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The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is the only American Express cash-back credit card that comes with an annual fee, at least after the first year. But it has the potential to earn enough cash back on many families’ ordinary expenses to offset the annual fee several times over, and it also offers a credit that could offset the fee all by itself.

The Amex Blue Cash Preferred is a great card for families and commuters, because it earns a lot of cash back on grocery, streaming, gas and transit purchases. In fact, in our article about the best cards to use for groceries — and this Amex offering is absolutely among the top choices for that — we called it “the all-American credit card” because it gives top rewards on spending related to things most households in the U.S. do a lot of.

Besides the annual fee, its only major negative is that the cash back it earns can’t be turned into points and used to book travel. But if you aren’t interested in that and only want cash back, the Amex Blue Cash Preferred can deliver serious value, with only a few caveats. Let’s look at why this card is a serious contender for many families.

Welcome offer: Earn $250 cash back after you spend $3,000 in purchases within the first six months.