Finding your best card for a $120 Sweetgreen lunch run
Which card should I swipe for a $120 lunch at a fast-casual restaurant when I hold a 4x dining card and a 2% flat card?
Scenario
Wallet: Amex Gold (4x Membership Rewards on dining), Citi Double Cash (2% cash back catch-all).
No active offers, no open sign-up bonus, no pinned card.
- Merchant
- Sweetgreen
- Purchase category
- Restaurants
- Amount
- $120.00
Card options
| Card | Earns | Cash-equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Amex GoldBest card | 4x · Membership Rewards | $7.20 |
| Citi Double Cash | 2% · Cash back | $2.40 |
Result
Swipe Amex Gold — 4x on dining ≈ $7.20, versus $2.40 on the flat card. A $4.80 difference on a single lunch.
Illustrative scenario with sample wallets and values. Pikt is a personal-project preview; reward rates and point valuations are estimates that change over time. See the methodology.