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When it comes to choosing a travel card for your adventures and dining escapades, two cards tend to stand out in the crowd: The American Express® Gold Card and The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. I’ve held both of these cards in my wallet and they both can add a touch of luxury to your daily spending. However, much like choosing between a classic novel and a bestseller, one might resonate more with your lifestyle. Here’s the Amex Gold vs. Capital One Venture Rewards review.

Great for Foodies: American Express® Gold Card

New Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card cardholders can earn 75,000 miles once they spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening, equal to $750 in travel. 

Natalie headed to the airport in London. Credit: Johnny Jet

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

Amex Gold & Capital One Venture Welcome/Signup Bonus

To kick off this Amex Gold vs. Capital One Venture Reward review, let’s start with the welcome/signup bonuses. Both cards have exciting bonus offers. The American Express® Gold Card welcome bonus has a higher face value, and you have an extra 3 months to reach the spending limit.

Amex Gold

New American Express® Gold Card cardholders can earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide within the first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $100 back. Limited time offer. Offer ends 11/6/24.

Plus, get the American Express® Gold Card in either the Gold, Rose Gold, or Limited-Edition White Gold metal design. White Gold design is only available while supplies last.

American Express bonuses are only available “once in a lifetime.” If you earned an Amex Gold (or an American Express Premier Rewards Gold) signup bonus before, you wouldn’t qualify for a second bonus.

Capital One Venture

New Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card cardholders can earn 75,000 miles once they spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening, equal to $750 in travel. 

Related: Can You Receive A Capital One Venture Bonus Twice?

Annual Fee

The American Express® Gold Card has a $325 annual fee and no foreign transaction fee (See Rates & Fees). However, this fee can be offset. Keep reading to learn how or check out our post, “Is The American Express Gold Card Worth The Annual Fee?” to learn more.

The Capital One Venture has a $95 annual fee and no foreign transaction fee. This fee can also be offset, though there aren’t as many perks.

Additional cards are free for each card. You will need to decide if the signup bonus, purchase rewards, and add-on benefits are worth more than the annual fee.

Earning Rewards Points

Both cards make it easy to earn bonus points on common purchases. The better card depends on your spending habits and whether you want to earn fixed-rate rewards or tiered rewards.

Amex Gold

The American Express® Gold Card earns:

  • 4x Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1x points for the rest of the year)
  • 4x Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1x points for the rest of the year)
  • 3x Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com
  • 2x Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com
  • 1x Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases

Capital One Venture

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earns 2x Venture miles per $1 on every purchase. Plus, earn 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

You may prefer this straightforward approach if your spending habits don’t align with the Amex Gold bonus categories or if you like the simplicity of flat-rate rewards cards.

Redeeming Rewards Points

Now onto the fun stuff in this Amex Gold vs. Capital One Venture review. Both cards offer travel and cash redemption options. Your points are most valuable when redeemed for award travel.

Amex Gold

Each Membership Rewards point is worth up to one cent and each be redeemed for award flights on AmexTravel.com or for gift cards.

You can also transfer them to multiple American Express Membership Rewards airline and hotel partners, including:

  • Delta Air Lines
  • JetBlue
  • Hawaiian Airlines
  • Avianca
  • Hilton Honors
  • Marriott Bonvoy

Other redemption options include cash statement credits, online shopping points, and non-flight award travel (enrollment may be required). However, the redemption value is less than 1 cent each for these alternate redemption options.

The points transfers can have the highest redemption values, followed by award flights and gift cards.

Capital One Venture

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is worth one cent each when redeemed for these award travel bookings:

  • Travel statement credit (on travel purchases within the past 90 days)
  • Booking upcoming travel on Capital One Travel

You can also transfer your Venture miles to airline and hotel partners, including:

  • Avianca
  • British Airways
  • FlyingBlue
  • Accor Live
  • Wyndham Rewards

You can also redeem your miles for cash statement credits, gift cards, Amazon.com shopping credits, and PayPal purchase credits, but each point is only worth 0.8 cents each.

Additional Card Perks

Each card offers extra card perks that can be more valuable than the annual fee. Here’s how the Amex Gold vs. Capital One Venture fares regarding extra card perks.

