American Express® Gold Card review: The gold standard for foodies
Excellent everyday categories and monthly credits make this card a top contender.
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Snapshot
4.9
Bottom line
The Amex Gold card is an incredible option for earning travel rewards at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets. But the annual fee and lower rewards value for non-travel options make this a poor fit if you’re an occasional traveler or looking for cash back for everyday spending.
Best for dining
on American Express's secure site
See Rates & Fees, Terms ApplyIntro offer
60,000 points
Rewards rate
1X - 4X
Annual fee
$325
APR
See Pay Over Time APR
4.4
Cardholder rating
Extra perks
Online tools
Rewards value
Customer service
4.9
Bankrate score
Rewards value
APR
Rewards flexibility
Features
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American Express® Gold Card overview
The American Express® Gold Card is considered one of the best travel rewards cards thanks to its numerous dining and travel perks, which appeal to big spenders who can afford its $325 annual fee. It offers generous ongoing rewards for airfare, restaurant and U.S. supermarket purchases and comes with enough credits to help offset its fairly high annual fee.
While these credits can be valuable, they come with restrictions and can be difficult to fully utilize, depending on your spending habits. Plus, Membership Rewards are most valuable when you redeem them for travel, so if you’re an occasional traveler, you may want to consider a different card.
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Rewards
- 4X points on restaurant purchases worldwide (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points) and U.S. supermarket purchases (on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points)
- 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or via Amex Travel
- 2X points on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases via Amex Travel
- 1X points on all other purchases
Expert Appraisal: Exceptional
See our expert analysis -
Welcome offer
- 60,000 points after spending $6,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership.
Expert Appraisal: Good
See our expert analysis -
Rates and fees
- $325 annual fee
- No foreign transaction fees
- No intro APR on purchases or balance transfers
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See Pay Over Time APR
Expert Appraisal: Unimpressive
See our expert analysis -
Other cardholder perks
- Up to $120 in annual dining credits (up to $10 in monthly statement credits) for purchases with GrubHub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys (enrollment required)
- Up to $120 annual credits for Uber Cash (as $10 in automatic monthly Uber Cash) toward Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S. The Amex Gold must be a method of payment and you can redeem with any Amex card
- Up to $100 in credit towards eligible charges with The Hotel Collection every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. Eligible charges vary by property
- Up to $100 in credits each calendar year for Resy restaurants in the U.S. and other eligible Resy purchases (up to $50 semi-annually; enrollment required)
- Up to $84 in credits each year for U.S. Dunkin' purchases (as up to $7 monthly statement credits) when you enroll and use your Amex Gold to pay at U.S. Dunkin' locations
- Travel protections, including baggage insurance, car rental loss and damage insurance*
- Complimentary Shoprunner membership (enrollment required)
Expert Appraisal: Exceptional
See our expert analysis
American Express Gold pros and cons
Pros
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One of the best cards on the market for dining and travel with bonus credits that easily justify the annual fee.
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The card’s welcome offer is impressive, and you have six months to meet the spending requirements.
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There is no preset credit limit, so the amount you can spend adapts based on factors such as your purchase, payment and credit history.
Cons
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The $325 annual fee could be hard to offset if you don’t use the card’s annual credits and transfer partners.
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Unlike some competing premium travel rewards cards, it doesn’t offer lounge access or travel credits.
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Points have the highest value when redeemed for travel, making this card less than ideal for occasional travelers.
Why you might want the American Express Gold
If you’re someone with an appetite for food and travel, you will find it hard to beat the Amex Gold’s inclusive bonus categories, excellent rewards value and generous annual credits toward dining and hotel activities.
Rewards: Top value across popular categories
Of all American Express cards, the Amex Gold provides the greatest point-earning opportunities (especially if you’re a frequent diner) with categories that reward everyday spending. Few cards carry bonus categories for restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets and offer dining credits. Plus, the American Express Gold sets itself apart by offering one of the highest rewards rates for these categories. These factors make the Amex Gold one of the best cards for restaurants and one of the best for groceries, especially if you plan to transfer points to travel partners.
When you redeem your Membership Rewards, the most valuable options include booking travel or transferring points to American Express travel partners (usually at a 1:1 value, but varies by partner). Points are worth 1 cent each when redeeming for flights or upgrading your airfare class through the American Express Travel portal, but tend to fall under 1 cent per point when redeemed for other options.
