Amex Gold vs Capital One Venture X, Which Card is Better? 

by Daniel | Last Updated July 4th, 2024

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Are you looking to maximize your everyday spending with fantastic rewards and luxurious perks?
Well in this article, I’m going to take a closer look at two of the best consumer credit cards on the market: the American Express Gold Card and the Capital One Venture X Card.

These cards offer incredible benefits tailored to different spending habits and lifestyles, whether you’re a foodie, a travel enthusiast, or someone who simply wants to get the most out of every dollar spent.

I’ll dive into the features, benefits, and potential drawbacks of each card to help you decide which one fits your needs best.

From earning points on dining and groceries with the Amex Gold card, to racking up miles for your next adventure with the Venture X card, these cards have something for everyone.

So, buckle up and join me as I explore the ins and outs of these powerhouse cards and discover how they can elevate your spending and reward you in ways you never imagined.

https://youtu.be/XZvvqZ_4ADQ

Who Are These Cards Good For? 

Now these two credit cards cater to different types of users, each offering unique benefits tailored to distinct spending habits and lifestyles.
So here’s a breakdown of who would benefit most from each card:

American Express Gold Card

Starting first the cheaper of the card is the American Express Gold Card.

Foodies and Dining Enthusiasts

This card is perfect for those who love to dine out or order in. With 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants, including takeout and delivery, you can earn substantial rewards on your dining expenses.

Grocery Shoppers

It is ideal for individuals who spend a lot on groceries, offering 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1x).

Frequent Travelers

While it shines in dining and groceries, the Amex Gold also offers 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com, making it a good option for occasional travelers

Reward Maximizers

 If you like to earn and redeem points for travel, gift cards, or statement credits, the Amex Gold provides flexible and valuable options through the Membership Rewards program.

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Capital One Venture X Card

Then the second card is the Capital One Venture X card. 

Travel Enthusiasts

This card is excellent for those who prioritize travel rewards, offering 10x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5x miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel.

Frequent Flyers

If you fly often, the Venture X provides a $300 annual travel credit for bookings through Capital One Travel and 2x miles on all other purchases, making it easy to accumulate miles for future flights.

Luxury Seekers

It is ideal for those who enjoy premium travel perks, the card includes access to Capital One Lounges and Priority Pass lounges, as well as up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck

Flexibility Seekers

If you want a straightforward rewards program with flexible redemption options, and the ability to transfer miles to various travel partners, the Venture X is a strong contender.

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So each of these cards offer valuable benefits tailored to different lifestyles and spending habits, ensuring there’s a perfect fit for your financial needs and preferences. Whether you’re looking to maximize dining and grocery rewards or enjoy luxurious travel perks, these cards provide exceptional value.

Annual Fee And Sign-up Bonus 

Now from here, let’s take look at how valuable the sign-up bonus is and how much the annual fee will cost you each year.
And you will see that there isn’t much of a difference between these cards.

American Express Gold Card

And with Membership Reward points being worth at least 1 cent per points, this sign-up bonus is worth $600.

Now its worth noting that you can get a lot more value from your Membership Rewards Points by transferring them to one of the many travel partners.

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Capital One Venture X Card

And much like the Amex Gold card, it is possible to receive quite a lot more value than this by transferring your miles to one of the travel partners. 

Now it’s worth noting that each account anniversary you will actually receive 10,000 bonus miles, this in itself is worth at least $100, and effectively brings the annual fee down to $295.

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So the more expensive Capital One Venture X card offers a slightly more valuable sign-up bonus that is worth $750, or $150 more than what the Amex Gold card is currently offering.

Now one thing take into account is the amount you will need to spend to receive the sign-up bonus and then how long you have to meet the spend requirement.

The Capital One Venture X Card has the strictest option, as it allows you just 3 months to meet the $4,000 spend requirement.
Whereas the American Express Gold Card is slight more relaxed, as you have 6 months to meet the $6,000 spend requirement.

Which Card Has The Best Miles Earning Potential?

So now we know how much each card costs on an annual basis and what they are offering as a sign-up bonus, we now need to look at the points or miles earning ability of each card.

And needless to say, this is an important factor to consider, when choosing a credit card.
If you are able to earn more miles or points via your everyday spending habits, you will end up getting a ton of extra value in the long run. 

American Express Gold Card

Starting right at the top, it is possible to earn 4x points for purchases made a restaurants world wide.
This also includes takeout and delivery services that are located from within the US.

Along with this, it is also possible to receive 4x points for purchases that are made as US supermarkets up to a total yearly spend of $25,000, which works out to be a maximum of 100,000 points.

Any flights that are booked either directly with the airlines or through Amex Travel will earn you 3x points.

