American Express Gold Card Review 2024

• Introduction
• American Express Gold Card Quick Facts
• What Is the American Express Gold Card Best For?
• Amex Gold Card Rewards
• Amex Gold Card Benefits
• Amex Gold Fees
• Amex Gold Card Requirements
• Compare the American Express Gold Card With Other Cards
• How To Maximize Amex Gold Rewards
• Amex Gold Transfer Partners
• Fine Print
• How the American Express Gold Card Stacks Up
• Is the American Express Gold Card for You?
• Methodology
• Frequently Asked FAQs

The American Express Gold Card is the mid-range option for those who wish to earn American Express Membership Rewards. Some cards have a bonus category for dining, and others for U.S supermarket spending, but the Gold Card is an industry leader by offering 4 Membership Rewards per dollar on practically anything you eat or drink.

The downside? An annual fee of $250, which is not waived the first year. On paper, the fee can be justified by the rewards the card offers. But whether the fee makes sense for you depends on your lifestyle and spending habits.

There are credits for dining and Uber, but they have strings attached. You can earn up to $120 in dining credits, but it’s doled out in $10 monthly increments, is only good at a small selection of restaurants and delivery services—including GrubHub, The Cheesecake Factory, select Shake Shack locations, Goldbelly, Wine.com and Milk Bar—and requires enrollment.

The Uber Cash also has to be used at the rate of $10 per month and is only valid for rides and Uber Eats orders in the U.S. You must also link your eligible card to your Uber account.

This card offers the ability to add up to five authorized cardholders for no additional fee. The users can be as young as 13, so the Amex Gold Card could be a good card for family use.

• $250 annual fee
• 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1 point per dollar), 3 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express travel and 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases
• Up to $120 in statement credits annually for eligible restaurants, payable as credits of $10 per month
• Secondary car rental damage and loss insurance on eligible rentals¹
• Up to $120 in annual Uber Cash credits, payable as $10 per month
• No foreign transaction fees

The American Express® Gold Card’s unique combination of spending category bonuses and additional benefits makes it one of the best credit cards for dining and a top credit card for groceries. It’s also one of the best travel rewards credit cards, earning points for flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com and featuring travel benefits like baggage insurance² and secondary rental car insurance¹.

Earning Rewards

The American Express® Gold Card has the following rewards structure: 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1 point per dollar), 3 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express travel and 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases.

In addition to traditional rewards, the American Express Gold Card offers up to $120 in annual dining credits for eligible restaurants including The Cheesecake Factory, Wine.com, Milk Bar, Goldbelly, select Shake Shack locations and delivery service Grubhub. However, this credit has to be spent monthly in $10 increments and you must enroll in the benefit, making it harder to use.

Cardholders can also receive up to $10 in monthly Uber Cash when they add an eligible Gold Card to their Uber account, for a total of up to $120 annually that can be used for Uber Eats or rides in the U.S.

Additionally, the Amex Gold offers the following welcome bonus: 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first 6 months of card membership.

Redeeming Rewards

American Express Membership Rewards are valuable because they are flexible. The points can be transferred to almost two dozen airline and hotel partners, most at a 1:1 ratio. In addition, American Express offers frequent transfer bonuses which allow you to maximize your earnings. Among the most commonly used airline transfer partners are Delta, British Airways and Iberia.

If you don’t want to bother with transfer partners, you can redeem Membership Rewards for a large variety of gift cards in travel, retail and restaurant categories. Rates vary depending on the vendor and fluctuate between 0.5 cents and 1 cent per Membership Reward point. You can also pay with points at a number of vendors—most notably Amazon at 0.7 cents per Membership Reward point.

One of the easiest ways to redeem Membership Rewards points is for flights at 1 cent per point via American Express Travel. By doing so, the flight booked with points will count as a “cash” flight in the eyes of the airline and may earn miles depending on the fare code and cost of the ticket.

Rewards Potential

Forbes Advisor uses data from various government agencies to determine baseline income and spending averages across various categories. The 70th percentile of wage earners bring in $118,438 annually and we base spending on that number.

The average household spends $4,622 on restaurants and $7,243 on groceries, which means that 47,460 Membership Rewards points could be earned in these categories each year. Spending $770 on airfare would translate to 2,310 Membership Rewards earned, assuming all travel was booked through Amex Travel, and $26,702 on other purchases that could reasonably be charged to a card would earn 26,702 Membership Rewards points. This means that the card would earn a total of 76,472 points per year in addition to the welcome bonus earned in the first year.

• Amex Hotel Collection. Get a $100 hotel credit to spend on qualifying dining, spa and resort activities, plus a room upgrade upon arrival, if available, when you book a stay of at least two consecutive nights with American Express Travel.
• Car rental loss and damage insurance¹. When you use your card to pay for a rental vehicle and decline the collision damage waiver at the rental counter, you may receive secondary auto coverage in an eligible territory. Terms apply.
• Global assist hotline². 24/7 access for medical, legal, financial and other select emergency assistance and coordination services when more than 100 miles from home.
• Baggage insurance³. Provides coverage for eligible lost, damaged or stolen baggage⁠. Terms apply.
• $120 dining credit. Amex Gold cardholders can earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack location when using their Amex Gold to pay. Enrollment required.
• $120 Uber Cash. Get $10 in Uber Cash each month for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S. by adding your Gold Card to your Uber Account.

Like many rewards credit cards, American Express® Gold Card carries an annual fee along with other various fees. Balance these additional charges against the card’s benefits to determine if getting the card is worth the cost.

