Rewards cards are not guaranteed to win and keep their streaks, but American Express® Gold Card Bear. Its shiny gold (or rose gold, if you prefer) finish indicates that the card offers attractive benefits and an attractive bonus rate.
The American Express Gold Card is the fourth credit card I’ve added to my wallet, and it’s stayed there because it offers exactly the level of benefits you’d expect at first glance. It’s one of the best rewards cards out there, but like every other card on the market, it’s not for everyone.
Here are the details on each feature of this card, how it works in my wallet, and why (or why not) it might be right for you. Card Rating*: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
*Card ratings are based on the opinions of TPG editors and are not influenced by card issuers.
American Express Gold Card: The Basics
anatomy American Express Gold Card Divided into two parts: statement points and member reward points. The card has an annual fee of $325 (see rates and fees), so it’s important to make sure you can recoup that value through its benefits.
You can get up to $424 in value per year from Amex Gold. Card members may find that up to $10 monthly Uber Cash points on U.S. Uber and Uber Eats orders*, up to $10 monthly dining bill credits with select partners, and up to $50 annual bill credits at Resy restaurants in the U.S. to be the most valuable. (Sign-up required for certain benefits.)
Amex Gold’s lack of lounge access may be disappointing considering its price tag, but you get access to its impressive list of 20 transfer partners. TPG recommends redeeming points through a transfer partner to get the best value.
It’s easy to earn points with this card, especially for someone like me who loves to eat out. Amex Gold earns 4 points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (1 point per dollar spent on purchases of $50,000 and $25,000, respectively, each calendar year).
The American Express Gold Card is most powerful for those who travel at least a few times a year and spend a large budget on food.
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American Express Gold Card Pros and Cons
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American Express Gold Card Benefits
Unlike its older brother, American Express Gold CardThe benefits are relatively easy to track. With just a few bill points, you get more value every year than you pay for Gold.
Claim credits
With this card, you will receive the following benefits (registration required):
- Get up to $10 in Uber Cash per month on U.S. Uber and Uber Eats orders (*Uber Cash will only be credited to one Uber account when you add Amex Gold as a payment method and redeem with any Amex card)
- Up to $10 monthly dining bill credit from select partners
- Get up to $50 in bill credits every six months when you purchase American Resy
- Save up to $7 a month on U.S. Dunkin’ merchandise
As a foodie living in a major U.S. city, I can easily take advantage of all of these perks except the Dunkin’ statement points, since there aren’t any locations in my city. Fortunately, I was able to fix this problem with Dunkin’ reloading trick.
If you’re not the type of person who uses food delivery services or Uber, or at least doesn’t frequent restaurants, you’re going to have a hard time getting real value from this card. If this sounds like you, then this card’s main source of value will come from its yield (more on that later).
That may or may not be enough to cover this card’s annual fee, depending on how much you spend each month in its bonus categories.
Hotel deals
By booking a minimum of two nights at Amex’s The Hotel Collection, Amex Gold members can earn $100 in points toward eligible expenses such as spa and dining. (Eligible expenses vary by hotel.)
As a personal tip, always double check whether the service will be credited to your room before swiping your card. Otherwise, you may not receive points for that purchase from your coins.
When checking into Moxy NYC Lower East Side, I mistakenly thought I could order food through a QR code on the table and ask for it to be charged to my room. Turns out that wasn’t an option so I missed out on my credit.
Other benefits
The American Express Gold Card also offers a variety of travel and purchase protections.
Card members don’t pay any foreign transaction fees (see Rates & Fees), but keep in mind that many of the American Express Gold Card’s benefits are limited to the U.S.
How to earn and use your rewards
Earning and effectively using Membership Rewards points is an important part of getting the most out of you American Express Gold Card. It’s been one of my most-used cards since I opened it due to its strong rewards category on food purchases.
