When deciding between the American Express® Gold Card and the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, a key consideration is the kinds of rewards they earn and how you can use them. The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is a cash back card; its rewards can be redeemed for credit against purchases. The American Express® Gold Card earns Membership Rewards points you can redeem in a variety of ways, including for travel, gift cards and statement credit.
Redeeming for travel is the key to getting maximum value from the American Express® Gold Card. You’ll be able to rack up points quickly on dining and grocery spending, and if you transfer those points to travel partners, you can significantly increase their redemption value. Considering the card's $325 annual fee, getting the most out of your rewards and the card’s other perks is a must.
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is by no means a slouch, though. Many people will find that this card better fits their spending and redemption preferences. And if you don't want to use rewards on travel, or don't want to fret over redemption values, it's probably the better card for you. A lower annual fee also helps: $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
If these cards have caught your interest enough for you to be deciding between them, you probably have a sizable food budget and want to be rewarded well for such expenses. Both are among the best credit cards for groceries on account of their high rewards rates at supermarkets. Here’s how to decide between the two.
At a glance
Annual fee
American Express® Gold Card
$325.
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
Welcome offer
American Express® Gold Card
You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted. Terms Apply.
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
You may be eligible for as high as $300 cash back after spending $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in the first 6 months. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Cash back is received as Reward Dollars, redeemable for statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout. Terms Apply.
Rewards
American Express® Gold Card
- 5 points per dollar on prepaid hotels booked through amextravel.com.
- 4 points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 a year in purchases.
- 4 points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $25,000 a year in purchases.
- 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
- 1 point per dollar on other purchases.
- Terms apply.
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
- 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%).
- 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
- 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on transit.
- 1% back on everything else.
- Terms apply.
Interest rate
American Express® Gold Card
See Pay Over Time APR
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers, and then the ongoing APR of 19.49%-28.49% Variable APR
Perks
American Express® Gold Card
- Up to $120 dining credit. (Enrollment required.)
- Up to $120 Uber Cash credit.
- Up to $100 Resy credit.
- Up to $84 Dunkin' credit.
- Terms apply.
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
- Up to $84 Disney Bundle credit.
- Terms apply.
Learn more
Why Gold might be better for many
Food-centric rewards and perks
Households that spend big on groceries and dining out can accumulate more rewards with the American Express® Gold Card.
Yes, the Gold earns just 4X points at U.S. supermarkets compared with the Blue Cash Preferred’s 6% rate. But the cap on that top rewards rate is significantly higher — up to $25,000 per year, compared with the Blue Cash Preferred’s $6,000 annual limit. Many households easily spend more than $6,000 per year on groceries and may want the American Express® Gold Card to avoid dropping down to a 1% rate on any spending that exceeds the $6,000 cap. Terms apply.
The American Express® Gold Card is the better card for people who spend a big chunk of their budget at restaurants, too. Restaurant spending, which includes takeout and delivery, nets 4X points with the Gold on up to $50,000 in spending per year (then 1X); with the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, restaurant spending earns just 1%. Terms apply.
Here's a breakdown of the superior earning potential of the American Express® Gold Card based on $4,000 in spending at U.S. supermarkets and $4,000 on dining. Keep in mind that the value you get per point depends on how you redeem those points; more on that later.
| Rewards | Reasonable redemption value | Total rewards value | First year annual fee | Net gain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Express® Gold Card | $4,000 (supermarkets) at 4X = 16,000. $4,000 (dining) at 4X = 16,000. Total Membership Rewards: 32,000. | 1.6 cents. | $640. | $325. | $315. |
| Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express | $4,000 (supermarkets) at 6% = $240. $4,000 (dining) at 1% = $40. Total Reward Dollars: $280. | 1 cent. | $280. | $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95. | $280 ($185 each subsequent year). |
American Express® Gold Card cardholders also receive:
- Annual dining credits up to $120, issued in monthly increments of $10, when an eligible purchase is made. Enrollment required. GrubHub orders and purchases from The Cheesecake Factory, Buffalo Wild Wings, Wonder and Five Guys qualify for the dining credit. Terms apply.
- An annual credit of up to $100, issued in $50 semiannual increments, when you dine at eligible U.S. Resy restaurants or make other Resy purchases. Enrollment required. Terms apply.
- An annual credit of up to $84, issued in $7 monthly increments, for eligible Dunkin’ purchases. Enrollment required. Terms apply.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
The American Express® Gold Card’s annual Uber Cash credit, up to $120 and doled out in $10 monthly increments, is good toward UberEats orders and Rides. To get the credits, you must add the AmEx Gold Card as the payment method in the Uber app. Bonus rewards and valuable redemptions for travel
When you book travel with the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, you generally earn 1% cash back, period. Travel bookings with the American Express® Gold Card can earn significantly more — 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com, and 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with amextravel.com. Terms apply.
