topic Re: AMEX Blue Cash Preferred Grocery Cap in Credit Cards

AMEX Blue Cash Preferred Grocery Cap

dudley — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 22:18:25 GMT

How many of you guys (girls?) have the BCP card and how fast do you run out of the $6000 grocery cap for the 6% and what do you use after?

I am thinking of the astronomical rise of groceries and how tariffs (if enacted) will affect it.

It just seems that the $6000 cap is getting lamer and lamer. I use this card because it is my oldest tradeline (24 years).

Re: AMEX Blue Cash Preferred Grocery Cap

GZG — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 23:11:41 GMT

@dudley wrote:
How many of you guys (girls?) have the BCP card and how fast do you run out of the $6000 grocery cap for the 6% and what do you use after?

I am thinking of the astronomical rise of groceries and how tariffs (if enacted) will affect it.

It just seems that the $6000 cap is getting lamer and lamer. I use this card because it is my oldest tradeline (24 years).

here's to hoping the 2025 revamps include increases to the caps because it was $6k like however many years ago where you could buy I'm sure 1.5-3x more than you can now

you could always product change down to the BCE if you don't want to pay the AF anymore, and then hopefully get an upgrade offer to go back to the BCP in order to be paid to hold the BCP, but if you're using the $6k cap, I imagine it's still a well worthwhile card for you

Re: AMEX Blue Cash Preferred Grocery Cap

Varsity_Lu — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 00:30:18 GMT

@dudley

About 4-5 months to reach the $6k max. My wife and I both have a BCP and we max them both out each year. We use Savor for the 2-3 months we are maxed out waiting for the reset.

Re: AMEX Blue Cash Preferred Grocery Cap

ptatohed — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 00:35:57 GMT

Unless you are maxing out the $6k grocery spend and maybe using some of the other benefits (6% streaming, streaming credit) you might be better off using a 5% card with no AF.

$6000 x .06 = $360 - $95 = $265 / $6000 = 4.4% Cash Back. (at exact $6000 spend only)

Re: AMEX Blue Cash Preferred Grocery Cap

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 05:28:49 GMT

@ptatohed wrote:
Unless you are maxing out the $6k grocery spend and maybe using some of the other benefits (6% streaming, streaming credit) you might be better off using a 5% card with no AF.

$6000 x .06 = $360 - $95 = $265 / $6000 = 4.4% Cash Back. (at exact $6000 spend only)

RIght, I use the BCP only when I have upgraded to it with waived annual fee. We mainly use Chase Amazon as most of our stuff is brought at Whole Foods. For other places (mainly Trader Joes) I use Freedom/Discover/Dividend if a) it's the right quarter and b) I remember, otherwise the US Bank Altitude Reserve.

But in general, if you get 4% on smartly, that's not a bad choice for uncapped grocery spend.

Re: AMEX Blue Cash Preferred Grocery Cap

FicoMike0 — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 05:50:21 GMT

I just recently took the bcp upgrade. I'm going to keep track, but I doubt we'll exceed $6000. Just two of us. Right now I'm looking to put on the $1000 spend for the sub. That shouldn't take long.

As far as the tariffs, which I don't think will happen, my wife asked about that. We did an inventory of the pantry, nothing from mexico, Canada or china. No avocados in the fridg. Even the maple syrup is from Vermont.

Re: AMEX Blue Cash Preferred Grocery Cap

ElvisCaprice — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 06:24:19 GMT

Since this card doesn't include Walmart or Costco. I would be lucky to spend $500 for the entire year. Thus I just use a Citi Custom Cash for the 5 to 5.55%. I would get it just for the SUB, but it would be difficult to put enough organic spend on it for the SUB. I would use it for financing a new checking account but there are very few, if any, that take AMEX.

So it's a no can do, AMEX.

Re: AMEX Blue Cash Preferred Grocery Cap

markbeiser — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 07:09:48 GMT

I exceeded the $6k cap last year, even with using my Discover when grocery was the 5% category, and various enhanced CB grocery offers on some of my other cards.
80-90% of my grocery spend is at a local butcher shop that sells ungraded grass fed/finished beef for cheap, and also pastured eggs and raw milk cheese, so was not hard to max it just shopping for one person.
It would certainly be nice if they raised the cap...

Re: AMEX Blue Cash Preferred Grocery Cap

MitchDeerfield — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 15:20:44 GMT

Citi Custom Cash pays 5% cashback on groceries, no AF.

Re: AMEX Blue Cash Preferred Grocery Cap

jcar — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 15:44:57 GMT

I would recommend the Citi Custom Cash card. It's my go to card for groceries. And it does not have an annual fee either.

I've also seen people have 2 Custom Cash cards. Not sure if you have to product change or if you can just straight up apply for another but it's helpful either way to have 2 if you spend more than $500/mo in groceries.

Re: AMEX Blue Cash Preferred Grocery Cap

Varsity_Lu — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 15:50:53 GMT

@MitchDeerfield

BCP gives me $84 back on my Disney+ ESPN subscription, so the "real" AF for me is only $11. That makes the grocery category effectively 5.8% cash back. And I use BCP for gas at 3% because I hate carrying a ton of cards in my wallet. The simplicity of a single card with multiple bonus categories is well worth it for me.

