The Blue Cash Everyday Card vs. Amex Gold Card [Detailed Comparison]

BY 

Christine Krzyszton

- UPDATED: October 30, 2020

1. Credit Cards  / 
2. Strategies & Guides

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If you’ve finally decided to earn rewards on all or most of your everyday spending, you’ll be interested in today’s card challenge.

The 2 popular American Express cards we’ve selected today focus on rewarding everyday spending such as purchases you make at U.S supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, restaurants, department stores, and more.

Perhaps you’ve realized at this point in your search for a rewards card, however, that there is no “one size fits all.” While both of these cards focus on everyday earnings, each card has its specific earning structure, redemption options, and list of travel and shopping benefits.

These typical card differences can make it difficult to sort through the options — but that’s where we can help.

Our 2 featured cards, the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card have similarities but also some important differences.

Join us as we look closer at these 2 everyday earning cards to uncover which card fits your idea of the perfect match up for your everyday purchases. We’ll also talk about redemption values and provide a helpful list of benefits you can expect from each card.

Welcome Bonuses

Welcome bonuses are a great way to earn rewards quickly. The amount of the bonus you will receive, however, will depend on the current offer in place at the time you are approved for a specific card.

To receive the welcome bonus, you’ll need to meet the specified minimum spending requirements within a given amount of time. For this reason, it’s important to plan the timing of your card acquisition accordingly.

Here’s a snapshot of bonuses currently being offered on our featured cards.

Blue Cash Everyday Card

Amex Credit Card

Benefits & Info

Blue Cash Everyday® from American Express Apply Now (at Amex's secure site)

Earn a $200 statement credit after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 3 months. 3% cash-back at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%). Earn 2% cash-back at U.S. gas stations and select U.S. department stores. Earn 1% back on all other purchases. Low intro APR: 0% for 15 months on purchases from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 13.99% to 23.99%. Annual fee: $0 Terms Apply. For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday, please click here. Must Reads: For more info on the Blue Cash Everyday Card, see our guide on its benefits and our full review.

Amex Gold Card

AMEX CARD

BENEFITS & INFO

American Express® Gold Card Apply Now (at Amex's secure site)

Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new card within the first 6 months. Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery. 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. Annual Fee: $250 Terms Apply. For rates and fees of the Amex Gold Card, click here. Must Reads: For more info on the Amex Gold Card, see our guides on its benefits and perks, as well as our full review.

Hot Tip: The value of a welcome bonus can differ depending on how it is redeemed. To learn more about the value of different types of rewards points and miles, check out our article on the topic. 

Earning Rewards

While the Blue Cash Everyday card earns rewards in the form of Rewards Dollars that can subsequently be redeemed for cash-back, the Amex Gold card earns Membership Rewards points that have additional redemption options.

We’ll compare those redemption options next, but first, let’s look at how each of our featured cards compares when it comes to earning rewards.

The level of rewards you earn will depend on the mix of your spending. If you can estimate your highest annual purchases, you can determine which card may be a better fit for your circumstances.

Here are a couple of spending scenarios that illustrate the process.

Spending Scenario #1 — High Spending at U.S. Supermarkets

Spending Breakdown:

• $12,000 at U.S. supermarkets
• $2,000 at U.S. gas stations
• $2,000 at eligible department stores
• $1,800 at restaurants worldwide

Spending Scenario #2 — Moderate U.S. Supermarket & Travel Spending

Spending Breakdown:

• $9,000 at U.S. supermarkets
• $3,000 on flights booked directly from airlines
• $2,400 spent at restaurants worldwide
• $2,000 at eligible department stores
• $1,500 at U.S. gas stations

Since you can redeem Membership Rewards points for 1 cent each, the translated value for the above total net earnings on the Amex Gold card would be $592 and $581 respectively.

You’ll also notice that the Amex Gold card charges an annual fee and the Blue Cash Everyday card does not. The actual total net earnings for the Amex Gold card would need to consider this factor and subtract it from gross earnings.

Your actual earnings will be determined by the specific bonus categories on the card and how your spending mix aligns with those categories.

Bottom Line: The Amex Gold card comes with higher earnings at supermarkets, dining, and airline tickets but it also comes with an annual fee. The Blue Cash Everyday card does not charge an annual fee but its earning rates are lower. To determine which card is better for you, apply an estimate of your highest spending categories to the applicable rewards earning level of each card, remembering to take into account the annual fee. 

Redeeming Rewards

Whether you prefer the liquidity of earning cash-back rewards or earning rewards that can be redeemed for travel, you’ll find several available options with our featured cards.

While you can redeem cash-back for a statement credit against purchases via the Blue Cash Everyday card, greater value can potentially be found when transferring Membership Rewards points to travel partners.

Bottom Line: Redeeming cash-back earned on the Blue Cash Everyday card is simple and straightforward. Redeeming Membership Rewards points may require slightly more effort due to the options available, but the results could potentially yield more value. 

Annual Fees and Adding Authorized Users

The Blue Cash Everyday card does not charge an annual fee and there is also no charge for adding authorized users.

