When you should (or shouldn’t) use the Amex Gold Card

It’s no secret that we are big fans of the team American Express® Gold Card of TPG.

While the card was renewed in late July, it’s still in the Goldilocks sweet spot between premium and entry-level cards, with strong benefits on US grocery and supermarket purchases and more than $400 in annual statement credit that can help pay off its $325 annual fee (see rates and fees). . Registration is required, and terms apply.

In this guide, we’ll highlight strategies that can help you earn thousands of bonus points each year by knowing when you should — and shouldn’t — be using the Amex Gold Card.

Amex Gold Overview

The Amex Gold is the perfect “mid-range” card, especially since it offers great benefits and earning potential with its $325 annual fee.

With this card, you’ll earn 4 points per dollar spent at US supermarkets (up to $25,000 in spending in a calendar year, then 1 point per dollar) and restaurants (up to $50,000 in spending in a calendar year, then -1 point per dollar), and 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly with the airline or through amextravel.com.

And beyond the earning potential, this card comes with some serious benefits. You’ll earn up to $424 in annual dining credits, Dunkin’, Resy and Uber, travel benefits like luggage insurance* and up to $100 in credits for stays at The Hotel Collection properties (minimum two-night stay required). Registration is required for selected benefits, and terms apply.

New Amex Gold card members can earn a welcome bonus of 60,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first six months of card membership. Plus, new card members will earn 20% as a statement credit on eligible restaurant purchases in the first year of card membership (up to $100 cash back).

According to TPG prices for July 2024, this welcome gift can be up to $1,300.

Using the CardMatch tool, you can find the most valuable Amex Gold welcome offer (offer subject to change at any time). Since American Express only allows card members to earn one welcome offer per lifetime, it’s important to find the best offer you can get.

*Eligibility level and benefits vary by card. Terms, conditions and restrictions apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

When should you use Amex Gold?

For food

I Amex Gold It’s not the only card that offers a bonus category on dining at restaurants, but it may be one of the most important.

Card members earn 4 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants, up to $50,000 per calendar year (1 point per dollar thereafter). According to TPG figures for July 2024, this equates to an 8% return on spend.

For that reason, it’s at the top of our list of the best restaurant dining cards.

To get the most out of your Amex Gold for this category, you should increase your dining statement credits.

Cardmembers can earn up to $10 per month (up to $120 per calendar year) in statement credits when paying with Amex Gold at the following dining partners:

• Grubhub
• The Cheesecake Factory
• Goldbelly
• Wine.com
• Five Boys

Additionally, card members can earn up to $120 per calendar year in Uber Cash (up to $10 each month) that you can spend on Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, so be sure to link your Amex Gold to your account of Uber.

Amex Gold also offers up to $100 in statement credits every calendar year on purchases at Resy-affiliated US restaurants. These statement credits are divided into two credits per year, up to $50.

Finally, an annual Dunkin’ Donuts credit of up to $84 per calendar year is offered in monthly increments of up to $7. Just use your Amex Gold to pay at Dunkin’.

For food

Eating is the name of the game with Amex Gold. Excluding dining, the card earns 4 points per dollar spent at major US stores up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year (1 point per dollar thereafter).

So, you should definitely use the card on your next supermarket run, as it tops our list of the best grocery cards.

You may end up with slightly higher returns on US grocery purchases by using the Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express — it earns 3 points per dollar spent at US grocery stores on up to $6,000 in annual purchases, but always. payment cycle you make 30 or more transactions with the card, you earn a 50% bonus, so your power is up to 4.5 points per dollar.

That said, the bonus tiers in Amex Gold don’t require you to jump through any hoops, as the minimum number of transactions you do per month to earn the highest earning amounts, and the annual average for US grocery stores is much higher than that. with Amex EveryDay Preferred.

Amex EveryDay Preferred card information is independently collected by The Points Guy. The card information on this page has not been updated or provided by the card issuer.

Related: The 7 best cards to pair with Amex Gold

For aviation

While not as powerful as some of our favorite travel cards, the Amex Gold is a great card to use on flights if you don’t have a travel card that’s more important in your wallet. Its earning rate of 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly through the airline or Amex Travel is great.

Just remember that if you are going to use it Platinum Card® from American Express instead, you can earn 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar on flights booked through Amex Travel or directly with airlines, up to $500,000 of such purchases per calendar year (1 point per dollar thereafter).

That said, Amex Gold costs less than $300 less per year compared to Amex Platinum (see Amex Platinum rates and fees), so I don’t recommend opening Amex Platinum to get two extra points per dollar on flights.

Related: Does it make sense to hold the Amex Platinum and Amex Gold cards?

When should you not use Amex Gold?

For everyday use

I Amex Gold earns 1 point per dollar spent outside of its specific bonus categories. Other cards issued by Amex and other banks may offer better cashback rates.

For example, Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express it can be a better option if you have a business. It has no annual fee (see rates and fees) but earns 2 points per dollar on the first $50,000 spent on purchases each year (and 1 point per dollar thereafter).

Alternatively, a card like Citi Double Cash® Card (see rates and fees) you earn 1% back when you shop and another 1% when you pay your statement. This means you can effectively return 2%.

If you also have a Citi Prestige® card, you can combine your points into fully transferable ThankYou points. Based on TPG’s July 2024 valuation of Citi ThankYou points at 1.8 cents each, this means you can earn an effective return of 3.6% when you shop and pay with your Citi Double Cash card.

Related: Why Citi Double Cash will always have a place in my wallet

Citi Prestige information The card is independently collected by The Points Guy. The card information on this page has not been updated or provided by the card issuer.

For non-air travel, such as hotels or rental cars

While Amex Gold earns 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly with the airline or through amextravel.com, you don’t get that bonus on other travel expenses, and it doesn’t offer the same travel protection as other debit cards. There.

Given that, using another card for your non-flight booking makes more sense.

One of the most popular travel rewards cards on the market is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which has an annual fee of $95. On the travel side, these are the current leading rates:

• 5 points per dollar on travel booked through Chase Travel℠
• 2 points per dollar on other trips

In addition, you will receive the following non-travel bonuses:

• 3 points per dollar on dining
• 3 points per dollar on select streaming services
• 3 points per dollar on online purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)

Bottom line

Amex Gold is among the most rewarding cards on the market. But to really maximize your Amex Gold earnings, you’ll have to be selective about where you spend it.

Between restaurant statement credits, Dunkin’, Resy and Uber, the card’s annual fee is fully covered, and you have a positive rate. Add in its bonus categories and you’ll be growing your earnings like a pro in no time.

To learn more, check out our full Amex Gold review.

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Apply here: American Express® Gold Card

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Related: This would be the best Amex card combination: Amex Gold and Amex Business Platinum

For rates and fees for the Amex Gold Card, please click here.
For Amex Platinum rates and fees, click here.
For prices and fees for the Blue Business Plus Amex Card, click here.