AMEX BCE BCP

[kwazziee]

I have been comparing the two cards and see not much different beside the annual fee. If I am someone who will use it mostly for grocery and gas which would be better for me? What is the benefit of the two? Thanks.

[codimom]

When I app'd for my BCE, I chose it simply because it had no fee.  Now I'm really regreting that I didn't go ahead and app for the bcp.  the rewards levels are higher, and my grocery spend alone will cover the AF.  It is my primary use card.  Next July I'm going to see if I can switch to a BCP (can't for the first year...)

[djrez4]

Amex has a calculator on their website that lets you see which card is more appropriate for your spending.  Don't forget to account for the $75 AF - you need an extra $150 in rewards on the BCP to make it worth your while.  The break even point is right around $210 per month in grocery spending only.  It's not hard to justify the BCP.  Plus, you get an extra $50 bonus cash on the BCP.

So, BCP - $150 bonus covers the annual fee for two years.  $210 a month on groceries only covers the annual fee in cash back from year 3 forward.

Rough calculations for $210 a month of groceries over 10 years nets you $987 with the BCP and $856 with the BCE.  Start a family or eat a reasonable amount of food and that skyrockets.

[SubseaEngineer]

I spend about $500 / month each on gasoline and groceries.  I also have a Discover More, which gives me 5% on gas 6 months out of the year.

Assuming 12 months of groceries and 6 months of gas when I'm not buying on Discover, the BCP card (even after the annual fee) still generates $135 more per year in rewards than the BCE.

So which card is best for you really depends on your spending habits.

[espnjunkie]

I'd go for the BCP. The 6% on groceries is a whopping cash back percentage that cannot be beat. If you spend 50.00 or more per month on groceries it pays for itself, and that's not including any spending on gas or department stores.

[CruzImperial]

I have the bcp and the rewards have been extraordinarily bigger than my discover ones (except for 5percent purchases).
To be honest, if you buy more than $200 on groceries a month, it is well worth it.

[EandK23]

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@codimom wrote:

When I app'd for my BCE, I chose it simply because it had no fee.  Now I'm really regreting that I didn't go ahead and app for the bcp.  the rewards levels are higher, and my grocery spend alone will cover the AF.  It is my primary use card.  Next July I'm going to see if I can switch to a BCP (can't for the first year...)

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+1

[annab]

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@kwazziee wrote:

I have been comparing the two cards and see not much different beside the annual fee. If I am someone who will use it mostly for grocery and gas which would be better for me? What is the benefit of the two? Thanks.

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I've had the BCE for a while, and made my husband apply for the BCP to get the $150 sign up bonus (since existing cardmembers are not eligible to receive it) - this essentially lets me "try it out" for free for 2 yrs !

Per another poster, there is a calculator on the amex website that shows you the cash back rewards on each card based on how much you spend on each category so I will not get into dollar specifics.

@BUT what lured me to app for the BCP is that you can buy gift cards @ the grocery store and you will essentially be getting that nice 6% off at that retailer too!  so far i've gotten $100 gift card to Amazon, $50 to Red Lobster, and a bunch of GULF gas cards.  i would say go check out your local supermarket/grocery store and see what gift cards they carry, and then double check that they accept AMEX before you app.  if you're unsure whether your grocery store is categorized as a grocery store (i.e. by their merchant code), then use another AMEX card and swipe it there to be sure.

@I.e. we buy 6 GULF gas cards ($25 each) at a time, and use them @ GULF gas stations to get 6% back instead of the 2% we get from my BCE.  Not to mention, because it's a gift card, we actually get the CASH price for gas, instead of getting charged the CREDIT price (which is about 10 cents higher).  so really @ $4 / gallon, I am saving $0.34 / gallon which is 8.5% CB vs. using the credit card directly at the gas station !

[espnjunkie]

Although very cheeky, theoretically it would work I think. Although to make it worth the effort you really have to buy a ton of gift cards, and that's a pain.

[LS2982]

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BCP will be my choice next year. Really looking forward to it!!