Dedicated comparison page
American Express Gold Card vs Discover it Cash Back on Luminxo. Compare annual fees, rewards, welcome offers, credit requirements, and who each card is best for.
by American Express
American Express Gold Card is a dining card from American Express with a $325 annual fee, up to 100,000 membership rewards points after $8,000 in 6 months, and good to excellent credit.
Best for: People focused on dining rewards who can justify a $325 annual fee and who typically have good to excellent credit.
by Discover
Discover it Cash Back is a cashback card from Discover with no annual fee, cashback match - all cash back earned in first year is doubled, and fair to good credit.
Best for: People focused on cashback rewards who want to avoid an annual fee and who typically have fair to good credit.
| Metric | American Express Gold Card | Discover it Cash Back |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Fee | $325 | None |
| Reward Rate | 5.0% | 5.0% |
| Signup Bonus | Up to 100,000 Membership Rewards points after $8,000 in 6 months | Cashback Match - all cash back earned in first year is doubled |
| Foreign Transaction Fee | None | None |
| Recommended Credit | Good to excellent credit | Fair to good credit |
| Rewards Summary | Earn elevated rewards with 5% on Travel-portal, 4% on Dining and 4% on Groceries, plus 1% on other purchases. | Earn elevated rewards with 5% on Dining (up to $1500/quarter) (rotating quarterly), 5% on Gas (up to $1500/quarter) (rotating quarterly) and 5% on Groceries (up to $1500/quarter) (rotating quarterly), plus 1% on other purchases. |
Its strongest earning category is Travel-portal at 5%, backed by 1% on general spending. It also avoids foreign transaction fees.
Best for: People focused on dining rewards who can justify a $325 annual fee and who typically have good to excellent credit.
Its strongest earning category is Dining at 5%, backed by 1% on general spending. It also avoids foreign transaction fees.
Best for: People focused on cashback rewards who want to avoid an annual fee and who typically have fair to good credit.
The biggest tradeoffs are annual fee, reward concentration, and the level of credit usually needed to qualify. This page compares those inputs directly so you can choose the card that fits your spending and tolerance for annual fees.
Discover it Cash Back has the lowest published starting credit range in this comparison at 670.
Discover it Cash Back has the lowest annual fee in this comparison at no annual fee.