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Boasting a portfolio of over 20 cards, Jarrod has been an expert in the points and miles space for over 6 years. He earns and redeems over 1 million points per year and his work has been featured in o...
With a degree in media and journalism, Stella has been in the points and miles game for more than 6 years. She most recently worked as a Corporate Communications Analyst for JetBlue. Find her work in ...
Kellie’s professional experience has led her to a deep passion for compliance, data reporting, and process improvement. Kellie’s learned the ins and outs of the points and miles world and leads UP’s c...
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The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry
experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates
and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating.
We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.
4.59
60,000 points
$250
See Pay Over Time APR
Good to Excellent (670-850)
American Express® Gold Card
This is the go-to card for food lovers who dine out at restaurants and those who want big rewards at U.S. supermarkets!
U.P. Rating
The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry
experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates
and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating.
We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.
With this card, you can earn 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants and you’ll also earn 4x Membership Rewards points atU.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1x.
There isn’t another card on the market that offers a 1-2 punch like this. Of course, there are a number of other benefits of the Gold Card as well, including extra monthly dining rewards and more.
Card Details
Card Snapshot
Welcome Bonus & Info
Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and 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.
$120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
$120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.
Get a $100 experience credit with a minimum two-night stay when you book The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel. Experience credit varies by property.
Choose the color that suits your style. Gold or Rose Gold.
4x points per $1 at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
4x points per $1 at U.S. supermarkets, up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases; and 1x thereafter
3x points per $1 on flights purchased directly from airlines or at Amex Travel
Up to $120 annual dining credit: up to $10 monthly statement credit when you pay with the Amex Gold card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations
Up to $120 in annual Uber Cash: get $10 monthly in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S. when you add your Gold Card to your Uber account
You spend a lot at U.S. supermarkets, on dining out, and airfare
You can make use of the annual dining credit
You want a card with no foreign transaction fees
You’re an active-duty military member who wants access to exclusive card perks and benefits.
Don’t Get If
You don’t enjoy traveling
You don’t spend much money on dining out, airfare, or supermarkets
You prefer a card with no annual fee
You prefer a card with increased offerings like airport lounge access or hotel elite status
Amex Gold Card — Is It Worth it?
The Amex Gold card is an absolute workhorse of a card when it comes to earning Amex Membership Rewards points, especially for those that have a large level of annual spending on dining or U.S supermarket purchases. In fact, you’ll be hard-pressed to find many better cards for these purchases.
Some might see the $250 annual fee that the card charges and immediately write it off as a non-starter, but you should consider that the card offers a $120 annual dining credit and a $120 annual Uber Cash.
Plus, when you combine those credits with the card’s other benefits like baggage insurance, access to Amex’s The Hotel Collection, and access to Amex Offers, you can see it is fairly easy to get more value out of the card than the fee you pay.
To help make your decision, ask yourself these questions:
Do I spend a lot each year on dining, on airfare, and at U.S. supermarkets?
Can I easily get more value out of the card’s benefits than the annual fee I’ll pay?
Do I want a card that earns transferable rewards?
If you answered yes to those questions, then the Amex Gold card would likely be very worth it for you.
Your Amex Gold card gives you up to $120 each year in Uber Cash, distributed as $10 each month, that can be used on Uber rides, Uber Eats orders, and Uber groceries in the U.S. (only available in select markets). Be sure to add your Gold Card to your Uber account to receive this benefit!
The Hotel Collection
The Amex Gold card gets you access to The Hotel Collection. This group of exclusive hotels offers special benefits to cardmembers when booking a stay of at least 2 nights at select properties in the collection. You can enjoy the following benefits with The Hotel Collection:
$100 hotel credit to spend on dining, spa, or resort charges
Room upgrade when available
Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance
Use your card to reserve and pay for your car rental, decline the rental agency’s coverage, and you’ll be covered (up to $50,000) if the car is damaged or stolen. This coverage is secondary to other insurance.
Baggage Insurance Plan
If you pay for your entire ticket with your Amex Gold card, and the carrier damages your bag or the items inside, you can receive coverage of up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and $500 for checked baggage.
Purchase Protection
When you make a purchase with your card and the item is accidentally damaged, stolen, or lost, you’ll receive coverage for up to 90 days from the purchase date and $10,000 per occurrence.
Extended Warranty Protection
If you purchase an item that has a manufacturer’s warranty of fewer than 5 years, your card extends that warranty coverage by 1 additional year.
