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MoneyGeek’s Take
American Express® Gold Card Review
Updated: July 25, 2024
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American Express® Gold Card
On Partner's Website
Rewards Rate
Earn 1X – 4X Membership Rewards® PointsEarn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X). Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
APR
See Pay Over Time APRAnnual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
670-850 (Good to Excellent)The American Express® Gold Card provides a range of rewards and perks, particularly in the areas of dining and travel. For individuals who frequently dine out or travel, the rewards earned in these categories can generate significant value. Beyond rewards, this card also offers a suite of services and protections that enhance the cardholder's experience. However, it's important to note that the benefits it provides come with certain costs, namely a sizable annual fee.
American Express® Gold Card Overview
The American Express® Gold Card is designed to help you earn bonus points at restaurants, supermarkets and on select travel purchases. Additionally, it offers some useful annual credits for everyday expenses to help you offset the cost of the annual fee. Here's an overview of the card's details.
- Rewards rate: Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide, up to $50,000 per calendar year. After that, earn 1X points. Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets, up to $25,000 per calendar year. After that, earn 1X points. Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. Earn 1X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Welcome offer: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 on eligible purchases within the first 6 months. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible restaurant purchases worldwide within the first 6 months, up to $100. The offer ends on November 6, 2024.
- Regular APR: See Pay Over Time APR See Rates and Fees
- Annual fee: $325 See Rates and Fees
- Intro APR offer: None
- Terms Apply
Important Card Details
The American Express® Gold Card has a lot to offer, but its high annual fee means it may not be right for everyone. It's important to make sure the features of this card align with your lifestyle and spending patterns in order to get the best value.
Rewards For Foodies
Whether you're a fan of dining out or eating in (or both!), this card has you covered on the rewards front, offering 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide, up to $50,000 per calendar year. After that, earn 1X points, and 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets, up to $25,000 per calendar year. After that, earn 1X points. You'll also get a decent rewards rate on eligible flights, although it's not the highest around. It's worth noting that the cap for supermarket spending is pretty high and, depending on how much you spend on groceries, may yield considerably more in rewards than a card with a higher rate and lower cap.
Good Welcome Offer
While it's not the highest welcome offer we've seen for this card, you can currently earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 on all eligible purchases within the first six months. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible restaurant purchases worldwide within the first 6 months, up to $100. The offer ends on November 6, 2024. This is not an unreasonable spending requirement given you have half a year to earn it.
Regular APR
The APR for the American Express® Gold Card will vary depending on creditworthiness. See the Pay Over Time APR (see terms) for details.
High Annual Fee
This card has an annual fee of $325, which is on the higher side. However, you can more than offset the cost by making the most of the bonus reward categories and utilizing the additional credits.
Entertainment Credits
With annual credits for Uber, dining at eligible restaurants and various activities at The Hotel Collection, it's clear this card was made with luxury entertainment in mind. You'll also get access to presale event tickets, preferred event seating and discounts on select dining and entertainment offers.
No Foreign Transaction Fee
With no foreign transaction fees, you can easily use the card while on an international trip and earn points at the same time. See Rates and Fees
High Customer Satisfaction
According to J.D. Power's 2022 Credit Card Satisfaction Study, American Express scored the highest customer satisfaction rating among all major issuers.
How the American Express® Gold Card Compares To Other Cards
With its high rewards rate and no foreign transaction fees, the American Express® Gold Card holds its own against the competition. However, assessing how it compares to other rewards cards comes down to what you're looking for in a card.
How This Card Compares
American Express® Gold Card
- Rewards rate: Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide, up to $50,000 per calendar year. After that, earn 1X points. Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets, up to $25,000 per calendar year. After that, earn 1X points. Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. Earn 1X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Welcome offer: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 on eligible purchases within the first 6 months. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible restaurant purchases worldwide within the first 6 months, up to $100. The offer ends on November 6, 2024.
- Regular APR: See Pay Over Time APR See Rates and Fees
- Annual fee: $325 See Rates and Fees
- Intro APR offer: None
- Terms Apply
- Best for: Foodies who like to travel
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
- Rewards rate: Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5X miles on flights through Capital One Travel and 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day
- Welcome offer: Earn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months
- Regular APR: 19.99% – 29.99% (variable)
- Annual fee: $395
- Intro APR offer: None
- Best for: Great travel bonus categories and a generous flat rewards rate
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, please click here.
About Doug Milnes, CFA
Doug Milnes is a CFA charter holder with over 10 years of experience in corporate finance and the Head of Credit Cards at MoneyGeek. Formerly, he performed valuations for Duff and Phelps and financial planning and analysis for various companies. His analysis has been cited by U.S. News and World Report, The Hill, the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and many other outlets.
Milnes holds a master’s degree in data science from Northwestern University. He geeks out on helping people feel on top of their credit card use, from managing debt to optimizing rewards.
*Rates, fees or bonuses may vary or include specific stipulations. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting/last updated date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired. We recommend visiting the card issuer’s website for the most up-to-date information available.
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Editorial Disclosure: Opinions, reviews, analyses and recommendations are the author’s alone and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. Learn more about our editorial policies and expert editorial team.
Advertiser Disclosure: MoneyGeek has partnered with CardRatings.com and CreditCards.com for our coverage of credit card products. MoneyGeek, CardRatings and CreditCards.com may receive a commission from card issuers. To ensure thorough comparisons and reviews, MoneyGeek features products from both paid partners and unaffiliated card issuers that are not paid partners.