Card comparison
Which card is better between The Rakuten American Express Card and avianca lifemiles American Express?
avianca lifemiles American Express is the better overall pick over The Rakuten American Express Card because it leads on Madeen's weighted scorecard (52 vs 48) across categories, bonus, benefits, and fee.
Effective rate avianca lifemiles American Express
Annual fee The Rakuten American Express Card
Welcome bonus avianca lifemiles American Express
Benefits value The Rakuten American Express Card
avianca lifemiles American Express is the stronger overall pick between The Rakuten American Express Card and avianca lifemiles American Express because it leads on Madeen's weighted scorecard (52 vs 48) across categories, bonus, benefits, and fee. The Rakuten American Express Card (2% top effective rate) vs avianca lifemiles American Express (2.4%): Madeen's catalog compares fees vs fees across dining, grocery, gas, and travel — not just headline categories.
Choose A if
Choose The Rakuten American Express Card when its strongest categories, bonus, or perks match how you actually spend.
Choose B if
Choose avianca lifemiles American Express when the fee, welcome bonus, or issuer ecosystem fits better than the headline winner.
Full comparison
How do The Rakuten American Express Card and avianca lifemiles American Express compare across all spend categories?
Across all five spend categories, The Rakuten American Express Card and avianca lifemiles American Express trade wins row by row. The Rakuten American Express Card peaks at 2% effective; avianca lifemiles American Express peaks at 2.4%. avianca lifemiles American Express wins the headline effective-rate view in this pair.
| Category / metric | The Rakuten American Express Card | avianca lifemiles American Express | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dining | 2% back (2%) | 2x miles (2.4%) | avianca lifemiles American Express · 0.4 pts |
| Grocery | 2% back (2%) | 2x miles (2.4%) | avianca lifemiles American Express · 0.4 pts |
| Gas | 1% back (1%) | 1x miles (1.2%) | avianca lifemiles American Express · 0.2 pts |
| Travel | 1% back (1%) | 1x miles (1.2%) | avianca lifemiles American Express · 0.2 pts |
| Other | 1% back (1%) | 1x miles (1.2%) | avianca lifemiles American Express · 0.2 pts |
| Welcome bonus | $25 | ~$480 estimated | avianca lifemiles American Express |
| Est. annual benefits | $10025/yr | $0/yr | The Rakuten American Express Card |
| Annual fee | $0 | $99 | The Rakuten American Express Card |
| Holistic overall | 48 pts (cat 11, bonus 1, benefits 25, fee 11) | 52 pts (cat 29, bonus 19, benefits 0, fee 4) | avianca lifemiles American Express |
Madeen take
How to think about this pair
The Rakuten American Express Card (2% top effective rate) vs avianca lifemiles American Express (2.4%): Madeen's catalog compares fees vs fees across dining, grocery, gas, and travel — not just headline categories.
Strategy
Use The Rakuten American Express Card when Best for spenders who put meaningful volume in dining and can earn 2% back. The welcome bonus can help if you can meet the spend requirement.. Use avianca lifemiles American Express when Best for spenders who put meaningful volume in dining and can earn 2x miles. The welcome bonus can help if you can meet the spend requirement.. The Rakuten American Express Card.
Hold both?
Many First Electronic Bank users can hold both cards if each covers a different spend lane and the combined annual fees still clear your break-even math.
Welcome bonus playbook
If you are chasing a welcome bonus, avianca lifemiles American Express leads on catalog bonus value. For long-term category earn after the bonus, The Rakuten American Express Card is the stronger keeper in this pair — but only if its annual fee still makes sense for your spend.
Madeen analysis
Which card has stronger benefits: The Rakuten American Express Card or avianca lifemiles American Express?
Madeen estimates $10025 annual benefit value on The Rakuten American Express Card versus $0 on avianca lifemiles American Express. Credits only matter if you will use them.
The Rakuten American Express Card
Total est. value: $10,025/yr
Credits and perks only help if you will actually use them in a typical year.
- Extended Warranty $10,000/yr
- Retail Protection $25/yr
- Amex Experiences
avianca lifemiles American Express
Total est. value: $0/yr
Credits and perks only help if you will actually use them in a typical year.
- avianca lifemiles silver elite status
Welcome bonus
Which welcome bonus is stronger for The Rakuten American Express Card or avianca lifemiles American Express?
If you are chasing a welcome bonus, avianca lifemiles American Express leads on catalog bonus value. For long-term category earn after the bonus, The Rakuten American Express Card is the stronger keeper in this pair — but only if its annual fee still makes sense for your spend. The Rakuten American Express Card lists $25; avianca lifemiles American Express lists.
The Rakuten American Express Card
$25
avianca lifemiles American Express
40k Avianca LifeMiles
Caps & conditions
Caps and earn limits
Both The Rakuten American Express Card and avianca lifemiles American Express carry structured reward caps in the catalog. Compare the category that matters most before assuming the headline multiplier lasts all year.
