Link: Apply now for the American Express® Gold Card
American Express Membership Rewards is one of the most popular transferable points currencies, and there’s arguably one best personal card for earning Amex points — the American Express® Gold Card (review). In this post, I want to take a closer look at why this card should be in most points collectors’ wallets.
10 reasons to get the Amex Gold Card
While the Amex Gold Card has an annual fee of $325 (Rates & Fees), the card offers an excellent welcome offer, spending bonus categories that will prove valuable for many consumers, and benefits and credits that could in and of themselves more than justify the annual fee.
In particular, this card is a points earning powerhouse for those who spend a lot on food, whether it’s at restaurants or at supermarkets. In this post, I wanted to take a look at 10 reasons you should consider picking up the Amex Gold Card. In no particular order…
Welcome offer as high as 100,000 points
The Amex Gold Card currently has an excellent welcome offer as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 within the first six months. Amex notes how the welcome offers vary, and applicants may not be eligible for that welcome offer.
The way this works, you can apply for the card, and then find out your offer amount. Then you can decide whether you want to accept the offer or not. That’s an unconventional approach for a welcome offer. Fortunately Amex has the “apply with confidence” feature, so there won’t be a hard pull unless you accept the offer.
4x points at restaurants worldwide
It’s amazing how much credit card bonus categories have evolved over the years, and this card is the perfect example of that. The Amex Gold Card offers 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants:
- This is valid for up to $50,000 in restaurant purchases per calendar year, and after that, you earn 1x points
- This applies both within the United States and abroad (and the card has no foreign transaction fees, so it’s great for international purchases)
- This also applies for takeout and delivery, so you can even earn 4x points with platforms like Uber Eats
If you ask me, among cards open to new applicants, the Amex Gold Card is the single best card for dining. Personally I value Amex points at 1.7 cents each, meaning by my math the card offers up to a 6.8% return on dining spending, which is incredible.
4x points at U.S. supermarkets
Admittedly everyone eats differently — some people spend a lot dining out, while others prefer to cook. That’s the beauty of the Amex Gold Card, as it’s great no matter how you like to eat. The Amex Gold Card offers 4x Membership Rewards points at supermarkets:
- This is valid exclusively at supermarkets in the United States, and not abroad
- This is valid for up to $25,000 in U.S. supermarket purchases per calendar year, and after that, you earn 1x points
If you ask me, the Amex Gold Card is the single best card for supermarkets. Personally, I value Amex points at 1.7 cents each, meaning by my math the card offers a 6.8% return on supermarket spending.
Access to the Amex Membership Rewards program
The Amex Gold Card gives you full access to the value of the Amex Membership Rewards program, and this is a great “hub” card for pooling all of your Amex points:
$120 Uber Cash benefit
The Amex Gold Card offers up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (Enrollment required). How does this work?
- Receive $10 in Uber Cash each calendar month directly to your Uber account
- This can be used toward U.S. Uber rides or U.S. Uber Eats orders, and you can use it across one or multiple transactions
- To take advantage of this, you’ll have to add your Amex Gold Card to your Uber account, and then you can easily apply the credit through the app each month
- An Amex Card must be selected as the payment method for your Uber or Uber Eats transaction to redeem the Amex Uber Cash benefit
If you spend at least $10 per month with Uber (which I think many people who would consider this card do), then that credit should more or less be worth face value.
$120 dining credit benefit
The Amex Gold Card offers up to a $120 annual benefit toward dining (Enrollment required). How does this work?
- Receive up to $10 in statement credits each calendar month
- This benefit is valid for purchases made with the Amex Gold Card in the U.S. with Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys
While this is pretty niche, many cardmembers should be able to get at least some value out of this.
$100 Resy credit benefit
The Amex Gold Card offers up to a $100 annual Resy credit (Enrollment required):
- This is a semi-annual credit, so you receive a $50 credit in January through June, and a $50 credit in July through December
- This applies for eligible U.S. Resy restaurants, Resy.com, and in the mobile Resy app
$84 Dunkin’ credit benefit
The Amex Gold Card offers up to an $84 Dunkin’ credit annually (Enrollment required):
- This is a monthly credit, so you receive a $7 credit each month
- Receive the statement credit after using your enrolled card to pay at more than 9,000 Dunkin’ locations nationwide
Money saving with the Amex Offers program
One of the reasons to hold onto Amex cards long term is because of the amazing value of Amex Offers. With this program, you can receive statement credits or earn bonus points with all kinds of retailers.
The more Amex cards you have, the more offers you’ll potentially be eligible for. In many cases, Amex Offers alone more than justifies the annual fees on some of my cards.
Anecdotally easy & risk free card approval
Many people are hesitant to apply for credit cards because they’re worried if they’ll be approved. While I can’t make any guarantees, anecdotally the Amex Gold Card is one of the easier premium travel rewards cards to be approved for:
- In general I find more people have luck getting approved for Amex cards than Chase or Citi cards
- This is considered a “hybrid” card rather than an outright credit card, and I find those cards are often easier to be approved for
- Since this is a hybrid card, it wouldn’t count toward Amex’s typical five card limit, meaning you could get this card even if you’re maxed out on how many Amex credit cards you can have
- Amex has the “apply with confidence” feature, so for many people, you’ll know before you get an inquiry whether you’ll be approved or not
Why the Amex Gold Card is worth it
It goes without saying that there’s no “one size fits all” card strategy out there. However, among premium rewards cards, I think the Amex Gold Card is as close to that as it gets. Everyone has to eat, and the Amex Gold Card rewards that generously, whether you like to dine at restaurants, shop at supermarkets, or both.
Amex Membership Rewards points are extremely valuable, and earning 4x points on restaurants (up to $50,000 per calendar year, and then 1x) and U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per calendar year, and then 1x) is a return that’s not offered by any other card.
Admittedly the card does have a $325 annual fee, which might be a deterrent to some. However, that fee is potentially almost entirely offset by the up to $424 in annual benefits you can get.
This is a card where I think the perks more than offset the annual fee, and then the 4x points in two popular categories is the icing on the cake. For anyone who spends a decent amount on food, this really supercharges your points earning potential.
Bottom line
The Amex Gold Card is an incredibly well-rounded card for those who spend a fair amount on food, whether at restaurants or supermarkets. There’s not a single other card offering such a generous return in both of those categories.
On top of that the card offers incredibly valuable credits that can more than offset the annual fee. Add in the value of Amex Offers, and many people will come out ahead with this fantastic card.
If you want to learn more about the Amex Gold Card or want to apply, follow this link.
The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees).
