AMEX Gold Card: How to Avoid Missing Out on Valuable Credits

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American Express cards have a reputation for offering valuable perks, but it requires effort to maximize them. Over the past few years, AMEX has increased the annual fees on its charge cards. To offset them, the company has introduced various credits, many of which operate on a “use-it-or-lose-it” basis. This means unused credits directly benefit AMEX, increasing the card’s profitability. (And here’s a post about the difference between charge and credit cards.)

My wife Sharon was recently approved for the American Express Gold Card. While it’s been a few years since we’ve had a new AMEX Gold Card, I remembered that some of the monthly credits require activation. Additionally, there are new credits to explore. To make this card and its $325 annual fee earn a spot in our wallet, I needed to take advantage of every available benefit. (Check out our full review of the American Express Gold Card for more details.)

Enrollment Required

In a somewhat annoying move, AMEX requires new Gold Card members to activate many of the monthly credits. Skipping this step means losing out on money back from AMEX.

$10 Monthly Uber Cash

With the AMEX Gold Card, you receive a $10 monthly Uber Cash credit. To utilize this credit, simply link your card to your Uber account, and the $10 will be automatically applied. I’ve successfully used a similar credit with my Platinum Card, but now there’s a new requirement: payments for rides or food must be made with an American Express card. Note that this benefit doesn’t require any extra activation.

$10 Monthly Dining Credit

The first credit you need to enroll for is the $10 monthly dining credit. With this benefit, you’ll receive a statement credit for $10 after purchases at Grubhub (including Seamless), The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. I’ll likely add my AMEX Gold Card to my Grubhub account to make a monthly order.

$7 Monthly Dunkin’ Credit

Another credit that requires activation is the $7 monthly Dunkin’ credit. After activation, you’ll receive a statement credit after your Dunkin’ purchase. I added the Gold Card to my Dunkin’ account and added $7 to my Dunkin’ card so I don’t forget to use it.

$50 Semi-Annual Resy Credit

The Gold Card also offers a $50 credit twice a year for eligible purchases through Resy. This benefit requires registration. Qualifying purchases include:

• Payments made directly to U.S. restaurants partnered with Resy.
• Transactions made on Resy.com or the Resy app.
• Payments via Resy Pay.

Since this is a newer benefit, I’ll need to research whether any of our favorite restaurants participate. Otherwise, this is the credit I’m most likely to miss out on.

Final Thoughts

For new Gold Card members, activating three of the available credits and linking the card to Uber are necessary steps to unlock all potential savings. Thankfully, these actions only need to be done once. However, I wish AMEX did a better job informing cardholders about these requirements, as it’s too easy to miss out on savings by overlooking them.

To get the most from the AMEX Gold Card, consider setting reminders to use the monthly credits. These benefits can offset the $325 annual fee, making the card a valuable addition to your wallet.

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