The American Express® Gold Card going head to head with the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is a great battle. In this Amex Gold vs Blue Cash Preferred battle we will see what each card has to offer and how one can be better than the other so that you can find the right credit card for you. We will check out the rewards and benefits that each card offers along with how one card might out shine the other. So let’s dive right in.
By Matthew Coan
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Amex Gold Vs Blue Cash Preferred Overview
Blue Cash Preferred (See rates and fees)
Amex Gold Card (See rates and fees)
Both the American Express Gold Card and the American Express Blue Cash Preferred offer great benefits but in different ways.
The Amex Gold Card has a 60,000 point welcome bonus that can be a great start to your rewards balance. After that you earn 4x membership rewards points at restaurants (including takeout and delivery) as well as U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per calendar year then 1 x points).
You earn 3x points on flights booked either through Amex travel or directly with airlines. And after that you earn 1x points on everything else you purchase.
Benefits include $120 Uber cash to use every year. Which equates to $10 each month. $120 annual dining credit. Which means $10 each month at select dining establishments. (enrollment required)
No foreign transaction fees and you get to choose between Rose Gold or Traditional Gold for you card color.
The Amex Blue Cash Preferred offers a $250 statement credit as a welcome bonus and it waives the annual fee it comes with for the first year.
You earn 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year then 1% after that). And 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
3% cash back on U.S. gas stations and on select transit purchases. And 1% cash back on all other purchases.
All in all both of these cards offer a ton of rewards earning power but in different ways.
If you prefer to earn membership rewards points than the Amex Gold Card is a better choice. But if you want to earn cash back then the Amex Blue Cash Preferred is the best option for you.
Amex Gold Card
The American Express Gold Card earns membership rewards points with bonus categories where you can maximize what you earn. These categories are an opportunity to take advantage of if you know where you do most of your spending. It offers a great welcome bonus that can help kick start your rewards earnings along with some great included benefits as well.
Some of these benefits include credits that will kick in when you spend in certain categories which can help offset the annual fee that comes with the card.
If you are looking for bonus rewards on things like restaurants and take out, select U.S. supermarket purchases, and bonuses travel purchases, then you are in the right spot. There is a cap on some of the bonus rewards you earn so be sure to read the current offer carefully and know what it is. And, as you probably know already, you can choose from two different colors for the American Express Gold Card.
The current options are traditional gold or rose gold. All in all a great opponent in the battle of Amex Gold vs Blue Cash Preferred.
Key Features: (see rates and fees)
- 60,000 point welcome bonus
- 4x membership rewards points at restaurants (including takeout and delivery)
- 4x membership rewards points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per calendar year then 1x points)
- 3x membership rewards points on flights booked on Amex Travel or directly with airlines)
- $10 credit per month on Uber or Uber Eats
- $10 credit per month on select dining establishments (enrollment required)
- Choose between Rose Gold or Traditional Gold
- No foreign transaction fees
- $250 annual fee
Best Uses For The Amex Gold Are:
Top Bonus Rewards For Purchases Made At Grocery Stores
If you are someone who spends a lot on groceries every year then the American Express Gold Card might be the best card for you. While The Blue Cash Preferred Card earns excellent rewards on supermarket purchases it is capped at a certain level. The Amex Gold Card rewards are capped as well, but at a much higher amount than that of the Blue Cash Preferred Card.
So if you have large grocery bills and want the rewards you earn to keep coming in a long as possible, then the American Express Gold Card is the way to go. Even if cash back is your reward of choice you can still find more value by earning membership rewards points because you will have more runway to maximize the earnings in this bonus category.
Awesome Rewards Rate For Restaurant And Take Out Purchases
If you find that you enjoy dining out often, or getting takeout, then the Amex Gold Card is a great option because of the bonus points that you earn at U.S. restaurants. This is a rewards rate well above what you will find from most other cards in this spending category. Then you can turn around and use the American Express membership rewards that you earn to redeem them for a number of different options.
We find that most users find the most value in transferring their points to select transfer partners where their value can become exponentially more. To make it even better the American Express Gold Card does not have a foreign transaction fee. Which makes your money go even further when traveling overseas.
Flights Purchased Directly With Airline Or Through Amex Travel
When booking flights for wherever your travels may take you, know that when you book directly with airlines, or through the American Express Travel website, you are earning bonus rewards well above industry standard. This is a great benefit to have, especially if you travel a lot.
As with many Amex cards, travel is usually one of the bonus rewards categories that it comes with. You will also enjoy no foreign transaction fees if you are traveling overseas and you also have the ability to transfer your membership rewards to a handful of participating partners as well.
Very Generous Welcome Offer
Many cards that come with a decent annual fee usually offer a great welcome bonus as well. And that is the case with the American Express Gold Card. If you are able to meet the spending requirement in the allotted timeframe then you will be well on your way to getting your membership rewards off to a great start.
Welcome bonus offers change all of the time so be sure to check the latest up to date offer and see what is available. Compared to other cards in this category the Amex Gold Card usually has an offer that is at the top of the group.
