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Is the American Express® Gold Card right for you? To find out, it’s best to see what the Amex Gold benefits are and whether they might be useful for your situation.
Even with its $250 annual fee, it has a lot of appeal. Part of the appeal of the Amex Gold Card is its annual credits and other card benefits. But you also get the opportunity to earn plenty of bonus rewards, which can be redeemed to pay for a dream trip — potentially saving you hundreds or thousands of dollars on travel.
For more details, let’s jump into what these 18 Amex Gold benefits have to offer.
Rewards and shopping
1. Welcome offer
It’s common for many cards to offer a welcome bonus to new cardmembers. The American Express Gold Card offers 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months after account opening. Terms apply. This is a generous welcome offer that can offer loads of value if met. The most value for your points typically comes from redemptions for flights through Amex or transfers to an airline partner.
For more details on the Amex Gold, check out our American Express Gold Card review.
2. Earning potential
Earning bonus rewards is a common perk for rewards credit cards, and it’s no different with American Express Membership Rewards. However, you get some accelerated earning rates in certain categories compared with many credit cards. The Amex Gold offers 4X Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year, after that 1X) and at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., 3X on flights booked directly with airlines or on Amextravel.com, and 1X on all other eligible purchases.
Once you earn those points, you have several options for redeeming them, including Amazon purchases; select gift cards; charity donations; award travel such as airfare, hotels, and cruises; and statement credits.
For more cards with excellent earning potential, check out our list of the best rewards credit cards.
3. Amex Offers
All American Express credit cards provide access to the Amex Offers program, which is a collection of free offers you can add to your card through your online account in the American Express mobile app or a web browser. These offers typically provide discounts or bonus points when you make purchases at certain stores or retailers. For example, a previous offer provided $100 back for spending $500 or more at participating MGM Resorts properties.
Keep in mind that you have to manually add offers and then use your applicable card for an offer to work.
4. ShopRunner membership
ShopRunner provides free two-day shipping and return shipping at more than 100 stores. Enrollment is required for your complimentary ShopRunner membership. If you enroll in this benefit and sign up with an existing ShopRunner account, your existing term will be canceled and you’ll receive a refund for any unused portion of a paid membership.
Dining and entertainment
5. Dining credits
Foodies will appreciate the up to $120 in dining credits you can receive each calendar year after you enroll in this benefit. When you use your Gold Card for eligible purchases with Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar, and participating Shake Shack locations, you can receive up to $10 in statement credits each month. You typically receive the credit two to four weeks after your purchase.
6. Uber credits
The Amex Gold also offers up to $120 in Uber Cash, which can be used for Uber rides or Uber Eats orders. You have to enroll in this benefit and add your card to your Uber account for the $10 in monthly Uber Cash to start showing up.
This benefit is similar to the Uber credits you can get with The Platinum Card® from American Express, though the Amex Platinum offers up to $200 in Uber Cash credits annually (enrollment required). For a full comparison of benefits between the two cards, check out our article on the Amex Gold vs. Platinum.
7. American Express Preferred Seating
The American Express Preferred Seating program offers select Amex cardmembers access to premium seats for different cultural and sporting events.
8. American Express Presale(s)
Through American Express Presale(s), you can get exclusive access to event tickets before the general public.
9. American Express Experiences
In select cities, cardmembers can receive access to American Express Experiences, which include a variety of events like plays, musicals, music festivals, virtual experiences, and more.
Travel
10. Amex transfer partners
One travel benefit many travel credit cards allow is earning rewards that can be transferred to airline and hotel partners. This potentially increases the value of your points and makes them more flexible because it gives you increased opportunities for points redemptions.
Amex transfer partners include more than 20 airline and hotel loyalty programs like Delta SkyMiles, Hilton Honors, and Marriott Bonvoy that you can transfer points to if you’re enrolled in the partner’s loyalty program.
For comparison, the Chase Sapphire Preferred, another popular travel card, earns rewards that can be transferred to over a dozen travel partners. To further compare these cards, check out our Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Amex Gold comparison.
11. The Hotel Collection credit
When you book a stay of two or more consecutive nights at The Hotel Collection properties through American Express Travel, you’ll receive $100 hotel credit and a potential room upgrade. The type of credit varies by property, though dining and spa credits are common.
