Deep Dive Into the American Express® Gold Card
-
AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE:
Packed with Points is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as MileValue.com and bankrate.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers.
EDITORIAL DISCLOSURE:
Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
*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.
American Express® Gold Card
The American Express® Gold Card is a popular card option for foodies, frequent travelers, and anyone looking to rack up Membership Rewards® points!
🌟Before applying, make sure to check out the perks, the spending categories (heellloooo 4x on groceries 👏🏻), and the eligibility guidelines to see if this is a good fit for you and your travel goals.
Welcome offer
🔥 New elevated offer! Earn as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $8,000 in eligible purchases on your card in the first 6 months. This is one where the welcome offer will vary and you can apply to find out your offer. If you don't want the offer you received, you can cancel the application with no hard credit pull!
Annual fee: $325 (rates & fees)
Credits and perks
Up to $120 per calendar year (up to $10 a month in statement credits) for eligible U.S. purchases at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys
Up to $100 back per calendar year (up to $50 in biannual statement credits) for eligible purchases at U.S. Resy restaurants
Up to $84 per calendar year (up to $7 a month in statement credits) for U.S. Dunkin' purchases
Up to $120 per calendar year (up to $10 a month) in Uber Cash for Uber rides and Uber Eats orders in the U.S. when you add your card to your Uber account
Travel protections like baggage insurance plan, car rental loss and damage insurance, and global assist hotline
Purchase protection and extended warranty on eligible purchases
No foreign transaction fees (rates & fees)
*Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Enrollment required for select benefits.
That's up to $424 in statement credits alone each year, which goes a long way toward offsetting that annual fee before you even factor in the points you're earning! 🍽️
Earning rates
Earn 4 points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year (then 1 point per dollar)
Earn 4 points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year (then 1 point per dollar)
Earn 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com
Earn 2 points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com
Earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
For me, the 4x per dollar at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets is one of the best perks of this card. Between weekly grocery runs and eating out, I can rack up points fast without changing how I spend! 🛒🍕
Lifetime language
Many American Express cards have "lifetime language" on their cards, meaning that you are only eligible to earn the welcome offer on the card once per lifetime. But here's a few key things to know:
🌟You CAN find applications that do not include lifetime language, which means you have a better chance of earning the welcome offer on that card a second time.
📆"Lifetime" generally means about seven years, as many data points have shown for those who have been able to eventually earn the welcome offer on a card a second time.
Card eligibility and application tips
When applying for an American Express credit card, they make it very easy to determine if you are eligible for the welcome offer on the card BEFORE completing the application.
You are able to fill out the application, submit for a preliminary review, and within a few seconds you will have a pop up to let you know if you are not eligible for the welcome offer on that card. At that time, you can opt to cancel the application with no hard credit pull! 👏🏻
Earning Membership Rewards®
The best perk of this card is the valuable rewards that you rack up with each swipe. And these Membership Rewards points can be used SO many ways.
Whether you're looking to book travel in the bank travel portal, or maximize your points value by transferring out to a travel partner, these are definitely points you want to be earning!
Transfer partners (my favorite way to use these points!)
Airlines:Aer Lingus
AeroMexico
Air Canada Aeroplan
ANA Mileage Club
Avianca LifeMiles
British Airways Executive Club
Cathay Pacific
Delta Airlines
Emirates Skywards
Etihad Guest
Flying Blue (Air France and KLM)
Iberia Plus
JetBlue TrueBlue
Qantas Frequent Flyer
Qatar Airways Privilege Club
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Hotels:Choice Privileges
Hilton Honors
Leading Hotels of the World
Marriott Bonvoy
➡️RELATED: How I'm Using My 5 Favorite American Express Transfer Partners
So is this card right for you?
The American Express® Gold Card is a fantastic card for anyone who spends heavily on dining and groceries, with easy to use benefits and huge earning potential to easily offset the cost of the annual fee.
🔥Combined with this HOT welcome offer, it makes this card a top recommendation for almost anyone!
EDITORIAL DISCLOSURE: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
