22 Benefits of Adding Authorized Users to the Amex Gold Card [2024]

One of our favorite cards of all time is the American Express^® Gold Card, which earns stellar rewards for common, everyday purchases.

This card earns the famous Membership Rewards points at a rate of up to 4x points per dollar spent.

In addition, there are some much-appreciated travel benefits and shopping protections available, which are increasingly becoming more important in an age of expanding fraud and theft.

If you have a family, and you need to add your household members as authorized users, the Amex Gold card is also capable of helping your family rack up even more points quickly. This is a whole lot cheaper than having each household member hold their own Amex Gold card.

So in this guide, we’ll walk you through all of the key benefits of adding authorized users to the Amex Gold card. Let’s get into it!

Amex Gold Card Snapshot

As we’ve mentioned, the Amex Gold card is truly one of the most rewarding cards to hold if you’re looking for top-notch rewards on everyday purchases.

This card allows you to earn plenty of points without having to spend on travel like many business travelers do.

Here’s our high-level snapshot of the Amex Gold card, including information about its welcome bonus.

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 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.

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!

Learn More(at Amex's secure site)

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 with your new Card within the first 6 months.

60,000 points

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$1,320

Annual Fee

$250

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 (670-850)

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 and you’ll also earn 4x Membership Rewards points at U.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 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, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
• 4x points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets, up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases; and 1x thereafter
• 3x points per dollar 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
• No foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees)
• Access to Amex’s The Hotel Collection
• Access to American Express transfer partners

Cons

• $250 annual fee (see rates and fees)
• No lounge access

Card Highlights

• Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards^® points after you spend $6,000 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.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees.
• Annual Fee is $250.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

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

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• Benefits of the Amex Gold
• Upgrade Amex Gold to Amex Platinum
• Amex Gold Benefits for Military
• Amex Gold vs Blue Cash Preferred
• Amex Platinum vs Amex Gold
• Amex Gold vs Delta Gold

What Is an Authorized User?

In general, an authorized user is an individual added to someone’s account, whether it’s a credit card or charge card, who is authorized to make transactions on the primary account.

Here are 2 of the most common situations in which adding an authorized user makes sense:

• The head of the household wants to give a credit card to children
• The head of the household wants to give a credit card to a spouse

By doing this, the children and spouse don’t need to worry about qualifying for the card, applying for the card, or paying multiple annual fees.

Just keep in mind that all transactions made by authorized users are the complete responsibility of the primary cardholder.

1. Add Up to 5 Authorized Users for Free

Right now, the Amex Gold card allows up to 5 authorized users for no extra annual fees (rates & fees), making it a great idea for households of up to 6 to utilize this perk.

So, adding up to 5 authorized users for free could potentially save you more than $1,000 in annual fees compared to each person holding their own Amex Gold card.

Any authorized users after that are charged $35 per year per card (rates & fees).

2. Build Up Credit History

If you want to get your child started early in their financial wellness journey, Amex allows authorized users as young as 13 years old.

That way, your child can get started with building credit as early as possible; ideally, they’ll have excellent credit by the time they can apply for their own credit cards.

The same principle is true for spouses — if your spouse doesn’t have great credit, you can add him/her as an authorized user to continue building credit, as long as your card also has an excellent payment history.

3. Merge Finances

If you’re looking to manage your finances through the principle of “simplify, simplify, simplify,” then authorized users could be your saving grace. If each household member had a different credit card, managing household spending could become a nightmare.

By having just 1 card for everyday purchases in the Amex Gold card and adding all household members as authorized users, the entire household’s spending patterns would be tracked under 1 umbrella.

In addition, Amex has some neat features that allow you to set spending limits, apply advanced filtering for expense management, and much more.

4. Get Additional Perks

The major reason why you should consider adding authorized users on the Amex Gold card, though, is to allow your loved ones to get extra benefits.