Then all other purchases made on the card will earn you 1 point per dollar spent. 

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Capital One Venture X Card

It is the possible to earn 5x miles on flights that are made through Capital One Travel.
Then everything else will earn you unlimited 2x miles per dollar spent.

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So the Venture X Card has a higher miles earning potential than the Amex Gold card, but it’s worth considering where you will spend most of your money with your chosen card.

The Venture X card is more focused on travel, whereas the Amex Gold card is more focused on food.

Which Card Has The Best Benefits And Perks?

So now that we know what the annual fee, sign-up bonus and miles or points earning potential of each card is, let’s take a look at the benefits that actually come with each card to see how they compare. 

American Express Gold Card

So the first benefit is a $120 dining credit that is provided to you in $10 monthly allotments, and this can be used at the following business:

• Grubhub
• The Cheesecake Factory
• Goldbelly
• Wine.com
• Milk Bar
• Select Shake Shack locations

And whilst this is a nice benefit to have, it would be nice if it could be also used at a wider range of business, as the current list of options is a little limited. 

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There is then a $120 Uber credit which is also is also provided in $10 allotments each month and this can be used for both Uber Rides or Uber Eats.

So these two benefits alone almost totally make up for the $250 annual fee. 

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Then the last benefit available with the Amex Gold card is access to the Hotel Collection. 
And with this it is possible to receive a $100 hotel credit when you make a booking of 2 nights or more at a hotel through Amextravel.com

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Capital One Venture X Card

Airport Lounge Access

Along with this you will also have complimentary access for you and 2 guests to Capital One Lounges.
Now currently there is only 3 lounges available, which are are located at

• Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
• Denver International Airport (DEN)
• Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)

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Annual Travel Credit 

Now another valuable benefits that comes with this card is a $300 annual travel credit.
And this can be used for bookings that are made through Capital One Travel.

Along with this, each card anniversary you will also receive 10,000 bonus miles that are worth $100.

So when you combine the $300 annual travel credit and the 10,000 bonus miles each year, the card is effectively free and you are left with $5.

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Premier Collection Credit 

Now somewhat similar to the Hotel Collection benefit that comes with the Amex Gold card,
The Capital One Venture X card provides you with a $100 credit when you book a hotel through the Premier Collection.

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$100 Credit TSA PreCheck or Global Entry 

There is then the ability to receive a $100 statement credit for used for either TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. 

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Hertz President’s Circle Status

And finally you will receive access to Hertz President’s Circle status.

Final Thoughts

Ok so that covers just about everything you need to know about the Amex Gold Card and the Capital One Venture X card, and as you can see, they both offer a reasonable amount of value via the benefits they offer and the ability to earn miles or points. 

So let’s just do a quick recap and go back over each section to see how the cards actually compare.

Annual Fee

In terms of the annual fee the Amex Gold Card is the cheapest card on this list with an annual fee of $250.   
And then the Capital One Venture X Card comes in second with an annual fee of $395.

1. American Express Gold Card  
2. Capital One Venture X Card

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Sign-up Bonus

When it comes to the value of the sign-up bonus, the Capital One Venture X Card comes out on top with a value of $750.
Then the American Express Gold Card  comes in second with a sign-up value of $600.

1. Capital One Venture X Card
2. American Express Gold Card

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Earning Miles

Now if you want to earn a ton of points or miles, the Capital One Venture X Card has the highest miles earnings potential of both card, specifically as it has the ability to earn 10x miles on both hotels and car rentals that are booked through Capital One Travel.
Then the Amex Gold card comes in second, as its highest points earning potential is 4x points. 

1. Capital One Venture X Card
2. American Express Gold Card

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Benefits and Perks

So last but not least is benefits and perks, and right at the top is the Capital One Venture X Card.
And in second place again is the is the Amex Gold Card.

1. Capital One Venture X Card
2. American Express Gold Card

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So the Capital One Venture X card comes out on top for 3 out of the 4 categories that we looked at today.
And this outcome is somewhat to be expected, seeing that the Capital One Venture X card has a higher annual fee of $395 compared to the Amex Gold cards annual fee of $250.

But when it comes to choosing the best card it really just depending on which card is going to work the best for you and your situation.

For me, I would personally choose the Capital One Venture X card as I travel a lot and would make good use of travel credit, airport lounge access and high miles earning ability.

Now this doesn’t mean that Amex Gold card is not a good card.
It offers the ability to earn a lot of Membership Rewards Points through its 4x points earnings at restaurants and at Supermarkets.

And its $120 Dining Credit and $120 Uber Credit just about totally make up for the annual fee. 

Now if you’d like to learn more bout the best hotel credit cards for 2024, make sure to check out this article here.