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Since its launch, the American Express® Gold Card has delivered my family incredible rewards on our spending at restaurants and grocery stores. As someone who values Membership Rewards points for airline travel, it's been a go-to card for many daily expenses.
But one of the Amex Gold‘s major sticking points is its hefty $325 annual fee (Rates & Fees), which increased in 2024. For that reason, it's not for every wallet, but for many, it's easy to extract incredible value from this card year in and year out.
Is the Amex Gold right for you? Let's review its pros, cons, and benefits to help you find out.
- Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That's up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made at restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. (on up to $50,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels and other eligible travel booked on amextravel.com
- 1X on other eligible purchases
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Amex Gold Card Pros
- Earn 4X points at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 per year, then 1X).
- Earn 4X points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year, then 1X).
- Offers up to $424 annually in travel and dining credits.
- Earns valuable American Express Membership Rewards points.
Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
Amex Gold Card Cons
- $325 annual fee (Rates & Fees).
- Caps on bonused earnings limit your rewards-earning potential.
- Earns only 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Utilizing monthly travel and dining credits is key to justifying the annual fee.
Amex Gold Card Welcome Offer
As a new applicant for the Amex Gold, you can earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases in the first 6 months.
To put this bonus into context, AwardWallet users redeem Amex points for an average of 1.95¢ apiece. That makes the 60,000-point bonus worth over $1,100 toward award travel.
Related: American Express Card Full Offer History & When To Apply
Amex Gold Benefits
Four main benefits help justify the Amex Gold‘s annual fee. However, card members can also find value in the card's ancillary travel, shopping, and insurance perks. Keep in mind for all perks that feature a credit, you must opt-in to the offer before use in your American Express account online or on the app.
$120 in Uber Cash
Card Members will receive $10 in monthly Uber Cash credit for Uber rides or Uber Eats orders in the U.S. — a value of up to $120 per year. This is my favorite of the intermittent credits that Amex offers Card Members.
But it's worth noting that this is a “use it or lose it” benefit. If you don't spend your Uber Cash in full every month, it will not roll over to the next month. However, if you spend all of your Uber Cash, the $120 annual value makes up over a third of the card's annual fee.
To take advantage of the Uber Cash benefit, add your Amex Gold as a payment method in your Uber account. The monthly Uber Cash will be deposited to your account automatically.
Additionally, Amex added a stipulation earlier this year that you must pay with an American Express card to cover the difference between your Uber ride or Uber Eats order and your credit amount in order for your monthly credit to apply. This restriction is not applicable if your ride or order costs less than the credit.
Amex Disclosure: To receive $10 monthly credits (up to $120 per year) in Uber Cash, you must add the American Express® Gold Card to your Uber account and select it as the payment method for your Uber or Uber Eats transaction.
Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
$120 annual dining credit
The Amex Gold provides a $10 monthly statement credit for purchases at select U.S. restaurants. The credit is limited to purchases from Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys.
While the individual restaurants may be hit-or-miss, the Grubhub options alone should unlock dozens of local eateries. And, Goldbelly could be a fun way to secure some favorite food from restaurants around the U.S.
This benefit should be relatively easy to use if you order delivery or go to pick up food at least once a month. It's even better if you pair it with Grubhub+ (now a permanent Amazon Prime benefit), which will help you save on delivery costs and ancillary fees associated with using the service.
Like with the Uber Cash benefit, it might not be worth the full $120 value if you have to pay extra for your order to use the perk — or can't use it because of limited locations in your area.
Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
$100 Resy Credit
One of the newest perks on the Amex Gold is a $100 Resy credit. This semi-annual credit is usable in $50 increments — one January-June and another July-December. This credit is good at all U.S.-based Resy restaurants, in the Resy app, and at Resy.com.
Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
$84 Dunkin' Credit
For those loyal to the coffee and donut brand, the Amex Gold offers up to $7 per month (up to $84 per year) at Dunkin'. This Dunkin' credit presents a neat way to score a free coffee or donut somewhere new each month.
Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
Experience credits through The Hotel Collection
When you book a stay of two nights or more through The Hotel Collection by American Express, the Amex Gold will award a $100 experience credit to use during your stay. The experience credit may vary by property.
Another thing to note: Hotel brands don't normally give elite credit or points for booking through a third party. However, Hotel Collection perks provide many of those benefits. Plus, we've noticed an increasing number of Hotel Collection bookings honoring both elite and Hotel Collection benefits. However, your mileage may vary.
