Amex EveryDay Credit Card Review

There’s a reason why it’s called the “EveryDay” card—it’s geared toward supermarket shoppers who make grocery runs and other purchases almost daily. The opportunity to earn enhanced rewards and pay no annual fee makes this a solid choice for shoppers who want to make the most out of their regular expenses.

While there are lots of cash-back cards that might make sense for such a shopper, if you’re looking for a little rewards flexibility, this card offers a nice menu of redemption options. If you need an extra selling point, the decent 0% APR balance-transfer period, paired with a rare no-balance-transfer-fee offer can help you make headway on a nagging debt.

• No annual fee: This card allows you to earn Membership Rewards points without having to pay yearly for the privilege to do so. Other American Express “everyday” cards carry an annual fee. 
• Top-notch balance transfer offer: While there are a few cards out there with longer 0% introductory periods for balance transfers, most of those have balance transfer fees around 3%. Just make sure you do the transfer within 60 days of opening the card.
• Extra rewards for grocery spending: If you spend about $500 a month in groceries, you can maximize your rewards earnings. It isn’t the highest offer on the market, but if you don’t have excellent-tier credit and can’t stand the thought of an annual fee, it’s a solid choice.
• A 20% points bonus for frequent use: The extra 20% boost in points you can get by using the card 20 times in a billing period is a nice perk. It may take a little planning if you’re only a once-a-week grocery shopper to use the card enough (especially if it’s not the only plastic in your wallet). But if you can swing it each month, why not?

• Just OK rewards: For the rewards alone, the card is middle-of-the-road, at best. But if it’s your first foray into the points world, the card’s other features can still make it a worthwhile choice—and your experiment won’t cost you anything. 
• Foreign transaction fee: You might be earning points you can put toward travel, but it’s not a great card to use when you’re abroad, because it has a foreign transaction fee.
• Mediocre welcome offer: Are there more enticing sign-on bonuses out there? Surely. But as an entry-level rewards card, the Amex EveryDay sets a reasonable spending threshold to earn extra points. You need only rack up around $85 per week at the supermarket to hit the $1,000 minimum in three months.

The welcome offer alone probably won’t entice cardholders since it’s not the best, but it’s still a nice jumpstart toward points earning. If you spend $1,000 in the first three months after opening your card, you earn 10,000 points.

With the American Express EveryDay card, you earn Membership Rewards, which never expire as long as you have an active account. Cardholders earn 2 points per $1 spent at supermarkets up to $6,000 per year. After reaching that limit, supermarket purchases earn 1 point per $1 for the rest of the year, and all other purchases also earn 1 point per $1.

You’ll also get 2 points for every dollar you spend on eligible travel purchases (air, prepaid hotels, vacation packages, or cruise reservations) made through American Express Travel via AmexTravel.com. While you don’t have to worry about tracking rotating categories as you would with other rewards cards, the most you can earn is 2.4 points per $1—that happens when a purchase earns 2 points per $1 and your 20% bonus applies. By comparison, other no-fee rewards cards provide up to 5 points per $1 spent in certain categories. 

What’s nice about points versus cash back is that you have more flexibility. Just be aware that points value varies depending on your redemption choices. For example, using 10,000 points toward an Amazon purchase is worth $70, whereas those same points can save you up to $100 at AmexTravel.com. In most cases, the minimum redemption is 5,000 points, but there are exceptions (such as a 1,000 point minimum when using toward a statement credit).

 Redemption options include:

• Use Membership Rewards points to pay for purchases at participating retailers
• Gift cards
• Statement credit 
• Book travel through American Express Travel 
• Transfer points to travel partners

Spend $1,000 in the first three months to get your 10,000-point welcome offer. Then, be sure to use the card for all of your grocery spending (at least until you hit $6,000), as well as small everyday purchases so you can max out both the 2 points per $1 on supermarket spending and the 20% monthly points bonus (which turns 1 point into 1.2 points and 2 points into 2.4 points). When redeeming, choose options with higher values, like travel booked via amextravel.com or some gift cards.

Most credit cards come with added benefits for cardholders, and there are scores of potential perks you could get from your credit card company. But some stand out for their exceptional value, which is why we want to highlight them. The Amex EveryDay offers one “excellent perk”:

• Travel accident insurance: Get accidental death and dismemberment while traveling on a plane, train, ship, or bus if you paid for the fare with your card.

The following features generally apply to purchases and travel paid for in full with your card. 

• Global Assist Hotline for help while traveling abroad
• Purchase return protection
• Lowest Hotel Rate Guarantee 
• U.S. or Canada Roadside Assistance Hotline
• Purchase protection if something you buy breaks or is stolen
• Secondary rental car loss and damage insurance coverage

Amex has a strong reputation when it comes to customer service. In fact, it narrowly missed first place in the 2018 J.D. Power customer satisfaction ranking. Cardholders have access to customer service 24/7 via the website’s online chat feature or by calling the customer service hotline. You also get free FICO scores, and an online year-end summary is a great tool for analyzing your finances.

You can sign up for Amex’s MyCredit Guide to see your TransUnion credit report weekly at no charge. Other security features include account alerts and notifications, and fraud protection so that you’re automatically off the hook for any unauthorized charges on your account. You can also place an instant freeze via your online account, and request a free replacement card if you misplace your plastic.

Most of the Amex EveryDay’s fees align with the industry standards, but you will be charged a 2.7% fee for each foreign transaction.