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American Express Blue Cards Can Save
You Cash
Summary: American Express offers several credit cards with no annual
fees, including Blue, Blue Cash, and Blue Sky. Each card offers cash
back in some form or another. The cards have no earning caps and,
depending on the card, rewards are either given annually or at a time
of your choice, without expiration dates.
Finding a good credit card with no annual fee is a worthwhile mission,
and American Express can help. The company offers several cards with
no annual fees. A few are connected with other companies (Hilton and
Costco), but several stand alone and offer great benefits. Three cards
that can save you cash are American Express Blue, Blue Cash, and Blue
Sky.
American Express Blue
Blue from American Express is a fairly standard rewards card –
one point is earned for each dollar spent. There are, however, ways
to rack up points more quickly if you are deliberate in your shopping.
Double points are earned on purchases made through the American Express
Travel website. Purchases made through the Bonus Points Mall (www.bonuspointsmall.com)
earn triple points. Over 200 merchants participate in the mall, including
OfficeMax, Best Buy, Walgreens, Target, Kohl’s, Land’s End,
Crate and Barrel, Dell, Home Depot, Snapfish, Kmart, Old Navy, and
Budget Rent-A-Car. The American Express web site says that up to ten
times the normal points can be earned by purchasing from other select
partners; however, at this time it seems that Teleflora and FTD are
the only ones that offer this bonus, as purchases from the other select
partners listed offer double or triple points. A few select partner
purchases offer a standard amount of points. For example, if you invest
a certain amount into a new Fidelity account before a certain time,
25,000 points can be earned, and 3,000 points will be earned when
you place a first order with Nutrisystem. Make sure you’re logged
into your American Express account before purchasing so your account
gets credited.
Rewards can be redeemed beginning with 1,000 points, and there is
a variety of ways to redeem them. Items can be purchased through shopAmex
(https://www01.extra.americanexpress.com/FAQ.aspx), though this does
not seem like the best way to stretch your money. Unless you rack
up triple or more points by shopping through the Bonus Points Mall,
rewards seem to be redeemed at a rate of roughly .5% cash back –
not the greatest of deals. However, thousands of items from popular
merchants are offered, including books, music, furniture, baby items,
appliances, and laptops, so if you like the idea of saving up points
to shop without leaving home, you might enjoy shopAmex. Changing limited
time specials are offered as well, where the number of points needed
for certain items is reduced, so redeeming for a special in the Bonus
Points Mall can stretch your money a bit further. Tax and shipping
charges will be added, though you will not be able to know the exact
amounts until you receive a confirmation email from shopAmex upon
completion of your purchase.
A better rate of return is found in redeeming points for gift cards.
Many are offered at a 1% cash back rate, where 1000 points earns you
a $10 gift card to Gap, Old Navy, or Bath and Body Works, or 2,500
points earns you $25 to Kohl’s or Home Depot. (Several other
stores are available as well.) A few stores have pricier rates of
redemption though, so pay attention.
Points can be redeemed for cash back; 20,000 points gets you $100
cash back as a credit towards charges of your choice on a credit card
statement. You can also transfer points to a frequent flier or hotel
account, pay with points when booking travel through the American
Express travel site, or redeem points for stays in hotels, car rentals,
and other travel options. Points do not expire, so it’s possible
to redeem for some big ticket items after a while. Full redemption
options can be viewed at www.membershiprewards.com.
Blue Cash
The Blue Cash card allows you to earn up to 5% cash back on what American
Express refers to as Everyday Purchases – those made at supermarkets,
gas stations, and drugstores - plus up to 1.25% cash back on all your
other purchases. (The words up to are important to note, as the percentage
of cash back you earn starts small and makes a jump once your spending
reaches a certain point.) For the first $6,500 you spend, you earn
1% back on Everyday Purchases, and 0.5% on all other purchases. Once
your spending hits $6,500.01 or more, your begin earning 5% back for
Everyday Purchases and 1.25% for all other purchases. Purchases made
at “departments of superstores or warehouse clubs” (which
means Walmart, Target, Kmart, Costco, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s)
are not counted as Everyday Purchases and therefore will not earn
you the 5% back, so if you regularly purchase your gas and groceries
at one of these stores, this probably isn’t the best card for
you. There are no limits to how much you can earn back, with the exception
of a per-purchase cap of $400 on gas station purchases being counted
as Everyday Purchases.
A nice feature of the Blue Cash card is the Blue Cash calculator available
on the American Express web site. This allows you to input your estimated
spending on Everyday Purchase categories as well as the rest of your
spending, and see the total amounts of your projected spending and
cash back. For example, if your monthly charges to the Blue Cash card
are $350 at grocery stores, $220 at gas stations, $20 at drugstores,
and $1130 on other items, your annual spending on the card is $20,640,
with a cash back rebate of $402. This is a rough average of 2% cash
back.
