- The American Express® Gold Card offers a welcome bonus of 60,000 Membership Points if you can hit the $6,000 spending threshold in six months, along with 20% back in statement credits on restaurant purchases made in the first six months for a limited time. Offer ends 11/6/24.
- The Amex Gold card has a $325 annual fee (see rates and fees), but the welcome offer can be worth $1,200 depending on how you choose to redeem points.
- Amex Gold cardholders can access over $400 worth of statement credits with their card.
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American Express® Gold Card Benefits Guide
Carrie O'Connell - Personal Finance
+ 1 other
Reviewed By
Blake Esken - Los Angeles Times
Benefits of the American Express® Gold Card
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Whether you’re making everyday purchases or jetting around on business travel, American Express® Gold Card benefits let you do more with every dollar you spend.
This American Express card provides everything from special services to big discounts on items you were already going to buy. If the generous points for flights don’t impress you, the rewards at U.S. supermarkets and restaurants willl.
Does that justify the $325 annual fee? We’ll help you make sense of the Amex Gold Card’s benefits to see if this card is the right choice for you.
Advertiser Disclosure
American Express® Gold Card
Up to 4X Reward Rate
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. Earn 4 points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1 point per dollar), 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com, and 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases
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Annual Fee
$325
Welcome Offer
LTO: 60,000 points + 20% bonus
Regular APR
See Pay Over Time APR
Recommended Credit
Good/Excellent (670 - 850)
Why we like it
The American Express® Gold Card boasts over $400 of statement credits, a great reward rate at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets, a generous welcome bonus and various additional benefits to help make the $325 annual fee worthwhile.
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Card Details
More card info
- Up to $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card as a payment method on your Uber account and automatically receive $10 in Uber Cash each month for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S. (Up to $120 annually.) To receive this benefit you must have downloaded the latest version of the Uber App and your eligible American Express Gold Card must be a method of payment on your Uber account. This benefit may only be used in the United States.
- Up to $120 Dining Credit: Enjoy up to $10 in monthly statement credits when you use your American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys locations. Enrollment required.
- $100 experience credit: Receive a $100 experience credit when you book The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel. Experience credit amounts vary by property, and are given only with a minimum two-night stay.
- Up to $100 Resy credit: Receive up to $50 in statement credits every 6 months (up to $100 per year) when you use your Gold Card at U.S. Resy restaurants or other eligible Resy purchases. Enrollment required.
- Up to $84 in annual Dunkin’ credits: Get $7 back per month in credits after you enroll and pay with your Amex Gold card at Dunkin’ locations
- Customize your card to fit your style: Gold, Rose Gold, or White Gold. White Gold is only available as supplies last.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Terms Apply.
Pros
- Generous welcome offer
- High rewards potential
- Many transfer partners available
Cons
- High annual fee
- Complicated statement credits
- Good or excellent credit recommended
Earning Amex Gold rewards
1. Welcome bonus
American Express® Gold Card benefits start ramping up from the moment you’re approved, with the potential to earn 60,000 Membership Points after spending $6,000 in six months on eligible purchases. The dollar value of 60,000 points can be anywhere from $200 to $1,200 based on how you choose to redeem them.
Plus, for a limited time, new cardholders can earn 20% back in statement credits on eligible restaurant purchases made in the first 6 months of card ownership, up to $100 total. Offer ends 11/6/24.
▶︎ See our picks: Best credit card welcome offers
2. Earning rewards
With earning categories ranging from flights to everyday grocery and dining purchases, you can rack up rewards in almost every facet of your life with this rewards card.
Here’s what’s on the table for earnings:
- 4x points per dollar, on up to $50,000 spent on restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., then 1x points.
- 4x points per dollar, on up to $25,000 spent at U.S. supermarkets (then 1x points)
- 3x points per dollar spent on prepaid flights and hotels booked on Amex Travel
- 1x points per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
3. Redeeming rewards
When you’re ready to start reaping Amex Gold rewards, you’ll get the biggest bang for your buck with these top ways to redeem points:
- Use “Pay With Points” at checkout: Amex lets you use Membership Rewards points at checkout with 15 popular online retailers and any merchant that accepts PayPal. The redemption rate for paying with points is typically around 0.7 cents per point.
- Gift cards: You can trade points for gift cards at a rate of up to 1 cent per point at various retail, dining, air, and lodging companies.
- Cover your charges: Wipe charges from your monthly Gold Card statement by applying redeemable points to your balance. The redemption rate is 0.6 cents per point.
- Book through American Express Travel®: Apply points directly to travel costs at a value of up to 1 cent per point.
- Transfer points: Amex usually allows you to transfer points to various airline and hotel loyalty programs at a 1:1 ratio.
▶︎ Learn more: Amex Membership Rewards guide
Amex Gold credits
4. Up to $120 Uber cash
Amex Gold cardholders can get up to $120 in annual Uber Cash— $10 per month once they enroll. To receive this benefit you must have downloaded the latest version of the Uber App and your eligible American Express Gold Card must be a method of payment on your Uber account. This benefit may only be used for Rides and Eats orders in the United States.
