Get two-day shipping at a network of over 100+ online merchants when you check out with your complimentary ShopRunner membership. (Enrollment required.)
- 2.7% foreign transaction fee.
Who Benefits Most From the Blue Cash Everyday?
The Blue Cash Everyday is a great card all-around card that also helps you earn cash back at the pump. The card does come with a $6,000 spending cap for bonus rewards in each bonus category, including gas, online shopping and U.S. grocery stores
If you spend heavily on gas and don’t like the cap, consider the U.S. Bank Altitude Connect, which comes with a $95 annual fee but offers 4 points per dollar spent on gas with no cap.
If you prefer a card that offers bonus rewards on restaurants instead of supermarkets, try the Wells Fargo Autograph card. This card, our Best Overall pick for the Best Gas Credit Card, offers 3 points per dollar on restaurants, gas stations and a handful of other categories.
Our Gas Credit Card Credit Card Methodology
To review Best Gas Credit Cards, Buy Side from WSJ looked for cards that offered 3% or greater rewards on gas purchases. Because many gas cards offer increased rewards in additional categories, we considered the total amount of rewards a typical Buy Side from WSJ reader would earn using the card for most purchases.
We also investigated how easy it was to redeem rewards, preferring cards with low redemption minimums and cash back options. Finally, cards that carried an annual fee needed to give cardmembers enough additional rewards to offset the annual fee and be more rewarding than our picks with no annual fee.
To find out more about how we choose credit cards—and to meet our panel of experts—you can check out Buy Side from WSJ’s full best credit cards methodology.
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