How To Find the 75K (or Even 90K) Welcome Bonus Offer for the Amex Gold Card [Current Public Offer Is 60K]

The American Express^® Gold Card is a powerhouse when it comes to earning valuable Amex Membership Rewards points and offering premium travel benefits.

When comparing the Amex Gold card to The Platinum Card^® from American Express, you’ll see that the Amex Gold card’s annual fee is lower than the Amex Platinum card’s, but it’s still substantial.

The Amex Gold card’s benefits and perks make the annual fee a no-brainer for many travelers. Applying when the welcome bonus offer is as high as possible is key to getting the most out of your card and the maximum benefit from the annual fee.

American Express only allows you to earn the bonus on a credit card once in your lifetime, so you might as well get the most bang for your buck!

This post contains all the information you need to apply for the Amex Gold card with an elevated welcome offer.

Targeted offers are discussed in the article below. Please note that these offers are not available to all applicants. Any information related to targeted offers has been collected independently and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Amex Gold Card Snapshot

You may find various welcome offers for the Amex Gold card depending on how and when you apply.

The current public offer is: Earn 60,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months.

Since we value Membership Rewards points at about 2.2 cents per point, an elevated offer of 90,000 points is worth about $1,980, whereas a 60,000-point bonus offer is worth about $1,320.

BEST FOR DINING

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

American Express^® Gold Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs 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.

This is the best card for food lovers who dine out at restaurants (worldwide), order take-out and want big rewards at U.S. supermarkets!

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Apply With Confidence

Know if you're approved with no credit score impact

If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.

American Express^® Gold Card

This is the best card for food lovers who dine out at restaurants (worldwide), order take-out and want big rewards at U.S. supermarkets!

Welcome 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.

60,000 points

UP's Offer Valuation*:

Up to $1,200

Annual Fee

$325

APR

See Pay Over Time APR

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent

Why We Like This Card

The American Express^® Gold Card is a game-changer.

With this card, you can earn 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants, up to $50,000 per calendar year, and you’ll also earn 4x Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year, then 1x.

There isn’t another card on the market that offers a 1-2 punch like this. Of course, there are several other benefits of the Gold Card as well, including extra monthly dining rewards and more.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 4x points per dollar at restaurants worldwide, up to $50,000 per calendar year; then 1x thereafter
• 4x points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets, up to $25,000 per calendar year; then 1x thereafter
• 3x points per dollar on flights purchased directly from airlines or at AmexTravel.com

Cons

• $325 annual fee (rates and fees)
• No lounge access

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Card Highlights

• 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.
• 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.
• $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards^® points for Uber Eats purchases made at restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
• $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express^® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations.
• $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express^® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. 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, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
• Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees.
• Annual Fee is $325.
• Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: See Pay Over Time APR
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

American Express Membership Rewards

Here are a few different methods to maximize your welcome bonus offer.

Step 1: Check the American Express Website (Try This First)

We recommend you check first on the American Express website if you want to apply for the Amex Gold card.

The current public offer is: Earn 60,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months.

Our research shows that American Express will offer an elevated offer directly to targeted applicants. Since these are targeted offers, they won’t be available to all applicants.

Here’s an example of a targeted offer we’ve found by applying directly with American Express.

Step 2: Check the CardMatch Tool

The CardMatch tool is a web-based form that allows you to quickly see your best credit card offers from partner banks.

Keep in mind the CardMatch tool only shows you offers from affiliated banks, so you won’t see every credit card offer available to you. American Express offers will show up on the CardMatch tool.

To review your matches, you need to fill out some general personal information, such as your name, address, and email address.

Personal Amex Gold Card Referral Offers

If you know a friend or family member with an American Express card, ask them to send you their Amex Gold card referral using the Amex refer-a-friend program. It’s no problem if your friend or family member doesn’t have the Amex Gold card. You can be referred to any card American Express offers from any other card type. Better yet, these targeted referral offers can sometimes include increased welcome offers!

How To Find and Share Your Personal Referral Link

Sending a referral link for your Amex Gold card couldn’t be easier. First, head to the refer-a-friend page on the American Express website. From there, you need to select the card you are sending a referral for, and American Express will show you the number of points your friend is eligible for, along with how many points you’ll earn if they are approved.