If you’re already planning a stay with The Hotel Collection, you could combine this credit with special offers frequently available at many properties. These offers could include getting a free night or receiving additional property credits.
12. No foreign transaction fees
If you want a card without foreign transaction fees, the Amex Gold Card has none. That means you won’t have to pay the added cost of a fee when you make foreign purchases. This could be useful if making online purchases from foreign countries or if you’re traveling abroad and using your credit card to buy things.
For cards that charge foreign transaction fees, it’s typically 3% per purchase, which can add up quickly depending on the number of purchases you make. For example, if you spend $1,000 while in another country, that’s potentially $30 saved in foreign transaction fees.
13. Global Assist Hotline
American Express provides the Global Assist Hotline benefit for Amex cardholders who travel at least 100 miles away from their U.S.-based home and need assistance while traveling. This hotline is available 24/7 and offers helpful travel services, such as lost passport replacement assistance, translation services, missing luggage assistance, medical referrals, and emergency legal referrals.
Protection and coverage
14. Baggage insurance
Your checked baggage is covered against damages or loss for up to $500 per person when traveling on a common carrier, which includes airlines. Carry-on baggage is covered for up to $1,250 per person against damages or loss.
This insurance covers the cardmember, their spouse or partner, and dependent children when their Amex Gold Card is used to pay for the entire fare of a common carrier vehicle. For example, an airplane ticket.
15. Car rental insurance
If you pay the entire rental cost of a rental vehicle with your Amex Gold Card and decline the collision damage waiver and similar coverage from the rental agency, your rental vehicle can be covered for damage or theft in an eligible territory (doesn’t include Australia, Italy, or New Zealand).
This type of car rental insurance is secondary to any car insurance you might already have and doesn’t include liability coverage.
16. Trip delay insurance
Your Amex Gold Card offers trip delay insurance of up to $300 per covered trip, with a maximum of two claims per card per 12-month period. This type of insurance takes effect when you pay for your entire trip or an eligible part of your trip with your card. If your trip is delayed for more than 12 hours for an eligible reason, trip delay insurance will cover expenses like meals, lodging, toiletries, medication, and other similar items.
17. Extended warranty coverage
The extended warranty benefit on the Amex Gold Card extends eligible warranties by up to one additional year on eligible products you’ve purchased with your card. Each item is covered for up to $10,000, with a maximum of $50,000 total per card account in a year. Only original manufacturer’s warranties of five years or less can be extended using this benefit.
18. Purchase protection
Eligible purchases with your Amex Gold Card can benefit from purchase protection, which covers items against damage, theft, or loss for up to $10,000 for 90 days from purchase. There’s a maximum limit of $50,000 per card in a year.
FAQs
Is it worth getting the Amex Gold?
It’s worth getting the Amex Gold Card if you can take advantage of its benefits. This includes using the $120 dining credit and $120 Uber Cash (good for Uber rides or Uber Eats orders) each year, which almost immediately offsets the $250 annual fee. Other benefits include being able to earn a generous welcome offer and earning rewards on everyday purchases.
Ultimately, the best credit card for you depends on the card benefits and fees and your ability to qualify for the card based on your credit score and other factors.
Is the Amex Gold credit or charge?
The Amex Gold Card is not a charge card. It’s a card with no preset spending limit, which is different from credit cards that typically have a set credit limit that can be adjusted by the card issuer. Amex cards often have flexible spending limits that are adjusted based on your purchase, payment, and credit history.
Is the Amex Gold Card metal?
The Amex Gold Card, including the rose gold version, is made out of metal.
Bottom line
Amex Gold benefits can be extremely valuable depending on your situation. The annual credits alone nearly pay for the $250 annual fee themselves, so just about every other benefit is a bonus that keeps piling on the value.
But even though the Amex Gold is a clear winner for many individuals, it might not be the best fit for you, especially if you wouldn’t get much use out of dining and Uber credits. To find the right credit card for your situation, use this helpful page to compare credit cards.
Big Rewards at Restaurants
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Current Offer
Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases within the first 6 months of card membership
Annual Fee
$250
Rewards Rate
4X Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year, after that 1X) and at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., 3X on flights booked directly with airlines or on Amextravel.com, and 1X on all other eligible purchases