Annual Fee
Being that the Amex Gold Card is a mid level credit card it does come with a decent annual fee. That is not to say that you can not recoup much, if not all, of the annual fee if you take advantage of the rewards and benefits that come with it. And if you hit your welcome bonus your first year then you might be able to get much more value out of it than the actual cost of the annual fee.
There are cards that have much higher annual fees and many with lower ones as well. It is all about finding the right amount of value in the rewards and benefits to justify its worth.
Amex Blue Cash Preferred
Next up in the Amex Gold vs Blue Cash Preferred is the Amex Blue Cash Preferred. This card earns cash back with top of the line bonus categories that can be a huge win if that is where you do most of your spending. There are different tiers of bonus categories so be sure to check them out as it is well worth it to take advantage of them. These include purchases made at select U.S. supermarkets, select U.S. gas stations, monthly statement credits for certain streaming services, and more. There is a cap on the amount of bonus cash back that you can earn so be sure to check the current offer to know the fine details.
The Amex Blue Cash Preferred also comes with a welcome bonus that can help offset the annual fee and jumpstart the cash back earnings you get. Where this card may fall short is the included benefits and credits that come with the Amex Gold Card. If it is simple and easy cash back that you are looking to earn, then the Amex Blue Cash Preferred is a great option in the head on match between the Amex Gold vs Blue Cash Preferred.
Key Features (see rates and fees)
- $250 statement credit welcome bonus
- 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (max spend $6,000 per year, then 1% cash back)
- 6% cash back on certain U.S. streaming services
- 3% cash back at U.S. based gas stations and select transit services
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
- $7 cash back on select subscription services
- $0 annual fee for first year, then $95
Best Uses For the Blue Cash Preferred Are:
Cash Back From Grocery Store Purchases
Anyone that goes to the grocery store at least once a week know how the bill can add up quickly. With the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card know that you are earning one of the top cash back rewards rates on purchases made at select U.S. grocery stores. The only drawback is there is a limit on the amount of bonus cash back you can earn in this spend category before it returns to the base level rate. But it still can be well worth it, especially if you have a large grocery bill every month.
Select U.S. Gas Station Purchases
As with grocery bills many people might find that on a weekly basis they end up spending a lot on gas. The American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card has a great bonus cash rewards rate on select U.S. gas station purchases. Just as with the other bonus categories there is a cap on how much bonus cash back you can earn.
In which after that you will earn the base level rewards rate from that point until the end of the calendar year. But with this elevated rewards rate over that of similar cards, it can be a nice value with the extra cash back that you will earn.
Offers For Balance Transfers
The Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card usually comes with a balance transfer offer. If you are in the market for a balance transfer and you like all of the rewards and benefits that come with this card then it might be a great option. Balance transfer offers are something that credit card companies change all of the time so be sure to check the up-to-date current offer for the exact details.
Also be sure to check for what the balance transfer fee is as well. While this is something you usually can not avoid it may be worth paying based on the amount of money you will save in interest charges. Always be sure to have a plan to pay off your entire balance transfer amount before the intro 0 APR period ends so that you get maximum savings.
You may also find an offer on an intro APR rate on new purchases as well with the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express.
Annual Fee
With its elevated rewards well above other cards for the bonus categories that it offers, the American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card does come with an annual fee. Although check the current up-to-date offer because they may offer an intro annual fee of $0 for the first year of having your card. After that the annual fee is on par with other cards at the same level and you should be able to recoup its value if you maximize the rewards and benefits that come with it.
Amex Gold vs Blue Cash Preferred Both Win If You Value:
Bonus Rewards Offers On Common Everyday Purchases
Both of these cards offer exceptional bonus rewards on what many people would consider everyday purchases. From gas and grocery charges, to dining out and travel rewards, you can be sure to find great value with either card. Because both of these are American Express cards you also have access to Amex Offers as well.
Amex Offers can be found in your online account and all you need to do is activate which of the available offers you want to take advantage of. Then just make your purchases as you normally would and the offer will be applied automatically. Another perk that can help offset either of the annual fees that come with these credit cards. Amex Offers change frequently so it’s a good idea to check your online account often and take advantage of them because some can have great deal of savings.
Amex Gold vs Blue Cash Preferred Conclusion
If you are in the market for a new credit card then either of these two cards are a great option. As you can see in the head to head comparison of the Amex Gold vs Blue Cash Preferred, both have great rewards and benefits but are different enough to compare against one another. Even then they still might be appealing to people with the same spending habits.
If you are looking for cash back rewards then the Blue Cash Preferred is the way to go. If you want something a little more flexible than the ability to earn membership rewards points with the Amex Gold Card would be the better option. Both cards come with an annual fee, although the Amex Gold Card is more it does offer some extra benefits to go along with it.
So now that you know everything about both of these cards go ahead and decide which is best for you and be on your way to maximizing the value of whichever card you get. Both offer great value and rewards so all that’s left to do is get the most out of whichever card you choose.
About the author: Matthew Coan is the founder of Casavvy and a credit card expert. He has appeared in various media outlets including Yahoo Finance, Credit Karma, Market Watch, Mens Journal, and more. Continue reading
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