Compare Cards | The Stack

Compare Cards

See which card actually wins for your spend.

This page compares year-one value, ongoing value, welcome-offer difficulty, usable credits, and transfer flexibility under your own assumptions instead of generic rankings.

Build a bonus plan

Card A

Card B

Assumptions

Pressure-test the math

Rewards use your annual spend mix. Credits are discounted by your usage slider. Points and miles use your valuation assumption.

Dining

$/mo

Groceries

$/mo

Travel

$/mo

Gas

$/mo

Online Shopping

$/mo

Streaming

$/mo

General

$/mo

Point Value1.5 cpp

Used for points and miles cards. Cash-back cards stay fixed.

Credit Usage70%

This discounts recurring credits so the page does not assume perfect usage.

Verdict

JetBlue Plus Card is the better opener. American Express Gold Card is the better keeper.

One card wins on immediate sign-up-bonus value, while the other is easier to justify once the bonus is gone.

Year One Winner

JetBlue Plus Card

Keeper Winner

American Express Gold Card

• Earns about $261 more per year at your current spend mix.
• Lets you realize about $213 more in usable recurring credits.
• Earns well on the spend mix you entered.

JetBlue Plus Card

• Has about $600 more welcome-offer value in year one.
• Carries a $226 lower annual fee.
• Still delivers meaningful first-year upside from the welcome offer.

Long-term breakeven: the higher-reward option needs roughly $1,499 per year in this spend mix to overcome the fee and credit gap.

American Express

American Express Gold Card

Travel-friendly everyday cardPersonal

Year One

$1,016

Welcome offer + annual rewards + usable credits - fee

Ongoing Year

$1,016

Annual rewards + usable credits - fee

Annual Rewards

$1,129

3.81% effective return

Welcome Offer

None

Current listed first-year bonus value

Usable Credits

$213

Discounted by your credit-usage assumption

Bonus Hurdle

No listed hurdle

Needs Good+ credit

Why it wins

• Earns well on the spend mix you entered.
• Stays usable for international purchases.

Watch for

• There is no meaningful active welcome offer in the current dataset.
• The points value case is thinner without transfer-partner flexibility.

Build a plan around this card View offer details

Barclays

JetBlue Plus Card

Travel-friendly everyday cardPersonal

Year One

$1,369

Welcome offer + annual rewards + usable credits - fee

Ongoing Year

$769

Annual rewards + usable credits - fee

Annual Rewards

$868

2.93% effective return

Welcome Offer

$600

Current listed first-year bonus value

Usable Credits

None

Discounted by your credit-usage assumption

Bonus Hurdle

$333/mo feels comfortable

Needs Good+ credit

Why it wins

• Still delivers meaningful first-year upside from the welcome offer.
• Earns well on the spend mix you entered.
• Stays usable for international purchases.

Watch for

• The annual fee is harder to justify if you do not use the credits consistently.
• The points value case is thinner without transfer-partner flexibility.

Build a plan around this card View offer details

Spend Mix Math

Where the value actually comes from

Category returns are based on the spend mix you entered, your point-value assumption, and a discounted view of recurring credits.

CategoryAnnual SpendAmerican Express Gold CardJetBlue Plus Card

Dining

$5,400

$324

6.00%

$162

3.00%

Groceries

$7,800

$468

6.00%

$234

3.00%

Travel

$3,000

$135

4.50%

$270

9.00%

Gas

$1,920

$29

1.50%

$29

1.50%

Online Shopping

$2,640

$40

1.50%

$40

1.50%

Streaming

$480

1.50%

General

$8,400

$126

1.50%

$126

1.50%

Raw Breakdown

Full side-by-side details

Use the spec table below when you want the literal field-by-field differences in rewards, benefits, transfer partners, fees, and approval profile.

Annual Fee

American Express Gold Card

JetBlue Plus Card

$325

$99

Rewards

American Express Gold Card

JetBlue Plus Card

Dining

4x2x

Groceries

4x2x

Travel

3x6x

All

1x1x

Welcome Offer

American Express Gold Card

JetBlue Plus Card

—

60,000 bonus points

Spend $1,000 in 3 mo

Benefits

American Express Gold Card

JetBlue Plus Card

~$424/yr

11 benefits

—

4 benefits

Quick Facts

American Express Gold Card

JetBlue Plus Card

Foreign Tx Fee

NoneNone

Credit Needed

goodgood

Network

amexmastercard

Reward Type

pointspoints