Monthly spending. We rank on rewards minus the full annual fee, so statement credits and perks are listed separately and never counted for you.
Choosing between the American Express® Gold Card ($325/yr) and the Bilt Obsidian Card ($95/yr) comes down to where you spend most. Amex Gold Card needs about $640 a month in groceries, counting that spending alone, to make up its $230 higher annual fee over Bilt Obsidian Card. Below that, Bilt Obsidian Card comes out ahead. Enter your monthly spending above to see which comes out ahead for you.
Strongest in dining at 4% (up to $50,000/yr). 4X points at restaurants worldwide, 4X on U.S. supermarkets, 3X on flights.
Perfect if: You spend enough in bonus categories to easily offset the annual fee.
Apply NowStrongest in dining at 3%. 3x on dining or grocery (your choice), 4x on hotels through Bilt Travel, up to 1.25x on rent and mortgage.
Perfect if: You want a strong rewards rate with no spending caps to worry about.
Apply Now| Feature | American Express Gold Card | Bilt Obsidian Card |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Fee | $325 | $95 |
| Sign-Up Bonus | 100,000 points after $8,000 spend in 6 months | None |
| Foreign Transaction Fee | 0% | 0% |
| Base Reward Rate | 1% | 1% |
| Flights Rewards | 3% | 2% |
| Hotels Rewards | 1% | 2% |
| Other travel Rewards | 1% | 2% |
| Dining Rewards | 4% (up to $50,000/yr) | 3% |
| Groceries Rewards | 4% (up to $25,000/yr) | 1% |
| Rates with conditions not counted in the rows above |
5% on prepaid hotels through AmexTravel.com Earns 5% only on prepaid hotels booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App, Amex's own booking site. Hotels booked direct earn 1%. |
4% on hotels through Bilt Travel Earns 4% only on hotels booked through Bilt Travel, Bilt's own booking site. Hotels booked anywhere else earn 2%. 3% on flights through Bilt Travel Earns 3% only on flights booked through Bilt Travel. Flights booked direct with an airline earn 2%. 3% on Lyft Earns 3% only on Lyft rides, after linking your Bilt and Lyft accounts. Other rideshare and travel earns 2%. |
| Key Benefits | 4X points at restaurants worldwide, 4X on U.S. supermarkets, 3X on flights. | 3x on dining or grocery (your choice), 4x on hotels through Bilt Travel, up to 1.25x on rent and mortgage. |
American Express Gold Card pulls ahead for travel, dining, groceries spending.
The $230/year fee difference means American Express Gold Card needs to earn about that much more in rewards to justify its cost.
American Express Gold Card carries $424/year in credits (mostly tied to specific merchants or bookings), while Bilt Obsidian Card carries $100/year in credits (mostly tied to specific merchants or bookings). Those only count if you’d actually use them. Worth checking against your own habits before treating them as a discount on the fee.
Not sure which fits your life? Enter your spending below and we’ll do the math. The calculator ranks purely on rewards minus the full annual fee, so credits and perks are yours to judge.