However, Amex Gold’s transfer partners are one of its key strengths. Bankrate estimates that American Express Membership Rewards points are worth around 2.0 cents each when you transfer your points to select airline partners. Amex also offers limited-time bonus promotions with various partners throughout the year, which can add significant value.
Perks: Some of the richest dining perks available
The Gold Card doesn’t disappoint with its excellent benefits for foodies. Major benefits include monthly credits for:
- Dunkin'
- Participating restaurants (including The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys)
- Uber rides and Uber Eats orders
You can also enjoy up to $100 additional credits toward eligible restaurant reservations and other purchases through Resy (up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually; enrollment is required). You can also enjoy The Hotel Collection perk offers, which are up to $100 credit for qualifying dining, spa services, resort activities and more, depending on the property.
Just the dining and Uber credits more than make up for the annual fee without eating into your hard-earned rewards, but taking advantage of all five credit options could rake in a whopping $524 in credit value each year. However, some cardholders may have a hard time taking full advantage of these credits since they can be pretty niche other than Uber Cash.
The card update on July 25, 2024, may not have helped the Amex Gold in this regard since it doubled down on the coupon book approach American Express' premium cards are known for by adding the Dunkin' and Resy credits. It also increased the annual fee from $250 to $325. Although the additional credits are worth more than the $75 annual fee hike, these new features may make the card even harder to justify if you don't frequently dine at Dunkin', the dining credit locations or through Resy.
Welcome offer: Good head start on your next trip
As a new cardholder, you can earn an impressive 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 on purchases within your first six months of card membership. Based on Bankrate's latest valuations, this welcome offer could be worth around $1,200 when transferred to a high-value travel partner. Even when redeemed through American Express, it could still be worth $360 when redeemed for statement credits, still enough to cover the annual fee.
This is a solid welcome offer, but the spending requirement is quite high compared to some competing cards. So, if you spend less than $1,000 per month on your card, it may not be worth going for.
If you want to maximize your rewards, the Amex Offers program allows you to activate limited-time deals with participating retailers and earn bonus points (usually up to a spending cap). You can also earn a referral bonus (up to 55,000 points per year) when someone you refer applies to and opens any American Express card.
Why you might want a different travel card
The Amex Gold can be worth its weight in food-focused monthly credits and rewards rates if you make the most of them. However, the annual fee can be intimidating, especially if you expect comparable travel perks you’d find with other premium cards.
Rates and fees: A sizable annual fee you can’t ignore
Although the Amex Gold card offers plenty of annual credits and rewards opportunities, its hefty $325 annual fee may give you second thoughts. Whether the American Express Gold is worth it depends on how much you plan to use the card and whether you can take advantage of its perks.
If you travel and dine out often, it can be easy to earn rewards in the Amex Gold’s bonus categories. The value of its perks and rewards can help offset its annual fee, especially if you transfer points to get more value. In fact, our ongoing value estimates show that the average spender may not have much trouble offsetting the $325 price tag.
But making up for the annual fee could be more challenging if the monthly dining credits don’t fit your usual dining plans. It can also be tiring keeping track of your rewards to ensure you’re justifying the cost of the card every year.
Travel benefits: Competing cards have stronger features
It’s worth noting that this card focuses more on dining and groceries than travel. The 3X-point travel category only rewards flights booked directly with airlines or through the American Express Travel portal, and the other travel perks are rather unremarkable.
The perks can still be worth the annual fee, but you won’t receive some popular travel benefits that you’ll find on other premium cards like airline credits, a TSA PreCheck® credit or lounge access.
First-year value vs. ongoing value
Your first year with the Amex Gold is undoubtedly where you’ll see the most value because of its generous welcome offer, which is worth up to $600 based on the redemption option you choose. However, the card's ongoing perks and rewards could also provide enough value to make the annual fee worthwhile. Credits for dining, Uber, hotel purchases and more could be worth over $500 — more than enough to offset the $325 annual fee.