Normally, in order to get 4x points on those bonus categories, for example, you’d need an Amex Gold card. If your family members make these purchases regularly, adding them as authorized users could enable you to earn bonus points and avoid missing out on massive rewards.

The Earning Benefits of Adding an Authorized User

5. Meet Minimum Spending Requirements for a Welcome Bonus

With the Amex Gold card, you’ll probably qualify for a welcome bonus. This welcome offer will help accelerate the rewards you earn at the beginning of your card membership.

Any spending that authorized users make will also help qualify for the welcome bonus. This could mean the difference between getting that huge welcome offer or missing out on it.

Bottom Line: Even if your authorized user is added to your Amex Gold card, he/she is still allowed to earn a separate welcome offer in the future should he/she decide to get their own Amex Gold card.

6. Get Bonus Points on Purchases

When you add authorized users to your Amex Gold card, any spending they make can count towards bonus categories, too. Here are the Amex Gold card’s current bonus categories:

• Earn 4x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.
• Earn 4x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets, up to $25,000 per calendar year
• Earn 3x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or with AmexTravel.com
• Earn 1x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on other purchases

So if your spouse happens to spend $1,000 per month on groceries at U.S. supermarkets, you could stand to gain another 4,000 points every month!

7. Earn Rewards on Other Purchases

If your purchases don’t fall into the bonus categories above, don’t fret. You’ll still earn 1x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on other purchases, even if your authorized users make these purchases.

There are no caps or limits to how many points you can earn every year, either.

Hot Tip: One of the little-known facts about the Amex Gold card is that you can actually earn 2x Membership Rewards points for all eligible bookings made through AmexTravel.com.

Redeeming Rewards

8. Transfer Points to Authorized Users’ Frequent Flyer Programs

American Express has its own policies governing the process of sharing points with others, whether it’s done directly or indirectly.

In this case, American Express does allow the primary cardholder to transfer points to an authorized user’s frequent flyer program account, with a caveat. The authorized user must have been on your account for at least 90 days before being eligible to transfer points.

So for example, if Jane Smith is the primary cardholder and John Doe is an authorized user that has been on the account for at least 90 days, Jane Smith can transfer Amex points to a Delta SkyMiles account under John Doe’s name online with ease!

Hot Tip: Amex doesn’t allow Membership Rewards points to be transferred directly to someone else’s Membership Rewards account.

9. Redeem Points for Authorized Users

If the method above doesn’t work or if your authorized users don’t have their own frequent flyer accounts, you can transfer your Membership Rewards points to your own frequent flyer account and redeem points for a ticket booked under your authorized user’s name, as long as the frequent flyer program allows this in their terms and conditions.

So for example, let’s say Jane Smith is the primary cardholder while John Doe is an authorized user. And let’s say Jane Smith wants to book a flight on Delta under John Doe’s name by transferring Amex points to Delta SkyMiles.

John Doe doesn’t need to have his own frequent flyer account in this case, since Delta SkyMiles allows Jane Smith to redeem miles for other travelers’ award flights. In this case, Jane Smith can simply transfer points to her Delta SkyMiles account and book a ticket under John Doe’s name.

Travel Benefits and Protections

10. Access to The Hotel Collection

Besides the exceptional 4x earning structure from this card, the Amex Gold card is known for its special hotel benefits program known as The Hotel Collection.

On eligible stays of 2 nights or more booked through The Hotel Collection, you can enjoy a room upgrade (subject to availability) and a $100 hotel credit to use on qualifying dining, spa, and resort activities.

There are around 600 of these properties globally, and authorized users enjoy this lovely perk to get even more value when traveling.

11. Secondary Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance

This card comes with secondary rental car insurance, which kicks in when you:

• Decline the rental car company’s collision damage waiver or loss damage waiver
• Pay for the entire car rental using your Amex Gold card.

This coverage is secondary, which means that you’ll need to file a claim with any other available insurance policies before this coverage kicks in.

On the Amex Gold card, you’re covered for up to $50,000 in damages on eligible rentals of 30 days or less.

