Is the American Express Gold Card Worth It?
-
Written by
Ethan Steinberg
-
Edited by
Emily Gadd
-
Reviewed by
Jasmin Baron
The American Express® Gold Card, an advertising partner, is a lifestyle card that offers some of the best earning rates for dining and groceries and over $500 in annual credits with a wide selection of partners. It can be an incredibly rewarding choice for foodies and frequent travelers.
With a $325 annual fee, the Amex Gold Card sits in a category of its own, cheaper (and with relatively fewer benefits) than the true premium credit cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express, an advertising partner. But it’s more expensive and more rewarding than many entry-level options like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
Quick Verdict
The most important thing to ask yourself when looking at the Amex Gold Card is how many of the annual credits can you use? There are lots of credits to keep track of including Uber Cash, Dunkin’ and Resy. Some are broken down into a monthly credit and some are biannual, so make sure to double check the fine print so you don’t leave any money on the table. The credits add up to over $500 a year in potential value, so using half of them can go a long way toward justifying the annual fee.
With 4x points on up to $50,000 of annual spending at restaurants worldwide (then 1x), 4x on up to $25,000 of annual spending at U.S. supermarkets (then 1x), 3x on flights booked directly with the airline or with Amex Travel®, the Amex Gold is one of the most versatile and powerful earners you can have in your wallet.
Amex Gold: At a Glance
- Annual fee: $325
- Welcome offer: You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
- Rewards structure: 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. Earn 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. Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Statement credits: Receive $10 in Uber Cash every month (up to $120 a year), up to $7 a month in statement credits at Dunkin’ (up to $84 a year) (enrollment required), up to $50 in Resy credits semi-annually (up to $100 a year) (enrollment required), up to $10 in monthly dining credits at participating restaurants (up to $120 a year) (enrollment required), and a $100 credit when booking eligible stays of two nights or more through The Hotel Collection.
- Other perks: Choose between a gold or rose gold card, no foreign transaction fees, baggage and car rental insurance, purchase protection and extended warranty on eligible purchases.
- Estimated value: Fully maxing out these benefits can net you over $500 a year in value, plus strong points earning potential, depending on how much you spend.
Who Should Consider the Amex Gold?
The Amex Gold Card is a great choice for anyone who is able to take full advantage of its different credits. If you use an Uber or order Uber Eats even once a month, you should have no problem using the $10 a month ($120 a year) Uber Cash, and even one or two trips to Dunkin’ can use up the $7 credit pretty fast (enrollment required). These credits are an important part of the calculus in determining whether it’s worth paying the $325 annual fee.
The card is also a great choice for people who spend a large amount at U.S. supermarkets and on dining out and travel. The 4x points on up to $25,000 a year in U.S. supermarket purchases (then 1x) and up to $50,000 a year at restaurants worldwide (then 1x) are among the best earning rates you’ll find in both of those categories, offering the ability to earn hundreds of thousands of bonus Membership Rewards points every year.
Lastly, the Amex Gold can be a solid choice for those looking for something in between a traditional entry-level card and a more premium option. The $325 annual fee is certainly a lot, but with multiple premium cards now charging $700+ a year, it seems manageable in comparison. And it offers a much better selection of bonus categories and statement credits than you would expect to find on cards only charging $95 a year.
Who Should Skip the Amex Gold?
The Amex Gold may not be the best choice for you if you’re not able to use most of its perks, which are really the core of this card’s value proposition. If you never use Uber or shop at Dunkin’ you’re going to have a much harder time getting your money’s worth out of the annual fee.
Similarly, if you don’t spend a lot of money on groceries or dining out, you won’t get a lot of value out of those 4x bonus categories, and you might be better off choosing a different rewards card. You should also think about where the card fits into your overall reward strategy. For example, if you primarily earn Chase Ultimate Rewards® points and already have the Chase Sapphire Reserve® offering 3x on dining, the Amex Gold might be redundant for you and not the best choice.
How To Maximize the American Express Gold’s Value
Track Your Credits
The easiest way not to maximize the Amex Gold Card is to forget to use all the different credits you have available to you. Since some of them recur every month and some are available biannually, it can help to set up a spreadsheet or calendar reminders to stay on top of which credits you still need to redeem.
Save Your Amex Gold Card as a Payment Method
Along the same lines, many of the statement credits are only available if you pay for the purchase with your Amex Gold. So make sure to keep it in the front of your wallet and saved as a payment method on different apps so you can actually receive the credit.
Book Your Flights Directly With the Airline or Amex Travel
The Amex Gold offers 3x points on flights, but only when they’re booked directly with the airline or on AmexTravel.com. If you frequently use a search engine like Expedia to shop for flights, make sure you pay attention to what website you’re on when you actually check out to make sure you’re earning that 3x multiplier.
Don’t Forget About Extra Travel and Insurance Benefits
With all this talk about statement credits and bonus points, it can be easy to forget about some of the other benefits the Amex Gold offers. While you hope you’ll never need to use these, having insurance for lost, stolen or damaged luggage and for rental cars can really help you out in a pinch.
And if you’re thinking about ordering a new iPhone 17, the card offers purchase protection for up to 90 days on eligible purchases (up to $10,000 per purchase, up to $50,000 a year), and up to one year of extended warranty for eligible purchases.
Final Verdict on the Amex Gold
The Amex Gold Card has the potential to be one of the more rewarding credit cards on the market, and it offers a unique value proposition sitting in between an entry-level and a premium credit card in terms of both annual fee and benefits. Whether the card is right for you ultimately depends on your ability to maximize its various credits and bonus categories.
The information related to the Chase Sapphire Reserve® was collected by CardCritics™ and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. CardCritics™ does not receive a commission for this product.
For the Baggage Insurance Plan and the Car Rental Loss & Damage Insurance on the American Express® Gold Card, 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.
For the Purchase Protection on the American Express® Gold Card, Purchase Protection is an embedded benefit of your Card Membership and requires no enrollment. It can help protect Covered Purchases made on your Eligible Card when they’re accidentally damaged, stolen, or lost, for up to 90 days from the Covered Purchase date. The coverage is limited up to $10,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year. Coverage Limits 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.
For the Extended Warranty on the American Express® Gold Card, when an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase to an Eligible Card, Extended Warranty§ can provide up to one extra year added to the Original Manufacturer’s Warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your Card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year. 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.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Amex Gold Card
Is getting an Amex Gold Card worth it?
The Amex Gold can be an incredibly rewarding addition to your credit card strategy, but it’s important to look carefully at the different bonus categories and statement credits and make sure you’ll be able to take advantage of all the benefits.
How much do you need to spend to make the Amex Gold worth it?
The Amex Gold Card can be worth it even without spending a lot of money, simply by maxing out the $500+ in annual credits. However, big spenders at U.S. supermarkets and restaurants are going to get more value out of the card’s bonus points in those categories.
Who is eligible for the welcome offer on the Amex Gold Card?
Amex has some of the strictest eligibility rules for new welcome offers, and the terms and conditions state that you may not be eligible for an offer if you currently have or have had the Amex Gold or different versions of the Amex Platinum in the past. Amex may also restrict your eligibility based on other factors, and you might see a pop-up message during the application process informing you that you aren’t eligible for a welcome offer.
