Top Credit Card Picks to Replace Amex Gold
$0 Annual fee – Capital One SavorOne https://linktw.in/LSdIKZ
$0 Annual fee – Bilt Rewards MasterCard https://linktw.in/VNTnAe
$95 Annual Fee – Chase Sapphire Preferred https://linktw.in/IaGqzP
$550 Annual Fee – Chase Sapphire Reserve https://linktw.in/jXzDnN
$0 Annual fee – Chase Freedom Unlimited https://linktw.in/wxsxzp
Citi Strata Premier (direct link)
https://www.citi.com/credit-cards/citi-strata-premier-credit-card
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After raising their annual fees, many American Express Gold cardholders are ready to cancel their cards. In this video, I’ll go over some alternate credit card options for those who are no longer interested in the American Express card. These cards are especially geared towards those who want to earn miles and points for travel.
💬 Comment if you have any questions!
📕 Chapters
00:00 Intro
01:20 Capital One SavorOne
03:16 Citi Strata Premier
04:13 Bilt Rewards Mastercard
05:20 Chase Credit Cards
07:02 Thoughts
08:00 Closing
39 Comments
Can you make a video justifying Amex Gold despite the raise in fee?
Out of all the cards mentioned I’m only missing the savor one. I’ve been trying to product change my quicksilver but since it’s a visa I doubt it’s ever going to happen.
Been thinking of applying for the venture with its elevated offer, cancel the gold when the AF hits, and just use the BILT for food, hoping I can product change the venture to a savor one in the future
People who are hell bent on canceling the Gold card are beyond me. At the very least, the RESY restaurant credit more than covers the increase in annual fees. Completely silly reason, but I wager most will end up not canceling anyway, as people just love to rattle their sabers; it's very chic to join the cynical horde. But to each their own, I guess. It's still completely illogical in my opinion.
Before update, there was no chance of Amex Gold being a keeper card. After this update, this becomes a keeper card for me. I can literally liquidate all benefits at face value.
Hrm this is the first time I disagree with one of your points. Ordering groceries online can save yourself so much time once you get used to instacart, which you can get for free with saphire or freedom
BILT + Surpass works for me. 12 months ago I had Schwab + Gold + Biz Gold, and soon I'll be down to the Amex Green. Some offers only come to the charge cards, so the Green is well worth $150.
I don't like the new AF. They could have just kept the fee the same and the benefits. I've been getting offers to upgrade to Plat with 125K bonus points, but I have even less of a need for the Plat and its exorbitant AF. I'll be keeping the gold. My begging kids will be able to use all of these credits. My daughter used my card at a restaurant just after the upgrade and I saw the Resy credit on my statement. So not bad enough for me to cancel. We call it our food card, lol.
I have a Chase Freedom Unlimited and Sapphire Preferred. I was thinking of getting an AMEX gold/Platinum. What’s a good third card you’d recommend instead if not those? I’d like to get some points via groceries but also enjoy the privilege of airport lounges
Citi Custom Cash can get you 5% back in grocery or restaurant with no AF
I downgraded back to Green after a year of upgrading from Green to Gold last year back to Green. For groceries, I have the Blue Cash Preferred, which next year, I will downgrade back to the Blue Cash Everyday. For dining, I can use the Bilt Mastercard and Venmo Visa, Chase Freedom Flex that was product changed from a Freedom Unlimited and both when dining and groceries are quarterly categories and same with the Discover It Cash Back. I also have one product changed from a Double Cash to a second Custom Cash. When in 6 months, I will try to reacquire the SavorOne and Feb 2026 when out of 5/24 jail, I will try to get the Freedom Unlimited again for dining as well as the Wells Fargo Autograph for dining. For dining, groceries and gas this 3rd quarter, I can use the Amazon Chase Visa Card for Dining and Groceries at 5% as well as Gas.
If wells improved their transfer partners, now more than ever they’d sway more people to give their cards a chance.
I'm on the fence and have a few months to decide whether to keep the Amex Gold but I'm happy to use one Citi custom cash for dining and another for groceries.
Also Chase freedom flex also offers 3% on restaurants
Im sticking with amex because I live in a highly populated area so I can easily take advantage of all my credits. I also travel to see family in Hawaii every year or so and they’re currently the only partner credit card that transfers to Hawaiian Miles after BILT quietly removed them a few months ago. Great video though Max! I get why people want to cancel.
The panic around Amex Gold is strange. For me, a $100 Resy Credit vs $75 annual fee increase is a win. Amex Gold is for people who spend a lot in bars/ restaurants and groceries, sometimes. I definitely spend a $100 in one of Resy network restaurants per year so not a big deal plus I always used my Uber credit and GrubHub/ ShakeShack credit. Will definitely keep the card cos now Amex pays me to keep it
I’m staying with my Amex gold. The multipliers just makes sense for me. I spend roughly $1k-$1200 on groceries a month and $600 on dinning out a month. Then add rakuten 2% on insta cart… 😮💨😮💨 that’s an additional 25-30k plus MR points alone. Too much value in the card for a guy like me.
The credits are the icing in the cake. $325 annual fee… no problem! Keeper card for me 🤷♂️.
