Card duel
Comparison articles tell you which card is better for a made-up person. This one computes it for your spend — per category, net of annual fees, at floor point values, with the math visible.
The classic matchups, computed
Six duels people actually search for, run through the same engine as the tool below at a reference spend of $2,500/mo ($400 dining, $500 groceries, $150 gas, $250 travel, $1,200 everything else), at conservative floor point values (why floors) with category caps applied, net of annual fees. Verdicts ranked by math alone — nobody pays for placement. Computed 2026-07-15 from the verified catalog (v0.6.1 (28 cards)); your own numbers will differ — run your spend in the tool below.
If you carry a balance month to month, stop here: paying it off beats every card below. These numbers are for people who pay in full. The interactive tool enforces this.
Chase Sapphire Preferred vs American Express Gold: American Express Gold wins by $48/yr over Chase Sapphire Preferred at the reference spend, after annual fees.
| Category | Chase Sapphire Preferred | American Express Gold |
|---|---|---|
| Dining $400/mo | $180 3× | $240 4× |
| Groceries $500/mo | $75 1× | $300 4× |
| Gas $150/mo | $68 3× | $23 1× |
| Travel $250/mo | $75 2× | $113 3× |
| Everything else $1,200/mo | $180 1× | $180 1× |
| Rewards / yr | $578 | $855 |
| Annual fee | −$95 | −$325 |
| Net / yr | $483 | $530 |
Chase Sapphire Reserve vs American Express Platinum: Chase Sapphire Reserve wins by $183/yr over American Express Platinum at the reference spend, after annual fees.
| Category | Chase Sapphire Reserve | American Express Platinum |
|---|---|---|
| Dining $400/mo | $180 3× | $60 1× |
| Groceries $500/mo | $75 1× | $75 1× |
| Gas $150/mo | $23 1× | $23 1× |
| Travel $250/mo | $150 4× | $188 5× |
| Everything else $1,200/mo | $180 1× | $180 1× |
| Rewards / yr | $608 | $525 |
| Annual fee | −$795 | −$895 |
| Net / yr | -$188 | -$370 |
Capital One Venture X vs Chase Sapphire Reserve: Capital One Venture X wins by $543/yr over Chase Sapphire Reserve at the reference spend, after annual fees.
| Category | Capital One Venture X | Chase Sapphire Reserve |
|---|---|---|
| Dining $400/mo | $120 2× | $180 3× |
| Groceries $500/mo | $150 2× | $75 1× |
| Gas $150/mo | $45 2× | $23 1× |
| Travel $250/mo | $75 2× | $150 4× |
| Everything else $1,200/mo | $360 2× | $180 1× |
| Rewards / yr | $750 | $608 |
| Annual fee | −$395 | −$795 |
| Net / yr | $355 | -$188 |
Citi Double Cash vs Wells Fargo Active Cash: a dead heat — after annual fees the two earn within a dollar of each other at the reference spend.
| Category | Citi Double Cash | Wells Fargo Active Cash |
|---|---|---|
| Dining $400/mo | $96 2× | $96 2× |
| Groceries $500/mo | $120 2× | $120 2× |
| Gas $150/mo | $36 2× | $36 2× |
| Travel $250/mo | $60 2× | $60 2× |
| Everything else $1,200/mo | $288 2× | $288 2× |
| Rewards / yr | $600 | $600 |
| Annual fee | −$0 | −$0 |
| Net / yr | $600 | $600 |
Chase Freedom Unlimited vs Capital One Quicksilver: Chase Freedom Unlimited wins by $72/yr over Capital One Quicksilver at the reference spend, after annual fees.
| Category | Chase Freedom Unlimited | Capital One Quicksilver |
|---|---|---|
| Dining $400/mo | $144 3× | $72 1.5× |
| Groceries $500/mo | $90 1.5× | $90 1.5× |
| Gas $150/mo | $27 1.5× | $27 1.5× |
| Travel $250/mo | $45 1.5× | $45 1.5× |
| Everything else $1,200/mo | $216 1.5× | $216 1.5× |
| Rewards / yr | $522 | $450 |
| Annual fee | −$0 | −$0 |
| Net / yr | $522 | $450 |
Blue Cash Preferred Card vs Blue Cash Everyday Card: Blue Cash Preferred Card wins by $85/yr over Blue Cash Everyday Card at the reference spend, after annual fees.
| Category | Blue Cash Preferred Card | Blue Cash Everyday Card |
|---|---|---|
| Dining $400/mo | $48 1× | $48 1× |
| Groceries $500/mo | $360 6× | $180 3× |
| Gas $150/mo | $54 3× | $54 3× |
| Travel $250/mo | $30 1× | $30 1× |
| Everything else $1,200/mo | $144 1× | $144 1× |
| Rewards / yr | $636 | $456 |
| Annual fee | −$95 | −$0 |
| Net / yr | $541 | $456 |
- Net figures subtract the full annual fee from modeled category earnings only. Statement credits, lounge access, welcome bonuses, and other perks are not priced in — for the premium cards especially, those can change the picture. That is also why a premium card can show a negative net here and still be worth holding.
- The sharpest wallets don't pick one — they split categories across both cards.
- Rotating-category cards (Freedom Flex, Discover it) are excluded from the standing verdicts above: a quarter-bound 5% versus a year-round rate is not a fair standing comparison. Duel them in the tool below. Every rate traces to an issuer source with a verification date; how we verify facts.
Pick your own duel
The verdicts above use a reference spend. Choose any two catalog cards and enter what you actually spend, and the duel recomputes for your wallet.