On the rewards-redemption side, if you’re interested in funding part or all of your travel expenses with rewards from your card, the American Express® Gold Card is the clear winner over the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express.
Purchases made with the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express earn Reward Dollars, which can be redeemed only for cash back. However, each swipe of the American Express® Gold Card earns American Express’ proprietary currency, Membership Rewards, which have superior value when redeemed for travel.
For some redemptions, Membership Rewards points are worth a penny or less apiece. But you can get significantly more value by transferring them to AmEx's travel partners, including airlines and hotel chains. When used this way, NerdWallet values Membership Rewards points at 1.6 cents each. (This is a baseline value, drawn from real-world data, not a maximized value. In other words, you should aim for award redemptions that offer 1.6 cents or more in value from your American Express Membership Rewards.)
Full list of AmEx transfer partners
Airlines
- Aer Lingus AerClub (1:1 ratio).
- AeroMexico Club Premier (1:1.6 ratio).
- Air Canada Aeroplan (1:1 ratio).
- Air France/KLM Flying Blue (1:1 ratio).
- ANA Mileage Club (1:1 ratio).
- Avianca LifeMiles (1:1 ratio).
- British Airways Club (1:1 ratio).
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (5:4 ratio)
- Delta SkyMiles (1:1 ratio).
- Emirates Skywards (1:1 ratio).
- Etihad Guest (1:1 ratio).
- Iberia Plus (1:1 ratio).
- JetBlue TrueBlue (2.5:2 ratio).
- Qantas Airways Frequent Flyer (1:1 ratio).
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1:1 ratio).
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1 ratio).
Hotels
- Choice Hotels (1:1 ratio).
- Hilton Hotels & Resorts (1:2 ratio).
- Marriott Hotels & Resorts (1:1 ratio).
For details on transfer ratios, see AmEx's website.
However, if you'd rather not navigate the complex (but rewarding) process of transferring to travel partners for award redemptions, this may not be your best bet.
Why some might prefer Blue Cash Preferred
Better cash back redemption value
As mentioned earlier, Reward Dollars earned with the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express can be redeemed only for statement credits that reduce your balance. But that option may be enough for those who just want cash back on their everyday spending. American Express® Gold Card holders can redeem their Membership Rewards for statement credit, too, but the redemption rate is a mere 0.6 cents per point.
Let's look at an example: You spend $1,000 at U.S. supermarkets and then redeem the rewards you earn for statement credit. You’d come away with a $60 statement credit by paying with the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express ($1,000 x 6%) but a mere $24 credit if you used the American Express® Gold Card for the same purchases ($1,000 x 4 points x 0.6 cents per point). Terms apply.
» MORE: Best cash back credit cards
Annual grocery spending less than $6,000
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans spent an average of $6,224 on food at home in 2024, the most recent data available at the time of this writing. If that number is close to what your family spends at the grocery store, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is likely the better choice for you. You can spend freely knowing that most, if not all, of your grocery spending will get 6% back. Annual spending of $5,700 at U.S. supermarkets at 6% would generate $342 in cash back per year, more than making up for the Blue Cash's annual fee. Terms apply.
Lower annual fee
Some people don’t want to pay big annual fees to carry a card, and indeed, some cards charge hundreds of dollars a year. As the fee increases, people tend to be more mindful of taking advantage of a card’s credits and aligning their spending with its rewards structure.
Breaking even with the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express should be fairly easy for most people. The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express waives the annual fee in the first year. After that, you’ll only need to spend $1,600 a year on groceries to out-earn the card’s annual fee. Terms apply.
» MORE: Best no fee cards right now
Streaming perks
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express earns 6% on select U.S. streaming services, a rate that is virtually unmatched by other cards. Most major video, radio and music streaming services qualify for the 6% rate (see list here); if you've cut the cord and get all your entertainment via streaming, the rewards for such spending could go a long way toward covering the annual fee with this card. With the AmEx Gold, by contrast, streaming subscriptions earn just 1 Membership Rewards point per $1 spent. Terms apply.
You’ll save even more if you have a Disney Bundle streaming package that costs at least $9.99 a month. Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express cardholders get a $7 statement credit each month that an eligible Disney Bundle is charged to the card. Terms apply.
Which card should you get?
Let your redemption preferences guide your decision. If you want to supplement your travel budget with rewards from your card, and you're willing to put in a little work with transfer options to maximize value, the American Express® Gold Card is your winner. But when you aren’t interested in travel hacking — or you already have your travel card of choice — the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is a stellar card for groceries and other everyday spending.
