If you walked around NerdWallet headquarters and asked the Nerds to show you what was in their wallets, you’d see a lot of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express and the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express. For straight cash-back rewards, these are among our favorites.
Now American Express is adding an unusual perk to encourage people to apply for these cards and use them to pay bills online. Let’s look at the details.
Up to $200 back on cell phone bills
Most credit card sign-up bonuses are designed to reward people for putting a lot of purchases on the card upfront. Generally, you have to spend a certain minimum amount in the first 90 days or so to get the bonus.
American Express is taking a different approach with this limited time offer. If you apply for either the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express or the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express before June 15, 2016, and are approved, you can earn 10% cash back on up to $2,000 in spending at wireless telephone service providers in 2016. That’s up to $200 in additional rewards.
Even if your household is unlikely to spend the full $2,000 before the end of 2016, you can still enjoy getting 10% back both on equipment purchases at the wireless store and on your monthly cell phone bill.
Eligible wireless service providers must be based in the U.S. They include:
- Verizon Wireless
- AT&T
- Sprint
- T-Mobile
- US Cellular
» MORE: NerdWallet’s best cell phone plans
Cell phone equipment bought from retailers such as Amazon or Best Buy, rather than from wireless providers, will not be eligible.
The extra cash back at wireless phone providers is limited to new cardholders only, American Express says. Existing cardholders are not eligible.
“I see this offer as an interesting effort to get consumers to use their American Express for recurring bills — in this case, your cell phone bill,” says Sean McQuay, NerdWallet’s resident credit cards expert.
» MORE: Our review of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
Regular sign-up bonuses still apply
The 10% cash back offer at wireless providers comes on top of these cards’ usual sign-up bonuses.
- The sign-up bonus on the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, including the potential $200 you can earn from wireless service spending: Special Offer - Get up to $300 back. Offer Ends 6/15/2016.
- The sign-up bonus on the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, which also includes up to $200 in rewards on cell phone plans, is slightly higher: Special Offer - Get up to $350 back. Offer Ends 6/15/2016.
Cash-back rewards on these cards are paid out as a statement credit. That includes the regular sign-up bonus, the 10% rewards on wireless service and the cards’ generous day-to-day rewards on purchases at grocery stores, gas stations and select department stores.
» MORE: Our review of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
Is this a good deal?
It’s nice to see a sign-up bonus that doesn’t require you to go out and spend a lot of money you might not otherwise spend. Credit cards that make monthly bills more rewarding are always attractive.
The Nerds think it’s unlikely that most people will spend enough on cell phone equipment or wireless services to get the maximum $200 reward from this limited time offer. Still, getting 10% back on your cell phone bill for the rest of the year seems like a no-brainer, especially for a card like the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express with its $0 annual fee.
If you’re looking for a good cash-back card anyway, we suggest you consider signing up before the June 15 deadline.
Virginia C. McGuire is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: virginia@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @vcmcguire.
Image via iStock.
from NerdWallet
http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/credit-cards/limited-time-offer-american-express-blue-cash-cellphone-rewards/
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