The American Express® Gold Card is a flexible travel rewards charge card. As a charge card, you don’t have a fixed spending limit. However, you must pay your balance in full each month.
Currently, you can earn a welcome offer of 35,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $2,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 3 months.
Cardholders receive 4X Membership Rewards® points when you dine at restaurants worldwide. Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X). Then, earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
In addition, you’ll get $100 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year. It comes with a $195 annual fee that is waived for the first year. Take a look at what the Gold Card from American Express has to offer. See if this card is worth it for you.
American Express Gold Card Summary
 The American Express® Gold Card offers 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. You'll earn: • 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. • 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. • 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. • 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. • 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. Other benefits: • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That's up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards points for Uber Eats purchases made at restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply. • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express(R) Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express(R) Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required. • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express(R) Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required. • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property. This card has an annual fee of $325 with no foreign transaction fees (See Rates & Fees). Terms Apply. |
American Express Gold Card Benefits
No Interest Charges: Because this is a charge card and not a credit card, you must pay the balance in full each billing cycle. If you anticipate needing to carry a balance, go with a credit card instead.
Transfer Partners: American Express has many different airline travel partners to choose from to transfer points. Some of the more popular programs include, Aeroplan, ANA, British Airways, Delta, Emirates, Etihad, JetBlue, and Singapore Airlines. Although you may not flight directly on all these airlines, you can take advantage of their partner flight options. In addition, you can transfer your points to hotel travel partners, such as Hilton, Choice Privileges, and SPG, but at a lower rate.
No Foreign Transaction Fee: Keep earning your rewards! Use this card when traveling abroad without paying a fee.
$100 Airline Fee Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each year to cover incidental fees at one selected qualifying airline. You must select an airline from their list of available ones before making an eligible purchase to trigger the credit. This can help cover costs, such as checked baggage, lounge passes, and in-flight food and entertainment. However, you cannot use this credit towards the actual cost of your ticket.
Additional Perks
$100 Hotel Credit: Earn $100 hotel credit on qualifying charges when booking a prepaid stay of at least two consecutive nights at participating properties. These include on-site dining, spa, and resort activities. Plus, enjoy a room upgrade upon arrival, when available with The Hotel Collection at americanexpress.com/hc. You’ll also earn 2X points per $1 spent on all Hotel Collection purchases. Terms apply.
Amex Offers: As an Amex card, participate in Amex Offers to receive more points and savings across select merchants. Just check your account and add your desired available offers to your card. Use your card when shopping and you can save hundreds of dollars and earn extra points.
Travel and Purchase Perks: With this card, you’ll get travel benefits like rental car insurance, travel accident insurance, baggage insurance, premium roadside assistance, global assist hotline, and personalized travel service. You’ll also get purchasing benefits like purchase protection, extended warranty coverage, and discounted tickets through Entertainment Access.
Bottom Line
For a flexible travel rewards card that’s rich in rewards and benefits, the American Express® Gold Card is a great card to go for. It’s especially beneficial if the Membership Rewards program has the transfer partners you travel the most with. I highly recommend using the airline and hotel credits to trim the cost of the $250 annual fee.
If you’re not confident enough that you’ll pay off the balance on this charge card each month or you can’t justify the high annual fee, I’d recommend looking for another card. Check out other American Express credit card bonuses and our complete list of featured credit card bonuses.
Learn more about this card and its features here.
