Our take: The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express is a mediocre and outdated card. Sure, it offers 0% APR for 15 months on both purchases and balance transfers – but so do the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, Chase Freedom Flex℠ and Amex’s own Blue Cash Everyday Card, and all three offer better cash rewards, welcome bonuses and redemptions options if you’re looking for a cash-back card.
As a result, this 10-year-old Amex desperately needs an update to compete with rival cash back cards – or even its own Amex stablemates. But if you are looking for a card that lets you dip your toe into travel points, it’s one of the few with no annual fee and points that transfer to travel partners.
Pros
- 0% APR for 15 months on both purchases and balance transfers is still decent by today’s standards
- One of a very few no-annual-fee cards that offers transferable points on its own
- Pay It and Plan It features make budgeting and money-management easier
- 20% points bonus for making 20 purchases in a month is a nice addition
- Includes Car Rental Loss and Damage insurance
Cons
- 10,000-point welcome bonus (worth $60 cash, ~$110 in travel) can’t compete with the $200 to $250 cash welcome bonus offered by rival 0% APR cards.
- 2X points on groceries and Amex travel bookings also falls short of competitors offering 2% cash back on all purchases to 5% cash back within rotating purchase categories.
- Can’t stand on its own two feet next to the Amex Blue Cash Preferred and Blue Cash Everyday cards.
American Express EveryDay Card Highlights
Card type: 0% APR, Balance Transfer
- Welcome Bonus: Earn 10,000 Membership Rewards Points after spending $2,000 within six months of account opening.
- Annual Fee: $0
- Rewards:
- 2X points on up to $6,000 in grocery purchases per year, then 1X
- 2X points on eligible travel purchases made through AmexTravel.com
- 1X points per dollar on all other purchases
- 20% bonus when you make 20+ purchases in a billing cycle
Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express Overview
The Amex EveryDay card launched all the way back in 2014, with ads featuring Tina Fey having yogurt rubbed on her face.
In the decade that followed, Ms. Fey went on to win yet another Emmy, two more Golden Globes and the impressive title “funniest comic of the 21st century” from The Guardian.
By contrast, the Amex EveryDay card wouldn’t have nearly the same enduring charm or success as the former SNL legend. In fact, the card’s benefits remain virtually unchanged since 2014, meaning its competitors have had a full 10 years to leap past it.
And leap past they have. The Amex EveryDay’s 2X points on groceries might’ve been compelling back when Pharrell Williams’ Happy topped the charts, but today, competing 0% APR cards like the Chase Freedom Flex℠ offer up to 5% cash back on everyday purchases. Heck, the Citi Double Cash Card offers 2% cash back on everything, and both cards offer a $200 cash welcome bonus compared to the EveryDay card’s 10,000 points worth ~$110 in travel or $60 cash.
To top it all off, Amex’s own Blue Cash Everyday card offers a $250 welcome bonus, 3% cash back on groceries at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. online retail and U.S. gas stations, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases per category (then 1%). The card also matches the Amex EveryDay card’s 15 months of 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers and charges no annual fee.
As a result, we’re not really sure why the Amex EveryDay card is still around. We did manage to find one cardholder on Reddit, who summarized his thoughts thusly:
“For a card called ‘EveryDay’ it sure doesn’t see much use.”
Who is the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express good for?
As an entry-level travel card, the EveryDay could be a way to sample Membership Rewards points before diving into a card that has an annual fee. It’s also a good option for keeping points alive if you are downgrading from a higher-fee Membership Rewards earning card.
The Amex EveryDay card might also appeal to you if you:
- Already have a Blue Cash Everyday card, and
- Spend more than $6,000 on groceries each year
Sounds oddly specific, but hear us out.
In general, the maximum value you can get from grocery purchases on an Amex EveryDay card is around 2.88 cents per point. That’s:
- 2X Membership Rewards Points per dollar spent
- Plus the 20% bonus when you make 20+ purchases in a billing cycle
- Transferred to travel partners at a rate of around 1.2 cents per point
2.0 x 1.2 x 1.2 = 2.88.
