American Express EveryDay® Preferred Review

Overview

The American Express EveryDay® Preferred is a flexible travel rewards card from American Express, running on the American Express network. The American Express EveryDay® Preferred earns up to 3x on U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000/yr) and gas, so it pays you the most exactly where you already spend. It carries a $95 annual fee, so the real question is whether its rewards, credits, and perks clear that bar for the way you spend. New cardholders can earn Not available (no longer open to new applicants).

It lands in the mid tier: a modest annual fee in exchange for stronger earn rates and a meaningful welcome offer. The right call depends on whether your spending and the perks clear that fee each year.

Our 4.0 out of 5 rating

Each score weighs the rewards rate, value after the annual fee, welcome offer, points flexibility, and perks, with every point valued at a flat 1 cent. This is our editorial assessment to help you compare cards, not a guarantee of approval or of the value you will get.

Rewards: how it earns

Where the American Express EveryDay® Preferred earns its rewards is its bonus categories: 3x on U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000/yr) (about $180 a year on the $6,000 a typical household spends there) and 2x on gas (about $43 a year on the $2,160 a typical household spends there). Across a full year of average household spending, the card returns roughly $433 in rewards before any welcome bonus, so the more your spending overlaps those categories, the better it does.

Every point and mile above is valued at a flat 1 cent, the same honest standard we use for every card. Run your own spending through the calculator to see what this card would actually return for you.

Pros and cons

The welcome bonus

The current welcome offer is Not available (no longer open to new applicants). Stacking the welcome offer on top of a typical year of rewards and accounting for the $95 annual fee, the first year is worth roughly $338.

Is the annual fee worth it?

To come out ahead on the American Express EveryDay® Preferred you need to clear its $95 annual fee, and it leans on rewards rather than credits to get there. On typical spending it earns about $433 a year. For anyone who spends in its categories, the fee is easy to justify.

Benefits and protections

Beyond the rewards, the perks and protections worth knowing about include:

• Earns Membership Rewards points, transferable to Amex airline and hotel partners

Statement credits

This card does not come with recurring statement credits. Its value is in the rewards rate and welcome offer.

Ecosystem and transfer partners

The American Express EveryDay® Preferred earns Membership Rewards, one of the more valuable currencies in rewards because of where the points can go. You can move points 1 to 1 to 9 airline and hotel partners: Delta SkyMiles, British Airways, Air France/KLM, Singapore Airlines, ANA, Avianca LifeMiles, Emirates Skywards, Marriott Bonvoy, and Hilton Honors. As an earner, its job is to rack up points cheaply that you move to a hub card before transferring. The sweet spots are usually premium-cabin flights and high-end hotel nights, where a single point can be worth well more than the 1 cent we value it at here.

Who should get it, and who should skip it

It is best for people who spend heavily on U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000/yr) and gas and will earn back the $95 fee through those bonus categories and the card's perks.

Skip it if your spending does not line up with its bonus categories, or if you would rather not think about where you swipe at all.

How it compares

If the American Express EveryDay® Preferred is not quite the right fit, these related cards are worth weighing against it:

Frequently asked questions

Best-card guides featuring this card