The Amex Gold card does charge an annual fee, which is listed early. The Amex Gold card also allows up to 5 additional users at no cost. The sixth card and subsequent users can be added at $35 each (see rates and fees).

Travel Benefits and Protections

You’ll find the following travel benefits and protections on both of our featured cards:

• Secondary Car Rental Insurance — Use your card to pay for your entire rental, decline the rental agency’s collision damage waiver coverage, and receive secondary coverage for damage and theft. Secondary coverage requires you to file a claim with your own insurance first.
• Access to Premium Car Rental Protection — Often overlooked is the exclusive option for cardholders to purchase primary car rental protection for 1 low fee that covers the entire rental car period, up to 42 consecutive days. The coverage costs just $12.25 to $24.99 for each rental period, depending on the level of benefits you select and your state of residence.
• Global Assist Hotline — Receive assistance when traveling with access to a dedicated phone line to help with a lost passport, to obtain medical and/or legal referrals, arrange emergency transportation, and more.

The following additional benefits are offered only on the Amex Gold card:

• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Fee Reimbursement — Receive a statement credit of up to $100 when you use your card to pay for either Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fees.
• Airline Fee Credit — Receive a $100 credit for airline incidentals (annually through December 31, 2021)
• The Hotel Collection Benefits — Stay 2 consecutive nights and receive $100 hotel credit towards eligible hotel purchases at check-out.
• Baggage Insurance Plan — If baggage is damaged or stolen while traveling with a common carrier, you could receive up to $1,250 per person, per trip, for carry-on baggage, or up to $500 per person, per trip, for checked baggage.
• Trip Delay Insurance — Pay for your entire trip with your card and if your trip is delayed more than 12 hours due to a covered loss, you could receive up to $300 per trip for reimbursement of incidental expenses and lodging (maximum of 2 claims per 12-month period).

Shopping Benefits and Protections

Each of our featured cards comes with several useful shopping benefits and protections. Here are the ones that are offered on both cards.

• Purchase Protection — Use your card to purchase an eligible item and receive 90 days of coverage, from the date of purchase, for damage or theft. Coverage is limited to $1,000 per item on the Blue Cash Everyday card and $10,000 per item on the Amex Gold card. Both cards limit maximum coverage to $50,000 per account.
• Amex Offers — Enjoy significant ongoing savings offers on purchases with select retailers and service merchants.
• Amex Auto Purchasing Program — Receive cardholder discount pricing when purchasing a new vehicle and have the opportunity to charge at least $2,000 on your eligible card.
• ShopRunner Membership — Free shipping and free returns are yours when shopping with over 100 retailers via your complimentary ShopRunner membership benefit.
• Best Hotel Rate Guarantee — If you book a prepaid hotel room through Amex Travel and find the same room advertised online for less, you could receive the difference.

Blue Cash Everyday Card — Additional Shopping Benefits and Protections

• Introductory 0% APR Period for Purchases — Use your card to make an eligible purchase(s) and receive up to 15 months, from the date of card approval, to repay the amount without interest charges. After the introductory rate, regular APR, listed above, will apply.

Amex Gold Card — Additional Shopping Benefits and Protections

• Monthly Dining Credit — Receive $10 per month in dining credits for purchases at select restaurants.
• Uber Cash Credit — Starting in 2021, cardholders will also receive a monthly $10 Uber Cash credit (up to $120 per year) to use for Uber Eats or Uber rides.
• Uber Eats Pass — Receive a 12-month complimentary Eats Pass subscription featuring discounts and free delivery (enroll by December 31, 2021).
• No Foreign Transaction Fees

Please note that our list is not a complete list of all the benefits and protections provided on each card, plus we have also abbreviated the descriptions. The actual guide to benefits for each card will contain full descriptions and a complete list of all the benefits/protections available with each card.

Blue Cash Everyday Card vs. Amex Gold Card — Summary

It’s always good to look at the overall big picture when you’re selecting a rewards card.

Let’s summarize all of the earning, redeeming, and benefits information we’ve talked about previously for our featured cards.

Bottom Line: Your first inclination may be to avoid a card with an annual fee and select the Blue Cash Everyday card. Depending on your spending mix, however, the Amex Gold card, even with its annual fee, has the potential for greater earnings if you’re spending a lot at supermarkets or on dining and airline tickets. The card also offers greater travel and shopping benefits/protections. 

Final Thoughts

The Amex Gold card is by far the better card for the frequent traveler, offering a generous welcome bonus, elevated earnings on flight purchases and worldwide dining, no foreign transaction fees, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee reimbursement, statement credits for airline incidental fees, good-value travel redemption options, and more.

If you absolutely do not want to pay an annual fee, however, you’ll still realize plenty of earnings on everyday purchases with the Blue Cash Everyday card. Plus, without an annual fee, you’ll be able to keep the card indefinitely and add to your credit history longevity — a factor that can improve your credit score.

For additional cards to consider for your everyday purchases, check out our comparisons between the Blue Cash Everyday card and the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express and the Blue Cash Preferred card vs. the Amex Gold card.

For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.