The Rakuten American Express Card
- Earn 2% at restaurants
- Earn 2% on groceries
avianca lifemiles American Express
- 2x miles on dining
- 2x miles on groceries
Who should pick which
Scenario playbook
Cashback-first user
Pick The Rakuten American Express Card
The Rakuten American Express Card is the better cashback-style pick because it has the cleaner effective-rate and fee blend for this pair.
Travel & points user
Pick avianca lifemiles American Express
avianca lifemiles American Express is the stronger travel-style pick because it combines better reward value with more travel-friendly positioning.
No annual fee priority
Pick The Rakuten American Express Card
The Rakuten American Express Card is easier to keep for no-fee users because it has the lighter annual-fee burden in this pair.
Heavy dining spend
Pick avianca lifemiles American Express
For restaurant and dining-coded spend, the winner is whoever posts the stronger dining effective rate after caps and exclusions — see the category matrix for the current snapshot.
Heavy grocery spend
Pick avianca lifemiles American Express
Supermarket and grocery coding can differ from superstores and delivery, so compare the grocery row before you optimize a weekly shopping basket.
Welcome bonus chaser
Pick avianca lifemiles American Express
If you are chasing a welcome bonus, avianca lifemiles American Express leads on catalog bonus value. For long-term category earn after the bonus, The Rakuten American Express Card is the stronger keeper in this pair — but only if its annual fee still makes sense for your spend.
Fee-sensitive keeper
Pick The Rakuten American Express Card
When you want the card that is easiest to keep year two, annual fee often matters more than a narrow category edge.
Decision guide
Which card is better between The Rakuten American Express Card and avianca lifemiles American Express?
avianca lifemiles American Express is the better overall pick because it leads on Madeen's weighted scorecard (52 vs 48) across categories, bonus, benefits, and fee. The Rakuten American Express Card (2% top effective rate) vs avianca lifemiles American Express (2.4%): Madeen's catalog compares fees vs fees across dining, grocery, gas, and travel — not just headline categories.
When should you pick The Rakuten American Express Card over avianca lifemiles American Express?
Choose The Rakuten American Express Card if Best for spenders who put meaningful volume in dining and can earn 2% back. The welcome bonus can help if you can meet the spend requirement.. Best for dining-heavy spend when you want to avoid an annual fee; confirm issuer terms before applying.
Strengths
- Strongest Madeen category is dining at about 2% effective (2% back).
- No annual fee in our catalog snapshot.
- No foreign transaction fee listed.
Tradeoffs
- Compare simpler no-fee cards if you want minimum complexity.
When should you pick avianca lifemiles American Express over The Rakuten American Express Card?
Choose avianca lifemiles American Express if Best for spenders who put meaningful volume in dining and can earn 2x miles. The welcome bonus can help if you can meet the spend requirement.. Best for dining-heavy spend when the $99 fee fits your usage; confirm issuer terms before applying.
Strengths
- Strongest Madeen category is dining at about 2.4% effective (2x miles).
- That dining rate ranks higher than about 80% of cards we track in the category.
- No foreign transaction fee listed.
Tradeoffs
- $99 annual fee requires enough spend in bonus categories to offset.
- Avianca LifeMiles value depends on how you redeem, not straight cash back.
Common questions about The Rakuten American Express Card vs avianca lifemiles American Express
Which card is better between The Rakuten American Express Card and avianca lifemiles American Express?
avianca lifemiles American Express is the stronger overall fit because it leads on Madeen's weighted scorecard (52 vs 48) across categories, bonus, benefits, and fee. The overall winner depends on your spend mix — use the scorecard rows and scenario playbook to see where each card actually wins.
Which card wins on dining: The Rakuten American Express Card or avianca lifemiles American Express?
avianca lifemiles American Express leads dining at 2.4% effective versus 2%.
Which card is better for cashback users: The Rakuten American Express Card or avianca lifemiles American Express?
The Rakuten American Express Card is the better cashback-style pick between The Rakuten American Express Card and avianca lifemiles American Express.
Which welcome bonus is stronger between The Rakuten American Express Card and avianca lifemiles American Express?
If you are chasing a welcome bonus, avianca lifemiles American Express leads on catalog bonus value. For long-term category earn after the bonus, The Rakuten American Express Card is the stronger keeper in this pair — but only if its annual fee still makes sense for your spend.
Which card has stronger benefits: The Rakuten American Express Card or avianca lifemiles American Express?
The Rakuten American Express Card leads on estimated annual benefit value in the Madeen snapshot.
Which card has the lower annual fee: The Rakuten American Express Card or avianca lifemiles American Express?
The Rakuten American Express Card has the simpler fee story in this pair ($0 vs $99). Annual fee only wins if you use the rewards and credits that justify it.
Is The Rakuten American Express Card or avianca lifemiles American Express better for travel spend?
avianca lifemiles American Express is the stronger travel-style pick between The Rakuten American Express Card and avianca lifemiles American Express in this snapshot.
Can you hold both First Electronic Bank cards?
Yes, many people can hold both First Electronic Bank cards when each covers a different spend lane and the combined fees still make sense.
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Reviewed by Madeen editorial review
Catalog snapshot 2026-05-01
Updated 2026-06-25
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