Is the Blue Cash Preferred Worth It?
Card data current as of July 2026.
Enter your own annual spend, set how much of each Blue Cash Preferred statement credit you'll actually use — this calculator weighs the $95 annual fee against real earn and real credit usage, conservatively, instead of just listing the card's perks.
Your annual spend
Defaults to a representative household budget — edit any field to match your own.
Card earns
$799/yr
A flat 2% card earns
$768/yr
Earn advantage
+$31/yr
How much of each credit will you use?
$24/yr countedEach credit starts at our conservative realistic-use estimate, not its full face value — most cardholders don't redeem every credit every year. Set the dollar amount you'll actually use (up to face), or uncheck a credit to count it as $0.
- of $120$/yr
How much spend clears the $71 left on the fee?
Assuming you keep the credits above, here's how much annual spend in one category alone (holding everything else the same) would need to earn above the 2% baseline to close the gap.
| Category | Effective rate | Break-even spend |
|---|---|---|
| Groceries | 6.0% | $1,775/yr |
| Dining | 1.0% | doesn't beat 2% here |
| Travel | 1.0% | doesn't beat 2% here |
| Gas | 3.0% | $7,100/yr |
| Streaming | 6.0% | $1,775/yr |
| Transit | 3.0% | $7,100/yr |
| Everything Else | 1.0% | doesn't beat 2% here |
How we calculate this: "Card earns" values each bonus category at its best-case rate using conservative, program-specific point values (spend above a category's cap is not counted), which you can override above with your own cents-per-point. The baseline is a flat 2% cash-back card, which you can also change to the no-fee card you'd otherwise carry. Credits default to a conservative realistic-use estimate, never full face, unless you set a higher amount you'll use. These are estimates, not offers — always confirm current terms with the issuer. Read our full methodology ›
Frequently asked questions
- Is the Blue Cash Preferred worth the $95 annual fee?
- Not for the spend and credits assumed above — on these numbers it runs about $40/yr behind a free 2% cash-back card. It can still be worth it if you spend more in its bonus categories or use more of its credits than assumed here; try the calculator with your real numbers.
- How much do I need to spend to break even on the Blue Cash Preferred?
- After the credits you've selected, the fastest path is groceries: about $1,775/yr there alone clears the remaining fee through earn. The table below shows the break-even for every bonus category.
- How are the Blue Cash Preferred's credits valued here?
- By default we assume a conservative, realistic share of each credit gets used — never the full advertised face value — because most cardholders don't redeem every credit every year. You can set the exact dollar amount you'll use for each credit above (up to its face value), or uncheck one to count it as $0.
Is another card worth it?
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