American Express — Carta Oro vs TF Bank — Mastercard Gold
TF Bank — Mastercard Gold starts ahead on fees: no annual fee versus €240 for American Express — Carta Oro. For spending abroad FX markup matters, and TF Bank — Mastercard Gold does better (0% vs 2.5%). Neither wins across the board: weigh the points above against your use case before choosing between American Express — Carta Oro and TF Bank — Mastercard Gold.
| American Express — Carta Oro | TF Bank — Mastercard Gold | |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | B | A |
| Rating | ★ 3.6 | ★ 3.9 |
| Network | American Express | Mastercard |
| Card type | Revolving credit | Revolving credit |
| Backing | Unsecured | Unsecured |
| APR | 24.19% (variable) | 23.1% |
| Credit limit | €15,000 | €5,000 |
| Issuing bank | American Express | TF Bank AB |
| Issuance fee | Free | Free |
| Annual fee | €240/year | Free |
| ATM withdrawal | 3.9% | not declared |
| FX markup | 2.5% | 0% |
| Cashback | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Contactless | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual card | Yes | — |
| KYC | Full | Full |
| Privacy | 2/10 | 2/10 |
| Supported countries | EEA · 1+ countries | EEA · 1+ countries |
| Funding / solidity | Circuito globale American Express · carta premium travel/lifestyle | Banca svedese quotata al Nasdaq Stockholm · carta di credito a canone zero e FX 0% |
| Regulator | Banca d'Italia (vigilanza istituti di pagamento) | Finansinspektionen (Svezia) · Banca d'Italia per la libera prestazione in IT |
| Segment | B2C | B2C |
| Regions | EU/EEA | EU/EEA |
| Licences & safety | Istituto di pagamento / emittente carte (American Express) | Banca (TF Bank AB, autorizzata da Finansinspektionen, Svezia; opera in Italia in libera prestazione di servizi) |
Frequently asked questions
American Express — Carta Oro vs TF Bank — Mastercard Gold: which is better?
TF Bank — Mastercard Gold starts ahead on fees: no annual fee versus €240 for American Express — Carta Oro. For spending abroad FX markup matters, and TF Bank — Mastercard Gold does better (0% vs 2.5%). Neither wins across the board: weigh the points above against your use case before choosing between American Express — Carta Oro and TF Bank — Mastercard Gold.
Is American Express — Carta Oro custodial or self-custody?
American Express — Carta Oro is self-custody: you keep the keys, while TF Bank — Mastercard Gold is self-custody.
Which is better for spending abroad?
For foreign-currency spending TF Bank — Mastercard Gold wins, with the lowest FX markup: 0%.