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American Express® Gold Card review: Everyday rewards for travel savings

Kendall Little
·Senior Writer, Credit Cards
Updated 12 min read


With sky-high rewards on restaurant and supermarket spending, the American Express® Gold Card makes an excellent option for travelers who want to maximize their food spending at home and away.

Annual credits, travel benefits, and American Express Membership Rewards (one of today’s most comprehensive travel rewards programs) help to make Amex Gold a solid long-term choice — despite its annual fee. Here’s everything you need to know about this travel credit card before you apply:

Annual fee: $250

Welcome offer: Earn 60,000 points after spending $6,000 on purchases within the first six months

Rewards: 4x points at restaurants, 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 spent each year, then 1x), 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel, 1x points on all other purchases (terms apply; see rates and fees)

More details: Up to $120 in annual Uber Cash, up to $120 annual dining credit, access to The Hotel Collection, and more

You can earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 within the first six months of card membership with the Amex Gold Card. At a redemption rate of 1 cent per point, that’s worth $600 in value.

You’ll need to make at least $1,000 in monthly purchases for the first six months to reach the required spending threshold. If that’s not within your budget, you may want to time your application around a planned big purchase. Spending more than you can afford to pay off before your balance is due could lead to high-interest debt, costing you more than the value of any new card bonus.

While this card does have a great welcome bonus, there’s no introductory APR offer for new purchases or balance transfers. See rates and fees for the ongoing APR if you opt into Pay Over Time.

The Gold Card’s annual fee is $250. While that’s not as much as some other premium travel card options, it can be a steep price tag for some cardholders.

This card’s annual credits (worth up to $240 in total) will pretty much wipe out the fee cost, if you use them — plus the value you’ll get on your regular spending in the form of rewards points. Like any new card, make sure you’re getting enough added value back into your wallet to make the price worth it.

The American Express Gold Card earns rewards on everyday purchases and some travel. Here’s a rundown of the bonus rewards categories:

  • 4x points at restaurants worldwide (includes takeout and delivery in the U.S.)

  • 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 spent each calendar year)

  • 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or via American Express Travel

  • 1x points on all other purchases

You can earn at least 1 point per dollar on every purchase with your Amex Gold card. Some charges, including cash advances, fees, gift card purchases, and person-to-person payments, will not earn rewards points.

The card’s bonus rewards also come with some restrictions that you should know. If you have a large family and spend more than $25,000 per year at supermarkets (a little over $2,000 per month), for example, you may want to consider switching to another card for groceries after you hit the maximum.

Similarly, keep in mind the limitations for earning rewards on travel. Only airfare will get the 3x bonus points — hotels, car rentals, and other travel spending will earn only the baseline 1 point per dollar.

American Express Membership Rewards offers a few different ways to redeem points — but you’ll often get the best value when you redeem for airfare or transfer to travel partners.

You can book flights through American Express Travel for a redemption rate of 1 cent per point. But booking prepaid hotels, prepaid rental cars, cruises, or vacations through the portal will net just 0.7 cents per point.

You can transfer Amex points to more than 20 airline and hotel partners for a higher potential value. The majority transfer at a 1:1 ratio, though they vary — and you can occasionally qualify for limited-time boosted transfer rates.

Other redemption options, like paying with points at checkout, covering card charges, statement credits, and gift cards, range from around 0.5 cents to 1 cent per point. You can reference the rewards calculator on the American Express website for more about the value of every redemption option.

The primary card benefits of the Amex Gold are annual statement credits, which accrue monthly:

  • Uber Cash: Up to $120 annually ($10 per month) for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S.

  • Dining credit: Up to $120 annually ($10 per month) at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar, and select Shake Shack locations (enrollment required)

You’ll also get access to The Hotel Collection through Amex with a Gold Card. When you book an eligible property for at least a two-night stay, you can get a $100 experience credit (varies by location) to use during your stay. Travel protections are included too, and you’ll pay no foreign transaction fees.

Finally, the Amex Gold is a metal card, and you can choose the version you’d like when you sign up — standard gold or rose gold.

Unlike some other premium travel cards, you don’t necessarily need to pass through an airport or check into a hotel every week to get the best value from this card. For the most part, this card is best for people who want to earn rewards on their everyday spending, then redeem those rewards for travel.

Say, for example, you spend around the national average for both food at home and away from home — about $4,500 and $3,500, respectively. At 4x points per dollar, that $8,000 total could net you 32,000 Membership Rewards each year. That equals up to $320 in rewards value, even before accounting for any other purchases you make.

However, you should also look at the benefits closely before you apply. For example, if you strongly prefer Lyft for rideshares, you may not use the full $120 annual Uber credit. And while the dining credits are another great perk, they only work with select partners and locations. Without the full value of these credits bringing down the annual fee cost, consider other cards that work better for your spending and preferences.

  • Rewards on everyday spending: Amex Gold earns the highest rewards on everyday restaurant and supermarket spending. Get a 4x rate on food spending at home or away — which, for many Americans, make up their highest monthly budget items.