Best Ways To Earn and Redeem Your Amex Points
Even though the Amex Gold card is great at earning points on its own, there are still many other ways to earn Amex Membership Rewards points that you’ll want to be aware of.
Since you’ll earn points rapidly, you need to learn how you can put those points to good use. To do so, we recommend you check out our guide to the best ways to redeem your Amex points for max value.
So much of learning how to maximize your points and miles comes down to learning how to effectively use transfer partners to reach your travel goals. Given that, if you want to learn how to squeeze as much value as possible out of your points, you need to learn about the American Express transfer partners and how to use them!
The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.
A fantastic travel card with a huge welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.
A fantastic travel card with a huge welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® card is one of the best travel rewards cardson the market. Its bonus categories include travel, dining, online grocery purchases, and streaming services, which gives you the opportunity to earn lots of bonus points on these purchases.
Additionally, it offers flexible point redemption options, no foreign transaction fees, and excellent travel insurance coverage including primary car rental insurance. With benefits like these, it’s easy to see why this card is an excellent choice for any traveler.
Pros
5x points on all travel booked via the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal
5x points on select Peloton purchases over $250 (through March 31, 2025)
5x points on Lyft purchases (through March 31, 2025)
3x points on dining purchases, online grocery purchases, and select streaming services
2x points on all other travel worldwide
$50 annual credit on hotel stays booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal
6 months of complimentary Instacart+ (activate by July 31, 2024), plus up to $15 in statement credits each quarter through July 2024
Excellent travel and car rental insurance
10% annual bonus points
No foreign transaction fees
1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs like United MileagePlus and World of Hyatt
Complimentary Spot Club Platinum status with The Parking Spot for 2 years, 20% off of your first reservation, and points for 1 free day of parking (enroll by October 26, 2023)
Cons
$95 annual fee
No elite benefits like airport lounge access or hotel elite status
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining, and 2x on all other travel purchases, and $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, plus more.
Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is one of the most popular travel rewards cards on the market, and with benefits including 2x points per $1 spend on dining and travel, no foreign transaction fees, and flexible redemption options (including transfer partners), it’s easy to see why the card is so popular.
For just a $95 annual fee, you’ll be able to start earning Chase Ultimate Rewards points, one of the most valuable loyalty currencies available. Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be redeemed for incredible value through the program’s select Chase transfer partners.
The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.
Get 2x miles plus some of the most flexible redemptions offered by a travel credit card!
As a frequent traveler with excellent credit, you’re always on the lookout for a credit card that comes with all the bells and whistles. And the easier it is to understand, the better!
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Cardis one of the most popular rewards cards on the market. It’s perfect for anyone in search of a great sign-up bonus, high rewards rates, and flexible redemption options.
Pros
5x miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
2x miles per $1 on all other purchases
2 complimentary visits to a Capital One Lounge or Plaza Premium Lounges each year
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit
No foreign transaction fees
Access to Capital One transfer partners
Cons
$95 annual fee
Limited elite benefits
Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get Capital One’s best prices on thousands of trip options
Miles won’t expire for the life of the account and there’s no limit to how many you can earn
Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
Enjoy two complimentary visits per year to Capital One Lounges or to 100+ Plaza Premium Lounges through the Partner Lounge Network
Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
Enrich every hotel stay from our Lifestyle Collection with a suite of cardholder benefits, like a $50 experience credit, room upgrades, and more
Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
If the majority of your daily spending comes from purchases outside of dining and travel categories, then the Capital One Venture card might be a great option for you.
The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.
Frequent flyers will enjoy 3x ThankYou Points at restaurants, gas stations, supermarkets, air travel, and hotels.
Frequent flyers will enjoy 3x ThankYou Points at restaurants, gas stations, supermarkets, air travel, and hotels.
Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024.
The Citi Premier® Card is an excellent option for anyone looking for an all-around travel rewards credit card. The card helps you earn points fast with great 3x bonus categories such as restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, airfare, and hotels. Plus, it offers access to airline and hotel transfer partners, doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, and has a reasonable annual fee!
Pros
3x points at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, airfare, and hotel purchases
Access to Citi transfer partners
Annual hotel credit
No foreign transaction fees
Cons
$95 annual fee
Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024.
Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Other Hotels
Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets
Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
Annual Hotel Savings Benefit
60,000 ThankYou® Points are redeemable for $600 in gift cards redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com
No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
The Citi Premier card offers 3x points per $1 on travel purchases, including gas stations, making it one of the few travel credit cards on the market to offer a high return on gas purchases.
This makes the card an excellent choice for those who drive often for work or love taking road trips. Citi Premier cardholders will also earn 2x points per $1 on restaurants and entertainment purchases.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Amex Gold card offers great earning potential at supermarkets, restaurants, and airfare expenses while offering a variety of high-value redemption options.
Points can be redeemed for a variety of travel partners and can be transferred directly to other loyalty accounts when you need points elsewhere.
Cardholders also benefit from perks such as the up to $120 annual dining credit.
While the card does come with a $250 annual fee, if you’re able to maximize the bonus categories and card perks, it may be very worth the fee.
Yes, the card earns Membership Rewards points that you can use for huge value!
No, as long as your account stays active and in good standing, you will never lose your Membership Rewards points.
The annual fee is $250.
No, there are no foreign transaction fees when using the card.
Yes, the card is a metal card with a gold finish. A Rose Gold finish is also available.
No, the card doesn’t have a preset spending limit. But that doesn’t mean you have access to unlimited spending. Your purchasing power will adjust based on the use of your card, payment and credit history, and financial resources.
When you make purchases on your card, you earn rewards in the form of points. These Membership Rewards points can be redeemed for statement credits, gift cards, travel, and more.
The points accumulate in your account until you redeem them.
To redeem your points, simply log in to your online American Express card account and select the Membership Rewards portal to view your account summaries and the various ways to earn and redeem points.
Membership Rewards points can be redeemed for merchandise, gift cards, travel, used as a charity donation, and even spent on Amazon — but their greatest value is realized when transferring points to airline partners.
To receive the dining statement credit (which is limited to $10 each statement period), you must enroll through your American Express portal and use your card at participating restaurants.
Those restaurants include Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, , Milk Bar, and select Shake Shack locations.
Boasting a portfolio of over 20 cards, Jarrod has been an expert in the points and miles space for over 6 years. He earns and redeems over 1 million points per year and his work has been featured in outlets like The New York Times.
Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.
5 comments
rOB
October 04, 2018
Is this a “new” card or precluded from getting if you have previously
had the Gold Card ?
Hey Rob, the Gold card and old PRG card are considered the same product, so you can only get the sign-up bonus once.
Patricia
October 05, 2019
I recently used my boyfriend’s Gold Business card to book a trip which included 4 Delta Air Line tickets. The next day there were several charges ranging from 7.50 for trip delay insurance and 9.95 for baggage premium insurance? Is this an automatic charge? I didn’t request or need either. Is this something I can have removed off the card? It was almost 100.00?
I appreciate your help. Thank you
Hi Patricia. First, please be advised that we are not American Express or Delta. We are Upgraded Points, a blog specializing in points, miles, credit card, and travel resources. You could call American Express at the number on the back of the card and inquire about the charges in question. Sorry we can’t help you further.
Feroz Siddik
October 05, 2018
You may actually get a better offer for 50,000 points if you use a referral code.
Any thoughts or questions? Comment below!
Email needed if you'd like comment updates. It will NOT be published.
This bonus value is an estimated valuation calculated by UP after analyzing redemption options, transfer partners, award availability and how much UP would pay to buy these points.
5 comments
rOB
October 04, 2018
Is this a “new” card or precluded from getting if you have previously
had the Gold Card ?
Stephen Au
October 05, 2018
Hey Rob, the Gold card and old PRG card are considered the same product, so you can only get the sign-up bonus once.
Patricia
October 05, 2019
I recently used my boyfriend’s Gold Business card to book a trip which included 4 Delta Air Line tickets. The next day there were several charges ranging from 7.50 for trip delay insurance and 9.95 for baggage premium insurance? Is this an automatic charge? I didn’t request or need either. Is this something I can have removed off the card? It was almost 100.00?
I appreciate your help. Thank you
Christine Krzyszton
October 06, 2019
Hi Patricia. First, please be advised that we are not American Express or Delta. We are Upgraded Points, a blog specializing in points, miles, credit card, and travel resources. You could call American Express at the number on the back of the card and inquire about the charges in question. Sorry we can’t help you further.
Feroz Siddik
October 05, 2018
You may actually get a better offer for 50,000 points if you use a referral code.
Any thoughts or questions? Comment below!
Email needed if you'd like comment updates. It will NOT be published.
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