If you’re interested in earning rewards on all or most of your everyday spending, you’re going to want to read today’s card challenge.
The 2 popular American Express cards we’ve selected today focus on rewarding everyday spending, including purchases you make at U.S supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, restaurants, U.S. online retailers, 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” card. While both of these products focus on everyday earnings, each card has a specific earning structure, redemption options, and a list of travel and shopping benefits.
These differences are typical between different card products and can make it difficult to sort through the options — that’s why we’re here.
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 fits your idea of the perfect match-up for your spending habits. We’ll also talk about redemption values and provide a helpful list of benefits you can expect from each card.
Amex Blue Cash Everyday Card vs. Amex Gold Card — Overview
It’s always good to look at the big picture when you’re selecting a rewards card.
Let’s summarize all of the earning, redeeming, and benefits information we’re about to review in detail for our featured cards:
| Feature or Benefit |
Amex Blue Cash Everyday Card |
Amex Gold Card |
| Annual Fee |
$0 (rates and fees) |
$250 (rates and fees) |
| Earning Rewards |
- 3% cash-back at U.S. supermarkets up to $6,000 per calendar year
- 3% cash-back at U.S. gas stations up to $6,000 per calendar year
- 3% cash-back at U.S. online retailers up to $6,000 per calendar year
|
- 4x earnings at U.S. supermarkets up to $25,000 per calendar year and at restaurants
- 3x earnings on flights purchased directly from the airline or Amex Travel
|
| Redeeming Rewards |
Cash-back for statement credits, shopping, gift cards |
Transfer to hotel and airline partners, redeem for flights at 1 cent per point, NYC taxis, qualifying travel via Amex Travel at 0.7 cents per point, shopping, gift cards |
| Travel Benefits/Protections |
- Secondary car rental insurance and access to purchase Amex Premium Car Rental Protection
- Global Assist Hotline
- Best hotel rate guarantee
- 2.7% foreign transaction fees
|
- Secondary car rental insurance and access to purchase Amex Premium Car Rental Protection
- Global Assist Hotline
- Best hotel rate guarantee
- The Hotel Collection $100 credit
- No foreign transaction fees (rates and fees)
|
| Shopping Benefits/Protections |
- Purchase protection of $1,000 per item
- Amex Offers
- Amex auto purchasing program
- ShopRunner membership
|
- $10 each month in Uber Cash, up to $120 total each year
- Purchase protection of $10,000 per item
- Extended warranty
- Amex Offers
- Amex auto purchasing program
- ShopRunner membership
|
Bottom Line: Your first inclination may be to avoid a card with an annual fee and select the Amex 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 dining and airline tickets. The card also offers greater travel and shopping benefits/protections.
Welcome Offers
Welcome offers are a great way to earn rewards quickly. The size of the bonus, however, depends on the current offer in place at the time you’re approved for a given 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.
Amex Blue Cash Everyday Card
Amex Gold Card
Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a welcome bonus of up to 90,000 points with the Amex Gold card! (The current public offer is 60,000 points.)
Earning Rewards
You’ll earn elevated rewards on every U.S. supermarket purchase with both of our featured cards. Image Credit: Gustavo Fring via Pexels
While the Amex 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.
| Purchase Category |
Amex Blue Cash Everyday Card |
Amex Gold Card |
| U.S. Supermarkets |
3% cash-back on up to $6,000 in purchases each calendar year, then 1% |
4x points on up to $25,000 in purchases each calendar year, then 1x |
| Restaurants |
1% cash-back |
4x points |
| Select Travel |
1% cash-back |
3x points on flights purchased directly from the airlines and on Amex Travel |
| U.S. Gas Stations |
3% cash-back on up to $6,000 in purchases each calendar year, then 1% |
1x points |
| U.S. Online Retailers |
3% cash-back on up to $6,000 in purchases each calendar year, then 1% |
1x points |
| All Other Purchases |
1% cash-back |
1x points |
The level of rewards you earn depends 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
Annual Spending Breakdown:
- $12,000 at U.S. supermarkets
- $2,000 at U.S. gas stations
- $2,000 at U.S online retailers
- $1,800 at restaurants
| Amex Blue Cash Everyday Card |
Amex Gold Card |
- U.S. Supermarkets: 3% on $6,000 and 1% on the remaining $6,000
- U.S. Gas Stations: 3% on $2,000
- Eligible U.S. Online Retailers: 3% on $2,000
- Restaurants: 1% on $1,800
|
- U.S. Supermarkets: 4x on $12,000
- U.S. Gas Stations: 1x on $2,000
- Eligible U.S. Online Retailers: 1x on $2,000
- Restaurants: 4x on $1,800
|
| $378 total earnings |
59,200 Membership Rewards points |
Spending Scenario #2 — Moderate U.S. Supermarket & Travel Spending
Annual Spending Breakdown:
- $9,000 at U.S. supermarkets
- $3,000 on flights booked directly from airlines
- $2,400 spent at restaurants
- $2,000 at U.S. online retailers
- $1,500 at U.S. gas stations
| Amex Blue Cash Everyday Card |
Amex Gold Card |
- U.S. Supermarkets: 3% on $6,000 and 1% on the remaining $3,000
- Flights: 1% on $3,000
- Dining Out: 1% on $2,400
- Eligible U.S. Online Retailers: 3% on $2,000
- U.S. Gas Stations: 3% on 1,500
|
- U.S. Supermarkets: 4x on $9,000
- Flights: 3x on $3,000
- Restaurants: 4x on $2,400
- Eligible U.S Online Retailers: 1x on $2,000
- U.S. Gas Stations: 1x on $1,500
|
| $369 total earnings |
58,100 Membership Rewards points |
Since you can redeem Membership Rewards points for 1 cent each through the Amex Travel portal, the translated value for the above total net earnings on the Amex Gold card would be $592 and $581 respectively. Keep in mind, however, that if you leverage the flexibility of Membership Rewards points and transfer them to partners, you could get much more value from your points on a cent-per-point basis. We’ll get into this more below.
