A new comparison is here! Here is how the Neo World Elite® compares to the American Express Cobalt®. This time, we’re diving into the world of loyalty points. While some love the thrill of earning and redeeming points, the real question is: which card truly gives you the most value for your spending?
With an AMEX card, you earn points instead of cashback on your purchases. For every eligible transaction, you’ll collect points, and 1,000 points equals to $10.00 in rewards. Just be mindful that with these points, you are limited in what you can redeem them for. With cashback, it’s much simpler—you just get money back in your pocket, no strings attached.
Let’s break it down by the basics:
| Category | Neo World Elite® Mastercard | American Express Cobalt® Card (points for every $1 spent) |
|---|---|---|
| Grocery | 5% | 5x points |
| Gas/EV | 3% | 2x points |
| Recurring Bills | 4% | 3x points (subscriptions only) |
| Transit | 1% | 2x points |
| Other | 1% | 1x points |
| Fee | $125 (annualized) | $12.99 (monthly) |
| Income requirements | $80,000 for individuals, or $150,000 for households | No income requirements |
| Spend cap | Calculated monthly: $1,000 groceries, $1,000 gas, $500 recurring payments | Calculated monthly: The 5x points category is capped at $2,500. *** Once cap has been reached, cardholders will get 1x point per $1 spent. |
Now let’s break it down using an average monthly spend amount, and we can see how much cash equivalent each card gives:
| Category | Avg Monthly Spend | Neo World Elite® Mastercard | American Express Cobalt® Card (points for every $1 spent) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grocery | $600.00 | $30.00 | 3,000 points ($30) |
| Gas/EV | $236.00 | $7.08 | 472 points ($4.72) |
| Recurring bills | $176.00 | $7.04 | 528 Points (subscriptions only) ($5.28) |
| Transit | $110.00 | $1.10 | 220 points ($2.20) |
| Other | $1052.00 | $10.52 | 1,052 points ($10.52) |
| Total per month | $2218.00 | $55.74 | 5,272 points ($52.72) |
| Avg Partner Network Cashback/month | $13.52 | ||
| TOTAL Cashback or points per year | $831.12 | 63,264 points ($632.64) | |
| Fee | $125 (annualized) | $12.99 (monthly) | |
| Cashback minus fee | $706.12 | $476.76 |
Want to earn even more cashback on top of what you’re already getting? Neo has over 10,000 partner stores where you can get extra cashback—on average, an extra $13.52 a month on gas, groceries, dining, and more. It’s a great perk that sets Neo apart from other cards like AMEX!
Here are some examples 
| Neo Partner Stores | First Purchase | Afterwards | Example Spend | Cashback you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structube | 3% Cashback (up to $50 back) | 3% Cashback (every 2 purchases) | $47.68 | $1.43 |
| Kit and Ace | 6% Cashback (up to $20 back) | 3% Cashback (every 3 purchases) | $31.70 | $1.90 |
| Sunglass Hut (online) | 8% Cashback (up to $70 back) | 5% Cashback (every $470 spent) | $150.00 | $12.00 |
In the above table are only a few examples that most of you will recognize…but keep in mind we have thousands of partner stores!!
Who should pick Neo?
With the Neo World Elite, you earn cashback on purchases instead of points, $1 will always be $1, simple and easy to understand.
With Neo World Elite, cashback is rewarded instantly, while with the AMEX Cobalt® Card, you’ll need to reach a minimum balance before redeeming.
Neo gives you access to 10,000+ partner stores, which gives you even more cashback.
I hope this was helpful! Feel free to share your thoughts, and let me know if there’s a card comparison you’d like to see next!
(you need to spend time and wait to get these astonishing rates, though)