Keep in mind that liability insurance is not offered on this policy.

When authorized users book a qualifying car rental, they can also enjoy secondary rental car insurance.

Hot Tip: If you’re looking for primary rental car insurance, you can purchase it through Amex, too!

12. Trip Delay Reimbursement

If your trip on a common carrier (usually on a plane) is delayed for more than 12 hours, or if any overnight stay is required, you may be eligible to get reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred, up to $300 per covered trip and up to 2 claims every 12 consecutive month period.

This card offers coverage for the cardholder, spouse, domestic partner, or unmarried dependent children up to age 19 (or up to age 26 if enrolled as a full-time student at an accredited college or university).

13. Baggage Insurance

Given the state of travel these days, losing your baggage or having it get damaged seems to be getting more commonplace.

With the Amex Gold card, you can access a baggage insurance plan, which reimburses up to $1,250 per covered person (with a $250 total maximum per covered person for all high-risk items). To be specific, checked luggage is covered for up to $500 per person, while carry-on bags are covered for up to $1,250 per person. In New York State, there’s also a $10,000 combined limit per covered trip for all covered persons.

To qualify, you must purchase the entire fare with your Amex Gold card (although purchases made using Pay with Points would also qualify).

14. Global Assist

Amex offers a benefit called Global Assist, which can help you coordinate services at no additional charge, including medical, legal, financial, or other select emergency services.

Although all of the costs charged are your responsibility, this could be incredibly helpful if you’re in a pickle, like if you need passport assistance, emergency translation, or bail bond referral services.

Shopping Benefits and Protections

15. Access to Amex Offers

One of our favorite features of American Express cards is Amex Offers. And in this case, the Amex Gold card is known to offer some of the most lucrative offers out there, whether you’re looking for bonus points or discounts.

For example, we’ve seen this lucrative Amazon bonus points offer pop up, which would translate to a return on spending of 11%, according to our valuations of Amex points at 2.2 cents each.

16. Complimentary ShopRunner Membership

ShopRunner is a company that offers free delivery in as little as 2 days on qualifying purchases, as well as free shipping on returns.

And although ShopRunner usually charges $79 per year, you can unlock your complimentary membership with the Amex Gold card.

Some of the 100+ merchants that participate in ShopRunner include Neiman Marcus, Under Armour, Brooks Brothers, and more.

17. Purchase Protection

Purchase protection covers items that you buy if they are accidentally damaged, lost, or stolen up to 90 days after the original purchase date.

With the Amex Gold card, you are covered for up to $10,000 per purchase and $50,000 per calendar year. Additionally, if your items are lost, damaged, or stolen due to a natural disaster, you can get up to $500.

18. Extended Warranty

When you purchase an item that has an original manufacturer’s warranty of 5 years or less using your Amex Gold card, you can get up to 1 year of extended warranty coverage.

The per-item maximum is $10,000, and the yearly maximum is $50,000.

19. No Preset Spending Limit*

*No preset spending limit means the spending limit is flexible. Unlike a traditional credit card with a set limit, the amount you can spend adapts based on factors such as your purchase, payment, and credit history.

In any case, the benefit of this card is that it doesn’t have a traditional credit limit like most credit cards do.

This could be extremely helpful if you (or your authorized users) need to make a big purchase that could get declined under a normal credit card.

20. Access to the Amex Auto Purchasing Program

Amex has partnered with TrueCar to offer specific benefits when buying a vehicle online.

Certain dealers that are partnered with Amex will offer “Upfront Price Offers” on in-stock vehicles, while others may offer other benefits.

In addition, each participating dealer in the program will accept your Amex Gold card for at least $2,000 and up to the full purchase price!

So if your authorized user is getting ready to purchase a car, this benefit could come in handy.

21. No Foreign Transaction Fees

The Amex Gold card could save you a ton of money abroad if you are a travel enthusiast with no foreign transaction fees (rates & fees).

