Is the American Express Gold Card worth the higher annual fee?

The American Express Gold Card costs $325/yr vs $0/yr for the SoFi Smart Card. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $325 gap must be offset by higher earn rates, welcome offers, or credits you will use (the American Express Gold Card also lists dining credits).

Which card earns more rewards, the American Express Gold Card or SoFi Smart Card?

The American Express Gold Card has a higher base earn rate (1X vs 0X), but both cards have different bonus categories where they excel.

What benefits does the American Express Gold Card have that the SoFi Smart Card doesn't?

The American Express Gold Card offers dining credits. The SoFi Smart Card focuses more on earn rates than premium perks.

Should I get the American Express Gold Card or the SoFi Smart Card?

Use the spend scenarios on this page: the SoFi Smart Card has a lower $0/yr fee; the American Express Gold Card must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $325/yr.

American Express Gold Card vs SoFi Smart Card

Annual fees: American Express Gold Card $325/yr, SoFi Smart Card $0/yr. Strongest bonus categories: American Express Gold Card on hotels, SoFi Smart Card on grocery stores.

Card data as of October 12, 2026.

Credit card comparison
Overview
	American Express Gold Card American Express · $325/yr	SoFi Smart Card SoFi · No annual fee
Annual fee	$325	$0 Lowest
Welcome offerCurrent public offer	As high as 100,000 points — offers vary	—
Rewards	American Express Membership Rewards	Cash back
Foreign transaction fee	None	—
Network	American Express	Mastercard
Earn ratesPer $1 spent · points and cash back aren’t ranked against each other
Grocery Stores	4x	5%
Dining	4x	— Rate not published
Flights	3x	— Rate not published
Everything else	1x	— Rate not published
Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record
Rideshare & transit	$120 Uber Cash · $10 monthly	Not yet documented
Dining & delivery	$100 Resy credit · $50 every 6 months $120 dining credit · $10 monthly $84 Dunkin' credit · $7 monthly	Not yet documented
Perks & access— means none on record
Hotel status & programs	$100 property credit at 1,300+ upscale hotels worldwide	Not yet documented
Other perks	Amex Offers Early access to concerts and events 24/7 global travel assistance American Express Preferred Access Events with Amex & Presale Tickets No foreign transaction fees on international purchases	Not yet documented
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
Trip insurance	Trip Delay Insurance up to $300	Not yet documented
Baggage	Baggage Insurance Plan up to $1,750	Not yet documented
Rental car	Secondary rental car insurance for damage and theft	Not yet documented
Purchase & returns	Purchase Protection up to $10,000 per item for 90 days	Not yet documented
Extended warranty	Extended Warranty up to one additional year · up to $10,000	Not yet documented
Other protections	Zero liability protection on fraudulent charges Dispute Resolution and Fraud Protection	Not yet documented
Pros & cons
Pros	4X points on dining worldwide - industry leading 4X at U.S. supermarkets up to $25k/year $424 in annual credits (face value) cover the $325 fee if you use at least $325 of them No foreign transaction fees Transfer to 19 airline and hotel partners	Secured by your SoFi Checking and Savings balance, with no hard credit pull to apply Unlimited 5% cash back rewards on eligible grocery store purchases No annual fee SoFi reports Smart Card activity to Experian, so on-time payments can help build credit
Cons	$325 annual fee with no waived first year 4X grocery excludes Costco, Walmart, Target No lounge access included Limited non-food spending categories Amex acceptance less universal than Visa/MC	Secured card - you need a SoFi Checking and Savings account, and the balance sets your spending limit The balance must be paid in full each month Superstores, warehouse clubs, convenience stores and grocery delivery do not count as grocery stores for the 5% rate Reports to Experian only
	Card details	Card details

American Express Gold Card
American Express · $325/yr
SoFi Smart Card
SoFi · No annual fee

Overview

Annual fee: American Express Gold Card
$325
SoFi Smart Card
$0
Lowest
Welcome offerCurrent public offer: American Express Gold Card
As high as 100,000 points — offers vary
SoFi Smart Card
—
Rewards: American Express Gold Card
American Express Membership Rewards
SoFi Smart Card
Cash back
Foreign transaction fee: American Express Gold Card
None
SoFi Smart Card
—
Network: American Express Gold Card
American Express
SoFi Smart Card
Mastercard

Earn ratesPer $1 spent · points and cash back aren’t ranked against each other

Grocery Stores: American Express Gold Card
4x
SoFi Smart Card
5%
Dining: American Express Gold Card
4x
SoFi Smart Card
—
Rate not published
Flights: American Express Gold Card
3x
SoFi Smart Card
—
Rate not published
Everything else: American Express Gold Card
1x
SoFi Smart Card
—
Rate not published

Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record

Rideshare & transit: American Express Gold Card
$120 Uber Cash · $10 monthly
SoFi Smart Card
Not yet documented
Dining & delivery: American Express Gold Card
$100 Resy credit · $50 every 6 months
$120 dining credit · $10 monthly
$84 Dunkin' credit · $7 monthly
SoFi Smart Card
Not yet documented

Perks & access— means none on record

Hotel status & programs: American Express Gold Card
$100 property credit at 1,300+ upscale hotels worldwide
SoFi Smart Card
Not yet documented
Other perks: American Express Gold Card
Amex Offers
Early access to concerts and events
24/7 global travel assistance
American Express Preferred Access
Events with Amex & Presale Tickets
No foreign transaction fees on international purchases
SoFi Smart Card
Not yet documented

Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record

Trip insurance: American Express Gold Card
Trip Delay Insurance up to $300
SoFi Smart Card
Not yet documented
Baggage: American Express Gold Card
Baggage Insurance Plan up to $1,750
SoFi Smart Card
Not yet documented
Rental car: American Express Gold Card
Secondary rental car insurance for damage and theft
SoFi Smart Card
Not yet documented
Purchase & returns: American Express Gold Card
Purchase Protection up to $10,000 per item for 90 days
SoFi Smart Card
Not yet documented
Extended warranty: American Express Gold Card
Extended Warranty up to one additional year · up to $10,000
SoFi Smart Card
Not yet documented
Other protections: American Express Gold Card
Zero liability protection on fraudulent charges
Dispute Resolution and Fraud Protection
SoFi Smart Card
Not yet documented

Pros & cons

Pros: American Express Gold Card
4X points on dining worldwide - industry leading
4X at U.S. supermarkets up to $25k/year
$424 in annual credits (face value) cover the $325 fee if you use at least $325 of them
No foreign transaction fees
Transfer to 19 airline and hotel partners
SoFi Smart Card
Secured by your SoFi Checking and Savings balance, with no hard credit pull to apply
Unlimited 5% cash back rewards on eligible grocery store purchases
No annual fee
SoFi reports Smart Card activity to Experian, so on-time payments can help build credit
Cons: American Express Gold Card
$325 annual fee with no waived first year
4X grocery excludes Costco, Walmart, Target
No lounge access included
Limited non-food spending categories
Amex acceptance less universal than Visa/MC
SoFi Smart Card
Secured card - you need a SoFi Checking and Savings account, and the balance sets your spending limit
The balance must be paid in full each month
Superstores, warehouse clubs, convenience stores and grocery delivery do not count as grocery stores for the 5% rate
Reports to Experian only

Card details

Add a 3rd or 4th card to this comparison →

Category-by-Category Winner

The American Express Gold Card wins in 1 of 1 categories. The SoFi Smart Card leads in 0. 3 more categories depend on booking channel or caps.

Hotels

Depends: via issuer travel portal

American Express Gold Card earns 5X when conditions are met; SoFi Smart Card earns 1X (1X without restrictions)

Flights

American Express Gold Card earns 3X vs 1X

Dining

Depends: up to $50,000/yr

American Express Gold Card earns 4X when conditions are met; SoFi Smart Card earns 1X (1X without restrictions)

Grocery Stores

Depends: Excludes Walmart, Target, Costco, Sams Club, Instacart, Wholesale Clubs, Grocery Delivery. Other superstores and warehouse clubs, convenience stores, grocery delivery services and meal-kit delivery services are also not grocery stores. Available only to individual SoFi Checking and Savings accountholders, subject to application, approval and funding; the balance must be paid in full each month and SoFi Member Rewards terms apply.

SoFi Smart Card earns 5X when conditions are met; American Express Gold Card earns 4X (1X without restrictions)

Year One vs Ongoing Value

Modeled net value (bonus categories at unconditional rates, caps applied). Spend mix: dining 15%, groceries 15%, gas 10%, travel 10%, everything else 50%. Statement credits use the same recurring usable estimates as each card's detail page; first-year-only credits count in year one only. Welcome offers valued at each card's program rate shown on this page.

Modeled value is close across spend levels — especially once statement credits are counted.

Scenario	American Express Gold Card	SoFi Smart Card	Ongoing winner	Year-one winner
Light spender: $1,000/month	Rewards: $180 Credits (our usable estimate): $212 − Annual fee ($325) Ongoing: $67 Year one: $67	Rewards: $120 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $120 Year one: $120	Close — depends on how much of the credits you use	Close — depends on how much of the credits you use
Heavy spender: $4,000/month	Rewards: $720 Credits (our usable estimate): $212 − Annual fee ($325) Ongoing: $607 Year one: $607	Rewards: $480 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $480 Year one: $480	American Express Gold Card	American Express Gold Card

Is the Fee Difference Worth It?

The American Express Gold Card costs $325/yr — that's $325 more than the SoFi Smart Card (no annual fee). To justify that gap, you need to extract at least $325 in annual value from the card's higher earn rates and benefits.

The American Express Gold Card includes dining credits. Those perks are not included in the earn-rate scenario table above — compare their dollar value to the $325 fee gap for your own usage.

Bottom line: Use the year-one vs ongoing table for modeled earn value at your spend level. The $325 fee gap means the American Express Gold Card needs roughly $325 more in annual rewards (or credits you will use) to break even on hotels and dining and everyday spend.

Which Card Is Right for You?

Get the American Express Gold Card if you:

+Spend $300+/month on restaurants and dining out

The Bottom Line

Modeled value is close across spend levels — especially once statement credits are counted.

Published annual fees: American Express Gold Card $325/yr, SoFi Smart Card $0/yr — a $325 difference before welcome offers and credits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the American Express Gold Card worth the higher annual fee?: The American Express Gold Card costs $325/yr vs $0/yr for the SoFi Smart Card. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $325 gap must be offset by higher earn rates, welcome offers, or credits you will use (the American Express Gold Card also lists dining credits).
Which card earns more rewards, the American Express Gold Card or SoFi Smart Card?: The American Express Gold Card has a higher base earn rate (1X vs 0X), but both cards have different bonus categories where they excel.
What benefits does the American Express Gold Card have that the SoFi Smart Card doesn't?: The American Express Gold Card offers dining credits. The SoFi Smart Card focuses more on earn rates than premium perks.
Should I get the American Express Gold Card or the SoFi Smart Card?: Use the spend scenarios on this page: the SoFi Smart Card has a lower $0/yr fee; the American Express Gold Card must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $325/yr.

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Official issuer pages: American Express cards · SoFi cards

Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; catalog last published October 12, 2026, and each card page shows when its terms were last checked. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.