Cash back rebates are given once a year on your credit card statement,
one month following your card anniversary date.
Blue Sky
Rather than giving you cash back annually, the Blue Sky card works
on a point system, and you can choose when you want to redeem your
cash back. (This card is not a wise choice for someone who does not
travel, as rewards are given only after travel purchases are made.)
The system is simple; one point is earned for each dollar spent. Once
you have earned 7,500 points, you can receive a statement credit of
$100 after an eligible travel purchase has been made. Eligible travel
purchases include those made at airlines, hotels, car rental companies,
cruise lines, travel agencies, tour operators, and online travel site,
as long as the purchases are billed to your American Express account
and submitted by the merchant correctly. You must request your reward
within 60 days from the closing date shown on the billing statement
on which the travel purchase first appears. The amount redeemed cannot
be more than the cost of the travel purchase (don’t waste 7,500
points getting cash back on a $40 car rental). As with the Blue card,
points from Blue Sky do not expire, so it’s quite possible to
save up for a pretty sweet vacation.
Each of these cards offers a 0% APR for six months. After that, interest
on Blue card will be Prime + 11.99% (or more); Blue Sky and Blue Cash
are Prime + 13.99% (or more). All three cards offer travel benefits,
extended warranty options on certain types of purchases, fraud protection,
roadside assistance, and early access to entertainment information.
It’s hard to determine which of these cards earns the most cash
back, as it depends on where you shop, how diligent you are, and how
you want to redeem your rewards. Blue Cash is the simplest, as your
cash back automatically appears on a statement each year. If you don’t
mind shopping online, Blue might work for you, since you can earn
more rewards through the Bonus Mall. And if travel is your thing,
Blue Sky might be as well - just don’t forget to request your
credit after you purchase your travel! Whichever you choose, it makes
sense to save money on purchases you have to make anyway, and any
cash back is better than none, so pay no annual fees and enjoy the
discount from American Express.
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Summary: With award-winning customer
service and a card for just about anyone, it is no wonder that American
Express is considered one of the best credit cards to have. With just
a few swipes of your card, you can begin to enjoy the perks of being
an American Express cardholder.
Why American Express is Consistently Voted the Best Credit Card
Bank
The American Express Company has come a long way since its humble
beginnings back in the 1850’s as an express mail business, to
now being one of the thirty Dow Jones Industrial Average components
and accounting for nearly a quarter of all credit card transactions
in the United States. Building this credit card empire was no small
feat; it took great amounts of ingenuity and leaps of faith to get
where they are today. By adapting to the economic climates of the
times and taking care of their customers, American Express continues
to thrive, blazing a trail so that everyone else may try to follow.
Stellar customer service, rewards of all types including additional
cardholder perks, and business solutions for small and large corporation’s
alike, help American Express be consistently voted the best credit
card bank.
Outstanding Customer Service
Customers are the backbone of any business. Without them, the business
will surely fold. American Express understands this concept, which
is why they have been ranked by J.D. Power and Associates as “Highest
in Customer Satisfaction with Credit Card Companies” for three
years running. They pride themselves in taking care of their customers,
and have been handsomely rewarded for it. Instead of making their
customers jump through the proverbial hoop just to talk to someone,
the very first menu option when calling is to simply press “zero”
to talk to a representative. Many satisfied customers say that they
are “treated with respect” and “like a human and not
a number.” It is customer dedication like this that helps American
Express keep their existing customers while enticing new ones to apply.
Cardholder Privileges
With the multitude of rewards programs American Express has to offer,
you are sure to find one that meets your needs. With a few clicks
of the mouse, potential customers can navigate through the many credit
cards and rewards programs to find the one that best suits their needs.
Whether you are looking for airline miles, hotel nights, or simply
cash back, American Express has something for everyone. The terms
and conditions for all the cards are spelled out on their website.
They also have either a low or no annual fee on some of their most
popular cards, so you can enjoy the rewards without draining your
wallet. They also offer other perks like extended product purchase
protection, and car rental loss and damage insurance, and travel accident
insurance, and emergency travel assistance, which can be lifesavers
when life is not so sweet.
Business Solutions
Starting a business is never easy, but using one of the American Express
business cards can help make the process go a bit more smoothly. Whether
you need purchasing power and the ability to pay over time or want
to rack up airline miles, there is an American Express card to fit
every business model. Without a pre-set spending limit, By using one
of their business cards you can also save 3%-5% at participating retailers,
making your dollar stretch even further. They also have numerous built-in
benefits exclusive to business card holders, enabling you to keep
track of everything with a few clicks of your mouse.
With all of the great products that American Express has to offer
plus award-winning customer service, it is easy to see why American
Express is constantly voted the best. By offering various rewards,
no or low annual fees, and by taking care of their customers, you
can be sure that they aren’t going anywhere. When you carry an
American Express card, take pride in knowing that you are carrying
the best card and have the world at your fingertips. |
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