5. Up to $120 dining credit
Amex offers up to a $120 annual dining credit— when you pay with the Gold Card at participating partners, you can earn $10 in statement credits monthly.
Participating vendors include:
- Grubhub
- The Cheesecake Factory
- Goldbelly
- Wine.com
- Five Guys
▶︎ See our picks: Best credit cards for restaurants and dining
6. Up to $84 Dunkin’ credit
Cardholders can get up to $7 in statement credits per month when they use their American Express Gold card to pay for purchases at Dunkin’ locations. This is a benefit of up to $84 per year.
7. Up to $100 Resy credit
When you book and dine at a U.S. Resy restaurant, you can enjoy up to $100 in statement credits per year when you pay with your Gold card. This is broken up into $50 credits semi-annually.
8. Up to $100 on Hotel Collection stays
A $100 credit kicks in when you book a two-night stay with the Hotel Collection using American Express Travel. Just keep in mind that the amount and availability of this credit can vary by property.
Amex Gold travel benefits
9. Trip delay insurance
if your trip is delayed for more than 12 hours, you can get reimbursed up to $300. This benefit kicks in when you pay for the trip using your Amex Gold Card and is to be used for expenses like toiletries, lodging, and food.
This trip insurance is only applicable to certain covered reasons, including:
- Bad weather
- Airplane issues/equipment failure
- Losing your passport or other important travel documents
- Terrorism or hijacking
10. Baggage insurance
When booking travel on your Amex Gold Card, you’ll get coverage of up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and $500 for checked baggage. This covers items that are lost, damaged or stolen. This isn’t per bag though, it’s an overall coverage amount. If you lose two checked bags, the coverage is still for up to $500 combined.
There’s also a $250 reimbursement cap in place for certain items like cameras, jewelry, and laptops.
▶︎ Learn more: Amex travel insurance
11. Global Assist® Hotline
As an Amex cardholder, you’ll never feel alone because you can utilize the Global Assist® Hotline, which offers free 24/7 emergency assistance and coordination services. An agent is standing by to assist with medical and legal referrals, emergency cash wires, missing luggage assistance and any other issues that may arise.
12. Car rental protection
When you pay for your rental car with your Amex Gold card and decline the rental company’s collision damage waiver, Amex will automatically cover up to $50,000 in damage or theft. This benefit is applicable to most rentals of up to 30 days.
Coverage is not available for vehicles rented in Australia, Italy and New Zealand. Vehicles such as cargo vans, motorcycles, mopeds, and camper vans are excluded from this coverage.
13. No foreign transaction fees
With Amex Gold, you won’t be charged foreign transaction fees on purchases you make outside of the United States. However, keep in mind is that Amex is less widely accepted internationally than some other cards like Visa or Mastercard.
▶︎ See our picks: Best no foreign transaction fee credit cards
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.
Amex Gold shopping and entertainment benefits
14. ShopRunner
When you enroll with your Amex Gold Card, you can get a complimentary ShopRunner membership. Through this service, you can access perks like free two-day shipping and free returns at certain retailers.
▶︎ See our picks: Best credit cards for online shopping
15. Purchase protection
This benefit covers eligible purchases made on your card if they’re lost, stolen or damaged for up to 90 days from the purchase date. Amex offers up to $10,000 per covered purchase and up to $50,000 per calendar year for most covered events. However, if the loss occurs due to a natural disaster, Amex only provides up to $500 in purchase protection per event.
16. Extended warranty
When you make a covered purchase on your Gold card, Extended warranty coverage can provide an extra year on top of the manufacturer’s original warranty. The fine print on this one is that it only applies to warranties of five years or less, and it’s limited to $10,000 per item and $50,000 per calendar year.
17. American Express Experiences
One of the most thrilling Gold Card benefits is that you’ll tap into Amex’s exclusive access to ticket presales and member-only events in cities near you. Early Access tickets can get American Express cardholders into select events and seats before the general public can snag them.
18. Amex Offers
One thing that American Express does better than just about any other credit card is partner with popular brands to give cardholders access to exclusive deals. With the Amex Offers program, you can add special discounts to your card that reward you with cash back when you spend a certain amount.
With deals that let you save on gym memberships, resorts, jewelry, popular baked goodies and business services, there’s something for everyone on the offers list!
Other Gold card perks
19. Free authorized users
Here’s a little hack for racking up those Amex Gold card rewards. Amex lets you add up to five authorized users to your account for free, then $35 per additional person. In addition to being convenient, if you need to give another person access to spending, this perk can help you reach the welcome bonus requirement.
20. Payment flexibility
American Express offers flexible payment options that allow you to adapt your repayment based on monthly spending changes. That means you can choose how you pay while continuing to earn rewards. Users can sync their accounts with digital wallets through Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay or Fitbit Pay.
There’s also an Amex Split option in your Amex app that allows you to split pending or posted purchases made with your eligible card. You’ll simply select a contact to split a bill. Amex even lets you send money via Venmo or PayPal seamlessly. If you need to pace how you repay your balance, the Plan It and Pay Over Time options give you the flexibility to make tiered payments on some purchases.
22. CreditSecure®
If you’re feeling vulnerable to fraud, CreditSecure® makes you aware of threats to your finances before they creep into your life.
