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

Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Doughroller. Commissions do not affect our authors’ or editors’ opinions or evaluations. Learn more here.

Welcome Bonus

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 Ultimate Rewards®, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases.

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.

The Chase bonus has the potential to earn slightly more money, but $20,000 is a significant amount to put on a credit card. You only need to spend $3,000 to get the bonus for the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, so it gets the win here.

Cash Back Rewards

Since Chase Freedom Unlimited® offers the elevated cash back for the first year, you get 6.5% cash back on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards®; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining; and 3% cash back on everything else. Note that this is only for the first year and only up to $20,000 in purchases. After that, you'll earn 5% cash back on travel, 3% on drugstore purchases and dining, and 1.5% cash back on everything else.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® earns Chase Ultimate Rewards®. You can transfer your points to a Chase card that offers a bonus on these points, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, or transfer them to Chase's travel partners for even bigger rewards.

One of the most compelling reasons to get the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is its 6% cash back on groceries. This is an industry-leading cash back amount, even with the cap of $6,000 a year. You also get 6% cash back on select streaming services and 3% cash back on gas and transit. This includes tolls, ride share, parking, bus fares–almost anything associated with ground transportation. You also get a $7 monthly credit with an eligible Disney Bundle subscription, which includes Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+.

Which card is a better choice for you is pretty subjective. Where do you spend the most money, and which card offers a better value? If you travel often, the Chase card might be a better fit. But if you spend more on groceries and spend your evenings streaming the latest hits, Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express might be a better value.

Here are the details for each card.

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

Rewards:

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express 

Rewards:

Rates and Fees

Both cards have a 0% introductory APR offer.

Chase Freedom Unlimited® offers 0% on both purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months. After that, your rate will be 20.49% - 29.24% variable, depending on creditworthiness.

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express offers 0% on purchases for the first 12 months. After that, your rate will be 19.24% - 29.99%, variable, depending on creditworthiness.

You get a longer period of time to enjoy the introductory rate with the Chase card, even if you transfer a balance, so this is a win for Chase.

Also, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express has an annual fee of $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95. The Chase card does not have an annual fee.

Chase Freedom Unlimited® has a slightly higher foreign transaction fee: 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars vs. 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars. You wouldn't want to take either card anywhere internationally because there are cards out there that don't have foreign transaction fees. We list several credit cards with no foreign transaction fees in our list of best travel credit cards.

Who the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is Best For

If you travel even once a year and don't want a card with an annual fee, you may find the Chase Freedom Unlimited® a good addition to your wallet. You may also decide to get a more premium Chase card later, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. Then you can transfer your points to the Preferred card and get 25% more value for your points when you use them to book travel through Chase. Or you can transfer the points to a travel partner for possibly even more value.

You also get the elevated rewards on dining and drugstore purchases, so those who either eat out or order take out frequently will appreciate those benefits. And there's no annual fee, which is great.

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

People who spend $6,000 a year on groceries (which is only $500 a month), and who have more streaming services than they can count will love the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express. This card is also great for people who spend on gas, parking, train fares, or rideshares. Unlike the grocery category, cash back for gas and streaming is uncapped. It does have an annual fee, but it's not terrible, and it's waived for the first year.

You could always give it a try to see if it works for you and if you're not happy with it, you can cancel it or downgrade to a card with no annual fee, such as the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express.

Also, check out our comparison of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express vs. Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express as these two cards do pair well with each other.

Approval Odds

The credit score data listed below comes from publicly available information in a number of 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® 

The following credit score data are based on publicly available information we have collected from various forums. We have no way to confirm the accuracy of this data. In addition, keep in mind that credit card issuers use a number of factors in their underwriting process, and these factors can change at any time.

App Status	Date	Credit Score	Bureau	Credit Limit
Approved	03/04/2022	724	TransUnion	$13,900
Approved	03/04/2022	726	Experian	$13,900
Approved	02/16/2022	772	Experian	$18,000
Approved	02/16/2022	778	TransUnion	$18,000
Approved	02/16/2022	803	Equifax	$18,000
Approved	03/02/2022	793	TransUnion	$12,700
Approved	06/07/2021	782	Experian	$4,700
Approved	08/01/2021	772	Equifax	$13,200
Approved	08/01/2021	773	Experian	$13,200
Approved	08/01/2021	818	TransUnion	$13,200

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express 

The following credit score data are based on publicly available information we have collected from various forums. We have no way to confirm the accuracy of this data. In addition, keep in mind that credit card issuers use a number of factors in their underwriting process, and these factors can change at any time.

App Status	Date	Credit Score	Bureau	Credit Limit
Approved	05/17/2021	675	Experian	$2,000
Approved	04/09/2022	780	Experian	$6,000
Approved	04/09/2022	787	TransUnion	$6,000
Approved	12/17/2021	680	Experian	$1,000
Approved	12/17/2021	692	TransUnion	$1,000
Approved	03/20/2022	673	Experian	$1,000
Approved	07/21/2021	681	Experian	$1,000

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express may entertain lower credit scores than the Chase card. Also, while all banks may look at opening multiple cards in a short time with some askance, Chase is well known for having an unwritten 5/24 rule. The rule means you likely won't be approved for a Chase card if you've opened five credit cards in the past 24 months. So, if you're thinking of applying for both cards, you may want to apply for the Chase card first.