Card comparison
Which card is better between The Rakuten American Express Card and Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature?
Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature is the better overall pick over The Rakuten American Express Card because it leads on Madeen's weighted scorecard (60 vs 41) across categories, bonus, benefits, and fee.
Effective rate Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature
Annual fee Tie
Welcome bonus Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature
Benefits value The Rakuten American Express Card
Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature is the stronger overall pick between The Rakuten American Express Card and Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature because it leads on Madeen's weighted scorecard (60 vs 41) across categories, bonus, benefits, and fee. The Rakuten American Express Card (2% top effective rate) vs Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature (3%): 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 Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature when the fee, welcome bonus, or issuer ecosystem fits better than the headline winner.
Full comparison
How do The Rakuten American Express Card and Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature compare across all spend categories?
Across all five spend categories, The Rakuten American Express Card and Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature trade wins row by row. The Rakuten American Express Card peaks at 2% effective; Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature peaks at 3%. Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature wins the headline effective-rate view in this pair.
| Category / metric | The Rakuten American Express Card | Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dining | 2% back (2%) | 3x points (3%) | Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature · 1 pts |
| Grocery | 2% back (2%) | 3x points (3%) | Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature · 1 pts |
| Gas | 1% back (1%) | 3x points (3%) | Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature · 2 pts |
| Travel | 1% back (1%) | 2x points (2%) | Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature · 1 pts |
| Other | 1% back (1%) | 2x points (2%) | Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature · 1 pts |
| Welcome bonus | $25 | ~$150 estimated | Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature |
| Est. annual benefits | $10025/yr | $1889/yr | The Rakuten American Express Card |
| Annual fee | $0 | $0 | Tie |
| Holistic overall | 41 pts (cat 9, bonus 3, benefits 21, fee 8) | 60 pts (cat 31, bonus 17, benefits 4, fee 8) | Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature |
Madeen take
How to think about this pair
The Rakuten American Express Card (2% top effective rate) vs Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature (3%): 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 Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature when Best for spenders who put meaningful volume in dining and can earn 3x points. The welcome bonus can help if you can meet the spend requirement.. The Rakuten American Express.
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, Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature 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 Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature?
Madeen estimates $10025 annual benefit value on The Rakuten American Express Card versus $1889 on Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature. 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
Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature
Total est. value: $1,889/yr
Credits and perks only help if you will actually use them in a typical year.
- Roadside Dispatch® $1,000/yr
- Sofar Sounds $240/yr
- Visa Signature Concierge $150/yr
- Global Entry Statement Credit $120/yr
- OpenTable $120/yr
Welcome bonus
Which welcome bonus is stronger for The Rakuten American Express Card or Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature?
If you are chasing a welcome bonus, Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature 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; Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa.
The Rakuten American Express Card
$25
Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature
15k Booking.com Rewards Program
Caps & conditions
Caps and earn limits
Both The Rakuten American Express Card and Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature 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
Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature
- 3% in Travel Credits on dining (eating places and restaurants, drinking places, fast food restaurants, and/or caterers)
- 3% in Travel Credits on gas (gas stations, automated fuel dispensers, and electric vehicle charging stations)
- 3% in Travel Credits on groceries (grocery stores, supermarkets, delis, and bakeries)
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 Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature
Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature is the stronger travel-style pick because it combines better reward value with more travel-friendly positioning.
No annual fee priority
Pick Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature
Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature is easier to keep for no-fee users because it has the lighter annual-fee burden in this pair.
Heavy dining spend
Pick Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature
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 Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature
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 Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature
If you are chasing a welcome bonus, Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature 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 Tie
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 Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature?
Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature is the better overall pick because it leads on Madeen's weighted scorecard (60 vs 41) across categories, bonus, benefits, and fee. The Rakuten American Express Card (2% top effective rate) vs Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature (3%): 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 Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature?
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 Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature over The Rakuten American Express Card?
Choose Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature if Best for spenders who put meaningful volume in dining and can earn 3x points. 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 3% effective (3x points).
- That dining rate ranks higher than about 81% of cards we track in the category.
- No annual fee in our catalog snapshot.
Tradeoffs
- Multiple caps, activations, or exclusions may limit headline earn rates.
- Booking.com Rewards Program value depends on how you redeem, not straight cash back.
Common questions about The Rakuten American Express Card vs Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature
Which card is better between The Rakuten American Express Card and Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature?
Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature is the stronger overall fit because it leads on Madeen's weighted scorecard (60 vs 41) 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 Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature?
Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature leads dining at 3% effective versus 2%.
Which card is better for cashback users: The Rakuten American Express Card or Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature?
The Rakuten American Express Card is the better cashback-style pick between The Rakuten American Express Card and Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature.
Which welcome bonus is stronger between The Rakuten American Express Card and Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature?
If you are chasing a welcome bonus, Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature 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 Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature?
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 Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature?
Tie has the simpler fee story in this pair ($0 vs $0). Annual fee only wins if you use the rewards and credits that justify it.
Is The Rakuten American Express Card or Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature better for travel spend?
Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature is the stronger travel-style pick between The Rakuten American Express Card and Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature 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.
Compare
Related comparisons
Related topics
Explore the related pages
Reviewed by Madeen editorial review
Catalog snapshot 2026-05-01
Updated 2026-06-25
Content tier Standard
First Electronic Bank and First Electronic Bank (and related product names) are trademarks of their respective owners. Madeen is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by either issuer. Madeen is an independent credit-card comparison and education service.
Madeen compares cards you add to your wallet using published catalog rules — no bank login required. Issuer pages control current fees, caps, exclusions, and eligibility; Madeen does not issue cards, make approval decisions, or provide financial advice. Apply links are temporarily hidden on madeen.app. Affiliate disclosure