The American Express Gold Card wants a seat at your table, whether youre dining out or buying groceries. With four points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 a year, then 1x), along with airline and dining credits that almost entirely cover its annual fee, Gold is looking better than ever.
Card Rating*:
*Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPGs editors and is not influenced bythe card issuer.
Editors note: This post has been updated with the current card information. It was originally published on Sept. 20, 2019.
When American Express first rebranded and updated the American Express Gold Card with new benefits and earning rates in 2018, I was a little disappointed. The 4x bonus categories made this card one of TPGs best credit cards for dining, but it was limited to purchases in the U.S. However, Amex has since expanded the dining bonus category to offer 4x points for restaurants worldwide and although transactions dont always code properly, Im finally able to use this card while living abroad as an expat.
The Amex Gold card sits squarely between entry-level credit cards that have annual fees hovering around $100 and premium cards that have annual fees starting at $450. Amex Gold offers up to $220 in combined annual statement credits, which make it easy to justify this cards $250 annual fee (see rates and fees). Whether your perfect meal is at a fancy restaurant or at home, lets dig in to see what makes this card worth it.
In This Post
Who is this card for?
If you like to dine out (or order in using delivery services such as Seamless) and you can make good use of American Express Membership Rewards points, this card is a no-brainer, with its valuable bonus categories and up to $220 in annual statement credits. Its possible to offset the $250 annual fee to keep your out-of-pocket cost for this card as low as $30. If youre a foodie, the 4x bonus points for global restaurants and U.S. supermarkets is a great way to earn bonus points with your American Express card.
Related reading: Why the Amex Gold is the perfect in-between credit card
Current bonus
The Amex Gold card is currently offering a welcome bonus of 35,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $4,000 in purchases in the first three months of account opening. Based on TPGs latest valuations, that bonus is worth $700. Its not the most impressive bonus, considering that we see offers ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 points on other cards.
However, it may be possible to get a 40,000-point welcome bonus via referral links or a 50,000-point welcome bonus through the Amex website or the CardMatch Tool (offer subject to change at any time). Its definitely worth looking for one of these higher offers, which would be worth $800 or $1,000, respectively, based on TPGs valuations.
Perks
The Amex Gold offers the following benefits, which go a long way toward offsetting the annual fee of $250:
Note that there are no foreign transaction fees with this card (see rates and fees),adding to its value as one of the best rewards credit cards on the market.
Up to $120 annual dining credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at participating dining partners, including Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Ruths Chris Steak House, some Shake Shack locations and Boxed. This perk is a monthly statement credit similar to the Uber credit on The Platinum Card from American Express. Enroll through the Amex website to get this benefit.
Up to $100 annual airline fee credit. Each calendar year, youll receive up to $100 in statement credits toward incidental airline fees such as baggage fees and inflight purchases. This works the same as the credit on the Amex Platinum cards. You must designate a qualifying airline, which you can change once a year.
The Hotel Collection.When you book a stay through the Amex Hotel Collection, youll earn 2x points on your purchase and enjoy an up to $100 credit toward dining, spa and resort activities at the property. Note that the credit only applies to stays of two consecutive nights or longer.
Baggage insurance.If your luggage is lost, stolen or damaged when youre traveling with a common carrier and you purchased your ticket with the Amex Gold, youll be eligible for up to $1,250 in coverage for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage.
Trip delay reimbursement: This is one of the newest perks on the Amex Gold. If you purchase your trip with the card on or after Jan. 1, 2020 and your travel is delayed more than 12 hours because of a covered reason, youll be eligible for a reimbursement of up to $300 for eligible expenses, like meals, lodging and toiletries. You are allowed up to two claims per account every 12 months.
Related reading: Maximizing the American Express Gold Card
Earning
The Amex Gold card really impresses when it comes to its bonus categories (terms apply):
- 4x points on dining worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets (U.S. supermarkets capped at $25,000 per calendar year, then 1x)
- 3x points on flights booked directly from the airline or amextravel.com
- 1x points on everything else
The 4x on dining is an especially strong earning rate equal to an 8% return based on our valuations. Even better, Amex has expanded the bonus multiplier to apply to restaurants worldwide, matching the broader dining bonus category on cards such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
The 4x points at U.S. supermarkets is also very strong, though its capped at the first $25,000 you spend per calendar year (then 1x). Despite the cap, the Amex Gold is one of the best cards for grocery spending at U.S. supermarkets. The 3x points on flights purchased directly from the airline or at amextravel.com isnt bad, either equal to a 6% return based on TPGs valuations. Although other premium credit cards like the Amex Platinum offer higher returns on airfare, many of them also have higher annual fees.
