AmEx Gold vs. Blue Cash Preference: Gold Comes First - NerdWallet (2023)

However, if you want to use travel rewards, you'll get the most benefit from AmEx Gold. You can quickly earn points for spending on food and groceries, and when you transfer those points to travel partners, your redemption value will increase.

Tarjeta Blue Cash Preferred® van American Expresshowever, he is by no means a fool. Many people will benefit from this card as long as it fits their spending and redemption preferences. And if you don't want to use your rewards to travel, this is probably the card for you.

Here's how to choose between these two American Express cards.

look

becauseGold American Express® Cardis better

Food related rewards and benefits

Households that spend a lot on groceries andto go out for dinneryou can get more rewards with itGold American Express® Card.

Yes, AmEx Gold only earns four times as many points at US supermarkets compared to Blue Cash's 6% rate. However, the limit on that premium rate is significantly higher, up to $25,000, than Blue Cash's $6,000 annual limit. Many households easily spend more than $6,000 a year on groceries and probably want toGold American Express® Cardto avoid a paltry 1% tax rate on all expenses over the $6,000 annual limit. The terms and conditions.

HeGold American Express® Cardit is the best card for people who also spend part of their budget in restaurants. Restaurant expenses including takeout and delivery earn quadruple points with AmEx Gold; with theTarjeta Blue Cash Preferred® van American Express, Food yields only 1%. The terms and conditions.

Here is an overview of the highest earning potential of theGold American Express® Cardbased on spending $4,000 in supermarkets in the US and $4,000 in restaurants.

Gold American Express® CardCardholders also receive up to $120 in annual dining credit, spent in $10 monthly increments, when they make a qualifying purchase. Registration is required. GrubHub orders and purchases at The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar, and select Shake Shack locations are eligible for meal credit. The terms and conditions.

Valuable travel rewards are redeemed

If you are interested in financing all or part of your travel expenses with credit card points, theGold American Express® Cardis the clear winner of thatTarjeta Blue Cash Preferred® van American Express.

shopping with himTarjeta Blue Cash Preferred® van American ExpressEarn reward dollars that can only be redeemed for statement credits. However, every blow is theGold American Express® Cardearn American Express's home currency,Membership Rewards, which have a higher value when redeemed for travel.

NerdWallet values ​​membership rewards2cent each. This is a base value determined based on actual data, not a maximum value. In other words, you should focus on redeeming rewards that offer an appropriate offer.2Get at least a penny from your American Express membership rewards.

However, to get this higher value, you need to transfer your points toAmEx Travel Partners. It can be challenging to figure out which partners offer the best value and which even offer flights or hotels that fit your travel plans and have rewards available.

If you'd rather not go through the complex (yet rewarding) process of switching travel partners to redeem an award, this may not be the best option.

who would rather have thatTarjeta Blue Cash Preferred® van American Express

Best Redeem Value

As mentioned above, Reward Dollars are earned on Reward Dollars earnedTarjeta Blue Cash Preferred® van American Expressit can only be redeemed for statement credits, reducing your total balance. However, this option may suffice for those who simply want cash reimbursement for their day-to-day expenses.Gold American Express® CardMembers can also redeem their Membership Rewards for statement credit, but the redemption rate is only 0.6 cents per point.

Let's look at an example where $1,000 was spent in US supermarkets. Get a $60 statement credit when you pay with theTarjeta Blue Cash Preferred® van American Expressbut only a $24 credit if you used AmEx Gold for the same purchases. The terms and conditions.

Annual food expenditures are less than $6,000

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans spent an average of $5,259 on groceries in 2021. If that number is close to what your family spends at the grocery store, then…Tarjeta Blue Cash Preferred® van American Expressis probably the best option for you. You can spend freely knowing that you get most, if not all, of your grocery spending at 6%. Spending $5,000 a year on US supermarkets at 6% interest would result in $300 a year in statement credits, more than offsetting the annual Blue Cash fee. The terms and conditions.

Lowest annual fee

Some people don't want to pay high annual credit card fees, and some cards even charge hundreds of dollars a year. The higher the rate, the more conscious people are about using a card's balance and adjusting their spending to the premium structure.

Break Even met themTarjeta Blue Cash Preferred® van American Expressit should be pretty easy for most people. HeTarjeta Blue Cash Preferred® van American ExpressWaiving annual dues for the first year. After that, you only need to spend $1,600 a year on groceries to beat the card's annual fee. The terms and conditions.

Streaming Benefits

HeTarjeta Blue Cash Preferred® van American Expressearn 6% in the USstreaming services, a rate practically unrivaled by any other card. Most major streaming services such as Apple TV+, Prime Video and Spotify are eligible for the 6% discount. With AmEx Gold, streaming subscriptions earn only 1 Membership Rewards point for every $1 spent. The Terms and Conditions.

You'll save even more if you have a Disney Bundle streaming package that costs at least $12.99 per month.Tarjeta Blue Cash Preferred® van American ExpressCardholders receive a $7 credit for each month an eligible Disney package is loaded onto their credit card. The terms and conditions.

Which card should I get?

Let your redemption preferences guide your decision. If you're looking to boost your travel budget with credit card rewards and are willing to work a bit on transfer options to maximize value, this is it.Gold American Express® Cardis your winner. But if you're not interested in travel hacking, or if you already own the travel map of your choice,Tarjeta Blue Cash Preferred® van American Expressit's a great card for grocery purchases and other everyday expenses.