  • Annual credits: The Gold Card’s annual credits for Uber and select dining are worth up to $240 in total, which almost entirely covers its $250 annual fee. If you already prefer Uber for rideshares or delivery and you spend at least $10 per month on qualifying dining purchases, you can nearly guarantee you’ll get your money’s worth with this card.

  • Membership Rewards: American Express’ rewards program offers a lot of redemption flexibility, but one of its biggest benefits is the large number of travel transfer partners. You can transfer points earned with your Gold Card to Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, Delta SkyMiles, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, Air France KLM Flying Blue, and many more rewards programs.

  • High annual fee: While it’s not as high as some other cards, the $250 Amex Gold annual fee is still costly. If you don’t think you’ll get enough value from your regular spending to justify the fee, you may want to consider a lower-fee travel card, or one with no annual fee at all.

  • Lower earnings on travel: The Amex Gold can be great for maximizing everyday food purchases. But if you’re a frequent traveler and most of your monthly budget goes toward travel, you may prefer a card that earns its highest rewards on travel spending.

  • Non-travel redemptions: This card is best suited for travelers who want to redeem points for airfare through Amex or transfer points to partners. Other redemptions — including hotels and rental cars booked through American Express Travel — may not get you a full 1 cent per point redemption value.

If you’re looking for a card that can help you maximize purchases today toward your future travel, the Amex Gold could be a great fit.

Before you apply, look at your budget and recent purchases. Make sure they align with both the rewards categories (namely purchases at restaurants and supermarkets) and the annual credits offered by the card. If you’d rather earn more on your travel spending (especially travel other than airfare) to put toward more travel, you may want to look elsewhere.

Another thing to consider before applying for this card is whether American Express Membership Rewards is your preferred rewards program. If you already have a credit card you like with Chase Ultimate Rewards or Capital One Travel, for example, you may not reap the full value from your Amex rewards. On the other hand, if you prefer the transfer partners and redemption options from Amex, the Gold Card can offer you a lot of value toward Membership Rewards.

Keep in mind the credit score restrictions that travel credit cards like the Amex Gold can have. Often, you’ll need at least good to excellent credit for the best chances of qualifying. If you’re still building your credit, or your credit history isn’t solid, you may want to wait to apply.

You shouldn’t have any issue using your Amex Gold card in the U.S. — American Express cards are accepted at 99% of U.S. merchants that accept cards. American Express even offers lists of in-person and online businesses on its site, which you can use to find the places you shop most.

There are plenty of ways to use your card, too. You can insert or tap your Amex Gold in a store, connect it to a digital wallet like Apple Pay or Google Pay, input your card information when checking out online, and more.

Online: Log into your American Express account online or through the mobile app, then select “Make a Payment.” You can pay with a connected bank account, and choose the amount you want to pay. You can also enroll in AutoPay to make your payments automatic each month.

Mail: If you’d like to pay by mail, you can send a check or money order to the following address.

American Express

P.O. Box 96001

Los Angeles, CA

90096 – 8000

Phone: If you want to pay by phone, call 1-800-472-9297 (a 24/7 line)

American Express customer service is available by phone 24/7, along with its online and mobile chat — which you can access after logging into your account.

  • Phone: 1-800-528-4800

  • American Express Gold Card login page

The Gold Card isn’t the only great travel card available today. These are a few more of the best credit cards for travelers:

The Amex Platinum Card also earns Membership Rewards points, but you’ll earn the most rewards on your travel spending. For a very high $695 per year, you can get 5x points on flights booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel (up to $500,000 in spending per year), 5x points on prepaid hotels through Amex Travel, and 1x on all other purchases.

The greatest value the Platinum Card offers frequent travelers is its numerous benefits and annual credits. You’ll get everything from airport lounge access to up to a $200 annual statement credit toward qualifying hotel stays. More benefits include up to a $200 airline fee statement credit with your selected qualifying airline, up to a $240 digital entertainment statement credit (for eligible purchases; with enrollment), up to $200 Uber Cash, $189 CLEAR Plus credit, and many more (terms apply; see rates and fees).

If you already spend money on these things, you can get more than the cost of the Platinum fee back with its added benefits.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is a $95 annual fee travel card that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points. You can maximize those points with a 25% redemption boost when you redeem them for travel through Chase. For example, the card’s 75,000-point welcome bonus (after you spend $4,000 within the first 3 months) is worth more than $900 toward travel.

As for ongoing rewards, you’ll earn 5x points on travel you book through Chase (there’s also a $50 annual hotel credit for stays booked through Chase Travel; the 5x rate applies for hotel stays after you max out the credit). Plus, get 3x points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries; 2x points on other travel; and 1x on all other purchases.

For a similar annual fee, the $95 Venture Rewards Credit Card from Capital One offers a simple 2x miles per dollar on every purchase, plus a boosted 5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

As a new cardholder, you can get 75,000 bonus miles when you spend at least $4,000 within the first 3 months. Redeem your miles toward travel purchases made with your card or for travel bookings through Capital One Travel at a rate of 1 cent per mile.

This article was edited by Rebecca McCracken

Editorial Disclosure: The information in this article has not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The details on financial products, including card rates and fees, are accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information. This site doesn't include all currently available offers.