With your American Express Gold Card, you’ll earn at the following rates:
- Earn 4 points for every $1 spent at U.S. supermarkets (1 point for every $1 spent on purchases up to $25,000 per calendar year)
- Earn 4 points per $1 spent at restaurants around the world (1 point per $1 spent on purchases up to $50,000 per calendar year)
- Earn 3 points per $1 spent on flights booked directly with the airline or through amextravel.com
- Earn 2 points per $1 spent on prepaid hotels and other qualifying travel booked through amextravel.com
- Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
Once you accumulate a large number of points, you have several options for redeeming them. While you can use points toward bill credits, bookings through Amex Travel, gift cards, or amazon.com checkout, we don’t recommend doing so. Instead, your best option is to transfer them to one of Amex’s 20 transfer partners.
I primarily use Membership Rewards points for flights because American Express doesn’t work with the hotel programs I tend to use.
Air Canada Aeroplan is one of my favorite partners because of the wide range of rewards it offers on partner airlines like Air Canada and United. Over Christmas last year, I redeemed a total of just under 30,000 points through Aeroplan for two one-way flights between Portland International Airport (PDX) in Oregon and Vancouver International Airport (YVR) in British Columbia. While this didn’t give me the greatest value for points, it still saved me a few hundred dollars that I could use to purchase food and activities.
Potential Disadvantages of the American Express Gold Card
Although American Express Gold Card is a great card, no credit card is perfect. For someone who has a limited grocery budget and orders infrequently, the American Express Gold Card won’t be very useful.
If you already have a high-income card for groceries and dining (e.g. Citi Strata Premier® Card (See Rates and Fees).
Additionally, you’ll have a hard time justifying the annual fee for the American Express Gold Card if you have to go out of your way to spend at merchants covered by their stated credit. I found my Amex Gold Uber points and restaurant bill points to be valuable. However, their lack of flexibility means they are not suitable for everyone.
Using a credit card shouldn’t be a headache. If you expect the American Express Gold Card to require a lot of effort, consider another card.
American Express Gold Card vs. American Express Platinum Card
American Express Gold has no direct competitors from major issuers, so its closest competitors are its premium counterparts, which are American Express Platinum Card®.
If lounge access, hotel elite status, generous flight reward earnings, and a wider range of statement points are available, the American Express Platinum Card may be a better fit for you than the American Express Gold Card.
By contrast, if you don’t fly often, spend most of your budget on food, or find the American Express Gold Card’s statement points easier to use, stick with the Gold Card. Additionally, if Amex Platinum’s $895 annual fee (see rates and fees) seems a bit too much for your wallet to pay in one billing cycle, Amex Gold is a more suitable option.
If you’re all about membership rewards, or you think you can easily maximize the benefits of the American Express Gold and American Express Platinum cards, both cards may be worth opening.
When to Apply for the American Express Gold Card
Now, American Express Gold Card Applicants can review their offers to see if they qualify for up to 100,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 in purchases within the first six months of membership. (Welcome offers vary and you may not qualify for one.)
According to TPG’s January 2026 valuation, 100,000 Membership Rewards points are worth $2,000. The value of your points depends on the purpose of your redemption, but this is a rough estimate of what this welcome offer would be worth if you transferred your points to a travel partner.
If you’re targeting any offer over 60,000 points, it’s definitely worth applying; otherwise, you may have to wait for a better offer.
If you don’t want the American Express Gold Card, consider other cards
I’ve already mentioned the American Express Platinum Card as a potential alternative to the American Express Gold Card, but if that card doesn’t feel like the right choice, here are some other options:
bottom line
For those who can easily maximize its benefits, the American Express Gold Card is worth adding to your wallet. In the right hands, its strong earnings categories, statement points, and transfer partners make it a powerful card.
That said, I generally don’t recommend the American Express Gold Card to people who are new to credit cards or to young professionals just starting out in entry-level jobs. Its $325 annual fee is nothing to shrug off, and its myriad benefits can be overwhelming to someone who’s never owned a rewards card before.
If the benefits of the American Express Gold Card sound good to your wallet, I suggest you go for it. Beyond that, there are plenty of other great cards out there for making tons of money on dining and groceries.
Apply here: American Express Gold Card
For American Express Gold Card rates and fees, click here.
For American Express Platinum Card rates and fees, click here.
