American Express Gold Card vs. Capital One SavorOne
When it comes to maximizing points earned on your spend, it’s vital to pick a card that emphasizes on basic human needs like food. In this post, I’ll be comparing the American Express Gold Card and the Capital One SavorOne.
American Express Gold Card vs. Capital One SavorOne Basics
Both credit cards are solid choices to earn rewards on your day-to-day spend.
| American Express Gold Card | Capital One SavorOne | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Fee | $250 | $0 |
| Dining | 4x MR | 3x |
| Dining Credit | $120 Uber & $120 Grubhub/ Shake Shack | None |
| Entertainment | 1x | 3x |
| Flights | 3x | 1x |
| Hotels | 1x | 5x through Capital One Travel portal;1x outside |
| Car Rentals | 1x | 5x through Capital One Travel portal;1x outside |
| Grocery | 4x up to $25k/year | 3x unlimited |
| No Foreign Transaction Fee | Yes | Yes |
| Streaming services | 1x | 3x |
Some notable differences are:
- No annual fee for SavorOne; Amex Gold’s annual fee is $250
- Better entertainment & streaming services earnings on SavorOne
- SavorOne earns cashback, but can be converted into Capital One Miles if you have the Capital One Venture X, Venture, or VentureOne opened.
- SavorOne is a MasterCard, which will have greater acceptance rate overseas compared to American Express.
- Amex Gold is a charge card with no preset limit while the SavorOne is a credit card with set limit.
- Amex Gold earns Amex Membership Rewards
- Better earnings on Flights for Amex Gold, but beware that the travel insurance on the Amex Gold isn’t as complete as premium travel cards like the Amex Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve, or Capital One Venture X.
- Amex Gold’s grocery category only works in the US and is capped at $25k/year, but SavorOne works internationally and is uncapped.
- Amex Gold’s signup bonus is higher compared to the SavorOne, which correlates with its higher annual fee. SavorOne’s signup bonus is no slouch either for a no annual fee card.
- Amex Gold comes with Dining Credits that can help offset the annual fee, which also synergizes with its strong dining multiplier.
Which Card to Get Between American Express Gold Card & Capital One SavorOne
Both cards are very strong, but it all comes down to what your goal is. The SavorOne is more suitable towards those who:
- prefers cashback
- prefers no annual fee cards
- prefers flexibility in converting to Capital One Miles later on after opening the Venture X, Venture, or VentureOne
- are avid moviegoers
On the other hand, the Amex Gold is suited towards those who:
- spend a lot on food delivery services like Uber & Grubhub
- are willing to learn how to redeem Amex Membership Rewards effectively
However, there’s no stopping you on getting both cards! That means you can get more signup bonuses. Since the Capital One SavorOne has no annual fee, there’s really no reason to close the card to preserve your credit history.
Just keep in mind, Capital One has a strict 2-card limit on personal cards. If you decide to open the SavorOne, you’d best consider opening one of the Venture series cards in order to be able to convert cashback earned from SavorOne to Miles later on.
One important thing to keep in mind for the Amex Gold is that there’s no downgrade option with no annual fee. So, if you have issues with getting value from this card, then you’d have to either close it or downgrade to the Amex Green, which has a $150 annual fee. But, Amex is very generous when it comes to retention offers compared to other issuers, so try asking for one before deciding to close the card.
At last, Amex MR and Capital One Miles do share transfer partners along with their exclusive transfer partners as well. So, there’s a lot of opportunities to pool your points together and diversify your points war chests.
| Amex Membership Rewards Exclusive Partners | Amex MR & Capital One Miles Shared Partners | Capital One Miles Exclusive Partners |
|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | Aeromexico | Avianca |
| All Nippon Airways (ANA) | Aeroplan | EVA (2:1.5 transfer ratio) |
| Delta | Air France-KLM | TAP Portugal |
| Hawaiian | British Airways | Turkish Airlines |
| Iberia | Cathay Pacific | Accor (2:1 transfer ratio) |
| JetBlue | Emirates | Wyndham |
| Hilton Honors | Etihad | |
| Marriott Bonvoy | Qantas | |
| Singapore Airlines | ||
| Virgin Atlantic | ||
| Choice Hotels |
Conclusion
For someone who’s really into earning points to redeem them for premium travel at low cost, I’d get both cards to take advantage of more signup bonuses. But, if I have to pick a card as the winner, I’ll give it to the Capital One SavorOne.
A no annual fee card that earns 3x on groceries, dining, entertainment, and streaming services will fit many people living in current times. The fact that it has no annual fee gives the Amex Gold a run for its money, since its core multipliers of groceries and dining overlap with the SavorOne with just the incremental of 1x more.
The many overlaps of both Amex MR and Capital One Miles transfer partners strengthen the SavorOne’s value proposition. You just need to be willing to open a card from the Venture series if you want to unlock the true potential of the SavorOne.
The SavorOne also has a higher floor value of cashback (1%) compared to Amex Gold earning Amex MR points with the lower 0.6 cents per point when redeemed for statement credit. Thus, it’s important to learn ins-and-outs of airline programs to get the best value out of Amex MR points.