Why the American Express Green Card is great for flexible spending

The American Express® Green Card* may not be as popular as some other American Express credit cards, but that’s likely to change in the future. Not only does this card offer very generous rewards in a broad range of spending categories, but points earned fall within the American Express Membership Rewards program.

The American Express Green Card is also a hybrid card with both credit card and charge card features, so there are other potential advantages as a result. Either way, this card can be a winner if you’re someone who wants to earn flexible rewards without a lot of rules. If you’re curious why this card is great for flexible spending, read on to learn more.

Details of the American Express Green Card

The Amex Green Card offers a generous welcome bonus and bonus points on select purchases, along with an annual fee:

• Welcome bonus: Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $3,000 in eligible purchases on your card within the first six months of card membership
• Rewards: 3X Membership Rewards points on travel (including flights, hotels, tours, car rentals, cruises and more); 3X points on transit (including trains, taxis, rideshares, buses and more); 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide; and 1X points on other purchases
• Annual fee: $150

The fact that this card earns Amex Membership Rewards points is a major bonus, mostly because rewards in this program offer more flexibility than cash back. In fact, Membership Rewards points can be used for flexible redemptions such as for gift cards, merchandise, travel through the Amex travel portal or even transfers to American Express airline and hotel partners. When transferred to airlines for high-value redemptions, these points can even be worth up to 2.0 cents each.

What is the American Express Green Card credit limit?

The Amex Green card comes with no preset spending limit, meaning you won’t be assigned a specific credit limit when you apply for this card. Instead, the amount you can charge will vary based on your income, your regular card use and your payment history.

Consumers who choose the American Express Green Card have the option to pay their credit card balance in full at the end of the billing period, but they can also carry a balance with interest on eligible charges if they opt to take advantage of the card’s Pay Over Time feature. Cardholders can also split up large purchases into a payment plan with a fixed monthly plan fee through Amex’s Plan It feature.

However, American Express notes that there is a limit on the total amount you can carry as a balance or move into a payment plan. It states that any purchases beyond this limit “need to be paid in full when your bill is due.”

3 reasons the Amex Green Card is great for flexible spending

With no preset spending limit, the American Express Green Card can be a valuable tool for your wallet. Here’s an explanation of the main reasons to consider this card as your everyday card for regular spending and bills.

Pay Over Time

The Amex Green Card comes with a feature called Pay Over Time that allows cardholders to carry a balance when they need to. While a limit will be set for how much cardholders can carry in revolving balances, and while interest accrues on balances carried from one month to the next, this option lets cardholders pay less than their full balance in billing periods when cash flow is tight (or they want more wiggle room in their monthly budget).

Pay It Plan It

With the Amex Pay It and Plan It features, the card issuer lets users have more control over their payments. With the Pay It component of this feature, cardholders can lower their credit card balance by making unlimited payments under $100 throughout the month via the American Express mobile app.

With Plan It, cardholders can split up large purchases of $100 or more over time with a fixed monthly fee instead of interest charges. When this option is selected, cardholders see the fixed monthly plan fee upfront so they can make an informed decision. Amex customers can also access a Plan It Calculator that lets them see potential plan fees for large purchases in any price range. Cardholders can create up to 10 active payment plans.

Generous rewards in everyday spending categories

Finally, don’t forget that the American Express Green Card comes with flexible and versatile rewards categories that offer bonus points on all kinds of purchases. Specifically, cardholders earn 3X points on eligible travel, eligible transit, dining at restaurants worldwide and 1X points on other purchases.

It’s worth noting, however, that the travel category is broader than some other top American Express credit cards offer. While some Amex cards only offer bonus points on travel booked directly with airlines or via AmexTravel.com, the Amex Green Card offers bonus points on many more types of travel purchases.

Within the card’s fine print, you can see that the 3X travel category applies to “airfare, hotels, cruises, tours, car rentals, campgrounds, vacation rentals, travel purchases on third party travel websites, and travel purchases on amextravel.com.”

As for transit purchases, you’ll earn 3X points on “trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways.”

The bottom line

The Amex Green Card has a lot to offer, and that’s true whether you want to carry a balance, or you’re someone who always pays their bill in full each month. The fact you’ll earn 3X Membership Rewards points on so many types of purchases is another major plus, along with the card’s no preset spending limit.

Still, you should look at several credit cards in the same niche before you choose just one. Take the time to compare the American Express Green Card to other Amex credit cards and travel credit cards before you make your pick.

*All information about the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com and has not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.