Still, it makes sense to put your groceries on the Blue Cash Everyday card first where you’ll get 3% cash back. But when you reach that card’s $6,000 limit on grocery rewards, it might make sense to then switch to the Amex EveryDay card.
Who shouldn’t get the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express?
Aside from the niche cases listed above (keeping your Membership Rewards points alive or maxing out your grocery rewards on a different Amex first), there isn’t a highly compelling reason for anyone else to get the Amex EveryDay card. There are too many better options on the market with better rewards, benefits and welcome bonuses to choose from.
Amex EveryDay card: How to earn rewards
Here’s what you can earn by using the Amex EveryDay card:
- 2X Membership Rewards Points on up to $6,000 in groceries annually
- 2X Membership Rewards Points on select travel booked through AmexTravel.com
- 1X Membership Rewards Points on all other purchases
You’ll also get a welcome offer of 10,000 points if you spend $1,000 in first 3 months (Terms apply) of account opening. As mentioned, Membership rewards points are conservatively worth around 1.2 cents a pop when transferred to one of Amex’s travel partners, which include:
- Asia Miles
- British Airways Executive Club
- Delta SkyMiles
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Guest
- Finnair Plus
- Flying Blue
- Hilton Honors
- Iberia Plus
- Marriott Bonvoy
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Radisson Rewards
- SAS EuroBonus
- Singapore KrisFlyer
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
But all things considered, a welcome bonus worth ~$110 in travel and earning 2.4 cents per dollar on groceries only just doesn’t cut the mustard in 2024. A dedicated travel rewards card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card might command a $95 annual fee, but both cards offer far better travel rewards and a $750/75,000-mile welcome bonus to boot.
How to redeem Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express rewards
According to Amex, you can redeem your Membership Rewards points in the following ways:
- Use Pay with Points at Checkout: 0.7 – 1.0 cents per point
- Gift Cards: up to 1 cent per point
- Cover Your Charges (e.g. statement credit): 0.6 cents per point
- Use Pay with Points through AmexTravel.com: up to 1 cent per point
- Transfer Points: Typically 1:1 point-to-point ratio (but varies with certain partners)
That means that while your 2X points on groceries may be worth around 2.4 cents in travel, they’re only worth a paltry 1.2 cents in statement credit aka cash. That’s yet another reason why an Amex offering cash back rewards instead of points rewards is better for overall daily use.
Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express rates and fees
Beyond offering 0% APR for 15 months, the Amex EveryDay has pretty standard rates and fees for its class.
Just watch out for the 2.7% foreign transaction fee and the regular APR, which can reach a scary 29.24% based on your creditworthiness (for context, the penalty APR is just a pinch higher at 29.99% APR).
- Annual fee: $0
- Foreign transaction fee: 2.7%
- Introductory APR: 0% on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months from account opening
- Regular APR: 17.99%–28.99% variable on both purchases and balance transfers, based on your creditworthiness
- Balance transfer fee: The greater of $5 or 3% of the transfer amount.
Additional benefits
The American Express EveryDay’s most compelling benefit is the 20% bonus when you make 20+ purchases in a billing cycle.
But considering those Membership Rewards Points are only worth 0.6 cents each when redeemed for cash, you’d end up generating far more cash back by making those 20 purchases on a more modern cash back rewards card (including the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card).
- Earn 20% extra points after using your card 20 times in a single billing period.
- Pay It allows you to make purchases below $100 using the American Express app in lieu of pulling out your physical card.
- Plan It lets you split up purchases of $100 or more into monthly installments with a fixed fee attached.
- Car rental loss and damage insurance aka a collision damage waiver aka collision insurance for your rental car. I can save you ~$30 per day on your rental.
Credit cards similar to Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express
As you probably surmised by this point, the American Express EveryDay card doesn’t stack up very well against modern 0% APR competitors.
