Review: Amex EveryDay Credit Card
Recently I reviewed the Amex EveryDay Preferred credit card. This review is for its no-annual fee version, the Amex EveryDay credit card.
Much of what I discussed in the EveryDay Preferred’s review will be applicable to this card, as well.
There are some differences between the two, though, and this review will hit those points while briefly covering the shared aspects, too.
Amex EveryDay Sign-Up Bonus
The current sign-up bonus for the Amex EveryDay card is 10,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months from card approval.
As with the EveryDay Preferred, there have been increased sign-up bonuses in the past. A 25,000 Membership Rewards points sign-up bonus seems to make an appearance every once in a while, which is a much better deal than the card’s usual 10,000 point bonus.
Still, as I mentioned in the Amex EveryDay Preferred review, these sign-up bonuses…especially the regular bonus levels…are not anything to get overly excited about.
Although at 25,000 Membership Rewards points, considering the Amex EveryDay is a no annual fee card, I would give an application serious consideration.
Annual Fee
No annual fee.
Ongoing Benefits
The Amex EveryDay card earns 2 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases. Purchases above the $6,000 threshold at supermarkets would then earn only 1 Membership Rewards point per dollar spent.
All other purchases on the Amex EveryDay card earn 1 Membership Rewards point per dollar spent.
Like the Amex EveryDay Preferred, the Amex EveryDay card has a bonus multiplier when the card is used a certain number of times.
In the Amex EveryDay card’s case, if you use the card 20 or more times on purchases in a billing period, you’ll earn 20% extra points on those purchases.
Which means when the card is used 20 or more times in a month, earning rates would be:
- 2.4 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent at supermarkets
- 1.2 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on all other purchases
While you’re earning a bit more on your grocery spend, it’s definitely not a huge amount.
And the extra .2 of a Membership Rewards point, in my opinion, isn’t worth considering.
Other benefits associated with the EveryDay card are the same as the EveryDay Preferred.
The card offers a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months.
It earns 2 Membership Rewards points per dollar on travel purchases made at amextravel.com.
You can utilize American Express’ primary car rental insurance option for a $24.95 per rental charge.
And you have access to American Express’ purchase benefits: extended warranties, return protection, theft and accidental damage protection as well as a complimentary ShopRunner membership.
Finally, don’t forget the various Amex Offers you have access to simply by being an American Express cardmember.
The Best Feature
The best aspect of the Amex EveryDay card is its ability to earn transferable Membership Rewards points.
While it can earn multiple points per dollar at grocery stores, its earning ability is not as strong as its sibling, the Amex EveryDay Preferred card.
In case you haven’t read the Amex EveryDay Preferred review, here’s a quick look at how Membership Rewards can be used.
Membership Rewards Points
Membership Rewards points can be transferred to the airline travel partners below at the transfer rates noted.
AeroMexico (1,000 MR to 1,600)
Air Canada (1,000 MR to 1,000)
Air France/KLM (1,000 MR to 1,000)
Alitalia (1,000 MR to 1,000)
All Nippon Airways (1,000 MR to 1,000)
Asia Miles (1,000 MR to 1,000)
British Airways (250 MR to 200)
Delta SkyMiles (1,000 MR to 1,000)
El Al (1,000 MR to 20)
Emirates (1,000 MR to 1,000)
Etihad Guest (1,000 MR to 1,000)
Hawaiian Airlines (1,000 MR to 1,000)
Iberia (250 MR to 200)
JetBlue (250 MR to 200)
Singapore Airlines (1,000 MR to 1,000)
Virgin America (200 MR to 100)
Virgin Atlantic (1,000 MR to 1,000)
Transfers of Membership Rewards points to U.S. airline frequent flyer accounts incur an excise tax offset fee of $0.0006 per point with a maximum fee of $99.
For example, if you transferred 50,000 Membership Rewards points to your Delta SkyMiles account, your linked credit card would be charged $30. The same would be true for transfers to Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue and Virgin America (until its merger with Alaska Airlines is complete).
And hotel travel partners (and their transfer rates):
Choice (1,000 MR to 1,000)
Hilton (1,000 MR to 1,500)
Starwood (1,000 MR to 333)
Those familiar with the Starwood-Marriott merger know that points can now be combined between those two programs. Which means, indirectly, you can build Marriott points, as well, with a transfer of Membership Rewards points.
The Membership Rewards program offers plenty of transfer partners from which to choose. Most offer favorable transfer rates to get you that much closer to an award flight or hotel stay. And, occasionally, transfer bonuses will be offered – such as the current Virgin Atlantic transfer bonus where 1,000 Membership Rewards points get you 1,300 Virgin Atlantic miles rather than the typical 1,000.
As I highlighted in the EveryDay Preferred review, the sign-up bonuses – on both cards – are fairly low, which makes redeeming reward point sign-up bonuses for anything meaningful difficult at best.
A 10,000 point sign-up bonus by itself might, and I strongly stress might, get one free night in the lowest category hotel, or possibly a one-way economy class ticket for a short distance flight within the U.S. mainland.
Even with a sign-up bonus and putting all your spend on this one card for a year, you’d be hard pressed to get significant value from the Membership Rewards points you’d have earned.
American Express Application Rules
American Express has instituted a once-in-a-lifetime rule for getting credit card sign-up bonuses.
If you’ve received a sign-up bonus for the Amex EveryDay card in the past, you will not receive the bonus again.
So, as with any American Express card, you want to make your application count and only apply for the highest sign-up bonus possible.
Which, in the case of the Amex EveryDay card, would be the 25,000 Membership Rewards points sign-up bonus.
Or, if you happen to see a sign-up bonus higher than that, then I’d definitely make an application.
I would not, however, apply for the Amex EveryDay card for its typical 10,000 Membership Rewards points sign-up bonus.
Wrap Up
I view the Amex EveryDay card as a sign-up bonus card only. And even then, only at the 25,000-point bonus level.
While it does offer 2 points for grocery spend, if your goal is to earn more rewards points on groceries, there are other options I would consider first. Like the Amex EveryDay Preferred and its higher earning level.
Or possibly the Chase Freedom card with its rotating quarterly 5x per dollar categories. Yes, grocery stores are usually only bonused during one quarter, but with a little ingenuity, you can spread that out to over half a year.
And, if you do sign up for the Amex EveryDay Preferred card, and decide after the first year to not pay its $95 annual fee, you can always downgrade to the Amex EveryDay card to keep your length of credit, credit line and other American Express benefits intact.
As with the Amex EveryDay Preferred, to maximize Membership Rewards points, you’ll definitely want to pair the Amex EveryDay card with other Membership Rewards earning cards. As I’ve said multiple times now, the sign-up bonus is just too small, and the ongoing bonused spend categories too limited, to make this your sole Membership Rewards earning credit card if free flights and hotel stays are your goal.