The card’s ongoing rewards potential should also give you plenty of chances to offset the annual fee. The average person has the potential to earn about $492 in yearly rewards value with the Amex Gold, but it only takes spending about $680 monthly across your two 4X-point categories to break even on the annual fee if you redeem your points toward Amex air travel. However, you can whittle your monthly 4X-point category spending down to about $340 if you transfer your points to a travel partner with a redemption value of around 2.0 cents per point.
To make your research easier, we’ve calculated the Amex Gold card’s first-year and ongoing value based on our card scoring formula, a $22,500 annual spend and the potential 1-cent value through Amex.
| Benefits and Costs | First-year value | Ongoing value (no welcome offers) |
| Yearly rewards | +$492 | +$492 |
| Welcome offers | +$600 value (60,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership) | — |
| Perks (of monetary value) |
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| Annual fee | -$325 | -$325 |
| Total value | $1,291 | $691 |
We tried it: Here’s what our experts say
Bankrate credit cards writer Ryan Flanigan uses his American Express Gold card for groceries and restaurants to rack up tons of points for travel.
I never go grocery shopping without this card. Membership Rewards points are very valuable to me, and this card earns a lot of them. I easily offset the annual fee with Uber and GrubHub credits, which I use regularly. This is as high of a return as you can get with groceries and restaurants, so it’s a great choice for those frequently used categories. This card is my main vehicle to generate tons of Amex points, which helps me go on all sorts of great travel adventures using all of Amex’s different travel partners.
— Ryan Flanigan, Writer, Credit Cards
How the American Express Gold Card compares to other travel cards
The Amex Gold is a solid pick for a travel rewards card if you can take advantage of its bonus rewards categories and credits. But other options could provide a more rewarding experience, especially if you’re looking for luxury travel perks or want better value for your travel rewards.
Annual fee
Intro offer
Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
Rewards rate
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. 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® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Annual fee
Intro offer
Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
Rewards rate
10 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. 5 Miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel. 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Annual fee
Intro offer
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Rewards rate
5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠. 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries. 2x on all other travel purchases. 1x on all other purchases.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Best cards to pair with the American Express Gold
It’s worth pairing the Amex Gold with another Amex card that earns bonus rewards for travel or a hotel rewards card that could help you rake in a lot of bonus rewards on hotel stays. Another option is to pair the Amex Gold card with a cash back card if you have a lot of spending outside the Gold card’s bonus categories.
Who is the Amex Gold right for?
The Amex Gold is one of the best options for dining available. It’s a great choice for foodies who like to travel, especially people who like to use Uber and Uber Eats.
Bankrate’s Take — Is the American Express Gold Card worth it?
The American Express Gold Card is a great choice if you’re looking for travel rewards from everyday expenses like restaurant and U.S. supermarket purchases. Add in the annual credits, which could potentially be worth more than the $325 annual fee, and this card offers a unique food-and-travel experience you may not find with other cards.
However, despite its rewards rates, it’s not a travel-focused card and some travel cards offer stronger perks and more flexible rewards.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Platinum Card® from American Express , please click here.
*Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.
How we rated this card
We rate credit cards using a proprietary card scoring system that ranks each card’s estimated average rewards rate, estimated annual earnings, welcome bonus value, APR, fees, perks and more against those of other cards in its primary category.
Each card feature is assigned a weighting based on how important it is to people looking for a card in a given category. These features are then scored based on how they rank relative to the features on other cards in the category. Based on these calculations, each card receives an overall rating of 1-5 stars (with 5 being the highest possible score and 1 being the lowest).
We analyzed over 150 of the most popular rewards and cash back cards to determine where each stacked up based on their value, cost, benefits and more. Here are some of the key factors that influenced this card’s overall score and how the score influenced our review:
Frequently asked questions
What cardholders think
American Express® Gold Card
In May 2024, Bankrate collaborated with third-party SliceMR to survey 6160 cardholders nationwide. Bankrate and Slice MR collected, averaged and presented website analytics and cardholder responses to six questions on a 5-point scale. Responses are based on individual cardholder’s product details, and therefore cannot be verified for accuracy. Users received an incentive for their feedback. User ratings are unedited and have not been reviewed or approved by credit card issuers, nor do these ratings reflect Bankrate’s own reviews of these cards.
Community Reviews
* See the online application for details about terms and conditions for these offers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. After you click on the offer you desire you will be directed to the credit card issuer's web site where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.
