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American Express Blue Cash Preferred vs Gold Card

Both are American Express cards. Here is every spend category, ranked by what each card actually returns.

Best card by category Card terms as of Sep 14

Everything else

  1. Gold Card 1.6% 1x base rate
  2. Blue Cash Preferred 1.0% 1% base rate

Dining

  1. Gold Card 6.4% 4x, capped
  2. Blue Cash Preferred 1.0% 1% base rate

Groceries

  1. Gold Card 6.4% 4x, capped
  2. Blue Cash Preferred 6.0% 6%, capped

Gas

  1. Blue Cash Preferred 3.0% 3%
  2. Gold Card 1.6% 1x base rate

Ground transportation

  1. Blue Cash Preferred 3.0% 3%
  2. Gold Card 1.6% 1x base rate

Streaming

  1. Blue Cash Preferred 6.0% 6%
  2. Gold Card 1.6% 1x base rate

Flights

  1. Gold Card 4.8% 3x
  2. Gold Card · American Express Travel 4.8% 3x
  3. Blue Cash Preferred 1.0% 1% base rate

Hotels

  1. Gold Card · American Express Travel 8.0% 5x
  2. Gold Card 1.6% 1x base rate
  3. Blue Cash Preferred 1.0% 1% base rate

Car rental

  1. Gold Card · American Express Travel 3.2% 2x
  2. Gold Card 1.6% 1x base rate
  3. Blue Cash Preferred 1.0% 1% base rate

Cruises

  1. Gold Card · American Express Travel 3.2% 2x
  2. Gold Card 1.6% 1x base rate
  3. Blue Cash Preferred 1.0% 1% base rate

What the numbers are doing

Gold Card's 4x on dining runs out: it applies to the first $50,000 of dining spend a year, and everything past that earns 1x.

Gold Card tops everything else at 1.6% only because this table values its points at 1.6 cents each. Value them at one cent and Blue Cash Preferred wins that category instead.

The table is earn rate only — annual fees are not netted out of it. These cards charge Blue Cash Preferred $95 and Gold Card $325 a year, so a thin lead in one category may not cover the difference.

pointslipEveryday
Pass content preview
CategoryBest card
Everything elseGold Card1.6%
DiningGold Card6.4%
GroceriesGold Card6.4%
GasBlue Cash Preferred3.0%
Ground transportationBlue Cash Preferred3.0%
StreamingBlue Cash Preferred6.0%
FlightsGold Card4.8%
HotelsGold Card · American Express Travel8.0%
Car rentalGold Card · American Express Travel3.2%
CruisesGold Card · American Express Travel3.2%

Content preview. Apple Wallet controls the layout; visible categories vary by device. Categories that rank the same as Everything else are left off; every other category is in pass details.

Every category, every card

Everything else

  1. Gold Card — 1.6%
  2. Blue Cash Preferred — 1.0%

Dining

  1. Gold Card — 6.4%
  2. Blue Cash Preferred — 1.0%

Groceries

  1. Gold Card — 6.4%
  2. Blue Cash Preferred — 6.0%

Gas

  1. Blue Cash Preferred — 3.0%
  2. Gold Card — 1.6%

Ground transportation

  1. Blue Cash Preferred — 3.0%
  2. Gold Card — 1.6%

Streaming

  1. Blue Cash Preferred — 6.0%
  2. Gold Card — 1.6%

Flights

  1. Gold Card — 4.8%
  2. Gold Card · American Express Travel — 4.8%
  3. Blue Cash Preferred — 1.0%

Hotels

  1. Gold Card · American Express Travel — 8.0%
  2. Gold Card — 1.6%
  3. Blue Cash Preferred — 1.0%

Car rental

  1. Gold Card · American Express Travel — 3.2%
  2. Gold Card — 1.6%
  3. Blue Cash Preferred — 1.0%

Cruises

  1. Gold Card · American Express Travel — 3.2%
  2. Gold Card — 1.6%
  3. Blue Cash Preferred — 1.0%

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