American Express offers several charge cards, each with unique benefits. The Green Card is an excellent entry-level travel card, and the Platinum Card is a luxury lifestyle card with several travel benefits.
While the American Express Gold Card earns Membership Rewards, which you can transfer to airline and hotel partners, it’s not a great card for paying for travel. However, it’s a great card for earning points at restaurants and supermarkets.
It also offers monthly statement credits, which can entirely offset the annual fee.
American Express Gold Card
Annual Fee
$325 per year
Sign-Up Benefits
AMEX offers a sign-up bonus of 60,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend $6,000 in purchases for the first six months using our referral link. In addition, you’ll receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide within the first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $100 back. (If you see a different offer, try using private mode and/or a different browser.)
If you use our referral link, we get a referral bonus of Membership Rewards points. (The link will go to the AMEX Green card page, where you can see all cards with AMEX sign-up offers.)
This card is subject to AMEX’s one sign-up bonus per lifetime rule and the newer little brother rule.
You may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer if you have or have had this Card the Premier Rewards Gold Card, the Platinum Card®, the Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Charles Schwab, the Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley or previous versions of these Cards. You also may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer based on various factors, such as your history with credit card balance transfers, your history as an American Express Card Member, the number of credit cards that you have opened and closed and other factors. If you are not eligible for a welcome offer, we will notify you prior to processing your application so you have the option to withdraw your application.
AMEX also has added these stipulations to cut down on card churners.
If you have a history of cancelling or downgrading American Express Card accounts within your first year and you cancel or downgrade your new Card account within your first year, we may not credit, we may freeze, or we may take away Membership Rewards Points from your account. If we determine that you have engaged in abuse, misuse, or gaming in connection with this offer in any way or that you intend to do so, including if you return purchases you made to meet the Threshold Amount, we may not credit, we may freeze, or we may take away Statement Credits or Membership Rewards Points from your account. We may also cancel any accounts you have with us.
Bonus Categories
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards points at restaurants worldwide
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards points at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 per year in purchases
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards points on prepaid hotels, car rentals and cruise reservations booked through AmexTravel.com
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards points on all other purchases.
The dining benefit has a few restrictions.
Basic Card Members may not earn additional points for purchases at a restaurant located within another establishment (e.g., a restaurant inside a hotel, casino, or event venue), events held within a restaurant, purchases made through third-party food delivery services outside of the U.S., or purchases at bars, nightclubs, cafeterias, caterers, theatre clubs, breweries, bakeries, and meeting venues.
Considering the value of Membership Rewards, the restaurant and supermarket bonus category rewards are the best available.
Statement Credits
The Gold Card provides the following statement credits. Note that I do not consider these the same as getting cash back to offset the annual fee, as there are many restrictions on using the credits.
- $120 Dining Credit – Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys—enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash – Earn up to $10 in monthly statement credits to all vehicle types with Uber and orders on Uber Eats in the US.
- $84 Dunkin’ Credit—Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express Gold Card at Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment is required.
- $100 Resy Credit – Get up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually after you pay to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. Enrollment is required through your Card Account.
It’s incredible how AMEX gives $324 in credits in the first three easy-to-use categories.
No Foreign Transaction Fees
As you hope for a card that earns points redeemable for worldwide travel, the Gold Card does not charge any foreign transaction fees.
Membership Rewards
With the American Express Gold Card, you’ll earn points in AMEX’s transferrable points program, Membership Rewards. While there are many uses for Membership Rewards, transferring points to one of AMEX’s travel partners is the best.
Airline Programs
- Are Lingus Aerclub
- Aeromexico Club Premier
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France / KLM Flying Blue
- ANA Mileage Club
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Avianca LifeMiles
- British Airways Executive Club
- Delta SkyMiles
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Guest Miles
- Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles
- Iberia Plus Miles
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Singapore KrisFlyer Miles
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Hotel Programs
- Choice Privileges Rewards
- Hilton Honors
- Marriott Bonvoy
I used Membership Rewards to help us book our flights to Southeast Asia on Singapore Airlines and the best award trip I ever booked (for someone else).
Travel Coverage
The AMEX Gold Card has the following travel coverages when you pay with the card.
- Baggage Insurance for lost, stolen or damaged bags
- Car rental theft or damage (secondary coverage)
- Trip delay coverage of $300 after 12 hours
This is not a great set of coverages but I’ve already said this isn’t a great travel card.
Card Design
American Express lets cardholders choose between a classic gold design, a rose gold card or a limited edition white gold card.
Final Thoughts
For many Americans, food expenses (restaurants and supermarkets) are one of the biggest portions of their monthly budget. The American Express Gold Card provides an excellent way to rack up a bunch of points for those categories.
If you can use the credits every month with little difficulty, then the card hardly costs anything to keep.
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