American ExpressBlue Cash from American Express (Original)
5 percent on groceries and gas up to 50,000 dollars a year, never matched since.
Welcome Bonus
None
Discontinued
Spend Requirement
None
Annual Fee
$0
2.7% FTF
Credit Score
700+
(Good-Excellent)
Historical Offers Chart
Every public offer change we've tracked. Hover for details, timing your application is worth hundreds of dollars.
Last verified 2026-06-11 · spot an outdated offer? Tell us in the comments.
Earning Rates
- 5xUS supermarkets, gas stations and drugstores
- 1xSupermarkets, gas and drugstores before the 6,500 dollar tier
- 1xEverything else
Credits
No statement credits, this card wins on earn rates, not coupons.
Benefits
- ✦The 50,000 dollar annual 5 percent ceiling dwarfed every modern category cap
- ✦Grandfathered holders kept the original formula for years after delisting
Why it earns its spot
- +Up to 2,175 dollars of cash back per card year was possible
- +Heavy grocery and gas spenders never found a better card again
Where it costs you
- −Earned almost nothing until you cleared the 6,500 dollar tier
- −Cash back paid out only once per year
The Compound Verdict
Before the modern Blue Cash Everyday and Preferred arrived in 2011, the original Blue Cash paid 5 percent at supermarkets, gas stations and drugstores after a 6,500 dollar annual tier, on up to 50,000 dollars of spend. Amex stopped taking applications around 2014 but grandfathered holders kept the formula for years, and big-box manufactured spenders treated it like a printing press. Its caps have never been matched.
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