American Express Gold Credit Card Review
Gold Card from American Express® — all information about the credit card.
Good Choose for Cash Back
- Rewards Rate:
- 4x Points on dining at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- 4x Points on groceries at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 in purchases per year.
- 3x Points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
- 1x Points on other eligible purchases.
- Intro Offer:
- 100,000x Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- 20% Receive 20% Back in Statement Credits on eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide within the first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $100 back.
- Annual Fee:$250 annually
- Purchase Intro APR:None
- Regular APR:20.74% - 28.74% Variable
- Balance Transfer APR:None
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American Express® Gold Card Rewards Calculator
All benefits
- Points
- 4x On dining at restaurants, including takeout and delivery (in the U.S.).
- 4x On groceries at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 in purchases per year.
- 3x On flights. Booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
- 1x On other eligible purchases.
- Travel
- $120 Uber Cash Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll automatically get $10 in Uber Cash each month for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S. Plus, you'll earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for each Uber Eats purchase on your Card.
- 3X Membership Rewards® Points:
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
- The Hotel Collection:
- Delight your senses when you book The Hotel Collection with American Express Travel. Get a $100 onsite credit for qualifying activities like dining or spa treatments.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees:
- Enjoy every trip abroad with no foreign transaction fees from American Express with the Gold Card.
- Personalized Travel Services:
- Customization and flexibility are even more important in today's travel reality — Personalized Travel Service can help you navigate it. They have up-to-date information on travel and can help book your entire trip to help ensure you don't miss the important details.
- Global Assist® Hotline:
- Whenever you travel more than 100 miles from home, Global Assist® Hotline‡ is available for 24/7 medical, legal, financial and other select emergency assistance and coordination services, such as medical and legal referrals, emergency cash wires, and missing luggage assistance. Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.
- Baggage Insurance Plan:
- Travel more comfortably knowing you can be covered for lost, damaged, or stolen Baggage when you purchase the Entire Fare for a Common Carrier Vehicle ticket (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) on an Eligible Card. Coverage can be provided for up to $1,250 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.
- Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance:
- Getting into your Rental Vehicle can be the start of a great vacation. When you use your Eligible Card to reserve and pay for the Entire Rental and decline the collision damage waiver at the rental Company counter, you can be covered for Damage to or Theft of a Rental Vehicle in a Covered Territory.
- Pay with Points:
- For destinations around the globe, Membership Rewards® points can help you get there. Use Pay with Points for flights and prepaid hotels when you book on AmexTravel.com.
Rate and fee information
- Purchase Intro APR
- None
- Purchase APR
- 20.74% - 28.74% Variable
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- None
- Balance Transfers APR
- None
- APR for Cash Advances
- 29.99% Variable
- How to Avoid Paying Interest
- Your due date is at least 25 days after the close of each billing period. You will not be charged interest on charges automatically added to a Pay Over Time balance if each month you pay your Account Total New Balance on your billing statement (or, if you have a Plan balance, your Adjusted Balance on your billing statement) by the due date. If you have Cash Advance on your Account, you will be charged interest on cash advances on the transaction date.
Fees
- Annual Fee
- $250 annually
- Fees for Cash Advances
- Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater
- Penalty Fees
- 29.99%
- Return Payment
- Up to $40
- Late Payment
- Up to $40
Pros & Cons
- High rewards rate for select categories
- Introductory Bonus Points
- No Foreign Transaction Fee
- UberCash Credit
- $120 Dining Credit
- Complicated Rewards System
- High Annual Fee
- Limited International Acceptance
- Relatively High Credit Score Requirements
- Balance transfers are not available
Features
- No foreign transaction fees
- Payment Flexibility
- Fraud Protection
- Rewards
- Bonus points
- Purchase Protection
- Extended Warranty Protection
- Travel
- Baggage Delay Insurance
- Auto Rental Insurance
- 24/7 Travel Assistant
- Good Credit
- Excellent Credit
About the issuer
Compare with other cards
- NoneAnnual Fee
- NoneRegular APR
- 2x - 7x:Points on restaurants.
- NonePurchase Intro APR
- $95Annual Fee
- 19.99% - 29.99%Regular APR
- 5xMiles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
- NonePurchase Intro APR
- NoneAnnual Fee
- 19.99% - 29.99%Regular APR
- 5%Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
- 0% Introductory APR for the first 15 months that your account is openPurchase Intro APR
See Another Credit Cards in the Bank
Disclaimer: Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit http://americanexpress.com to learn more.
American Express® Gold Credit Card Review
The American Express® Gold Credit Card offers an extensive rewards system for various spending categories. This credit card can be especially useful for those who spend a lot on dining out (at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S) and groceries: 4x reward points is an outstanding benefit that is difficult to beat. Although the card has a noticeably high annual fee of $250, cardholders can reap significant benefits through intelligent spending.
American Express® Gold: Pros and Cons
Pros: | Cons: |
---|---|
High rewards rate for select categories. 4x rewards points on restaurants and US supermarkets plus 3x on air travel is a unique offer challenging to find in other cards. | Complicated Rewards System. The rewards points system is complex. To maximize their rewards, cardholders have to understand the numerous partner programs and the cash value of their reward points. |
Introductory Bonus Points. You can earn 90,000 membership reward points after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months. | High Annual Fee. An annual fee of $250 is significant. Make sure your rewards justify this cost. |
No Foreign Transaction Fee. This feature is beneficial for individuals traveling abroad or buying from international merchants. | Limited International Acceptance. American Express® cards aren’t as widely accepted internationally as Visa® or Mastercard®. |
UberCash Credit. Cardholders get $10 Uber Cash every month once they add an AMEX Gold card to their Uber account. | Relatively High Credit Score Requirements. Generally, approval odds are much higher for individuals with at least a good credit score. |
$120 Dining Credit. Cardholders get $10 statement credits monthly as they use AMEX Gold Card at partner restaurants. |
American Express® Gold Rewards Point System:
American Express® Gold provides reward points for all eligible purchases. They vary according to the category of spending.
