American Express Gold Card vs Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Which is the best for your needs?

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

The American Express® Gold Card and Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card are versatile travel cards that earn transferable rewards you can redeem toward nearly any type of travel.

Both cards offer valuable benefits that can easily make paying either annual fee worth it. The two biggest things to consider when deciding between the cards are what you typically spend the most money on and how you prefer to redeem your rewards.

CNBC Select compares the most important aspects of the Amex Gold Card and Capital One Venture Rewards so you can choose the best one for you.

The American Express® Gold Card has a higher $325 annual fee*, compared to the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, which is $95 annually. Neither card charges foreign transaction fees*.

That said, the Capital One Venture Rewards card's annual fee is easier to justify paying although it comes with fewer perks.

*See Amex Gold's rates and fees

The Capital One Venture card offers 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within three months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

The American Express® Gold Card may offer as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first six months of Card Membership.

The Amex Gold Card's welcome bonus is easier to earn because you only have to spend an average of $1000 per month to qualify for the intro bonus and larger.

Both cards have rewards programs geared toward travelers. If you're looking for a simple rewards program, the Capital One Venture has you covered with a minimum of 2X miles on all purchases. Plus, you earn more rewards on eligible travel: 5X miles per dollar on hotel and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

The American Express® Gold Card appeals more toward foodies. Cardmembers earn 4X American Express Membership Rewards® points on purchases at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 per year in combined purchases, then 1X) and at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in combined purchases, then 1X). Terms apply.

Which card is more rewarding will come down to where you spend the most. Eating out and groceries are common expenses and these categories are where the Amex Gold shines. It ranks as one of CNBC Select's best grocery cards and best dining cards. However, the Capital One Venture is an excellent option for everyday spending, so if most of your purchases fall outside of the Amex Gold's bonus categories, it could end up being more valuable.

Both cards allow you to redeem your points or miles in a variety of ways, and the best options are typically transferring rewards to travel partners. American Express and Capital One both have strong lists of partner loyalty programs, but Amex has a slight edge. Amex has more transfer partners, more choices for domestic flights and excellent partners for business and first-class awards.

However, utilizing transfer partners to get the most out of your credit card rewards can be a tedious and complicated process. And sometimes, there aren't awards available for flights or hotels when you want to travel.

Capital One solved this problem by allowing cardholders to redeem miles for one cent each to offset any travel purchase. This allows you to use Capital One miles to indirectly pay for any flight, hotel, rental car, etc., even if that same travel isn't available for an award booking through a loyalty program.

American Express has a similar option where you can pay with points when you book through American Express Travel, but you'll get less value. With this option, each Amex point is worth one cent each for flights booked through Amex Travel and roughly 0.7 cents each for other Amex Travel redemptions. You can also redeem Amex points for statement credits, but the value drops even further to 0.6 cents per point

The bottom line is, Amex Membership Rewards points have more potential value and Capital One miles are more flexible.

Both cards offer similar travel and purchase-related perks, but when it comes to statement credits, the Amex Gold far exceeds the Capital One Venture.

Capital One Venture cardholders enjoy perks such as:

• Up to $120 in credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee every four years
• Rental car insurance
• Extended warranty protection
• Travel accident insurance
• Lost luggage reimbursement
• *Hertz Five Star status (enrollment required)
• Exclusive access to premier culinary, music and sports events through Capital One Entertainment and Dining
• Premium perks when booking Lifestyle Collection hotels through Capital One Travel

*Upon enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at that status level through the duration of the offer. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply.

With the American Express® Gold Card, you can earn over $400 back every year if you take full advantage of the card's perks:

• Up to $120 in annual dining credits (up to $10 per month) at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. Enrollment required.
• $120 in Uber Cash every year ($10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction)
• Up to $84 in Dunkin' credit each year (Up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations)
• Up to $100 in Resy credit per calendar year (Up to $50 back semi-annually; enrollment required)
• $100 towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
• Entertainment access to exclusive presales and premium seating at concerts, plays, sporting events and more. Enrollment required.
• Trip delay insurance*
• Baggage insurance**
• Rental car insurance***
• Purchase protection**
• Extended warranty protection**

The Amex Gold offers far more value, but it takes dedication to fully utilize all of its benefits. If you prefer a simpler proposition, then you may want the Capital One Venture and its lower cost.

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and American Express® Gold Card are competitive rewards cards that provide useful benefits for cardholders. Both earn transferrable travel rewards, but depending on what you want in a travel credit card, one could be better than the other.

If you're looking for straightforward earning and redemption options, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is the best option. It earns at least 2X miles per dollar on all purchases and the miles are worth at least one cent each for travel. It also has a larger welcome bonus and a lower annual fee.

However, if you want to maximize your rewards on restaurants and groceries at U.S. supermarkets, the American Express® Gold Card is a great asset. And Amex points can be incredibly valuable when you transfer them to the best American Express travel partners. It also has a much longer list of ongoing benefits that can be quite valuable if you maximize the value.

*See rates and fees **Terms, conditions and exclusions apply. Refer to your Guide to Benefits for more details.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of financial products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.

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For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.

*Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

**Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

***Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.