Redeeming
The Membership Rewards points you earn with the Amex Gold can be transferred to 22 travel partners: 19 airlines and three hotels. For instance, you can transfer points to Etihad Guest to book business class flights to Europe on American Airlines for 50,000 miles each way (one of many great redemption options available through this unsung program). Virgin Atlantic also provides plenty of value like the ability to score round-trip, first-class flights on ANA for as little as 110,000 points or Delta One Suites awards to Asia for only 60,000 miles each way. On the hotel side, you can transfer points to Choice Hotels, Hilton and Marriott.
Youll generally get the most value from your Amex points by transferring them to a travel partner, though that isnt your only redemption option. You can also use points to buy gift cards, cover charges on your billing statement, shop at Amazon or ride with Uber. You can also use points to book travel directly through Amex, though with the exception of transfer partners, all of these redemption options fall short of TPGs valuation of two cents per point.
Related reading: Redeeming American Express Membership Rewards for maximum value
One year of earning and burning with the Amex Gold
Although Amex Gold is one of the most valuable cards in my wallet, its not the simplest to use. Getting the most value out of this card requires an effort to maximize both the dining and airline annual statement credits, though using the card at restaurants anywhere in the world and U.S. supermarkets is fairly straightforward. Everyday spending only earns 1x points.
If you put in all that work, its fair to ask what you get in return, so lets take a look.
For starters, in your first year will see you earn a welcome bonus worth at least $700, and possibly up to $1,000 if youre targeted for the 50,000-point offer through CardMatch. Thats a solid haul, and although its not the best bonus on the market, its good enough for a card that shines long past the first year.
I use Personal Capital to keep track of my finances and make sure I dont forget about bills on my two dozen different credit cards. I also love that it tells you how much you spend each year in different categories. According to Personal Capital, in 2018 I spent ~$4,500 in each of two categories: groceries and dining out. (Whenever Im out to dinner with friends I try to put the bill on my credit card and have them pay me back over Venmo.)
So with $9,000 worth of eligible purchases in the Amex Golds 4x categories, I earned about 36,000 bonus Membership Rewards points, worth $720 based on TPGs valuations. Add in the welcome bonus and my total haul was worth $1,420.
Then there are the statement credits. I was able to use all of the monthly dining credits through Seamless, and I fully utilized the $100 in airline incidentals as well. In other words, I paid $250 for my annual fee but got $220 of it back in the form of statement credits, dropping my real (net) cost to just $30. That brings my first year total haul to $1,390, which Im incredibly happy about. Ive already redeemed ~70,000 Membership Rewards points, getting nearly $10,000 in value from them, as I applied them toward part of a $16,000 ANA first-class award ticket.
Which Cards compete with the Amex Gold?
As noted earlier, the Amex Golds $250 annual fee places it between mid-tier and premium-level cards. However, although theres no direct comparison on the annual fee front, there are several cards that offer similar bonus categories and perks.
One of the most obvious comparisons is the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, with a $95 annual fee and 2x earnings on all dining (and travel) purchases. We value Chase points at two cents apiece (same as Amex points), so youre looking at an effective return of 4% with the Chase Sapphire Preferred versus 8% with the Amex Gold on dining purchases. And while the fee is lower, the Sapphire Preferred doesnt offer annual statement credits like the Amex Gold does.
On the premium end, the Chase Sapphire Reserve deserves a mention, as it was previously the reigning champ for the highest return on dining spending with a 3x earning rate. But the Amex Gold now tops that cards 6% return, as does the Citi Prestige Card with 5x on dining (though the Citi Prestige comes with a high $495 annual fee and awards less-valuable ThankYou points). The Sapphire Reserve also has a $550 annual fee, but, as youd expect, it offers considerably more perks than the Amex Gold, such as a $300 annual travel credit and a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit.
If youre enticed by the Gold Cards 4x bonus at U.S. supermarkets, you could also consider the Amex EveryDay Preferred Card from American Express. It earns 3x points at U.S. supermarkets on the first $6,000 spent each year (then 1x), and if you make at least 30 purchases in a billing cycle, youll get a 50% bonus. That means youd get a return of 9% with the bonus based on TPGs valuations. This card also has a much lower $95 annual fee, but note the much lower cap on bonus earnings for U.S. supermarket purchases each year.
The information for the Amex EveryDay Preferred and Citi Prestige cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Bottom line
The Amex Gold isnt just a pretty card. Its 4x earning rate on dining worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets makes it a strong pick for pretty much all food purchases. The $220 in annual statement credits between the dining credit and the airline fee credit add value, and also make the $250 annual fee (see rates and fees)easier to swallow. The welcome bonus doesnt turn heads, but the American Express Gold Card still earns a spot as one of our best credit cards and can rack up plenty of points for those with appetites for dining out or dining in.
Apply here for the American Express Gold Card with a 35,000-point welcome bonus.
For rates and fees of the Amex Gold Card, please click here.
Additional reporting by Jason Stauffer.
Featured photo by The Points Guy.