Once you’ve confirmed those details, you can send the referral to their email by entering their name and email address, or you can generate a unique link to send to one of their devices.

All that your friend needs to do is apply via the link you’ve shared, be approved for an American Express card, and they’ll receive their bonus points.

History of Referral Offers on the Amex Gold Card

Referral offers for the Amex Gold card have varied quite a bit over the years and continue to do so. Most often, referral offers can be identical to the current public offer, but you can sometimes receive elevated targeted offers, allowing you to earn even more points.

In the past, we’ve seen Amex Gold card referral offers ranging from 60,000 points to 75,000 points and even 90,000 points. So keep an eye out for those increased offers.

Making Amex Gold Card Referrals: Caveats and Considerations

Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind when sending your referral link:

• You must use the designated American Express refer-a-friend page to send your referral link.
• The person you refer must be approved for the card for you to receive your points.
• Cardholders whose accounts are past due or who have recently closed their accounts are not eligible for welcome bonus offers.
• Referral bonuses can take 8 to 12 weeks to appear in your account.

Referral Bonus Annual Limits

The number of Amex Membership Rewards points you can earn is limited to 100,000 per calendar year, so be mindful of this if you’ve already referred multiple people.

How To Accept a Referral for the Amex Gold Card

To accept a referral link from a friend, you only need to click on the unique that they’ve sent you. You’ll know for sure that it is the referral link if, when opening the page, a pop-up box states:

“(Your friends name) has referred you for the Amex Gold Card. With your new Card, you could earn a welcome bonus and (your friends name) could earn a referral bonus. Terms Apply.”

From there, simply click “learn more,” and you’ll be able to apply for the card if you choose.

Reasons You May Not Get a Targeted Welcome Bonus Offer

Low credit: If your credit score could use some improvement, you probably won’t get targeted offers. First, make sure your credit score is as high as possible. You should use your current credit responsibly and pay off your bill in full and on time each month. Failure to do this will make you very unlikely to get a bonus offer in the mail.

You already have an American Express card: According to crowdsourced data, you might be less likely to get a targeted offer like this if you already have an American Express card.

Summer Trips With Membership Rewards

If you can score 75k or more Membership Rewards points, you can use them for various great trips. Here are some summer-themed ideas to give you a bit of travel inspiration:

European Summer City and Beach Trip (Spain/Italy)

There are many great beach spots along the Mediterranean, often near historic towns and villages. Air France / KLM Flying Blue is a 1:1 transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, and you may be able to stretch your points even further by taking advantage of Flying Blue’s monthly promo awards.

Flying Blue charges 60,000 Membership Rewards to fly one-way in business class from the U.S. to Europe, but snagging a 50% off monthly promo deal would bring the cost down to 30,000 miles. It’s more common to see 25% discounts, costing 45,000 miles per direction. Fly into Rome or Barcelona, enjoy the city, then take a short train or flight to the Amalfi Coast or Mallorca.

Island Hopping in Hawaii

Use British Airways Avios (another Amex transfer partner) to fly from the West Coast to Hawaii for as little as 13,000 Avios one-way in economy. If there’s award space available, you can spend a little more to fly in a premium cabin. Or, save your points for island hopping between Oahu, Kauai, or the Big Island, or transfer them to Marriott (1:1) or Hilton (1:2).

South American Summer Adventure (Winter Down South)

Summer in the Northern Hemisphere is Winter down in South America. You can fly business class from several North American gateway cities to Lima, Peru or Santiago, Chile. One example would be 50,000 miles for a one-way trip in business class using Air Canada Aeroplan miles.

The best time to visit Peru is from May to November, the dry, cooler season. Explore the ancient wonders of Machu Picchu, or trek out to the Amazon jungle, Lake Titicaca, or the Andes highlands for snow sports like skiing.

Final Thoughts

Getting a new credit card is fun and a great way to earn many points quickly. But getting that same card with a massive welcome bonus offer is even better! While the welcome bonus for the Amex Gold card historically hovers around 60,000 points, there are welcome bonus offers out there for 75,000 or even 90,000 points! You can read our news story to learn more about the Amex Gold card referral 90k offer. 

Once you have your new Amex Gold card, be sure to come back here for lots of tips on how to earn Amex points fast and the best ways to use your Amex points for maximum value.