Amex Gold vs Capital One Savor vs Citi Strata Premier US 2026: Dining

For US diners in 2026, the three most-shopped dining rewards cards line up cleanly by fee tier and by whether you want credits or straight cashback. Amex Gold (US$325 annual fee, 4x MR at restaurants worldwide) works when Uber and Grubhub are already part of your routine and the US$240 in monthly credits offset the fee. Capital One Savor (no annual fee, 3 percent on dining, entertainment, popular streaming and grocery) is the simplest cashback play. Citi Strata Premier (US$95 annual fee, 3x ThankYou at restaurants plus 3x on air travel, hotels, gas, and supermarkets) is the widest-category earner at the low fee tier.

Snapshot: three dining cards side by side, as of September 2026

The table compares the three cards on the axes that matter most for a diner picking one primary rewards card: annual fee, dining earn, grocery earn, offset credits, and transfer flexibility.

Axis	Amex Gold	Capital One Savor	Citi Strata Premier
Annual fee	US$325	None	US$95
Restaurants earn	4x Membership Rewards worldwide (up to $50k/yr)	3 percent cashback	3x ThankYou Points
Groceries earn	4x at US supermarkets (up to $25k/yr)	3 percent at grocery stores	3x at supermarkets
Offset credits	US$120 Uber + US$120 dining	None	US$100 annual hotel credit ($500 single stay)
Effective fee (heavy user)	US$85	US$0	Net negative with hotel credit
Transfer partners	18 airline + hotel (Delta, Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton, British Airways)	None (cashback card)	15 airline + hotel (Flying Blue, Turkish, Choice, Wyndham)
Foreign transaction fee	0 percent	0 percent	0 percent

About ShopBack

ShopBack is a free rewards platform that lets US shoppers earn Cashback at partner stores, including Uber and Uber Eats in the food and delivery category. You activate ShopBack before you check out, then complete the purchase as normal. Cashback is credited to your ShopBack wallet after the merchant confirms the sale (typically a few weeks). Your credit card still earns its usual rewards, and card statement credits are not affected.

How we compared the three dining cards

This comparison is based on the published product pages and card terms from American Express, Capital One, and Citi.

• Inclusion criteria: US personal (not business) credit cards with a category multiplier on restaurants of at least 3x or 3 percent, annual fee under US$400, transferable-currency or straight-cashback earning.
• Exclusion criteria: business cards; premium cards above US$400 annual fee (Amex Platinum, Sapphire Reserve).
• Limitations: point values shift with redemption choices; the worked examples use illustrative values of 2.0 cents per Membership Rewards point and 1.8 cents per ThankYou point. Sign-up bonus math excluded because bonuses expire and refresh monthly.
• Disclosures: Uber and Uber Eats are ShopBack US partner stores.

The three cards in detail

1. American Express Gold: highest earn plus credit offsets that require monthly discipline

The Amex Gold at US$325 annual fee (up from US$250 in 2024) earns 4x Membership Rewards at restaurants worldwide (up to US$50,000 a calendar year, then 1x) and at US supermarkets (up to US$25,000 a calendar year, then 1x). It ships with US$120 Uber Cash annually (US$10 per calendar month, non-rolling), US$120 dining credit annually (US$10 per calendar month at Grubhub, Wine.com, Cheesecake Factory, and select brands), US$84 Dunkin' credit annually (US$7 per month), and US$100 Resy annual credit ($50 twice per year at Resy restaurants).

Households that actually use Uber and Grubhub every month effectively net US$85 or lower against the US$325 annual fee.

Best for: US restaurant spenders above US$400 a month, frequent Uber and Uber Eats users, MR-collectors targeting Delta or Marriott Bonvoy redemptions. Watch out for: credits do not roll over month to month; the "restaurant" MCC excludes some delivery aggregators; annual fee is a stretch if you do not use both Uber and Grubhub monthly.

Plan the Amex Gold credits alongside ShopBack Uber or ShopBack Uber Eats: go through ShopBack before you pay on eligible orders so part of the cost comes back as cashback.