Fee	Fee Amount
Annual Fee	$250
Balance Transfer Fee	N/A
Foreign Transaction Fee	None

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When applying for the American Express® Gold Card, American Express performs a hard credit inquiry to determine your creditworthiness. Amex considers your credit score, credit history and other factors to determine eligibility for the card. To qualify for the Amex Gold card, you’ll need at least a good to excellent credit score. A good credit score is generally considered a FICO Score of 670 or higher.

The American Express® Gold Card works more like a traditional charge card than a credit card, not allowing you to carry a balance from month to month on purchases, although you may qualify for the card issuer’s Pay Over Time feature.

The Gold Card is among the best on the market for dining and grocery purchases, so it makes sense to leverage spending in these categories by using your card. It’s also a great option when paying for air travel unless you have a premium travel card that earns a higher rate. The Amex Gold is probably not your best option to use for other travel purchases, like hotels and rental cars. You can find other cards that offer a higher rate on everyday purchases.

However, the Membership Rewards program offers several redemption options for cardholders with varying values. Generally, your best value for redemptions is booking travel through American Express Travel or transferring your points to one of Amex’s travel airline or hotel partners.

Amex Gold offers added redemption flexibility by partnering with travel loyalty programs. Cardholders can transfer rewards they earn to any of the following Amex travel partners, most at a 1:1 ratio:

• Aer Lingus
• AeroMexico
• Aeroplan
• Air France/KLM
• ANA
• Avianca LifeMiles
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Delta Air Lines
• Emirates
• Etihad Airways
• Hawaiian Airlines
• Iberia
• JetBlue
• Qantas
• Qatar Airways
• Singapore Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic
• Choice Privileges
• Hilton Honors
• Marriott Bonvoy

Forbes Advisor Expert Tips
Even though transfer bonuses can be a tempting time to convert your Membership Rewards to airline miles, make sure you have a specific, intended use before you do. Once points have been transferred, you can’t return them to American Express.

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Note that the American Express® Gold Card may not let you carry a balance from month to month on all of your purchases, so the intention should be to pay off your monthly balances in full.

Interest Rates

• Regular APR: See Pay Over Time APR
• Purchase intro APR: N/A
• Balance transfer intro APR: N/A

American Express® Gold Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Another well-known card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is popular thanks to its well-rounded earning categories, flexible points and reasonable annual fee. For $95 per year, you’ll earn 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3 points per dollar on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2 points per dollar on all other travel purchases and 1 point per dollar on other purchases. So, instead of earning bonus points on groceries, you’ll get a wide assortment of bonus earnings on travel plus a decent rate on restaurants and other dining, too.

There are no dining or Uber credits on the Sapphire Preferred, but it has a lower annual fee as well as an annual $50 credit toward select hotel bookings. Additionally, Chase Ultimate Rewards® can be redeemed toward cash back at a much better rate, which might be flexibility you appreciate.

Read more: Amex Gold vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred

American Express® Gold Card vs. The Platinum Card® from American Express

The Platinum Card® from American Express is one of the most prestigious cards on the market, with a $695 annual fee to match (Terms Apply. See rates & fees). The card earns 5 Membership Rewards Points per dollar for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 per calendar year, 5 points per dollar on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel and 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases.

Although the Amex Gold offers elevated rewards across a wider swath of spending categories than the Amex Platinum, it can’t match the swank perks that Platinum cardholders receive. Premium lounge access, Gold status with Hilton and Marriott Bonvoy hotels with enrollment, annual Saks Fifth Avenue statement credits and statement credits on airline incidental expenses on an eligible airline you select each year and other perks all come with card ownership, enrollment required.

Read more: Amex Gold vs. Platinum

American Express® Gold Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Another premium card, the offers a solid set of benefits and credits, but caters to an entirely different type of customer. Instead of focusing on dining and groceries, it’s geared toward travelers.

Among the perks included are a robust set of travel protections—far more than what the Amex Gold offers—as well as up to $300 in annual statement credits for travel purchases and a Priority Pass airport lounge membership when you enroll.

But, you’ll miss out on earning 4 points per dollar for restaurants and U.S. supermarkets (up to a yearly maximum). Instead, you’ll earn 5 points per dollar on flights and 10 points per dollar on hotels and car rentals when purchasing travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3 points per dollar on other travel and dining and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.

Read more: Amex Gold vs. Sapphire Reserve

The short answer? Probably. The American Express® Gold Card’s 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1 point per dollar), 3 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express travel and 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases make the card a rewarding choice for many people. Membership Rewards are a versatile tool in the travel rewards toolkit. However, you will need to jump through a few hoops to make up for the $250 annual fee with the credits this card offers.

Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. Cards are graded based on numerous factors, including:

• Annual fees
• Welcome bonus offers
• Ongoing earning rates
• Value of individual points or miles
• Included travel or merchant credits
• Additional cardholder benefits

Card features we expect cardholders to use the most often are weighted more heavily in our ratings. Altogether, the factors came together to provide a star rating for each individual card.

Read more: How Forbes Advisor Rates Credit Cards

To view rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card please visit this page.
To view rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this page.
¹Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible Card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the Commercial Car Rental Company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
²Baggage Insurance Plan coverage can be in effect for Eligible Persons for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen Baggage during their travel on a Common Carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when the entire fare for a Common Carrier Vehicle ticket for the trip (one-way or round-trip) is charged to an eligible Account. Coverage can be provided for up to $1,250 for carry-on Baggage and up to $500 for checked Baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the Common Carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus). For New York State residents, there is a $10,000 aggregate maximum limit for all Covered Persons per Covered Trip. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
³You can rely on Global Assist Hotline 24 hours a day / 7 days a week for medical, legal, financial or other select emergency coordination and assistance services while traveling more than 100 miles away from your home. Third-party service costs may be your responsibility. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.