Re: AMEX Blue Cash Preferred Grocery Cap

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 16:31:32 GMT

@MitchDeerfield wrote:
Citi Custom Cash pays 5% cashback on groceries, no AF.

And I think paypal debit has a grocery choice, 5% back on up to $1000 a month, no fee (and no credit record impact, which can be good or bad!)

Re: AMEX Blue Cash Preferred Grocery Cap

Varsity_Lu — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 16:42:10 GMT

@Anonymous

If you can get PayPal to work. I've had serious issues with their debit card not workimg. So frustrated with it I gave up trying.

Re: AMEX Blue Cash Preferred Grocery Cap

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 19:28:09 GMT

@Varsity_Lu wrote:
@Anonymous

If you can get PayPal to work. I've had serious issues with their debit card not workimg. So frustrated with it I gave up trying.

Interesting. Works every time for me on gas (except the one 1st of the month where I had forgotten to set the category)

Re: AMEX Blue Cash Preferred Grocery Cap

NoMoreE46 — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 00:01:45 GMT

Regarding the BCP's AF, there is a tactic to avoid it. This isnt perfect but seems to have worked out for many.

Upon the AF hitting, downgrade to the no AF BCE. After a certain amount of time, one may get the Invite to upgrade to the BCP with the $95 Waived for the 1st year. This invite sometimes even comes with a spend offer like $150 back for $1000 in three months.

I personally havent been able to test this tactic but will do so later this year. If it doesnt go my way, I have got 2 CCC.

Yes, one can have 2 CCC as noted by @jcar - the 2nd is obtained by a PC.

https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Cards/Which-Citi-card-to-PC/m-p/6789984#M1876745

PS, some Neighborhood Walmarts do code as a grocery store. I get 6% from my BCP at my Neigborhood Wmt.

Re: AMEX Blue Cash Preferred Grocery Cap

Gregory1776 — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 02:36:16 GMT

@markbeiser wrote:
I exceeded the $6k cap last year, even with using my Discover when grocery was the 5% category, and various enhanced CB grocery offers on some of my other cards.
80-90% of my grocery spend is at a local butcher shop that sells ungraded grass fed/finished beef for cheap, and also pastured eggs and raw milk cheese, so was not hard to max it just shopping for one person.
It would certainly be nice if they raised the cap...

That's great!! Good on you with the raw milk. That stuff is a super food! I need to find a shop like that, but Raw Milk is Illegal in NJ.

Re: AMEX Blue Cash Preferred Grocery Cap

Gregory1776 — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 02:38:23 GMT

@Varsity_Lu wrote:
@Anonymous

If you can get PayPal to work. I've had serious issues with their debit card not workimg. So frustrated with it I gave up trying.

I tried "paying with PayPal" at the self checkout, wouldn't work. Get to the check out line and get your total then adding money to it is annoying.

Re: AMEX Blue Cash Preferred Grocery Cap

Gregory1776 — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 02:40:39 GMT

I don't run out and spend heavily in the grocery store on organic and fresh produce.

Re: AMEX Blue Cash Preferred Grocery Cap

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 03:00:22 GMT

@Gregory1776 wrote:
@Varsity_Lu wrote:
@Anonymous

If you can get PayPal to work. I've had serious issues with their debit card not workimg. So frustrated with it I gave up trying.
I tried "paying with PayPal" at the self checkout, wouldn't work. Get to the check out line and get your total then adding money to it is annoying.

Yes, I agree on that, a "real" autoload feature would be much better.

For those who don't know, you can set it to autoload from a backup funding source, add $Y if balance is less than $X. And I first thought that meant, for example, if I had $50 in my balance and wanted to spend $60, it would notice that I didn't have enough and do an autoload. It doesn't, it just rejects the $60 until you manually add more.

But still worth it for me!

Re: AMEX Blue Cash Preferred Grocery Cap

UncleB — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 03:50:49 GMT

@Gregory1776 wrote:
@Varsity_Lu wrote:
@Anonymous

If you can get PayPal to work. I've had serious issues with their debit card not workimg. So frustrated with it I gave up trying.
I tried "paying with PayPal" at the self checkout, wouldn't work. Get to the check out line and get your total then adding money to it is annoying.

The self-checkouts have confusing options these days.

How I get it to work at Walmart is by using the physical (plastic) Paypal Debit card; it runs just like any other debit card (I don't bother with the Paypal stuff on the self checkout screen). Most of the time it doesn't ask for the PIN, but occasionally it will. That is the only weird part for me; I've yet to figure out what makes it ask on some purchases and not others (all are similar dollar amounts) but it's more of a curiosity than inconvenience.

I agree that it's mildly annoying having to preload the Paypal account, but when shopping I have a rough idea of how much is in my basket and I don't mind if a trivial amount of money is left over (it'll just get used next time). I usually fund my PP account at home just before leaving for the store, but if something comes up while shopping and I see that I'm going to spend more than expected it's simple enough to add more funds instantly before I get up to the register.

I can see how this isn't for everybody (I'm still eyeing the AAA Visa myself) but for now the PP debit is a very workable 5% solution for me.