Blue Cash Preferred vs Costco Anywhere Visa
It depends on how you spend: the Blue Cash Preferred wins for 2 of our three profiles and the Costco Anywhere Visa for 1. Below: what each card pays after fees for three spending profiles, the break-even, and a live calculator for your own numbers. Card terms verified Oct 5, 2026.
Simulated results
Five years, welcome offers counted when the profile's own spending reaches them, points valued as cash. Merchant credits like Uber or DoorDash aren't counted for typed profiles; they show up in the break-even instead.
| Profile | Blue Cash Preferred: year 1 | then yearly | 5 years | Costco Anywhere Visa: year 1 | then yearly | 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Everyday spender About $2,000 a month, mostly groceries and errands, one trip a year. | $869 | $474 | $2,764 | $313 | $313 | $1,565 |
| Balanced About $3,500 a month with a few trips a year and regular dining out. | $1,147 | $687 | $3,893 | $691 | $691 | $3,455 |
| Frequent traveler About $5,000 a month, heavy on flights, hotels and restaurants, some trips abroad. | $1,252 | $787 | $4,400 | $1,207 | $1,207 | $6,035 |
The break-even
Everyday spender
Costco Anywhere Visa trails Blue Cash Preferred by $240 a year. It has no extra perks we left unpriced that could close that gap.
Balanced
Costco Anywhere Visa trails Blue Cash Preferred by $88 a year. It has no extra perks we left unpriced that could close that gap.
Frequent traveler
Blue Cash Preferred trails Costco Anywhere Visa by $327 a year. It wins only if its credits you'd have to use are worth more than $327 a year to you.
Try it with your spending
Starts from the Balanced profile. Change any number, or drop in your statements; they're read on this device and never uploaded.
The live calculator needs JavaScript. The tables above are precomputed.
The live calculator needs JavaScript. The tables above are precomputed.
Side by side
| Term | Blue Cash Preferred | Costco Anywhere Visa |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer and network | American Express, American Express | Citi, Visa |
| Annual fee | $95 ($0 first year) | None |
| Requires | Nothing extra | Costco Gold Star membership, $65 a year |
| Welcome offer | $300 after $3,000 in 6 months | None |
| Earning | 6% at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 a calendar year · 6% on select U.S. streaming subscriptions · 3% on transit (taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses, ferries, subways) · 3% at U.S. gas stations · 1% on everything else | 5% on gas at Costco (shares the $7,000/yr combined gas/EV cap, then 1%) · 4% on other eligible gas and EV charging (first $7,000/yr combined with Costco gas, then 1%) · 3% on restaurants and eligible travel, including Costco Travel · 2% on all other Costco and Costco.com purchases · 1% on everything else |
| Rewards currency | Cash back | Cash back |
| Statement credits | $120 Disney Streaming Credit ($10 a month) | None |
| Lounges | None | None |
| Foreign transaction fee | 2.7% | None |
| Authorized users | No fee | No fee |
| Availability | Open to new applicants | Open to new applicants |
| Verified | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Is the Blue Cash Preferred worth its $95 fee? · Compare every card with your statements