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Since its debut, the American Express® Gold Card has been a powerhouse for earning rewards on everyday spending, especially at dining and supermarket categories. For anyone who loves turning Membership Rewards® points into airline travel, it’s long been a top choice for daily purchases.
That said, the card’s $325 annual fee (Rates & Fees) might not be the right fit for every budget. But for cardholders who maximize its bonus categories and statement credits, the value can easily outweigh the cost year after year.
Is the Amex Gold a smart addition to your wallet? Let’s break down the pros, cons, and standout perks to help you decide.
(Terms apply)
- 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.
- 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
Page Contents
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.
- No foreign transaction fees.
Amex Gold Card Cons
- $325 annual fee (Rates & Fees).
- Caps on some categories limit your rewards-earning potential.
- Earns only 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases..
American Express Gold Card Welcome Offer
As a new applicant for the Amex Gold, you can earn as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases in the first 6 months. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
To put this bonus into context, AwardWallet users redeem Amex points for an average of 1.99¢ apiece. That makes the as high as 100,000-point bonus worth around $2,000 toward award travel.
Amex Gold Benefits
Four main credit card benefits help justify the Amex Gold‘s annual fee: the travel credits, rewarded as statement credits monthly. Keep in mind that those perks are enrollment-required; you must opt in to the offer before use in your American Express account online or on the app. American Express Gold members can also find value in the card's ancillary travel, shopping, and insurance perks. See more details:
$120 in Uber Cash
Card Members will receive $10 in monthly Uber Cash credit for Uber rides or Uber Eats purchases in the U.S. — a value of up to $120 per calendar year. To use this Uber Cash benefit, add your Amex Gold as a payment method in your Uber app. The monthly benefit will be deposited into your Uber account automatically.
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.
$120 annual dining credit
The Amex Gold provides a $10 monthly statement credit for eligible charges 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.
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.
Related: How to Utilize All of the Dining Credits on the American Express® Gold Card
$100 Resy Credit
The $100 Resy credit is usable in $50 monthly statement credits — one between January and June, and another between July and December. This credit is good at all U.S.-based Resy restaurants, in the Resy app, at Resy.com, and for other eligible Resy purchases.
$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' locations. This Dunkin' credit presents a neat way to score a free coffee or donut somewhere new each month.
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. Just be aware that this experience credit may vary by property.
Travel and Purchase protection benefits
The Amex Gold is great when it comes to travel insurance and purchase protection. 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.
- 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. AMEX_CAR:
- 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.
The Amex Gold earns:
- 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
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.
Redeeming Points With the Amex Gold
Transfer to partners
Amex Membership Rewards points can be transferred to 20 different airline and hotel partners — 17 airline partners and three hotel partners. 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.
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.
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, 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 and Strategy
American Express has a standard “one welcome offer per product per lifetime” restriction on each card.
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.”
And if you're curious about your eligibility for a welcome offer, know that Amex will let you know via a popup before you submit your application. You can move forward with the application to know the exact welcome offer amount and if you're approved — all with no credit score impact.
Cards That Compete With the Amex Gold
Because of its hefty $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.
- 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 air travel and other hotel purchases; and 3X points at gas stations, EV charging stations, restaurants, and supermarkets.
- If you want more perks while earning rewards on travel and dining, look into the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. You'll earn up to 8X points on all purchases through the Chase Travel℠ portal, 4X on flights and hotels booked elsewhere, 3X on dining, and 1X on other purchases. While the card does have a hefty $795 annual fee, the annual $300 travel credit eats a big chunk of that.
(This card is not available through AwardWallet)
$150
- 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
$95Rates & Fees
- 10X on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Restaurants
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Supermarkets
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Gas and EV Charging Stations
- 1X – Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
$795Rates & Fees
- 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 1x points on all other purchases
Bottom Line
Having an Amex Gold card membership can give you an impressive 4X points per dollar in two popular everyday spending categories. However, the card isn’t the right fit for everyone. The monthly credits require some effort to track and use, the annual fee is at its highest level yet, and the bonus categories come with spending caps. Still, for those who can maximize its credits and stay within the earning limits, the Amex Gold can be a highly valuable addition to a rewards strategy.
(Terms apply)
- 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.
- 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), Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees), and Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees)