Supermarkets
The Gold members receive 4x reward points per dollar spent at US supermarkets. This offer is valid for up to $25,000 spent per year. Once you reach the limit, a 1x reward rate applies. Purchases at superstores and warehouse clubs are rewarded at a 1x rate.
Dining
4x reward points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide are awarded to Gold members. Moreover, cardholders are offered up to $120 Uber Cash annually, credited in the form of $10 every month for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the US. Additional $120 credit can be earned when dining in participating partner restaurants such as The Cheesecake Factory and Shake Shack.
Air travel
3x reward points per dollar for airline tickets are awarded to Gold members if booked directly through the airline or Amex Travel site. It is not applicable when booking through other travel websites like Expedia.
Hotels
When booking hotels with American Express Travel® for two or more consecutive nights, Gold members receive a $100 credit for qualifying services and activities at the hotel, such as dining or spa.
Points & Reward Redemption:
Points are earned every time you use the American Express® Gold card for eligible purchases. Reward points can be redeemed in different ways. The cash value of your points varies with the redeeming category.
Pay with Points option
1000 points are equivalent to:
- $10 on NYC Taxi.
- $7 on Amazon, Best buy, Boxed, Dell, Grub hub, JustGiving, Newegg, PayPal, Rite Aid, Saks Fifth Avenue, Seamless, Staples, Walmart; paying through American Express Travel® for car rentals, cruise, hotels.
- $5 on Ticketmaster
Transfer Points
The credit card reward points are also transferable to other programs, such as frequent flyer loyalty programs. A fee of $0.0006 per point with a maximum fee of $99 is applied. For most airline partners, the transfer rate is 1:1; for Aeromexico, it's 1:1.6, while JetBlue transfer rate is 1:0.8. Not all points transfers happen instantaneously. Some may require a processing time of up to two weeks.
Gift Cards
The points can also be redeemed for gift cards. A complete list of various gift cards and their points value equivalent to 10,000 rewards points can be found here.
How to make the most of the American Express® Gold Credit Card?
While earning reward points with American Express® Gold is relatively straightforward, getting the maximum value requires additional knowledge. If you want to get the most value from rewards points, transferring them to partner airline or hotel programs is your best option. When you transfer rewards into a hotel or airline points, you can redeem them for free nights in the hotels and award flights regardless of their current prices. While some other redeeming options provide a reasonable rate (e.g., NYC Taxi or some gift cards), many have poor cash value.
Who can benefit from getting the American Express® Gold Credit Card?
Frequent supermarket shoppers and foodies would be the ideal applicants for the American Express® Gold card. The card can also be a good option for frequent travelers considering you get the most value from reward points by transferring them to partner airlines and hotels. AmEx Travel® offers extra perks for frequent flyers as well as the number of travel-related insurances.
Are there any other benefits?
Events benefits
With the American Express® Gold card, the members have access to ticket presales of Broadway shows and concert tours, member-only events, and premium seats for selected events.
Baggage insurance
You’re eligible for up to $1250 carry-on and up to $500 checked-in baggage coverage in case it was lost, stolen, or damaged if the entire fare was charged on American Express® Gold.
Rental car loss and damage insurance
The card provides secondary insurance coverage in case of theft or damage to rental cars; liability coverage is not provided. You have to pay with the card for the rental. The offer is not valid in Australia, Italy, and New Zealand.
Contactless Card
With more and more people conscious of common touchpoints due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Express® Gold card comes with a contactless feature. No need to swipe or insert; just a tap on the POS is enough for a transaction.
Instant Card number
Instant Card number allows you to immediately use your credit card without receiving the physical card. You just need to add your newly obtained virtual number to your digital wallet, like Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, or Google Pay, and start using it for payments.
Pay It Plan It
Pay It Plan It from American Express® is designed to make payments for large purchases more convenient — just split it into equal monthly payments with a fixed monthly fee and no interest.
ShopRunner Membership
If you are tired of visiting stores in person, this benefit is right for you. Being an AmEx ShopRunner member allows you to get your purchase from any partner store right at your home for free within 2 days.
Trip Delay Insurance
The trip delay insurance program from American Express® covers your losses from the trip delay. The delay reasons considered reimbursable include severe weather, terrorist actions or hijacking, Common Carrier’s equipment failure, and even lost or stolen passports or travel documents.
Extended warranty/Purchase protection
The American Express® Extended Warranty program may cover some of your purchases made with the American Express® Gold Credit Card.
Terms Apply.
Conclusion
American Express® Gold Credit Card is a solid choice for people who spend a lot on food, either in supermarkets or dining out. 4x reward points on US supermarkets and restaurant spendings alongside a welcome bonus of 90,000 points (after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months) are among the highest on the market. The annual fee is almost covered by Uber Cash and Dining credits of $120 each.
This card is a good choice for frequent air travelers as well. You can not only earn 3x points by using American Express® Gold Credit Card for booking flights directly with airlines or on amextravel.com, but also enjoy AmEx Travel perks accompanied by helpful insurances.