My Savor One is en route It was good while it lasted with the AmEx Gold
I was fully expecting Amex to screw up my most favorite card. while very unhappy with the direction Amex is taking with their cards, these changes work in my favor without having to go too far out of my way. annoying but I still get a lot of value from this card
So happy I never fell for the hype and went with the Capital One duo
The Amex Offers alone pay for the annual fee of the Amex Gold for me. For the alternate cards, I don't understand if someone doesn't want to pay for a card with a $325 annual fee, why would the person get a card that has a higher $395 annual fee? Not to mention the $300 credit of the Venture X has to be used in their travel website.
I'm keeping the gold for another year. I love the new coupons. My fee hits two weeks before the price increase, but I'll reconsider when the increased fee actually hits in September 2025. My big beef with Amex is that they claw back all points for gift cards bought at grocery stores. I already have a Savor just for that as they don't seem to mind gift cards.
I just renewed the gold for $250, so I will use it an other year for sure! Having the Cap Venture X Im still planning to apply to the SavorOne and then revaluate in 12 months
Halfway through my Gold- Platinum upgrade year.
Rewards Checking & Blue Business Plus will be my points holders when I cancel the Platinum.
Thanks! 👍
Whole Foods delivers in cities so it’s a good 3% cash back perk with the CSP. Freedok had a 5% promotion for a year, well worth it depending on where you live
I only order groceries online. Best money saving tip ever. If your significant other browses isles and keeps throwing shit in the cart, order online!
One comment of support for ordering groceries online with the CSP: the 3X points from online grocery purchases can be stacked with the Shop through Chase portal to earn an additional 2x Ultimate Rewards Points per dollar spent at lots of local grocery stores (Albertons, Safeway, Pavillions, and Vons among others–all earning an additional 2x points) effectively making it a 5x grocery bonus category card depending on the store.
I started the practice of online grocery shopping during the COVID lockdown months and maintain the practice given the bonus stacking from the shopping portals (many of these same groceries also partner with the major airline loyalty shopping programs as well as Rakuten for AMEX points, although, the bonus rates vary).
Cobalt in Canada at 5x still the GOAT.
With the AMEX gold you can actually now net positive with the offers on it vs before (when even after using all benefits, prior to the refresh, you were still $10 down the hole). honestly if you order delivery and have a five guys (shake shack was way better imo) near you or cheesecake factory its not that hard to use. I'll actually net out +15$ with the resy credit now (i mean who doesnt go to a semi decent restaraunt at least once every 6 months). This is all without needing to use the dunkin credits
3:37 Citi strata premier **
Good info except on the Chase card you said "who buys groceries online anyway?" But you forget not everyone is abled body nor younger than age 65 like yourself. Some of us find online groceries necessary and more convenient. Thx
Good info except on the Chase card you said "who buys groceries online anyway?" But you forget not everyone is abled body nor younger than age 65 like yourself. Some of us find online groceries necessary and more convenient. Thx
At this point there are so many better cards than the Amex gold and now that the AF is increased I see less of a reason to get it unless you’re just chasing the sign up bonus and canceling a year later
Just opened my Savor One. In 6-8 months will open Capital One Venture X. I clicked your affiliate link in Savor One. 😊
I like the new AmEx changes. $75 increase in exchange for an extra $100 resi credit? Sounds like free money to me.
Combined with the other credits, the total value of credits is greater than the annual fee. And the multiplier is higher.
Not sure why so many creators are negative on AmEx. If you’re not going to a resi restaurant at least twice a year then the card isn’t for you. I think that’s the real message.
Even though I’m pissed off at the af increase, my wife and I are both keeping our golds. We both do enough travel that the Uber credit combined with the resy credit completely offset the af. Given that we spend about $50k a year to feed our 4 person family (with a few gift cards thrown in), we get about 200k pts/yr without even trying. Amex has excellent transfer partners, and enables the ability to get Amex points from Rakuten. In addition, Amex merchant offers can by themselves offset the af. So overall, the card simply can’t be beat for a 2-4 person household.
If I had to give up the gold, I’d replace it with the Citi Strata Premier. It’s a great domestic and travel card with broad 3x categories (groceries, restaurants, gas, hotels), plus 10x on Citi travel hotels. Recently used it in Japan for food and hotels and got 3x on almost everything. Plus, no foreign transaction fees. Its transfer partners are pretty good, and they have had frequent, good xfer bonuses.
How do you talk about the built card without talking about the fact that you can pay your rent with the credit card? Like every human being that rents on Earth can pay and you earn points that you can turn into miles from your largest month they expense which is your rent
Thank you for the video! I’ve been using the Gold card for years, mainly for the 4x points on dining and groceries, while relying on Capital One for 2x on everything else. The recent fee increase on the Gold card isn’t great, so I appreciate you offering an alternative. I’ll definitely be switching to the Savor card. Thanks again!
I’m still undecided if I want to keep the Amex Gold. Several of the benefits are services I don’t use, so maybe it’s time to dump it.
Also, for those considering Bilt, while I do like it for the rent points, my card has been hacked four times in the year and a half I’ve had the account. Super annoying and WF customer service are unphased by the complaints.
I got the Gold card for the 150k signup bonus and plan to let it go after the first year. I get more use from the platinum card through my frequent travel and use other cards for the bonus categories like gas, groceries, and office supplies.