2. Capital One Savor: simplest no-fee dining plus entertainment cashback

The Capital One Savor has no annual fee and earns 3 percent cashback on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and grocery stores (excludes superstores like Walmart and Target), and 1 percent everywhere else, with higher rates on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. It charges no foreign transaction fees. Rewards post as cashback.

Capital One renamed the SavorOne as Savor in late 2024 and stopped offering the older US$95 Savor to new applicants. With no fee and no monthly credits to track, the math is simple: 3 cents back per dollar at restaurants, entertainment and popular streaming. On US$5,000 of annual dining and entertainment spend, that is US$150 back with no fee to subtract.

Best for: households that value simplicity over point maximization, entertainment spenders (concerts, sporting events, streaming), diners who prefer straight cashback to transfer partners. Watch out for: entertainment MCC does not include streaming platforms beyond a specific list, check Capital One's Savor benefits page for the current list; 3 percent grocery excludes big-box (Walmart, Target).

Go through ShopBack Uber Eats or ShopBack Uber before you pay for delivery orders so part of the cost comes back, while the Savor still earns its usual dining rewards.

3. Citi Strata Premier: widest category coverage at the US$95 tier

The Citi Strata Premier at US$95 annual fee earns 3x ThankYou Points at restaurants, air travel, hotels, gas stations, and supermarkets, 10x on hotels booked via CitiTravel.com, and 1x everywhere else. It ships with a US$100 annual hotel benefit (applied to a single hotel stay of US$500 or more booked through CitiTravel). No foreign transaction fees.

The Strata Premier is the only card of the three that earns 3x across dining, groceries, gas and travel, making it an efficient single card for households that would otherwise carry three or four category cards.

Best for: households with meaningful spend across dining, gas, groceries, and travel; diners who fly SkyTeam or Star Alliance and want Flying Blue or Turkish transfer access; cardholders who want to consolidate three category cards into one. Watch out for: 3x rate is lower than Amex Gold's 4x on dining; the US$100 hotel credit requires a single US$500+ stay booked through CitiTravel, not applicable to Airbnb or direct hotel bookings.

Head to head: which card fits which diner

For a diner spending US$300 a month on restaurants and US$100 a month on Uber and delivery, running the fee-adjusted math:

• Amex Gold: US$3,600 restaurant spend at 4x = 14,400 MR points, plus 4,800 MR on US$1,200 of Uber Eats when coded as restaurants. Point value roughly US$384 at an illustrative 2.0 cents per point. Add US$240 credits used. Total value: US$624 - US$325 fee = US$299 net.
• Capital One Savor: US$3,600 restaurant spend at 3 percent = US$108. US$1,200 Uber Eats at 3 percent = US$36 where it codes as dining. Total value: US$144 with no annual fee = US$144 net.
• Citi Strata Premier: US$3,600 restaurant spend at 3x = 10,800 TYP. US$1,200 Uber Eats at 3x = 3,600 TYP. Total value 14,400 TYP at an illustrative 1.8 cents = US$259. Add US$100 hotel credit if used. Total value: US$359 - US$95 fee = US$264 net.

For this profile, Citi Strata Premier and Amex Gold are close. If the household also flies twice a year (US$1,500 in flights) or hits grocery spend above US$400 a month, Citi Strata Premier closes the gap or pulls ahead because 3x covers all three categories.

Which one should most diners pick?

Pick Amex Gold if you already use Uber and Grubhub monthly, spend above US$400 a month on restaurants, and prefer collecting Membership Rewards for future Delta or Marriott Bonvoy redemptions. Pick Capital One Savor if you want the simplest no-fee cashback with no credits to track, or if your entertainment spend (concerts, streaming, sporting events) is material. Pick Citi Strata Premier if you want the widest category coverage at the low fee tier, particularly if your dining spend rides alongside meaningful gas, groceries, and travel spend.