Trip insurance benefits
The Amex Gold is great when it comes to travel insurance. It provides a variety of insurance products for Card Members, including:
- Trip Delay Reimbursement: Get up to $300 of reimbursement for eligible expenses like food, toiletries, and accommodation if your travel is delayed more than 12 hours due to a covered reason. Card Members can make two claims every 12 months.
- Baggage Insurance Protection: You will be eligible for lost, damaged, or stolen baggage coverage when you book travel via plane, train, ship, or bus and pay with your card. Coverage is provided for up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked luggage — in excess of coverage already provided by the carrier.
- Global Assist® Hotline: When you're more than 100 miles from home, have access to 24/7 emergency assistance and coordination services. Note that the aid is free, but the services charged by providers typically are not.
- Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance: Use your card to pay for your rental and decline the insurance at the counter to receive secondary coverage for damage or theft — up to $50,000. Note that this insurance isn't applicable in Australia, Italy, or New Zealand.
Shopping protection benefits
The Amex Gold also offers some handy purchase protection and extended warranty perks:
- Purchase Protection: Coverage up to $10,000 per occurrence and $50,000 annually. Protects eligible purchases that are accidentally lost, stolen, or damaged in the first 90 days from the purchase date.
- Extended Warranty: Adds an additional year to the original manufacturer's warranty when the warranty is five years or less. Coverage is up to $10,000 per occurrence and $50,000 annually.
No foreign transaction fees
Foreign transaction fees are an annoyance for anyone traveling outside the U.S. You'll pay no foreign transaction fees (Rates & Fees) for purchases made overseas on the Amex Gold. Foreign transaction fees can add as much as 3% to every purchase outside the U.S. if you use the wrong card, and those costs can add up fast.
Amex Gold Earning Rates
The long-term earning potential is where the Amex Gold truly shines. The card features a gargantuan 4X Membership Rewards points on dining, making it one of the best cards for dining purchases. You'll also get 4X at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X). These ensure a top return on your food spending.
The Amex Gold earns:
- 4X points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. (on up to $50,000 per year in purchases, then 1X).
- 4X points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X).
- 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- 2X points on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- 1X points on other eligible purchases.
One thing to note on supermarket purchases: only purchases within the U.S. qualify for the 4X points. If you're overseas or travel internationally, you'll earn just one point per dollar at supermarkets. In this instance, finding another card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees and has a better return is worth it. For U.S. supermarket purchases, though, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better return than what the Amex Gold provides.
Additionally, the Amex Gold earns 3X on airfare if purchased directly from the airline or via AmexTravel. However, you shouldn't use this card when purchasing flights (or any other type of travel) from an online travel agency like Expedia or Priceline. For those purchases, use one of our top cards for travel purchases instead.
Redeeming Points With the Amex Gold
Transfer to partners
American Express are some of my favorite transferrable points, and are quite valuable — even more so if you take advantage of Amex's 21 hotel and airline partners. With 18 different airline partners and three hotel partners from which to choose, it's easy to make high-end redemptions a reality.
Just note that not all transfer partners are created equal. For example, transfer options like Marriott Bonvoy can represent a poor use of your points and should generally be avoided unless you're topping off your account.
Without further ado, here's a full list of Amex transfer partners:
American Express Travel®
It's also possible to redeem your points within the Amex Travel portal. You can use your points for flights, hotels, rental cars, or cruises. However, you should be wary of redeeming in this way as not all flight or hotel options are available, and you may end up paying more than you would through other booking platforms.
The only exception to this is for flights, where you'll receive a flat redemption rate of 1¢ per point — plus discounts if you're able to find one of Amex's “Insider Fares.”
Gift cards
You're able to redeem Amex points for gift cards. However, these tend to represent a pretty poor use of points — often 1¢ apiece or less. Please don't do this!
Statement credits
Like with gift cards, Amex also allows you to redeem Amex points against any purchases that you've made, but it will give you poor value on these redemptions. Your points are worth 0.6¢ apiece for statement credits. Please don't do this either!
Pay with Points
If you have an Amazon account (or any other site where Pay With Points is enabled), you can opt to redeem your Amex points to pay at checkout. However, this is another bad use of your points in all but one scenario. The only time this is a good use of points is when you can redeem a handful of points (or even just one) for big discounts.
