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One of the best credit cards for dining — the American Express® Gold Card — is getting a new limit to the 4X rewards on dining purchases. As caught by Travel With Grant, Amex Gold cardholders will only earn 4X points on the first $50,000 of spending each year, effective January 1, 2025.
American Express Gold Introduces Limit to 4X Points on Dining
Other than the Citi Prestige® Card (which is no longer open to new applicants), the American Express® Gold Card and the American Express® Business Gold Card are the best cards for dining purchases. Both cards can earn 4X rewards on eligible dining and restaurant purchases worldwide. However, the American Express® Business Gold Card requires that dining is one of your top eligible spending categories to get this earning rate.
American Express® Business Gold Card holders get 4X rewards on their top two of six spending categories, which might or might not include dining. A limit of $150,000 spent between the top two categories in a calendar year is already in place. As soon as members reach the threshold, they only earn 1X rewards on those categories.
Now, the American Express® Gold Card is introducing a comparable spending limit. Starting January 1, 2025, American Express® Gold Card holders will only earn 4X rewards on the first $50,000 spent in a calendar year on eligible dining and restaurant purchases. After that, cardholders will only get 1X rewards. The card already limits 4X rewards on groceries to the first $25,000 spent at U.S. supermarkets in a calendar year.
Keep in mind that eligible dining and restaurant purchases with the American Express® Gold Card include restaurants worldwide, while the American Express® Business Gold Card is limited to restaurants in the U.S.
Our Take
It's hard to believe anyone naturally spends $50,000 in a calendar year on dining out. But apparently, that happened enough to warrant this new limit. While dining costs may be skyrocketing in some locations, $50,000 in a calendar year is a lot. Perhaps cardholders were putting business dining purchases on their personal card.
This change probably won't affect most cardholders. However, if you were one of the few who spent more than $50,000 a year on dining purchases, you'll have to look to another card after you reach the new $50,000 limit. Outside of Amex, the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card is the only other card with 4X rewards, on up to $2,000 spent each quarter, on eligible dining purchases
Again, this change goes into effect on January 1, 2025.
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