Blue Sky® from American Express vs Blue Series
 
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Editor's Rating:
  4.0/5.0
This card is part of the "Blue Series" of cards by American Express. They kind of have the same design but are essentially different credit cards designed for different folks. We get lots of questions asking us to compare these cards and we will oblige in this part of the review.
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| Intro Purchase APR | Regular APR | Intro Balance Transfer | Annual Fee | Issuer | Credit Needed |
| 0.00% for 15 Months | 17.24% to 22.24%*(variable) | 0%* for 15 Months | $0 | American Express | Excellent |
If you are reading this review, one of the questions that is circling at the back of your head is how is this card different from the Blue and Blue Cash cards? After all, they are from the same "Blue Series". And all three cards have kind of the same design. We will explain the key differences below.
- Blue Cash Is a Cash Back Card - The new Blue Cash Everyday is a cash back card targeting at cardholders who wish to earn cash back rather than travel rewards. Their reward formula also reflects that as you earn 1% cash back as a standard base rate. In addition, you can earn 3% cash back at standalone supermarkets, 2% cash back at standalone gasoline stations and department stores.
- Amex Blue is More of An All-Round Rewards Card - While this card is targeted at folks who want to use points solely for travel, the Blue from American Express is a more all round rewards card that is based on the Membership Rewards Express program. Like most rewards credit cards, you earn one point per dollar on your purchases. But you also earn double points if you purchase your travel tickets from Amex travel booking site. And you also use your points for other rewards like merchandises, gift cards.
The difference between these two cards are clear. If it is cash back you are after, then the Blue Cash Everyday is the card to get. But if you are looking for travel rewards, then this card is the obvious choice if these are the two cards you are comparing.
The conversion ratio when you use your points for travel is 1%. That means that 10,000 points gets you $100 in value for the Blue Card. In contrast, this card gives you 1.33% in value (7,500 Blue Sky Points gets you $100 in value). With this card, you can book your travels with anyone. But with the Blue, you need to book your travel with Amex travel site.
Hence, if travel is what you are looking to use your reward points for, the Blue Sky clearly comes out ahead.
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