Review: Amex Gold Card

Who is the Amex Gold Card for?

Quick Facts about the American Express Gold Card

Amex Gold Card Review

Let’s get straight to the point: When it comes to dining out or grocery shopping, there really is no travel credit card more rewarding than the American Express Gold Card. It’s my go-to recommendation for travel enthusiasts who love food (and really, who doesn’t like to eat). 

It’s also a card that’s solid for earning rewards on flight purchases. If these three spending categories make up a significant chunk of your budget—-and you also value travel rewards (that are earned in the form of super-flexible Amex Membership Rewards points)—then the Amex Gold card can be an absolute no-brainer. 

Earning points with the American Express Gold Card

If you spend money on food and flights, it’ll be easy to earn points on the Amex Gold card. Let's take a look at what you'll earn:

• 4X points at restaurants worldwide
• 4X points at US supermarkets (up to $25,000 annually, then 1X points)
• 3X points on flights purchased directly with airlines or at AmexTravel.com
• 1X points per dollar on all other eligible purchases. Terms and conditions apply.

How do you earn points with the American Express Gold Card?

The Amex Gold isn't the only card to offer a bonus category on dining (including takeout and delivery) and grocery shopping at US supermarkets, but it might just be one of the most valuable. That’s because you’ll earn a whopping 4X Amex points on both of these categories (or in other words, four points per $1 spent). 

For instance, that $7 morning latte will get you 28 Amex points. That $150 splurge at the Michelin-starred joint in town? That’s 600 points right there. And a $50 grocery bill at Trader Joe’s to stock up on a week’s supply (of snacks) gets you 200 points, too. 

It’s not all just about food, though. You also will earn 3X Amex points on flights booked directly with an airline or through Amex Travel. In this case, a $400 round-trip Delta flight to see friends in LA nets you 1,200 Amex points (just make sure you use Delta.com or AmexTravel.com to book). As you can see, those points can add up fairly quickly if you play your cards right (pun intended). 

Beyond that, all other types of spending (which are called “non-bonused” spending categories) will get you a run-of-the-mill one Amex point per dollar (1X). Therefore, more advanced travel rewards enthusiasts may want to use a different card for other types of spend to truly maximize their earning potential. 

Redeeming points with the American Express Gold Card

In the world of travel rewards, transferable points currencies (including Amex Membership Rewards) are some of the most valuable types to earn. That’s because these credit card points are really flexible, meaning you can use your rewards in a number of ways—with some methods providing more value than others. 

Since we know you’re interested in travel, let’s talk details. To redeem Amex points for travel, there are two primary methods: booking directly through Amex Travel or transferring points to a variety of airline and hotel partners. While using Amex Travel is usually way more straightforward (it operates similarly to any other online travel agency), you can sometimes unlock more value by transferring your points to nearly two dozen partners. 

Let’s dive into this below.  

Amex transfer partners

You can transfer Amex points to these airline partners.
 

• Aer Lingus AerClub
• Aeromexico Club Premier
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• ANA Mileage Club
• Avianca LifeMiles
• British Airways Executive Club
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
• Delta SkyMiles
• Emirates Skywards
• Etihad Guest
• Air France/KLM Flying Blue
• Hawaiian HawaiianMiles
• Iberia Plus
• Qantas Frequent Flyer
• Qatar Privilege Club
• Singapore KrisFlyer
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

First off, while this might seem obvious, you need an account with the program in order to transfer points from Amex to that program. Usually, that just requires a form and a few clicks to complete—and it’s totally free. 

Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind about transferring points to partners is that once a transfer is complete, you cannot convert the points back to Amex. (Therefore, make sure you want the points in that airline or hotel account before transferring.) 

With the exception of Aeromexico and JetBlue, you can transfer Amex points to airlines at a one-to-one ratio, meaning one Amex point is equivalent to one airline mile. For instance, you can convert 10,000 Amex points to 10,000 Delta SkyMiles. 

Most Amex point-to-airline transfers occur instantly, but several partners do take a bit of time. These include Aeromexico (up to 12 days), ANA (up to 3 days), Cathay Pacific (up to 7 days), Iberia (up to 3 days), Singapore (up to 2 days), and Virgin Atlantic (up to 2 days). This matters because the cost in miles could change in the time it takes for the transfer to be complete. 

You can transfer Amex points to these hotel partners.

• Choice Privileges 
• Hilton Honors
• Marriott Bonvoy

While both Choice and Marriott have a one-to-one transfer ratio, Hilton has a one-to-two transfer ratio, meaning 1 Amex point is equivalent to 2 Hilton points. (However, don’t get too excited, as Hilton typically requires way more points to redeem for hotel stays.) 

Welcome offer on the Amex Gold

The current welcome offer can get you a wide variety of travel experiences. Here are some ideas of what you could do with those points. 

• Take a solo vacay and fly in style one-way from the East Coast of the US to Europe (or vice versa) in business class using 60,000 Air Canada Aeroplan points. Transfers from Amex occur instantly, and you can book flights on airlines such as SWISS, United, Austrian, and more. 
• Fly with your partner from the West Coast of the US to Hawai’i for 13,000 British Airways Avios per person (or 54,000 Avios round-trip for two) on American Airlines or Alaska Airlines economy. Save some cash for surf lessons and poke.
• Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of Tokyo and fly ANA’s incredible business class from the US to Japan for one (1) with 47,500 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points. Have a few points left over to help you book a hotel.
• Make a flight booking via the Amex Travel portal that would cost $600 in cash. A prepaid hotel booking would only get you a $420 stay. 

What are the other benefits of the American Express Gold Card?

• One of the biggest perks of the Amex Gold is up to $120 in annual dining credit, broken down into $10 monthly statement credits. While that “dining credit” isn’t exactly as flexible as it could be, it’s still pretty easy to maximize. The following retailers qualify: Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar, and Shake Shack. Terms and conditions apply.* 
• The other primary Amex Gold perk is up to $120 in Uber Cash annually. This also comes in the form of a $10 monthly credit. The great thing is that even if you don’t take Uber rides, the credit also works for Uber Eats pickup and delivery. Again, food is king with this card. Terms and conditions apply.*

If you add the total value of the credits up ($240), you’ll notice that the effective annual fee on the card is just $10. In addition to these perks, cardholders also get access to the Amex Hotel Collection, a curated list of properties through Amex Travel in which guests receive a $100 on-site credit for qualifying activities.

You aren’t charged foreign transaction fees, and there’s trip delay insurance, as well as baggage insurance of up to $1,250 in coverage for carry-ons, and up to $500 for checked bags is included (when airfare is purchased with the Amex Gold).‡ 

^{*Enrollment required for select benefits. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.} 

^{‡Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an IAG Company.}

Alternatives to the Amex Gold Card

The Amex Gold is a valuable card for its specific bonus categories, but there are better options out there for those who spend a lot of their budget outside of dining, groceries, and flights. 

Amex Gold vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

One drawback of the American Express Gold Card to note is that non-flight travel purchases—like hotels, car rentals, Airbnbs, and trains—don’t receive the same 3X Amex points per dollar. 

Amex Gold vs. Amex Platinum 

The Amex Platinum earns 5X points on flights purchased directly with airlines or at AmexTravel.com, compared to the 3X points the Amex Gold earns in these categories. However, unlike its golden cousin, the Platinum Card does not earn bonus points on food-related purchases.