Card Comparison
American Express Gold Card vs Southwest Plus
Side-by-side comparison of fees, rewards, benefits, and transfer partners.
Annual Fee
$325/yr
$99/yr
Foreign Fees
None
None
Signup Bonus
90,000 points
Spend $6,000 in 6 months
85,000 points
Spend $3,000 in 3 months
Top Earn Rates
- Restaurants (Worldwide) 4x
- U.S. Supermarkets 4x
- Flights (Direct or Amex Travel) 3x
- Southwest Purchases 2x
- Gas Stations and Grocery Stores 2x
- All Other Purchases 1x
Reward Type
miles
miles
Key Credits
- Uber Cash $10
- Dining Credit $10
- Resy Credit $100
- +1 more
None
Card Perks
- The Hotel Collection Access
- Baggage Insurance Plan
- Trip Delay Insurance
None listed
Transfer Partners
- Flying Blue
- Delta SkyMiles
- True Blue
- Qatar Avios
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- +13 more
No transfer partners
Common Questions: American Express Gold Card vs Southwest Plus
Is the American Express Gold Card or Southwest Plus better for dining?
American Express Gold Card earns 4x on dining; Southwest Plus has no dining bonus.
Which has the higher signup bonus in 2026?
American Express Gold Card currently offers 90,000 pts signup bonus (spend $6,000 in 6 months). Southwest Plus offers 85,000 pts signup bonus (spend $3,000 in 3 months). American Express Gold Card has the larger bonus.
Which card is better for international travel?
Both cards charge no foreign transaction fees, making either a solid choice for international travel.
Can I hold both the American Express Gold Card and the Southwest Plus?
In most cases yes — holding both is allowed and can be a smart strategy for maximizing rewards across different spending categories. American Express Gold Card is from American Express and Southwest Plus is from Chase, so they're governed by separate bank policies.