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The American Express® Gold Card is known for its earning potential at grocery stores. However, the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card also has excellent bonus rates at grocery stores plus several other benefits, making it a worthy competitor to the Amex Gold.
Which card is best for your grocery spending? Let's take a close look at these two top choices for grocery cards.
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Grocery Rewards: Earning Rates and Limits
The Amex Gold Card earns 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X). It's long been one of the best cards for groceries — hands down.
On the other hand, the Capital One Savor Cash card earns 3% Cash Back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), on dining, entertainment and popular streaming services. But you can turn your cash back into valuable Capital One miles if you also carry a miles-earning card, such as the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
What makes the Capital One Savor Cash stand out is that there is no limit to the rewards you can earn on groceries or any other category of purchases. Your rewards are unlimited!
(Terms apply)
- 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. (on up to $50,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels and other eligible travel booked on amextravel.com
- 1X on other eligible purchases
- 8% cash back on purchases made via the Capital One Entertainment ticketing platform
- 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply)
- 3% cash back on dining and entertainment
- 3% at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®)
- 3% on popular streaming services
- 1% on all other purchases
Related: Complete Guide to Capital One Rewards Miles
Annual Fees and Key Details
The Amex Gold and the Capital One Savor Cash also feature different annual fees, benefits, and unique earning rates. Moreover, their welcome bonuses aren't in the same ballpark. Here's a breakdown of each card's key details.
Amex Gold
- Welcome offer: As a new applicant for the card, you can earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases in the first 6 months.
- Key benefits: Get up to $120 per year in Uber Cash ($10 per month), an $84 Dunkin' credit ($7 per month), a $100 Resy credit ($50 semi-annually), a $120 dining credit $10 per month), and more. Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
- Annual fee: $325 (Rates & Fees).
- Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 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.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That's up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made at restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. (on up to $50,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels and other eligible travel booked on amextravel.com
- 1X on other eligible purchases
Amex Disclosure: To receive the Uber Cash benefit, you must add The Platinum Card® from American Express to your account in the Uber app. Please see full terms for more details.
Capital One Savor Cash
- Welcome offer: As a new applicant for the card, you can earn $200 Cash Back after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.
- Key benefits: Access the Capital One Travel portal and utilize a 24/7 travel concierge, security alerts, $0 fraud liability, and more.
- Annual fee: $0.
- $200 Cash Back after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
- 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services, and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®)
- 1% on all other purchases
- No foreign transaction fees
- $0 annual fee
- 8% cash back on purchases made via the Capital One Entertainment ticketing platform
- 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply)
- 3% cash back on dining and entertainment
- 3% at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®)
- 3% on popular streaming services
- 1% on all other purchases
Which Card Is Right for You?
Ultimately, the choice between the Amex Gold and the Capital One Savor Cash depends on several factors:
- How much will you spend on groceries each year? The Amex Gold earns an extra point per $1 spent at U.S. supermarkets. Is the much-higher $325 annual fee worth paying?
- Which reward currency do you prefer to earn — Amex Membership Rewards points, cash back, or Capital One miles? Remember, you can only transfer the cash back earned on the Capital One Savor Cash to miles if you have a miles-earning card.
- Do you send more than $25,000 annually on purchases at U.S. supermarkets? If not, either card is a safe bet. But if you spend more than this, you'll then earn 1X Amex points per $1 spent with the Amex Gold.
Final Thoughts
Both the Amex Gold and the Capital One Savor Cash are fantastic cards for grocery spending. While they differ in terms of annual fees, benefits, and the rate at which you earn rewards, you can't go wrong by outfitting your wallet with either one.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees)
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