Application Restrictions
American Express has a standard “one welcome offer per product per lifetime” restriction on each card. You won't be able to earn the welcome offer on the Amex Gold if you have had this card or the Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express in the past.
In addition, Amex has added language to its card application terms, restricting who can get the welcome offer. Amex will take into account the number of American Express cards you’ve opened and closed — plus “other factors” that aren't disclosed — in determining your eligibility to receive the welcome offer:
“Welcome offer not available to applicants who have or have had this Card or the Amex Gold. We may also consider the number of American Express Cards you have opened and closed as well as other factors in making a decision on your welcome offer eligibility.”
Remember that the Amex Gold is not a traditional card in that it doesn't have a preset spending limit. That means it isn't subject to the unwritten rule that Amex has about the number of Amex cards you can hold.
And if you're curious about your eligibility to receive a welcome offer, know that Amex let you know via popup before you submit your application.
Related: Understanding Rewards Credit Card Application Rules and Restrictions
Cards That Compete With the Amex Gold
Because of its $325 annual fee (Rates & Fees), the Amex Gold isn't for everyone, so let's preview some other options:
- If you want to earn Amex points with a lower annual fee, consider the American Express® Green Card. You'll earn 3X points on travel, transit, and restaurants worldwide (with no earning limits) and pay an annual fee of just $150. Plus, it's great for rideshare purchases. For more details, see our full Amex Green Card review.
- If you want good earnings at foreign supermarkets and much more, the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card is a good option. For a $95 annual fee, you'll earn 10X points per $1 on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com; 3X points per $1 spent on airfare and other hotels; and 3X points at gas stations, EV charging stations, restaurants, and supermarkets. See our full Citi Strata Premier review for details.
- If you want more perks while earning rewards on travel and dining, look into the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. You'll earn up to 10X points on travel and dining booked in the Chase portal, 3X on travel booked elsewhere, 3X on dining, and 1X on other purchases. The brand is also adding more and more exclusive airport lounges to its network. While the card does have a hefty $550 annual fee, the annual $300 travel credit eats a big chunk of that. Check out the full details on this card in our Sapphire Reserve review.
- 3x Membership Rewards® on travel
- 3x Membership Rewards® at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- 3x Membership Rewards® on transit including trains, buses, ferries, subways, and more
- 1x Membership Rewards® on other purchases
- 10X points per $1 on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
- 3X points per $1 spent on airfare, and other hotel purchases
- 3X points per $1 spent at gas and EV charging stations
- 3X points per $1 spent on dining at restaurants, including cafes, bars and lounges
- 3X points per $1 spent at supermarkets
- 1X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
- 10X points on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 10X points on Chase Dining (including prepaid reservations and prepaid takeout purchased through Chase)
- 5X points on airfare purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on all other travel
- 3X points on dining at restaurants
- 1X points on all other purchases
Related: Best Credit Cards for Groceries and Supermarkets
Targeted Offers
While the offer of 60,000 Membership Rewards points represent one of the highest publicly available offers for the Amex Gold, it's also worth checking for targeted offers that could result in an even larger welcome bonus.
You can view targeted offers using the CardMatch tool, which will ask for some personal information and run a quick check to see what special credit card offers you may qualify for. You might see an offer for a higher welcome bonus; as these are targeted offers, not everyone will see the same thing — and you might not have any special offers for this card.
Final Thoughts
I can't deny that I'm a big fan of the American Express® Gold Card. Card Members enjoy an incredible 4X points per dollar on two everyday spending categories and can leverage annual travel and dining credits to recoup the Amex Gold‘s $325 annual fee (Rates & Fees). Those things alone should make the card a consideration for most people.
And don't forget, the Amex Gold is also a sleeper for airfare purchases. 3X points per dollar on purchases made directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com is a competitive rate for any card.
We could harp on the Amex Gold‘s pros for a while, but we'd be remiss to mention that it's not for everyone. The credits have become a bit burdensome to remember to use each month, the annual fee is the highest it's ever been, and there are caps on its top earning categories. But if you can make the most of the Amex Gold (and spend within its caps), it's sure to be an invaluable wallet addition.
- Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That's up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made at restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. (on up to $50,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels and other eligible travel booked on amextravel.com
- 1X on other eligible purchases
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees), and Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees)
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