BEST CREDIT CARDSBEST CREDIT CARDSAMEX EVERYDAY REVIEW: AMEX POINTS FOR NO ANNUAL FEE

Amex EveryDay Review: AmEx Points for No Annual Fee

You can earn 2X rewards at U.S. supermarkets, and you can score a 20% bonus if you use the card enough (maybe even ... every day).
Melissa Lambarena Author Avatar
Jun 20, 2023 3:30 p.m. PDT
Edited by
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This page includes information about the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card, currently unavailable on NerdWallet. The information about the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been provided or reviewed by the card issuer.

3.3

NerdWallet rating
The bottom line:

If you're committed to the American Express points ecosystem, it might fit neatly into your wallet, but on its own, this card is pretty lackluster.

Pros
  • Decent rewards rate
  • No annual fee
Cons
  • Foreign transaction fee
  • Longer 0% intro APRs available elsewhere
  • Higher rewards available elsewhere
Amex EveryDay® Credit Card Image
Amex EveryDay® Credit Card
Annual Fee

$0

Regular APR

17.99%-28.99% Variable APR

Intro APR

0% Intro on Purchases for 15 months

Rec. credit score

Amex EveryDay® Credit Card
Amex EveryDay® Credit Card Image

Annual Fee

$0

Regular APR

17.99%-28.99% Variable APR

  • Annual fee

    $0

  • Rewards rate

    1x-2x

  • Bonus offer

    Earn 10,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you use your new Card to make $2,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms apply.

  • Intro APR

    0% Intro on Purchases for 15 months

  • Ongoing APR

    APR: 17.99%-28.99% Variable APR

    Penalty APR: 29.99%, Variable

    Cash Advance APR: 29.99%, Variable

  • Foreign transaction fee

    2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars.

More details from American Express
  • Earn 20% Extra Points - Use your Card 20 or more times on purchases in a billing period and get 20% more points on those purchases less returns and credits.
  • 2X Points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1X).
  • No Annual Fee.
  • Terms Apply.
  • Information about the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card has been collected independently by NerdWallet and has not been provided or reviewed by the issuer of this card.

Compare to Other Cards

ANNUAL FEE
$0
REGULAR APR
17.24%-28.24% Variable APR
Rates & Fees
INTRO APR
0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers
RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE
ANNUAL FEE
$95
REGULAR APR
21.49%-28.49% Variable APR
INTRO APR
N/A
RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE
ANNUAL FEE
$0
REGULAR APR
18.24%-28.24% Variable APR
INTRO APR
0% intro APR on Purchases for 15 billing cycles and 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days
RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE
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Detailed review: Amex EveryDay® Credit Card

"Everyday" can be a synonym for "ordinary" or "run-of-the-mill," and that description applies to the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card.

It's a pretty basic rewards card whose most noteworthy features are the rewards boost it gives you for using it frequently and the fact that it is the only $0-annual-fee consumer American Express card to give out travel-friendly Membership Rewards points.

🤓Nerdy Tip

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express also earns Membership Rewards for a $0 annual fee. If you qualify for a business credit card, this card is an appealing option that earns 2X rewards on all purchases up to $50,000 each calendar year. Terms apply.

Amex EveryDay® Credit Card: Basics

All information about the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card has been collected independently by NerdWallet. The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card is no longer available through NerdWallet.

Card type: Rewards.

Annual fee: $0.

Rewards:

  • 2 Membership Rewards points for every dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 a year in spending, then 1 point per dollar.)

  • 2 points per dollar on eligible travel purchases booked through amextravel.com.

  • 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.

  • A 20% points bonus for each billing period in which you use the card at least 20 times.

  • Terms apply.

The value of Membership Rewards points varies, depending on how you redeem them. They can be redeemed for travel, cash, gift cards and more. They can also be transferred to the loyalty programs of partner airlines and hotel chains. Some options may require a minimum amount to redeem.

Airlines

  • Aer Lingus (1:1 ratio).

  • AeroMexico (1:1.6 ratio).

  • Air Canada. (1:1 ratio).

  • Air France/KLM (1:1 ratio).

  • ANA (1:1 ratio).

  • Avianca (1:1 ratio).

  • British Airways (1:1 ratio).

  • Cathay Pacific (1:1 ratio)

  • Delta Air Lines (1:1 ratio).

  • Emirates (1:1 ratio).

  • Etihad Airways (1:1 ratio).

  • Hawaiian Airlines (1:1 ratio).

  • Iberia Plus (1:1 ratio).

  • JetBlue Airways (2.5:2 ratio).

  • Qantas (1:1 ratio).

  • Qatar Airways (1:1 ratio).

  • Singapore Airlines (1:1 ratio).

  • Virgin Atlantic Airways (1:1 ratio).

Hotels

  • Choice Hotels (1:1 ratio).

  • Hilton Hotels & Resorts (1:2 ratio).

  • Marriott Hotels & Resorts (1:1 ratio).

For details on transfer ratios, see AmEx's website.

Welcome offer: Earn 10,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you use your new Card to make $2,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms apply.

Foreign transaction fee: 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to U.S. dollars. Terms apply.

Other benefits:

  • AmEx’s instant card numbers: Immediately use the card after approval with an eligible digital wallet while you wait for it to arrive in the mail. Terms apply.

  • Pay It and Plan It®: The Pay It option lets you pay off smaller purchases one at a time. The Plan It option allows you to pay down purchases of $100 or more over time for a fixed monthly finance charge. Terms apply.

  • Send and Split™: When you enroll, you may use this feature in AmEx's app to pay someone back or split a bill with friends. Terms apply.

