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For an introduction to American Express's popular rewards program, the The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express lets you earn points without paying an annual fee. What makes it unique is that it earns extra points if you use it enough times each billing cycle. Besides tying in with the card's name, that feature is also great for those who make lots of purchases. This card won't be great for everyone, though, as it has a couple of notable limitations. We'll cover those and much more in our review of the The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express.
Great for: U.S. supermarket purchases
The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express
Rating image, 3.5 out of 5 stars.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor.
Bottom Line
A good no-annual-fee card that sits in the middle of the pack with a modest rewards program and bonus.
Rewards
2x points at US supermarkets ($6,000 spending cap per year), 1x points on all else. Use your Card 20 or more times in a billing period to earn 20% more points
Annual Fee
$0
Intro APR
Purchases: 0%, 15 months
Balance Transfers: N/A
Ongoing APR
12.99% - 23.99%, variable
Welcome Bonus
10,000 points after spending $1,000 within 3 months
Highlights
- Earn 10,000 Membership Rewards® points after you use your new Card to make $1,000 in purchases in your first 3 months.
- Low intro APR: 0% for 15 months on purchases, then a variable rate, currently 14.74% to 25.74%.
- $0 balance transfer fee. Balance transfers must be requested within 60 days from account opening.
- 2x points at US supermarkets, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1x); 1x points on other purchases.
- Use your Card 20 or more times on purchases in a billing period and earn 20% more points on those purchases less returns and credits.
- Over 1.5 million more places in the U.S. started accepting American Express® Cards in 2017.
- No annual fee.
- Terms Apply.
Full Amex EveryDay review
This credit card is a good fit for: Consumers looking for a no-annual-fee card that earns valuable American Express points. Those who make lots of purchases will also score bonus points with this card.
Pros
- Zero-interest offer
- Welcome bonus offer
- No annual fee
- Travel and U.S. supermarket rewards
- Bonus points for using the card often
Cons
- Limited bonus categories
- Foreign transaction fee
- Incentivizes spending money
Top perks
0% intro APR: This zero interest offer applies to purchases for the first 15 months from the date of account opening. If you need to pay off any big purchases or other expenses over time, the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express will give you over a year to do it without any interest charges. That's one of the longer intro periods you'll find with 0% APR credit cards.
Earn up to 2 points per $1: This card will earn you 2 points per $1 at U.S. supermarkets, up to a maximum of $6,000 per calendar year, and on eligible travel purchases made on amextravel.com. On all other spending, it earns 1 point per $1.
10,000 bonus points: You'll earn this welcome offer after $1,000 of qualifying purchases within the first three months of opening the card.
Point redemption options: One thing we love about American Express cards that earn Membership Rewards points are the redemption methods that the rewards program offers. American Express has quite a few travel partners, including many popular airlines and hotels, where you can transfer your points. With a little understanding of how to use American Express Membership Rewards points, a points transfer could lead to an award booking that gets you $0.02 per point or more.
You can also use points as cash through American Express Travel. The best option is to do this with airfare, where you'll get $0.01 per point.
20% more points: If you make at least 20 purchases in a billing period, you'll receive a 20% points bonus on those transactions. For bonus category purchases, that would bump your rewards rate up to 2.4 points per $1. Purchases at the standard rewards rate would earn you 1.2 points per $1.
No annual fee: Cutting out-of-pocket costs is important, especially if you're getting this card to finance purchases using its 0% intro APR.
Car rental loss and damage insurance: You'll have this complimentary insurance on eligible rentals that you pay for using your The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express. Note that you do need to decline the collision damage waiver for your card's insurance to apply.
What could be improved
Bonus categories: The rewards rate on this card is somewhat disappointing. Even if you only look at no annual fee cards, there are plenty of options available that have more bonus categories and earn more than 2 points per $1 in those categories.
Incentive to spend more: The 20% points bonus you'll get for making at least 20 purchases per month is nice, but it can also motivate you to buy things you don't really need. Make sure you avoid the temptation to overspend if you get this card.
2.7% foreign transaction fee: It could get costly to use the card outside the country. For international travel, you're better off checking out travel credit cards that won't charge you this fee.
Suggested credit score
To apply for the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express, you should have good credit, meaning a FICO® Score of 670 or higher. American Express will look at several factors in addition to your credit score, but your credit is a key part of whether your application is approved or denied.
Alternatives to consider
- If you want to earn more points: The next step up in the American Express lineup is the Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card, which gets you 3 points per $1 at U.S. supermarkets (up to a $6,000 yearly spending cap) and 2 points per $1 at U.S. gas stations. This card also boosts the points you earn by 50% when you use it 30 times or more for purchases within the billing period. The tradeoff is that it comes with a $95 annual fee.
- If you want a longer 0% intro APR: The U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card is a standout among zero interest cards, as it offers a 0% intro APR on both purchases and balance transfers for a staggering 20 billing cycles.It doesn't earn any rewards, but if your main focus is financing purchases or refinancing credit card debt, then this card's intro APR offer can make a big difference.
As of Jan. 05, 2021
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Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card |
U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card |
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Rating image, 4.0 out of 5 stars.
4.0 stars
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. |
Rating image, 5.0 out of 5 stars.
5.0 stars
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. |
| Rates & Fees | |
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Credit Rating Requirement: |
Credit Rating Requirement: |
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Welcome Bonus: 15,000 points after spending $1,000 within 3 months |
Welcome Bonus: N/A |
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Rewards Program: 3x points at US supermarkets ($6,000 spending cap per year), 2x points at US gas stations, 1x points on all else. Use your card 30 or more times in a billing period to earn 50% more points |
Rewards Program: N/A |
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Intro APR: Purchases: 0%, 12 months Balance Transfers: N/A |
Intro APR: Purchases: 0%, 20 billing cycles Balance Transfers: 0%, 20 billing cycles |
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Regular APR: 12.99% - 22.99%, variable |
Regular APR: 13.99% - 23.99%, variable |
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Annual Fee: $95 |
Annual Fee: $0 |
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This credit card is right for you if:
The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express is a good choice if you want a no annual fee card that earns Membership Rewards points. You'll get the most out of it if you tend to use your credit card frequently. This card is also worth a look if you want a 0% intro APR on purchases, but to be fair, there are other credit cards with similar intro offers and better benefits.
About the Author
Lyle Daly is a personal finance writer who specializes in credit cards, travel rewards programs, and banking. He writes for The Ascent and The Motley Fool, and his work has appeared in USA Today and Yahoo! Finance. He was born in California but currently lives as a digital nomad with a home base in Colombia.
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The Motley Fool recommends Amex.
