The American Express® Gold Card and Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card serve different spending and reward preferences.
The Amex Gold Card, designed for individuals with high spending on dining, supermarkets, and travel, provides substantial rewards in these categories.
Conversely, the Capital One Quicksilver Card is ideal for those seeking simplicity, offering a flat-rate cash back on all purchases without the need to track specific spending categories.
This article will compare each card based on several factors to help you make an informed decision on which card is the best to add to your wallet.
Full Reviews: American Express® Gold Card and Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card.
Overview of Each Card
Welcome Bonus
The Amex Gold currently offers the following welcome bonus:
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The Quicksilver Card currently offers the following welcome bonus:
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Earning Rewards
The Amex Gold earns Membership Rewards points and offers some very nice points multipliers to help you earn a lot of points:
- 4 points per dollar on dining at restaurants (including takeout and food delivery in the U.S.).
- 4 points per dollar on up to $25,000 in purchases at U.S. supermarkets per calendar year (then 1 point per dollar).
- 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly from the airline or through the Amex Travel.
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
The Quicksilver Card earns:
- 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
- 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day.
Winner: Amex Gold is a rewards-earning powerhouse with extra rewards at restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and flights.
Card Benefits and Perks
The American Express Gold Card offers the following benefits for its cardholders:
- Up to $120 annual dining statement credit: Earn up to $10 in monthly statement credits when you pay with the Amex Gold Card at participating dining partners, including Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar, and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment is required.
- Up to $120 in annual Uber Cash: Earn up to $10 in Uber Cash monthly for Uber Eats and Uber rides in the U.S. when you enroll and add the card to the Uber app.
- Up to $100 in hotel credits: Cardmembers who use their card to book a stay of two nights or more through Amex’s The Hotel Collection receive a $100 on-site credit for qualifying activities.
- Trip delay insurance ($300 for a delay of more than 12 hours)*
- Lost luggage reimbursement*
- No foreign transaction fees
- Secondary rental car insurance*
- Return protection*
- Purchase protection*
- Extended warranty
* Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions, and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.
The Quicksilver Card offers the following benefits and perks:
- 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases, then reg_apr,reg_apr_type APR.
- Extended warranty.
- No foreign transaction fees.
Winner: Amex Gold offers way more benefits than the Quicksilver card.
Value of the Annual Fees
The American Express Gold has a $250 annual fee (rates and fees), which is offset by the $240 in credits, trip and purchase protections, and extra points on dining, flights, and U.S. supermarkets.
One of the best things about the Capital One Quicksilver card is that it allows you to earn cash back with no annual fee.
Winner: It depends. If you can take advantage of the statement credits and travel benefits, the Amex Gold is a better deal despite its higher annual fee. If not, then the Quicksilver’s no annual fee is a good deal.
Redeeming Rewards
American Express Membership Rewards is a popular rewards program that offers a variety of redemption options, including travel, merchandise, gift cards, and more.
However, to get the most value out of your rewards, it’s important to use them strategically.
One of the best ways to use Amex Membership Rewards is through transfer partners.
The program partners with over 20 airline and hotel partners, including ANA, Air Canada Aeroplan, Iberia Avios, and Avianca LifeMiles.
By transferring your points to these partners, you can often get more value per point and enjoy a wider range of redemption options.
Membership Rewards Transfer Partners [1 to 1]
|
|
|---|---|
Aer Lingus Avios
|
AeroMexico [1 to 1.6]
|
Air Canada Aeroplan
|
Air France/KLM Flying Blue
|
ANA
|
Avianca LifeMiles
|
British Airways Avios
|
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
|
Delta SkyMiles
|
El Al [1,000 to 20]
|
Emirates
|
Etihad Guest
|
Hawaiian Airlines
|
Iberia Avios
|
JetBlue [250 to 200]
|
Qantas
|
Qatar Airways
|
Singapore KrisFlyer
|
Virgin Atlantic
|
Choice
|
Marriott Bonvoy
|
Hilton Honors [1 to 2]
|
The cash back accumulated through your Capital One Quicksilver card can be utilized in a number of ways, including as a statement credit, a check, or a gift card. Alternatively, you have the option to use it directly towards a particular charge on your statement.
What’s more, there’s no requirement for a minimum amount to redeem your cash back. All you need to do is log into your account, either through the app or on your computer, and choose the redemption method that suits you best.
Winner: It depends on how you want to use your rewards. If you want to do the work to learn how to use your Amex Membership Rewards effectively for travel, then Amex Gold has a great rewards program. But if you are looking for simple cash back, it’s hard to beat the Quicksilver’s easy rewards process.
The Verdict
Both the Amex Gold and Quicksilver Card are good choices.
If you travel, then the Amex Gold is one of my favorite credit cards due to its extra rewards for restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and flights.
If you want a no annual fee cash back card, the Quicksilver card is a good option with a nice welcome bonus.
Which card are you going to choose?