A subscription includes comprehensive monitoring, detection and alerts and one-on-one fraud support. As an Amex cardholder, you can get CreditSecure® protection for $1 for the first 30 days. After the trial, the annual cost is $19.99.
23. American Express MyCredit Guide
MyCredit lets you explore your FICO® Score and Experian® credit report with personalized insights at no cost. You can use the FICO® Score Planner to set credit goals and plans.
24. Amex Carbon Emissions Tracker
One of the most unexpected Amex Gold perks is that paying with your card could help you to help the environment! You can opt-in to have Amex track the estimated carbon emissions that may result from purchases made with your card based on merchant type and dollar amount.
With the Amex Carbon Emissions Tracker, eligible card members can sign up to make automatically recurring monthly payments toward carbon removal projects. You can choose amounts between $5 and $100 that will be paid monthly until you cancel or change your payments.
25. Choose your card color
While this metal credit card isn’t made of gold, it still looks and feels luxurious. For a long while, users could only get the traditional gold color. In 2022, the issuer introduced a rose gold option, and now, for a limited time, users can choose white gold.
How to maximize Amex Gold benefits
If you’re strategic, you can use these steps to make your American Express Gold Card benefits go farther than you imagined:
- Add authorized users: Amex allows cardholders to add up to five authorized users for no additional cost, so you can add your entire household to the card as you try to reach the welcome bonus threshold.
- Make it your grocery card: Amex Gold offers 4X points per dollar on up to $25,000 in spending at selected U.S. supermarkets, so it’s smart to make this your go-to card for groceries. Just be warned that some major wholesale retailers don’t take Amex.
- Look for transfer bonuses: If you like to travel, check your email regularly to see if Amex offers any transfer bonuses that can give you up to 40% extra value from your points when transferring them to partner airlines and loyalty programs.
- Never book a flight with a third-party company: With Amex offering 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or through AmexTravel.com, you’ll leave money behind as a cardholder if you chase deals from third-party booking companies.
▶︎ Read more: Amex Gold review
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For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, please visit this page.
FAQs: Amex Gold Benefits
What are the benefits of an American Express Gold card?
American Express Gold is one of the best cards for travel and dining benefits. It’s one of the only cards of its caliber to offer 4x points on restaurants and U.S. supermarket purchases. Additionally, Amex Gold offers many consumer perks, including extended warranties, rental car protection, baggage insurance and more.
Does the Amex Gold card get you into airport lounges?
Unfortunately, one area where the Gold card falls short is airport lounges. While the flight perks are generous at 4x points, the card does not get you into airport lounges. If lounge access is a priority, you can consider the The Platinum Card® from American Express to get complimentary access to the Amex lounge network on your departure day.
Is the Gold Card worth the annual fee?
With a $325 annual fee, the Amex Gold card is right in the middle of its peers regarding luxury card fees. If you can make the welcome offer threshold, you stand to earn up to $1,500 in the first year of having this card—which more than makes up for the annual fee.
The generous points for food and travel purchases also make it easy to earn back the fee. Of course, taking advantage of baggage protection or an extended warranty just once can also outweigh the fee. Ultimately, the Gold Card is worth the fee if your spending habits allow you to cultivate the points and perks needed to cover the difference.
Does Amex Gold offer TSA PreCheck?
No, credit for TSA PreCheck is not one of the Amex Gold travel benefits if you have a consumer card. To qualify, you must upgrade to the American Express Gold Corporate Card. The TSA PreCheck perk allows you to receive statement credits for either Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. This credit is available once in four years.
Is Amex Gold hard to get?
Amex Gold is considered a premium credit card with a much stricter approval standard than a mid-tier consumer credit card. A credit score of 700 or higher is required to qualify for the Amex Gold card. Amex will also review your income when deciding.
About the Author
Carrie O’Connell is a prolific writer specializing in consumer finance and credit cards. Her extensive portfolio includes content for prominent clients such as First American Bank, American Savings Bank Hawaii, Smartfinancial.com, Trustedcompanyreviews.com, United Debt Settlement, Ways to Wealth, and Investorade.
Carrie’s writing covers a wide range of topics, from credit card reviews and approval strategies to maximizing credit card benefits and navigating credit card use during economic downturns. Her expertise helps readers make informed decisions about their personal finance and credit card choices.
About the Reviewer
Blake Esken has over 15 years of experience in product management and has been a member of the Los Angeles Times staff for over five years.
As part of his role at the Los Angeles Times Commerce Team, Blake acts as the in-house reviewer and fact checker for LA Times Compare. He supervises all content for compliance and accuracy and puts to use skills he has honed through years of experience managing high-stakes projects for a range of industry-leading companies.
He has a strong background in data analysis, compliance, and communication, which allows him to support LA Times Compare through fact-checking in an effort to provide up-to-date and factual information across our content.
* Opinions expressed here are those of the LA Times Compare Cards Team and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser or entities included within this content. See our editorial policy for more details.
All products or services are presented in this content without warranty. The information, including card details such as rates and fees, is accurate at the time of publish. Please visit each bank's website directly for the most current information.