You’ll also notice the Amex Gold card charges an annual fee and the Amex 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 U.S. supermarkets, restaurants, and airline tickets, but it also comes with an annual fee. The Amex Blue Cash Everyday card doesn’t 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
Determining which rewards card is best for you requires matching your largest expenses to the card’s spending bonus categories and your preferred option for redeeming those rewards. Image Credit: Gustavo Fring via Pexels
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.
| Card |
Best Redemption Options |
Additional Redemption Options |
| Amex Blue Cash Everyday Card |
Redeem as cash-back for statement credits; a minimum of $25 is needed to redeem |
Gift cards, shopping |
| Amex Gold Card |
- Transfer to airline and hotel partners
- Redeem for flights at 1 cent per point via Amex Travel
|
Qualifying travel via Amex Travel, shopping, statement credits, gift cards, NYC taxis |
While you can redeem cash-back for a statement credit against purchases via the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card, greater value can potentially be found when Membership Rewards points earned on the Amex Gold card are transferred to travel partners.
Bottom Line: Redeeming cash-back earned on the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card is simple and straightforward. Redeeming Membership Rewards points earned on the Amex Gold card may require slightly more effort due to the options available, but the results could potentially yield more value.
Annual Fees and Authorized Users
The Amex Blue Cash Everyday card does not charge an annual fee and there is also no charge for adding authorized users (rates and fees).
The Amex Gold card does charge an annual fee. You’ll find the most current annual fee listed in the snapshot at the beginning of this article. The Amex Gold card also allows up to 5 additional users at no cost. The sixth card and any subsequent users can be added at $35 each (rates and fees).
Whether it’s a weekend getaway, an epic vacation, or even a staycation, you’ll find useful travel and shopping benefits and protections on both of our featured cards. Image Credit: Roman Samborskyi via Shutterstock
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:
- The Hotel Collection Benefits — Stay 2 consecutive nights and receive $100 hotel credit towards eligible hotel purchases at check-out.
- Baggage Insurance Plan — If your 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/or Membership Rewards points 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 – note that some require enrollment. 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 Amex 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.
Amex Gold Card — Additional Shopping Benefits and Protections
- Extended Warranty — Pay for an eligible item with your card and for manufacturer’s warranties of 5 years or less, the warranty will be extended by 1 year. Benefit limits are $10,000 per item, $50,000 per account.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
Please note our list is not inclusive of all the benefits and protections provided on each card — and we’ve abbreviated the descriptions. The actual guide to benefits for each card will contain full descriptions and a complete list of all the benefits and protections available with each card.
Statement Credits
Amex Blue Cash Everyday Card
- The Disney Bundle — Use your card to spend at least $13.99 per month on an eligible Disney Bundle subscription, which includes Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, and receive a $7 statement credit each month. Enrollment is required.
- Home Chef — Use your card to order online from Home Chef and receive up to $15 back each month (up to $180 annually). Enrollment is required.
Amex Gold Card
- Uber Cash — Receive $10 each month in Uber Cash that can be used for Uber rides in the U.S. or Uber Eats orders, up to $120 total each year. Add your Amex Gold card to your Uber account to be eligible for the monthly benefit.
- Monthly Dining Credit — Receive $10 per month in dining credits for purchases at select restaurants.
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, worldwide dining, no foreign transaction fees, solid 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 Amex 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 Amex Blue Cash Everyday card and the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express and the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card vs. the Amex Gold card.
For the Global Assist Hotline benefit of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, you can rely on Global Assist Hotline 24 hours a day / 7 days a week for medical, legal, financial or other select emergency coordination and assistance services while traveling more than 100 miles away from your home. Third-party service costs may be your responsibility. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.
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.
![Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card – Full Review [2022]](https://upgradedpoints.com/wp-content/themes/upgp/img/cards/impact/2726_796.png)
![American Express Cash Magnet Card – Full Review [2022]](https://upgradedpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/American-Express-Cash-Magnet-Card.png)
