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The American Express® Gold Card is best known as a strong everyday earner on dining and groceries, but its credits alone can more than offset the card's $325 annual fee (Rates & Fees). While Amex officially advertises just two dining-related credits, cardholders actually have access to four different credits that can all be used toward food and drinks. Used strategically, these benefits can easily outweigh the card’s cost and deliver hundreds of dollars in annual value.
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Amex Gold $120 Dining Credit
The most common and largest credit is the $120 annual dining credit, which is disbursed in $10 increments each month. You’re not allowed to use all the $120 in one sitting, nor can you stack them month over month. Simply put, if you don’t use it each month, you lose it.
The places that qualify for the dining credit have changed in the past, but the current locations are:
- GrubHub
- The Cheesecake Factory
- Goldbelly
- Wine.com
- Five Guys
Getting the credit to apply is simple, assuming you’ve enrolled. To enroll, log in to the American Express website and head to the “benefits” section. You’ll see the $120 dining credit box, click it, and you’re done!
Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
Once enrolled, all you have to do is pay with your Amex Gold card for the credit to automatically kick in each month. The easiest for me to use is GrubHub, as I do a restaurant pickup to avoid the high delivery fees here in Seattle. Once I charge the food to my Gold card, the credit usually comes through a few days later.
Amex Gold $100 Resy Credit
Resy is American Express’ restaurant reservation program, very similar to OpenTable. The Amex Gold card offers a $100 Resy credit — doled out in two $50 installments. You’ll get your first $50 to use from January 1 to June 30 each year, and the second $50 from July 1 to December 31. Like the dining credit, the Resy credits don't roll over, so be sure to use them before they expire.
You don’t have to make a reservation via the Resy website. Instead, you only need to use your Amex Gold card to pay. Once you pay for your meal, you’ll see the $50 apply automatically.
Pro tip: If you can’t make it into the restaurant, many of the Resy restaurants near us sell gift cards online. In the past, if the gift card was processed via Toast, it showed up as a restaurant order, and the Resy credit was applied automatically.
Amex Gold $120 Uber Credits
While not explicitly a dining credit, you can use your Uber credit on either a ride or an Uber Eats order. Once you link your card to your Uber account, a $10 credit appears in your Uber balance every month. You’ll be able to use it for delivery and pickup orders, but must use an Amex card to pay for the remainder.
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.
Amex Gold $84 Dunkin Credit
Perhaps the least exciting of the dining offers on the Amex Gold card is the $7 per month ($84 per year) Dunkin' credit. Enroll in the benefit, and the credit will automatically kick in when you make a Dunkin' purchase.
Since I don’t have any Dunkin' locations near me, I load $7 each month into my Dunkin' app on my phone. This allows me to build up a balance in the app over the months. If I find a Dunkin' location in my travels, I’m able to get some free coffee and breakfast
If you have a Dunkin' location near you, head to any location and use your card or pay in the app. The credits will apply automatically.
Bottom Line
If maximized, the dining-related perks on the Amex Gold add up to over $400 in annual credits — more than enough to cover the card’s annual fee if you’re able to use them all. Enrollment is required for some benefits, and a little planning is needed to avoid losing monthly credits. But overall, the process is simple: use your Amex Gold card at eligible merchants, and the credits apply automatically.
For frequent diners, food delivery fans, or anyone who can take advantage of these monthly and semiannual credits, the Amex Gold makes a strong case as one of the most rewarding dining cards on the market.
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you're approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount - all with no credit score impact. If you're approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- 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 with 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. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $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.
- 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)
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