Chase Freedom Unlimited® vs. Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express

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The Chase Freedom Unlimited® and the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express are two popular credit cards that offer distinct cash-back rewards programs. This article provides an objective comparison of these two cards, focusing on key aspects such as their rewards, annual fees, introductory offers, and other features.

Chase Freedom Unlimited® vs. Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express

Welcome Offer

Chase Freedom Unlimited®: Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That's 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases. Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express: Earn a $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months. Terms Apply.

You have the potential to earn more with the Chase Freedom Unlimited® welcome bonus. So we give the win to Chase in this round.

Cash Back Rewards

Chase Freedom Unlimited® offers 5% cash back on travel purchases when booked through Chase Travel(SM); 3% cash back on dining, including take out; 3% cash back at drugstores, and 1.5% cash back on everything else. Those points are pretty cool. You can use them as statement credits and gift cards, or you can get more value when you use your rewards to book travel through Chase Travel(SM).

For example, transfer your Chase points to the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, and your points are worth 25% more if you use them to purchase travel through Chase Travel(SM). Or, you can get 50% more value if you transfer your rewards to the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and use your points to book travel through Chase Travel(SM).

Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express offers 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets; 3% cash back on U.s. online retail purchases; and 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations. This is all subject to a cap of $6,000 a year per category; after that, you’ll earn 1% cash back. The cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or on Amazon.com at checkout.

Which card is the better deal for you depends on how you spend money. If you spend more on groceries, then the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express is the way to go. If you spend more on travel and dining, then the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is an excellent choice.

Here are the details for each card.

Chase Freedom Unlimited® 

Rewards: 

Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express 

Rewards:

Rates and Fees

Both cards have the same introductory offer. You get 0% Intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months with the Chase Freedom Unlimited®. After that, your rate will be 20.49% - 29.24% variable, depending on creditworthiness.

The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express also offers 0% Intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months, after which your rate will be 18.74% - 29.74%, depending on creditworthiness.

Neither card has an annual fee, but both have foreign transaction fees. The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express has a slightly lower foreign transaction fee, but if you’re traveling internationally, you should bring a card that doesn’t have any foreign transaction fees.

Who the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is Best For

If you travel at all, it’s hard to say no to the Chase Freedom Unlimited®. You’ll earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel(SM). Again, if you have one of the Chase cards we mentioned above, the Sapphire Preferred, Ink Business Preferred, or the Sapphire Reserve, you can transfer your points from the Freedom Unlimited to one of those cards, making the points worth more when using them for travel through Chase Travel(SM).

In addition, the 3% cash back you get on dining (including takeout) and drugstore purchases is a higher rate than most cards pay, especially cards with no annual fee.

Who the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express is Best For

The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express has decent rewards on groceries, gas and online purchases, and has no annual fee. You also get a Disney bundle credit of $7 every month after spending $13.99 a month on a Disney bundle, which includes Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. If you spend on groceries, gas, and online shopping (and who doesn’t?) this card is a good option for you.

Does it make sense to get both cards?

Yes! If you get both cards, you’ll earn 3% cash back on almost every basic household expense. Neither card has an annual fee, so you can just enjoy the rewards on dining, groceries, gas, drugstore purchases, and travel. These cards complement each other very well.

Before you apply, you should be aware of Chase’s 5/24 rule. This rule (which isn’t officially noted anywhere but crowdsourced through public forums) means Chase will not extend credit to anyone who has opened more than five new accounts in the last 24 months–any credit card, not just Chase credit cards. So if you’ve opened four credit cards in the last 24 months, apply for the Chase Freedom Unlimited® first, and after you’re approved, you can apply for the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, because other card issuers don’t have this rule.

Approval Odds

The credit score data provided for some of the cards listed below comes from publicly available information in several forums. The accuracy of the information cannot be verified. Keep in mind that credit card issuers consider more than an applicant’s credit score and that underwriting standards change over time.

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® requires higher credit scores, but they also extend higher credit limits. The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express card approves lower credit scores, but they extend lower credit limits. If you can’t get approved for the Chase card, give the Blue Cash Everyday card a shot.