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Amex Gold Card vs. Capital One Savor: For Foodies Who Travel, One Is a Golden Ticket

Updated
Steven Porrello
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Steven is a personal finance writer covering topics from mortgages to credit cards to market news. He has written for The Motley Fool Canada, Ramsey Solutions, Nerdwallet, Clever Real Estate, and other major outlets. Steven launched his writing career at the age of four with his first book, "Revenge of the Bad Guys." He currently lives in Portland, Oregon.

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The American Express® Gold Card and Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card can help people save on one of their biggest monthly expenses: food. But for foodies who also like to travel, the American Express® Gold Card might be the better choice. Read on to learn what these cards offer and which might be better for you.

Amex Gold Card vs. Capital One Savor overview

As of Jun. 18, 2024
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Image for
American Express® Gold Card

Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Apply Now for American Express® Gold Card

On American Express' Secure Website.

Terms apply

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Read Review

Credit Rating Requirement: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Credit Rating Requirement: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Welcome Offer: Circle with letter I in it. Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.

60,000 Membership Rewards® Points

Welcome Offer: Circle with letter I in it. $300 cash bonus after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening

$300

Rewards Program: Circle with letter I in it. Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X). Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.

1X-4X Membership Rewards® Points

Rewards Program: Circle with letter I in it. Earn 10% cash back on purchases on Uber and Uber Eats, plus get your Uber One monthly membership fee covered through through Nov. 14, 2024. Earn unlimited 4% cash back on dining, entertainment, and for popular streaming services, earn 3% at grocery stores and 1% on all other purchases.

1% - 10% cash back

Intro APR:

Purchases: n/a

Balance Transfers: n/a

Intro APR:

Purchases: N/A

Balance Transfers: N/A

APR:

See Pay Over Time APR

Regular APR:

21.24%, 26.24%, or 29.24%, variable

Annual Fee:

$250

Annual Fee:

$95

Highlights:

  • Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.
  • Get a $100 experience credit with a minimum two-night stay when you book The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel. Experience credit varies by property.
  • Choose the color that suits your style. Gold or Rose Gold.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $250.
  • Terms Apply.

Highlights:

  • Earn a one-time $300 cash bonus after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening
  • Earn 10% cash back on purchases on Uber and Uber Eats, plus get your Uber One monthly membership fee covered through through Nov. 14, 2024.
  • Earn unlimited 4% cash back on dining, entertainment, and for popular streaming services, earn 3% at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®) and 1% on all other purchases.
  • No rotating categories or sign-ups needed to earn cash rewards; plus cash back won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how much you can earn
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Capital One cardholders get access to premium experiences in dining, entertainment and more
Apply Now for American Express® Gold Card

On American Express' Secure Website.

Terms apply

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Show More Arrow graphic to expand and collapse content Show Less Arrow graphic to expand and collapse content

Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card is temporarily unavailable on The Ascent. All information was collected independently and not reviewed for accuracy or provided by the credit card issuer. Some items may be out of date.

Why Amex Gold Card might be the ideal choice

For those who can squeeze the most value out of their Amex points, the American Express® Gold Card is the better choice. You can get roughly $0.01 per point when you book flights through the American Express Travel portal or potentially more value when you transfer them to airline or hotel partners. The card also has $120 in annual dining credits for select restaurants, $120 in annual Uber Cash, and $100 hotel credit for onsite experiences, like dining or spa treatments (terms apply). All these can more than pay for the $250 annual fee (see rates and fees), which would put it squarely ahead of the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card.

When Capital One Savor could be the better option

The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card is better for those who don't travel frequently or don't want to fiddle with point valuations. The card earns an unlimited 4% back on dining, entertainment, and select streaming services, plus 3% back on groceries. It doesn't come with a ton of bells and whistles, but it's much simpler to keep track of.

Amex Gold Card vs. Capital One Savor comparison

Both cards earn extra rewards on food purchases, yet beyond that, they're very different credit cards. With that in mind, let's compare these cards on fees, welcome offers, intro APR, and rewards and see which emerges victorious.

Amex Gold Card vs. Capital One Savor annual fee

The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card has a $95 annual fee (see rates and fees).

The American Express® Gold Card has a much higher annual fee -- $250. While the card offers numerous perks and rewards that can offset the fee, paying $250 upfront cost might be more than you're willing to dish out. Plus, if you're unfamiliar with Amex Membership Rewards® points, it might be hard to calculate upfront how much you need to spend to make this card worth it.

Winner: Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card

Amex Gold Card vs. Capital One Savor welcome offer

The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card has a $300 welcome offer after you spend $3,000 on purchases within your account's first 3 months.

The American Express® Gold Card, however, can give you twice the value from its welcome offer on twice the spending requirement. New cardholders can earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points Membership Rewards® Points after they spend $6,000 on eligible purchases within the card's first 6 months (terms apply). Although the value of your Amex points depends on how you redeem them, you could get $600 of value if you redeem them for airfare through the American Express Travel portal.

Winner: American Express® Gold Card

Amex Gold Card vs. Capital One Savor intro APR

Neither credit card has an introductory 0% APR period, so the card's regular APR will apply to unpaid balances. Check out our best 0% APR credit cards for those that don't charge interest for a bonus period.

Winner: Tied.

Amex Gold Card vs. Capital One Savor rewards

The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card earns an unlimited 4% back on dining, entertainment, and select streaming services, plus 3% back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target). The card also earns 10% back on Uber and Uber Eats purchases and will reimburse your Uber One membership fees through Nov. 14, 2024.

The American Express® Gold Card earns 4X points per $1 at restaurants, 4X points per $1 at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year), 3X points for $1 on airfare booked through the American Express Travel portal, and 1X point per $1 on other purchases (Terms apply). If you can get a 1:1 valuation for your points, you can earn just as much as the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card for dining, plus a little extra on groceries.

Oh, but there's more. American Express also adds the following to your American Express® Gold Card:

  • $120 annual dining credits for select participating restaurants and food delivery services, like Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar, and select Shake Shack locations.
  • $120 in annual Uber Cash. When you add your The American Express® Gold Card to your Uber account, you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month.
  • $100 hotel credit. Cardholders earn this credit when they book properties in The Hotel Collection with American Express Travel for stays of at least two nights. The credit can be applied to onsite experiences, like spas and restaurants.
  • Terms apply; activation may be required

These rewards could make the American Express® Gold Card more useful for your food and travel budget. However, because they have limitations, they won't benefit everyone. It's tempting to garland the American Express® Gold Card for this category, if only because it earns slightly more for grocery purchases, but since it really depends on how you want to earn rewards, we'll draw a tie between the two.

Winner: Tied.

Final take

All in all, both cards pack a hefty punch, making it tough to draw a line between winner and loser. The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card would be the better choice for those who want a no-frills way to earn cash back on food purchases. It also earns more cash back on entertainment, plus a lucrative 10% back on Uber and Uber One purchases (through Nov. 14, 2024). Meanwhile, frequent travelers can leverage the American Express® Gold Card for higher points valuations and get up to $340 of savings in additional perks. Just be mindful of the higher annual fee, part of which is offset by its lucrative welcome offer.