  • A lower hotel rates guarantee: AmEx refunds the difference if you book a hotel on amextravel.com and then find it at a lower price online. Terms apply.

Benefits and perks

A modest welcome bonus

The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card offers this bonus: Earn 10,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you use your new Card to make $2,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms apply. The rewards are relatively modest, but they're certainly better than no incentives at all. NerdWallet values Membership Rewards points at a baseline average of 1 cent apiece. So a 10,000-point offer may equate to $100. Or, if you transfer to travel partners, you could earn outsize value for your points.

A lengthy 0% intro APR on purchases

The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card offers new cardholders an interest-free window on purchases: 0% Intro on Purchases for 15 months, and then the ongoing APR of 17.99%-28.99% Variable APR. (see rates and fees). That’s enough time to finance a big purchase or several small ones.

A 20% increase in rewards

The card's 20% points bonus is better than nothing, but it’s not automatic. Only after using the card 20 or more times in a billing period will you qualify for the higher rate. Assuming you get a value of 1 cent per point, that boosts the effective rewards rate to 1.2% on purchases, and 2.4% in the bonus categories. However, plenty of other cards offer better rates.

Drawbacks and considerations

You can get a better bonus and uncapped rewards

The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card earns an unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases. That effectively doubles the base rate of the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card. This card also has a $0 annual fee and a better sign-up offer: Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.

Fatter grocery rewards are available elsewhere ...

If you spend a lot of money on groceries, other cards can reward you much more handsomely. The $0-annual-fee Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, for instance, earns 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, at U.S. gas stations and on U.S. online retail purchases (on up to $6,000 per year in spending in each category). Other purchases earn 1% back. Terms apply.

For rewards on grocery store purchases without a cap, the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is a solid option. It offers 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases and 3% back on dining, eligible streaming services, grocery store purchases and entertainment. All other purchases earn 1% back. It has a $0 annual fee.

... as are richer travel rewards

While the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card packs some travel-friendly features and incentives, it doesn’t offer the most value. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card can inch you closer to a vacation with standout rewards on everyday purchases and travel. It earns 5 points per $1 spent on all travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3 points per $1 spent on online grocery purchases, 3 points per $1 spent on dining, 3 points per $1 spent on streaming services, 2 points per $1 spent on travel not purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards® and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.

It does have a $95 annual fee, but the perks can potentially make up for it. Cardholders get a $50 annual credit on hotel stays purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. Plus, it has a healthy sign-up offer: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

Foreign transaction fee

Although the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card attempts to appeal to travelers with bonus rewards for certain travel, it's not a good card to take with you abroad, since it charges a foreign transaction fee of 2.7%. The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card charges no such fees. Further, its rewards are more flexible for travelers. Earn 2 miles per dollar spent, and miles can be redeemed for a statement credit against any travel purchase — no matter how you booked it. This card comes with a hefty sign-up offer: Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel. There is an annual fee, however: $95.

Alternate Pick: Easy 5% cash back
No annual fee

Earn 5% cash back on up to $500 spent in your highest spend category per billing cycle from a list of 10 eligible options (including grocery stores and select travel). All other purchases get 1% back. The card also has a sign-up offer: Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.

How to decide if it's right for you

The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card is OK as a rewards card, and it doesn’t cost you anything to carry. But there are much better rewards cards available for everyday and travel spending.

All information about the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card has been collected independently by NerdWallet. The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card is no longer available through NerdWallet. All information about The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express has been collected independently by NerdWallet. The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express is no longer available through NerdWallet.

To view rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, see this page.

Methodology

NerdWallet reviews credit cards with an eye toward both the quantitative and qualitative features of a card. Quantitative features are those that boil down to dollars and cents, such as fees, interest rates, rewards (including earning rates and redemption values) and the cash value of benefits and perks. Qualitative factors are those that affect how easy or difficult it is for a typical cardholder to get good value from the card. They include such things as the ease of application, simplicity of the rewards structure, the likelihood of using certain features, and whether a card is well-suited to everyday use or is best reserved for specific purchases. Our star ratings serve as a general gauge of how each card compares with others in its class, but star ratings are intended to be just one consideration when a consumer is choosing a credit card. Learn how NerdWallet rates credit cards.

Frequently asked questions

The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card is a rewards credit card that offers 2 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 spent per year, and 1 point per dollar spent on everything else. Further, if you use the card for purchases 20 or more times in a billing period, you get 20% more points for those purchases. Terms apply. It’s the only $0-annual-fee American Express credit card that earns Membership Rewards points.

For a time, the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card was also an outstanding balance transfer card, with a long 0% intro APR period and a $0 introductory balance transfer fee. Its balance-transfer benefits were discontinued in 2020.

Even if you maximize your rewards at U.S. supermarkets and earn the 20% points bonus by using the card 20 or more times each billing period, the card will probably fall short compared with options that give you a flat 2% cash back on everything. If elevated rewards on purchases at supermarkets are specifically what you’re after, there are other credit cards with no annual fee that reward that spending category more generously.

  • The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express earns cash back rather than points, and more of it: 3% back at U.S. supermarkets, at U.S. gas stations and on U.S. online retail purchases (on up to $6,000 spent per year in each category), and 1% on everything else.

  • The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card earns 2 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 spent per year and 1 point per dollar on everything else. Both cards have a $0 annual fee. Terms apply.

Bonus rewards at U.S. supermarkets are capped at $6,000 a year in spending, but there is no limit on the total rewards you can earn. Beyond the 2X bonus rewards, you still earn 1 point per dollar on all spending. Terms apply.

The annual fee is $0. Terms apply.

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