Can You Get the 75K (or Even 90K) Amex Gold Welcome Bonus Offer? [Current Public Offer Is as High as 100K]

The American Express^® Gold Card is a powerhouse when it comes to earning valuable Amex Membership Rewards points and offering premium travel benefits. Applying when the welcome offer is as high as possible is key to getting the most out of your card and maximizing benefits to offset the annual fee.

American Express only allows you to earn the welcome offer bonus on a credit card once in your lifetime, so you might as well get the highest offer you can. This post contains everything 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: Apply and find out if you're eligible for as high as 100,000 points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases in the first 6 months. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.

Since we value Membership Rewards points at about 2.2 cents per point, the current offer is worth up to $2,200, while 90,000 points is worth about $1,980, and a 75,000-point bonus offer is worth about $1,650.

NEW OFFER

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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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

You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards^® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.

As High As 100,000 Points. Find Out Your Offer.

UP's Offer Valuation*:

Up to $2,200

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 card application.

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

• You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards^® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
• 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 with 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. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
• $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.
• 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 checking the American Express website if you want to apply for the Amex Gold card.

The current public offer is: Apply and find out if you're eligible for as high as 100,000 points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases in the first 6 months. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.

American Express has recently overhauled its approval process, allowing you to apply and see your exact welcome offer without affecting your credit score. American Express uses a soft credit check to determine your eligibility and the amount of your welcome offer.

You can complete the application process to know whether you’re approved and what your welcome offer is. If you get approved and decide not to move forward for any reason, your credit score won’t be affected. However, if you accept the card, a hard inquiry may be made, which could then affect your credit.

Our research shows that American Express may give higher offers directly to targeted applicants. Since these are targeted offers, they aren’t be available to all applicants. Here’s an example of a targeted 100,000-point welcome offer when applying directly on American Express:

Here’s an example of a targeted 90,000-point welcome offer we’ve found by applying directly with American Express:

If you don’t see a high-enough Amex Gold card offer, you can try again later or try another strategy.

Step 2: Check the CardMatch Tool

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

Keep in mind the CardMatch tool only shows you offers from affiliated banks, so you won’t see every welcome offer available to you. American Express offers do 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.

Alternative: 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

It’s easy to send a referral link for your Amex Gold card. First, head to the refer-a-friend page on the American Express website. From there, 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.

Your friend can apply via the link you’ve shared, be approved for an American Express card, and 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 higher offers.

Making Amex Gold Card Referrals: Caveats and Considerations

Here are 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 link 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 friend’s name] has referred you for the Amex Gold Card. With your new Card, you could earn a welcome bonus and [your friend’s name] could earn a referral bonus. Terms Apply.”

From there, click the button that says “learn more” and you’ll be able to apply for the card.

Reasons You May Not Get a Targeted Welcome Bonus Offer

Low credit score: If your credit score could use improvement, you probably won’t get targeted offers. Check your credit and improve it if needed by using credit responsibly and paying bills in full and on time each month.

You already have an American Express card: You might be less likely to receive a targeted offer if you already have an American Express card.

Spring Trips With Membership Rewards

If you earn the welcome bonus offer, you can redeem your points for travel. Here are spring ideas to give you travel inspiration:

Spring Break in Las Vegas

March and April offer mild weather in Las Vegas, a big contrast to the often triple-digit temperatures of summer. For flights, you can transfer Membership Rewards points to airline partners for domestic award tickets. For example, you can transfer points to Delta SkyMiles for Delta flights. You can book a round-trip flight from Chicago (ORD) to Las Vegas (LAS) starting around 17,000 SkyMiles.

With so many Las Vegas hotels, there are numerous places where you can use Membership Rewards points. You can choose from 3 hotel transfer partners: Choice Privileges, Hilton Honors, and Marriott Bonvoy. A luxurious choice is Conrad Las Vegas at Resorts World, which is available for 75,000 Hilton Honors points or 37,500 Membership Rewards points transferred at a 1:2 ratio.

Hot Tip:

Read our guide to booking a spring break trip to Las Vegas with Amex points.

See the Cherry Blossoms in Japan

Plan a spring trip to Japan for sakura season and get there on points with Membership Rewards transfer partner Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, which can be used to book flights with partner airline ANA. There are sweet spots between the western U.S. and Japan on ANA, including ANA business class from 52,500 one-way.

Hot Tip:

Learn everything you need to know about the 2026 cherry blossom festivals in Japan.

Off-Peak Springtime in London

Visiting Europe in the springtime, you can often avoid peak summer crowds and enjoy mild weather and longer days. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club offers one-way flights between Boston (BOS) and London (LHR) in the Upper Class Cabin on some dates from 33,000 points. Taxes and fees can be costly at about $580, but it’s still a great redemption.

Need help booking? Read our in-depth guide on how to book Virgin Atlantic Upper Class.

Final Thoughts

Applying for a new Amex Gold card can help you earn lots of points with a welcome offer, and getting the best offer can pay off. The Amex Gold card’s welcome offer bonus often sits around 60,000 points, but targeted offers may boost your points potential to 75,000, 90,000, or as high as 100,000 points.

Once you’ve earned your welcome offer bonus, see how to earn Amex points fast and the best ways to use your Amex points for maximum value.