Households with dining spend below US$200 a month should skip all three and use a no-annual-fee cashback card (Chase Freedom Unlimited, Citi Custom Cash) or a Blue Cash Everyday. The fee math doesn't clear at lower spend levels.

Frequently asked questions

Which is the best dining credit card in 2026: Amex Gold, Capital One Savor, or Citi Strata Premier? For US households spending US$400+ a month on restaurants and using Uber and Grubhub regularly, the Amex Gold wins. For simpler cashback with no credits to track, Capital One Savor (no annual fee) earns 3 percent on dining. For diners who also want travel earn on flights, hotels, gas, and supermarkets, Citi Strata Premier is the widest-category pick.

How much are the annual fees on Amex Gold, Capital One Savor, and Citi Strata Premier in 2026? Amex Gold is US$325 a year (increased from US$250 in 2024). Capital One Savor has no annual fee (Capital One renamed the SavorOne as Savor in late 2024 and stopped offering the older US$95 Savor to new applicants). Citi Strata Premier is US$95.

What are the Amex Gold dining and Uber credits, and how do they work? The Amex Gold offers up to US$120 of Uber Cash per year (US$10 per calendar month) and up to US$120 of dining credit per year (US$10 per calendar month at Grubhub, Wine.com, Cheesecake Factory). Total US$240 in credits offsets the US$325 annual fee to a net US$85.

Does Capital One Savor earn cashback or miles? Capital One Savor earns cashback: 3 percent on dining, entertainment, popular streaming and grocery stores. It has no transfer partners of its own; cardholders who also hold a Capital One miles card such as the Venture can generally move rewards to that account, so check Capital One's current terms.

What are Citi ThankYou transfer partners in 2026? Citi ThankYou Points transfer 1:1 to 15 airline partners including Air France KLM Flying Blue, Turkish Miles&Smiles, Virgin Atlantic, and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, plus Choice Privileges and Wyndham Rewards hotels.

Which card is best for someone who eats out mostly at fast-casual and food delivery? Amex Gold is the strongest match: 4x MR points on Uber Eats and Grubhub as restaurant transactions, plus the US$10/mo Uber and US$10/mo Grubhub credits. Capital One Savor earns its 3 percent dining rate where a delivery order codes as a restaurant.

Do any of these three cards charge foreign transaction fees on international restaurant spend? No. Amex Gold, Capital One Savor, and Citi Strata Premier all charge zero foreign transaction fees.

Can I hold Amex Gold, Capital One Savor, and Citi Strata Premier at the same time? Yes, all three come from different issuers so approval on one does not affect approval on another.

How do Amex Membership Rewards compare to Capital One Miles and Citi ThankYou for transfer value? All three transfer to 15 to 18 airline and hotel partners, mostly at 1:1. Actual value per point depends on how you redeem, so compare the partner programs you would really use.

Can I earn ShopBack cashback on Uber, Uber Eats, or Grubhub in addition to card rewards? Yes, for Uber and Uber Eats. Both are listed on ShopBack as US partner merchants with active cashback offers on eligible categories; Grubhub is not listed on ShopBack at the moment. Go through ShopBack before you place the order, complete checkout as normal, and cashback tracks to your ShopBack wallet after the merchant confirms the sale (typically a few weeks). Your card points and any Amex Gold or Uber Cash statement credits still apply as usual.

The bottom line

Amex Gold is the best in class for heavy US restaurant plus Uber and Grubhub users. Capital One Savor is the simplest no-fee cashback play for entertainment-heavy households. Citi Strata Premier is the widest-category earner at the US$95 tier and often the highest raw value for households with mixed dining, gas, grocery, and travel spend.

Sign up for ShopBack and go through it before you pay for Uber and Uber Eats orders so part of the cost comes back, whichever card you carry.

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Disclaimer: Card annual fees, earn rates, and credits are based on each issuer's published product pages and cardholder agreements. Terms change. Point values in the worked examples are illustrative; actual redemption value varies. Not financial advice.