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 a long list of travel perks.
The American Express Gold Card sits in a different lane.
Yes, it earns Membership Rewards points (transferable to airline and hotel partners), but it’s not the card I’d use for most travel purchases. Where it shines is much simpler: restaurants and groceries.
And while the Gold Card’s annual fee looks steep at first glance, its monthly credits can offset a big chunk of that cost—if you’ll actually use them.
American Express Gold Card
Annual Fee
$325 per year
Welcome Offer
AMEX welcome offers can vary by person, and even by browser/session. Right now, our referral link shows a welcome offer of up to 100,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership. (Your exact offer may be different, and you may not be eligible for a welcome offer.)
If you use our referral link, we may receive a referral bonus in Membership Rewards points. The link takes you to the Platinum referral landing page, where you can choose other AMEX cards and see which referral offers are available. Disclosure: American Express did not provide, review, or approve this post. Any opinions are our own.
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 has also added these stipulations to curb card churners.
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 the 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 (on up to $50,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X)
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $25,000 per calendar 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 booked through amextravel.com
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards points on all other purchases
The 4X categories are the whole point of this card. If your biggest everyday spend is food (restaurants + groceries), the Gold Card can rack up Membership Rewards points fast.
Statement Credits
The Gold Card provides the following 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 each month 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 – Get up to $10 in Uber Cash each month for Uber rides and orders on Uber Eats in the U.S. (You’ll need to add the Gold Card to your Uber account to receive the benefit.)
- $84 Dunkin’ Credit – Earn up to $7 in statement credits each month after you pay with the American Express Gold Card at Dunkin’ locations — enrollment 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 pretty wild that AMEX offers up to $424 in credits on a card with a $325 annual fee — as long as those credits match spending you’d already do anyway.
No Foreign Transaction Fees
Since this is a points-earning card meant for travel (at least sometimes), it’s good news that the Gold Card does not charge foreign transaction fees.
Membership Rewards
With the American Express Gold Card, you’ll earn points in AMEX’s transferable points program, Membership Rewards. There are lots of ways to use these points, but in most cases the best value comes from transferring points to airline (and sometimes hotel) partners instead of redeeming them for things like gift cards or statement credits.
Because transfer partners can change over time, the most “evergreen” advice is to start with AMEX’s current transfer partner list and then work backwards from the trip you want to book.
Airline Transfer Partners (Often Great Value)
Some of the most consistently useful airline programs for AMEX transfers include:
- Air Canada Aeroplan (solid award chart options across Star Alliance)
- Air France / KLM Flying Blue (often strong deals on transatlantic routes, plus monthly Promo Rewards)
- ANA Mileage Club (can be excellent value for round-trip international awards)
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (sweet spots still exist, depending on the route/partner)
- British Airways / Iberia Avios (great for short-haul flights and certain partner redemptions)
- Delta SkyMiles (not always the cheapest, but sometimes useful for domestic awards and flash sales)
Hotel Transfer Partners (Usually Situational)
AMEX also transfers to a few hotel programs. These can be handy in a pinch, but they’re typically not the highest-value use of Membership Rewards compared to airline transfers:
- Hilton Honors (best when there’s a transfer bonus, or when you need to top off)
- Marriott Bonvoy (generally a weaker transfer value; mostly for topping off)
- Choice Privileges (can be useful for specific sweet spots)
One important tip: transfers are usually one-way. Once you move Membership Rewards points to a partner, you generally can’t move them back—so it’s best to confirm award space first.
I used Membership Rewards to help us book our flights to Southeast Asia on Singapore Airlines.
Travel Perks (The “Nice to Have” Stuff)
The Hotel Collection
If you book a prepaid stay of two nights or more through AmexTravel at a participating The Hotel Collection property, you can receive benefits like:
- A $100 experience credit (property-specific; used toward eligible charges)
- Possible room upgrade at check-in (when available)
Travel Coverage
The Gold Card has some travel protections when you pay with the card, but this still isn’t the card I’d pick just for coverage:
- Baggage Insurance for lost, stolen, or damaged bags (terms apply)
- Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance (typically secondary coverage; terms and exclusions apply)
- Trip Delay Insurance – up to $300 after a covered delay of 12+ hours (limits apply)
Card Design
American Express lets cardholders choose between the classic Gold design and the Rose Gold design. AMEX has also offered a limited-edition White Gold design at times, but availability can change.
Final Thoughts
For many people, food (restaurants and groceries) is one of the biggest monthly budget categories. The American Express Gold Card is built to reward that spending—especially if you’re earning Membership Rewards for future travel.
If you can use the credits naturally each month (without having to “manufacture” purchases), the annual fee becomes much easier to justify. But if the credits don’t match your real habits, a lower-fee card (or a different points currency) may make more sense.
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