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American Express Blue Cash Preferred vs Cash Magnet Card

Both are American Express cards. Here is every spend category, ranked by what each card actually returns.

Best card by category Card terms as of Oct 29

Everything else

  1. Cash Magnet Card 1.5% 1.5% base rate
  2. Blue Cash Preferred 1.0% 1% base rate

Groceries

  1. Blue Cash Preferred 6.0% 6%, capped
  2. Cash Magnet Card 1.5% 1.5% base rate

Gas

  1. Blue Cash Preferred 3.0% 3%
  2. Cash Magnet Card 1.5% 1.5% base rate

Ground transportation

  1. Blue Cash Preferred 3.0% 3%
  2. Cash Magnet Card 1.5% 1.5% base rate

Streaming

  1. Blue Cash Preferred 6.0% 6%
  2. Cash Magnet Card 1.5% 1.5% base rate

What the numbers are doing

Blue Cash Preferred's 6% on groceries runs out: it applies to the first $6,000 of groceries spend a year, and everything past that earns 1%.

The table is earn rate only — annual fees are not netted out of it. These cards charge Blue Cash Preferred $95 and Cash Magnet Card $0 a year, so a thin lead in one category may not cover the difference.

Where they differ: Cash Magnet Card takes everything else; Blue Cash Preferred takes groceries, gas, ground transportation and streaming.

pointslipEveryday
Pass content preview
CategoryBest card
Everything elseCash Magnet Card1.5%
GroceriesBlue Cash Preferred6.0%
GasBlue Cash Preferred3.0%
Ground transportationBlue Cash Preferred3.0%
StreamingBlue Cash Preferred6.0%

Content preview. Apple Wallet controls the layout; visible categories vary by device. Categories that rank the same as Everything else are left off; every other category is in pass details.

Every category, every card

Everything else

  1. Cash Magnet Card — 1.5%
  2. Blue Cash Preferred — 1.0%

Groceries

  1. Blue Cash Preferred — 6.0%
  2. Cash Magnet Card — 1.5%

Gas

  1. Blue Cash Preferred — 3.0%
  2. Cash Magnet Card — 1.5%

Ground transportation

  1. Blue Cash Preferred — 3.0%
  2. Cash Magnet Card — 1.5%

Streaming

  1. Blue Cash Preferred — 6.0%
  2. Cash Magnet Card — 1.5%
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