The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express currently advertises a welcome offer of as high as $300 cash back after spending $3,000 in purchases on the new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership. However, the $300 offer is not necessarily available to every applicant. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.
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The Blue Cash Preferred is currently advertised with a welcome offer of as high as $300 cash back. The important words are “as high as.” American Express does not state that every applicant will receive the same welcome offer.
When you apply, American Express will show you the welcome offer amount you are eligible to receive if you are approved. The offer you see may be different from the maximum advertised amount.
In other words, you should not assume that applying for the Blue Cash Preferred automatically means you will receive $300 in cash back.
The application process allows eligible applicants to find out the welcome offer associated with their application. If you are approved, American Express provides the offer amount before you accept the Card.
This process is important because the welcome offer is presented to you as part of the application process rather than being a guaranteed $300 offer for everyone.
To earn the advertised Blue Cash Preferred welcome offer, you must spend $3,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
The $3,000 spending requirement applies to the welcome offer amount presented to you. If you receive an offer and accept the Card, you must meet the spending requirement within the specified 6-month period to receive the associated cash back.
The Blue Cash Preferred welcome bonus is received in the form of Reward Dollars. American Express states that Reward Dollars can be redeemed for a statement credit or used at Amazon.com checkout.
The welcome offer is therefore cash back rather than a traditional airline-mile or points-based bonus.
No. American Express specifically states that welcome offers vary and that you may not be eligible for an offer.
The amount available to you is the offer presented during the application process if you are approved. This means one applicant may see an offer that differs from the offer shown to another applicant.
For that reason, the “as high as $300” wording should be understood as the maximum advertised welcome offer rather than a guaranteed amount for every new Card Member.
There is no guarantee that every applicant will receive the full $300 welcome offer. The current American Express offer is advertised as “as high as $300,” and eligibility and offer amounts may vary.
The most reliable way to find out what welcome offer is available to you is to apply and review the offer presented if you are approved before accepting the Card.
The Blue Cash Preferred currently has a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95. An eligible welcome offer can therefore provide additional value during the first year before the regular annual fee begins.
The welcome offer is only one part of the Card's overall value. The Blue Cash Preferred also offers cash back on eligible purchases in several categories and other Card Member benefits.
For a detailed explanation of the Card's annual fee, see: Blue Cash Preferred Annual Fee: $0 First Year, Then $95
The Blue Cash Preferred currently advertises a welcome offer of as high as $300 cash back after spending $3,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. The offer amount is not guaranteed to be $300 for every applicant, because American Express states that welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
If you are approved, you can find out the offer amount available to you before accepting the Card. If you accept the Card with that offer, you must meet the applicable $3,000 spending requirement within the first 6 months to receive the associated Reward Dollars.
Apply for the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express to find out what welcome offer may be available to you.
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The card offers that appear on this site are from companies from which Gettingacreditcard.com may receive compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). Gettingacreditcard.com does not include all card companies or all card offers available in the marketplace.