Amex Gold credit card review: Full details
American Express® Gold Card overview
The American Express® Gold Card wants a seat at your table, whether you’re dining out at restaurants or buying groceries at U.S. supermarkets to cook at home. You might also benefit from its various statement credits to save money throughout the year. If you’re a food lover, the Amex Gold may be a great option for your wallet. Card Rating*: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
*Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
Although its annual fee of $250 (see rates and fees) might seem pricey to some, the American Express Gold Card regularly ranks as one of our top rewards cards thanks to a couple of key features.
With stellar earning rates on dining and grocery purchases and monthly credits that can bring the effective annual fee cost down to just $10, the Amex Gold remains a TPG staff favorite.
And I’m a proud member of its fan club. This is one of the best cards in my wallet, thanks to its whopping 8% return (according to TPG valuations) on my dining and grocery purchases. Plus, its rose gold shine makes it the star of the show when I pull it out of my wallet to pay for dinner.
If you have a good or excellent credit score (670 or above) and are considering joining the American Express Gold Card club, here’s everything you need to know.
Amex Gold Card welcome offer
The Amex Gold is currently offering a welcome bonus of 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new card within the first six months of card membership. Based on TPG’s latest valuations, that bonus is worth $1,200.
However, getting an even higher welcome offer of up to 90,000 points may be possible via the CardMatch Tool, so it’s always a good idea to check there to see if you’re targeted (offer subject to change at any time).
Related: The best time to apply for these American Express cards based on offer history
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Amex Gold Card benefits
The Amex Gold offers several excellent perks for cardmembers, but here are the main ones to be aware of and to maximize:
- Up to $120 annual dining statement credit: Earn up to $10 in monthly statement credits when you pay with the Amex Gold Card at participating dining partners, including Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment through the Amex website is required.
- Up to $120 in annual Uber Cash: Earn up to $10 in Uber Cash monthly for Uber Eats and Uber rides in the U.S. You must add the card to the Uber app to receive the Uber Cash benefit. This perk is a monthly statement credit similar to the Uber Cash on The Platinum Card® from American Express. Enrollment is required.
- Up to $100 in hotel credits: Cardmembers who use their card to book a stay of two nights or more through Amex’s The Hotel Collection receive a $100 on-site credit for qualifying activities. Depending on the property, this could include dining, spa treatments or other activities.
- Baggage insurance: If your luggage is lost, stolen or damaged when you’re traveling with a common carrier and you’ve purchased your ticket with the Amex Gold, you’ll be eligible for up to $1,250 in coverage for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage. For New York State residents, there is a $10,000 aggregate maximum limit for all covered persons per covered trip.*
- Purchase protection and extended warranty: You’ll get purchase protection and an extended warranty on eligible purchases made on your Gold Card. There are exclusions to what types of purchases are covered, which regions or territories coverage is available in, and other conditions to be aware of, so be sure to read your benefits guide.*
- No foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees): Avoiding foreign transaction fees makes this card a great choice to use for purchases when traveling internationally, especially because you’ll still earn 4 points per dollar at global restaurants.
- Send & Split: Splitting purchases with a group is even easier with Amex’s Send & Split feature. It connects to your PayPal and Venmo accounts to allow you to request payment through those apps and apply the payment directly to your Amex account. Enrollment required.
The standout benefits are the Uber and dining monthly credits. I’m able to maximize these each month to glean a full $240 in value annually, which brings my effective annual fee down to just $10.
But the underrated Send & Split feature is probably my second favorite benefit. I used to be torn when it came to putting a whole group dinner on my card — I wanted to earn the points but didn’t want to deal with the hassle of collecting payment from everyone else.
This feature allows me to easily request payment from my friends and apply it to my balance, with no chasing down payments or multi-step account transfers needed.
*Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
Related: Is the Amex Gold worth the annual fee?
Earning points on the Amex Gold Card
The Amex Gold impresses when it comes to its bonus categories and long-term earning potential. It accrues points at the following rates (terms apply):
- 4 points per dollar on dining at restaurants (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.)
- 4 points per dollar on up to $25,000 in purchases at U.S. supermarkets per calendar year (then 1 point per dollar)
- 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly from the airline or through Amex Travel
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases
These are some of the most generous earning rates of any rewards card. Earning four points per dollar on dining and groceries at U.S. supermarkets (up to that $25,000 annual cap) is equivalent to getting an 8% return on spending, based on TPG valuations.
And while this doesn’t offer the most substantial earning rates on general travel, that 3-point-per-dollar earning rate on flights is nice for those who don’t have another travel credit card.
Related: The best credit cards for dining out, taking out and ordering in
Redeeming points on the Amex Gold Card
The American Express Membership Rewards points you can earn with the Amex Gold are among the most valuable rewards points around.
You’ll generally get the most value from your Amex points by transferring them to a travel partner, although that isn’t your only redemption option.
You can 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 Travel. However, choosing a redemption option other than transferring your points to a travel partner means you’ll fall short of TPG’s 2 cents-per-point valuation.
Related: Why the Amex Gold is the perfect ‘in-between’ card
Transferring points on the Amex Gold Card
First, cardmembers can transfer their points to the program’s many airline and hotel partners for excellent travel options. This includes a handful of U.S.-based programs — like Delta SkyMiles and JetBlue TrueBlue — but you’ll often get even more value by leveraging international airline programs.
For example, Virgin Atlantic can provide some fantastic redemptions — such as the ability to score round-trip, first-class flights on ANA between the U.S. and Japan for as few as 145,000 points. Another excellent redemption option is transferring points to Avianca LifeMiles for cheap Star Alliance premium cabin awards.
TPG senior writer Ben Smithson loves to transfer his Membership Rewards to Air Canada’s Aeroplan program for the huge range of airline redemption partners at sensible fixed award chart rates, as well as the ability to transfer them to British Airways Executive Club to book short-haul flights from the United Kingdom to Europe on British Airways for under 5,000 points each way.
On the hotel side, you can transfer Membership Rewards points to Choice Hotels and Marriott Bonvoy at a 1:1 ratio and Hilton Honors at a 1:2 ratio.
American Express also regularly offers transfer bonuses, which can be a great way to squeeze even more value from your points.
Related: Redeeming American Express Membership Rewards for maximum value
Which cards compete with the Amex Gold?
The Amex Gold’s $250 annual fee places it between mid-tier and premium-level cards. Although there’s no direct comparison on the annual fee front, several cards offer similar bonus categories and perks.
For additional options, check out our full list of best cards for travel and dining out.
Related: Does it make sense to have an Amex Platinum and Amex Gold card?
Bottom line
The Amex Gold isn’t just a pretty card. The earning rates at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets make it a strong pick for pretty much all food purchases. If you can take full advantage of them, the up to $120 in annual statement credits on dining and up to $120 annually in Uber cash add even more value and make the $250 annual fee easily worth paying. For foodies, this card is worth its weight in gold.
Apply here for the American Express® Gold Card with a 60,000-point welcome bonus, though be sure to check the CardMatch Tool to see if you’ve been selected for an even higher welcome offer.
For rates and fees of the Amex Gold Card, click here.