Chase Freedom Flex vs. Amex EveryDay
The Chase Freedom Flex℠ offers 0% APR on both purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, a nice $200 cash bonus after spending $500 on purchases within your first three months and 5% cash back on activated bonus category purchases each quarter (up to $1,500 in purchases, then 1 percent). In Q1 2024 the categories are groceries (excluding Walmart and Target), fitness club and gym memberships and self-care and spa services. Past categories – which are likely to reappear in 2024 – have included PayPal, Amazon purchases and gas.
The 5% rewards cap at $1,500 in spending per quarter (or $75 cash back), but at least you’ll get unlimited 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3% cash back on dining (including restaurants, takeout and eligible delivery services), 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and 1% cash back on all other purchases. Such generous rewards with no annual fee were enough to land the Freedom Flex a spot on our 10 Best Cashback Rewards Cards.
While the Freedom Flex definitely has direct competitors at Amex, the Amex EveryDay card isn’t one of them. The math doesn’t lie – you’ll earn far more cash back from everyday spending on the Chase Freedom Flex than the Amex EveryDay card. And if you decide you want to transfer to travel partners, you can combine points from the Freedom Flex with those from the Sapphire Preferred and transfer the combined points to partners.
Amex Blue Cash Everyday vs. Amex EveryDay
Comparing the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express to the Amex EveryDay is like comparing a 2024 model-year car to the same exact car from 2014. The former just feels like a natural evolution that’s faster, better-equipped and overall superior in every way.
Case in point, the Blue Cash Everyday also offers 0% APR for 15 months for $0 annual fee like its stablemate, but the rewards are better across the board. You’ll get 3% cash back on groceries at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. online retail and U.S. gas stations, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases per category (then 1%) plus a $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card within the first 6 months welcome bonus to boot.
The final nice-to-have is a pair of statement credits:
- $7 statement credit each month (up to $84 back annually) after spending $9.99 or more each month on an eligible subscription to The Disney Bundle which includes DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com, or Plus.espn.com using your Blue Cash Everyday® Card. Enrollment required (subject to auto-renewal).
- up to $15 per month in statement credits when you purchase Home Chef meal solutions online at HomeChef.com with your enrolled Blue Cash Everyday Card (up to $180). Enrollment required (subject to auto-renewal).
But even if you never use them, you’re still left with a card that’s better for your bottom line than the outdated Amex EveryDay card.
Is the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express right for you?
As hinted above, the Amex EveryDay might make sense if you’re already maxing out the grocery rewards on your Amex Blue Cash Everyday card and would like to continue generating more than 1% cash back or if you’re looking to earn Membership Rewards without paying an annual fee.
But even then, you still have options like the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card card that generates an unlimited 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services, and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®) with a one-time $200 cash bonus once you spend $500 on purchases within the first three months from account opening to boot. Or if you want travel points consider theCapital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card which offers points that transfer directly to partners and a higher overall earnings rate of 5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 1.25x miles on every other purchase.
So unless you’re keen to stay within the Amex family, the raw math makes it hard to recommend the EveryDay card to anyone looking to maximize their spending rewards. Here’s hoping they update the card to be more competitive in the coming years.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Amex EveryDay card hard to get?
- Generally speaking, American Express cards require Good or better credit (670+) to have a good chance of being accepted. If you’re not sure of your current score, here are five easy ways to check. And if you need help bumping your numbers up a bit, we’ve got you.
What is the Amex EveryDay card good for?
- If you make 20 purchases or more a month, you can generate up to 1.2X points on daily spending and 2.4X points on groceries. So it’s not bad for Amex travel redemption, but far superior options exist for general travel rewards or every day cash back.
Is Amex EveryDay or Blue Cash Everyday better?
The American Express Blue Cash Everyday card is better than the Amex EveryDay card for earning cash back. The former card offers up to 3% cash back on everyday purchases, a $250 cash welcome bonus and multiple statement credits – none of which the EveryDay card can match. The only way the EveryDay comes out on top is if you have your heart set on earning Membership Rewards points.
Please note that card details are accurate as of the publish date, but are subject to change at any time at the discretion of the issuer. Please contact the card issuer to verify rates, fees, and benefits before applying.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.