Amex Gold

The American Express® Gold Card is a “semi-premium” card offering these travel and dining perks:

  • Up to $10 monthly dining statement credit at select restaurants (enrollment required)
  • $100 onsite credit for The Hotel Collection with American Express (terms apply)
  • Baggage insurance (up to $1,250 for carry-on and $500 for checked baggage)
  • Secondary rental car collision and theft coverage
  • Metal card

The Amex Gold is also made of metal, but the Venture Card is made of plastic and only has one card design.

Another perk is the ability to earn up to $10 in statement credits on a monthly basis when you use your Gold Card to pay at the following dining establishments (enrollment is required):

  • Grubhub
  • The Cheesecake Factory
  • Goldbelly
  • Wine.com
  • Five Guys

This perk can save you up to $120 annually.

Capital One Venture

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card doesn’t offer as many perks as the Amex Gold. Its most valuable benefit is a fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.

  • Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit, up to $120
  • Extended warranty protection on qualifying purchases
  • Secondary rental car collision and theft coverage
  • Virtual card numbers from Eno

When the Amex Gold is Better

The American Express Gold Card is better than the Capital One Venture for these reasons:

  • Earn up to 4x points on purchases
  • 1:1 airline and hotel point transfers vs a 2:1 or 1.5:1 ratio
  • Up to $120 in annual dining credits (enrollment required)
  • $100 onsite credit for the Hotel Collection from American Express
  • More valuable welcome bonus
  • Terms apply

The American Express® Gold Card has a higher annual fee, but the travel and dining benefits can be worth more. If you prefer redeeming card points for upcoming travel or 1:1 point transfers, the Amex Gold can be better than the Venture Card.

When the Capital One Venture is Better

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is better for these reasons:

  • Earn 2x miles on all purchases; 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
  • Travel statement credits are worth 1 cent each
  • Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
  • Lower annual fee

You may prefer the Capital One Venture if you prefer redeeming your miles for travel statement credits. You pay cash for your travel purchases but earn 2x miles and can redeem them for one cent each.

Travel statement credits are only worth 0.6 cents to cover charges or 0.7 cents to book prepaid hotels, rental cars, and cruises.

Despite minimal additional benefits, the Venture Card can be better if you can’t use the Gold Card’s dining and travel credits.

Plus, the 2x purchase rewards can earn more than the Amex Gold 4-3-1 rewards structure. You can learn more about what Capital One Venture credit score is needed for approval if you plan to try for this card.

Summary of Capital One Venture vs Amex Gold

Both cards are great options for maximizing travel and dining purchases. The redemption options are similar, but your decision comes down to whether you’re willing to pay extra for dining and travel credits. Hopefully, this Amex Gold vs. Capital One Venture review has helped you figure out which option is better for you.

FAQs

Is the American Express Gold a good card?

The American Express® Gold Card can be one of the best options for earning bonus points and saving money on travel and dining purchases. The American Express® Gold Card earns:

  • 4x Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1x points for the rest of the year)
  • 4x Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1x points for the rest of the year)
  • 3x Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com
  • 2x Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com
  • 1x Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases

Membership Rewards are worth 1 cent each when booking award flights or requesting gift cards. You can also transfer your points at a 1:1 ratio to multiple airlines and hotels. If you can maximize the travel and dining benefits, the annual fee of $325 is reasonable and easily offset by the various credits.

But if you prefer premium travel benefits, consider The Platinum Card® from American Express instead. Compare the Amex Gold vs. Amex Platinum review.

Does the Amex Gold Card have a credit limit?

No, the American Express Gold Card doesn’t technically have a credit limit. No Preset Spending Limit means your spending limit is flexible. Unlike a traditional card with a set limit, the amount you can spend adapts based on factors such as your purchase, payment, and credit history.

It is also one of the best American Express cards.

Is the Amex Gold metal?

Yes, the American Express Gold is a metal credit card.

What is the most prestigious Capital One credit card?

The Capital One Venture is arguably the best overall Capital One credit card. You earn 2x miles on all purchases and have flexible redemption options.

Venture miles are most valuable when redeemed for travel statement credits or booking upcoming travel. The annual fee is a reasonable $95, and your rewards can offset the annual fee and help pay for vacation if you travel at least once or twice a year. It is also one of the best Capital One credit cards.

Related Articles:

For rates and fees of The American Express® Gold Card, please click here.

Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

Johnny Jet has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Johnny Jet and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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