Blue Cash Preferred vs Gold Card

Updated September 24, 2026 · from RightCard's verified card and merchant data

American Express Gold Card earns more in 6 of 9 categories (restaurants, supermarkets, travel, online shopping), American Express Blue Cash Preferred in 3, with 0 tied. Blue Cash Preferred: $95 fee. Gold Card: $325 fee. Counting categories is not the same as counting your spend: the winner for you is the one that wins where your money goes.

Every category, side by side

Published everyday rates. For points cards the value in brackets uses our conservative travel estimate; as cash, points are worth 1¢. No welcome bonuses, no limited-time offers.

Category	Blue Cash Preferred	Gold Card	Wins
Restaurants	1%	4x points (7.2¢)	Gold Card
Supermarkets	6%	4x points (7.2¢)	Gold Card
Gas stations	3%	1x points (1.8¢)	Blue Cash Preferred
Travel	1%	1x points (1.8¢)	Gold Card
Online shopping	1%	1x points (1.8¢)	Gold Card
Drugstores	1%	1x points (1.8¢)	Gold Card
Transit & rideshare	3%	1x points (1.8¢)	Blue Cash Preferred
Streaming	6%	1x points (1.8¢)	Blue Cash Preferred
Everything else	1%	1x points (1.8¢)	Gold Card

Point values: Gold Card: Amex Membership Rewards at 1.8¢ toward travel. Cash out and most points are worth 1¢ or less.

Fee and credits

Card	Annual fee	Statement credits	Credits, face value
Blue Cash Preferred	$95 fee	Disney Streaming Credit ($10 monthly)	$120 / yr
Gold Card	$325 fee	Dining credit ($10 monthly), Uber Cash ($10 monthly), Resy Credit ($50 twice a year), Dunkin' Credit ($7 monthly)	$424 / yr

Credits count only if you would spend there anyway. Tick the ones you would use and get each card's fee verdict →

Carrying both

Together they cover 9 of 9 categories above the other card's rate. See the pair as one wallet, then add the rest of your cards.

American Express Blue Cash Preferred in full → · American Express Gold Card in full →

How RightCard handles this: add both cards and the app picks between them at every store, with your bank offers and this quarter's rotating bonus folded in. The app is free and private. No bank login. Recommendations are computed on your phone.

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FAQ

Blue Cash Preferred or Gold Card: which earns more?

American Express Gold Card earns more in 6 of 9 categories (restaurants, supermarkets, travel, online shopping), American Express Blue Cash Preferred in 3, with 0 tied. Blue Cash Preferred: $95 fee. Gold Card: $325 fee. Counting categories is not the same as counting your spend: the winner for you is the one that wins where your money goes.

Which has the lower annual fee, Blue Cash Preferred or Gold Card?

Blue Cash Preferred: $95 fee. Gold Card: $325 fee.

Should I get both?

Only if each wins a category you spend in. Together they lead in 9 of 9 categories; the rate-my-wallet tool shows the pair as one wallet.

Where these numbers come from: RightCard's data pipeline re-checks each card's published rates weekly and lists a rate only after two independent sources agree. Merchant codes come from our merchant directory. If a card or store is missing here, it is because we could not verify it, not because we guessed.

More guides: All comparisons · Rate my wallet · Every verified card