American Express® Gold Card vs Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card: Which Card Wins for Your Spending?

Which earns more for you?

Monthly spending. We rank on rewards minus the full annual fee, so statement credits and perks are listed separately and never counted for you.

Choosing between the American Express® Gold Card ($325/yr) and the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card (no annual fee) comes down to where you spend most. Amex Gold Card needs about $1,355 a month in flights, counting that spending alone, to make up its $325 higher annual fee over Capital One Savor. Below that, Capital One Savor comes out ahead. Enter your monthly spending above to see which comes out ahead for you.

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Meet the Contenders

American Express Gold Card

Strongest in dining at 4% (up to $50,000/yr). 4X points at restaurants worldwide, 4X on U.S. supermarkets, 3X on flights.

Annual fee: $325 Sign-up bonus: 100,000 points after $8,000 spend in 6 months Foreign fees: 0%

Perfect if: You spend enough in bonus categories to easily offset the annual fee.

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Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card

Strongest in dining at 3%. Unlimited 3% on dining, entertainment, groceries, and streaming; 5% on travel through Capital One.

Annual fee: None Sign-up bonus: $200 after $500 spend in 3 months Foreign fees: 0%

Perfect if: You want solid rewards without paying an annual fee.

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Head-to-Head Comparison

Feature American Express Gold Card Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
Annual Fee $325 $0
Sign-Up Bonus 100,000 points after $8,000 spend in 6 months $200 after $500 spend in 3 months
Foreign Transaction Fee 0% 0%
Base Reward Rate 1% 1%
Flights Rewards 3% 1%
Dining Rewards 4% (up to $50,000/yr) 3%
Groceries Rewards 4% (up to $25,000/yr) 3%
Rates with conditions
not counted in the rows above
5% on prepaid hotels through AmexTravel.com
Earns 5% only on prepaid hotels booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App, Amex's own booking site. Hotels booked direct earn 1%.
5% through Capital One Travel
Earns 5% only on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, Capital One's own booking site. Travel booked anywhere else earns 1%.
Key Benefits 4X points at restaurants worldwide, 4X on U.S. supermarkets, 3X on flights. Unlimited 3% on dining, entertainment, groceries, and streaming; 5% on travel through Capital One.

The Verdict

American Express Gold Card pulls ahead for travel, dining, groceries spending.

The $325/year fee difference means American Express Gold Card needs to earn about that much more in rewards to justify its cost.

American Express Gold Card carries $424/year in credits (mostly tied to specific merchants or bookings). Those only count if you’d actually use them. Worth checking against your own habits before treating them as a discount on the fee.

Not sure which fits your life? Enter your spending below and we’ll do the math. The calculator ranks purely on rewards minus the full annual fee, so credits and perks are yours to judge.