For example, if your authorized user spends $1,000 at restaurants internationally using their Amex Gold card, you can save around $30 in foreign transaction fees — plus, you’d earn around 4,000 Membership Rewards points, which are worth $88 by our valuations.

22. Digital Wallets

The Amex Gold card is equipped with contactless capabilities, which means you can add it to your Apple Wallet, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, or Fitbit Pay.

You don’t need to carry the card with you to make a purchase any longer.

What Benefits Do Authorized Users Not Receive?

Now that we’ve detailed the list of benefits that authorized users receive when using the Amex Gold card, let’s touch on some of the benefits that authorized users won’t get.

Up to $120 Dining Credit

To start off, the Amex Gold card offers up to $10 in monthly statement credits (up to $120 annually) towards dining at participating merchants:

Although purchases made by the authorized user can count towards the dining credit, authorized users will not get their own dining credit every month.

So that means regardless of how many authorized users there are, you’ll only get up to $120 in dining credits every year.

Up to $120 in Uber Cash

The other important benefit that authorized users will not get is up to $120 Uber Cash (distributed as $10 per month), which is valid for Uber Eats orders and Uber rides in the U.S.

Authorized users can certainly use the Uber Cash credit if they add their Amex Gold card account into their Uber wallet, but they won’t get their own unique credits.

How To Add an Authorized User to the Amex Gold Card

To add an authorized user to your Amex Gold card, log into your online account first. Then, in the top ribbon menu, click Account Services.

On the left menu, click Manage Other Users, followed by Add Someone to Your Account.

You’ll be prompted to select which card you’d like to add an authorized user to. Select the correct account and click Continue.

You’ll be redirected to the form for the Amex Gold card. Click the button that says Add a new Card Member to your account.

There will be a form that expands. Fill out the personal information and click Agree & Submit.

After you add an authorized user, it will take around 7 to 10 business days for the new card to arrive in the mail. Then simply activate it, and it’s ready to go!

Everything Else You Need To Know

When you think about adding an authorized user to your Amex Gold card, just remember that all transactions and activity are the sole responsibility of the primary cardholder.

If you are concerned about your household members spending wildly on the card, you can also manually set spending limits for your authorized users.

And all authorized user accounts get reported from Amex to the credit bureaus, which can affect the authorized user’s 5/24 standing with Chase, among other statuses.

Final Thoughts

All in all, there are many compelling reasons to add authorized users to the Amex Gold card.

To start off, the first 5 authorized user cards come with no additional annual fee. Then, adding authorized users, in general, as long as the primary Amex Gold card has an excellent payment history, can help your household members build credit.

In addition, if your other household members spend any amount of money, authorized user cards also earn the same rewards as the primary card, making it possible to get up to 4x Membership Rewards points!

Wrapping up, the Amex Gold card confers access to The Hotel Collection, travel insurance benefits, and other shopping-related perks like complimentary ShopRunner membership and no preset spending limit to authorized users.

Read our guide on the minimum age for authorized users on a credit card for further reading.

For the car rental collision damage coverage benefit of the American Express^® Gold Card, car rental loss and damage insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the commercial car rental company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car rental loss or damage coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. For the trip delay insurance benefits of the American Express^® Gold Card, up to $300 per covered trip that is delayed for more than 12 hours; and 2 claims per eligible card per 12 consecutive month period. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company. For the baggage insurance plan benefit of the American Express^® Gold Card, baggage insurance plan coverage can be in effect for covered persons for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen baggage during their travel on a common carrier vehicle (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when the entire fare for a ticket for the trip (one-way or round-trip) is charged to an eligible account. Coverage can be provided for up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the common carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus). For New York State residents, there is a $10,000 aggregate maximum limit for all covered persons per covered trip. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. For the extended warranty benefit of the American Express^® Gold Card, when an American Express^® card member charges a covered purchase to an eligible card, extended warranty can provide up to one extra year added to the original manufacturer’s warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per card member account per calendar year. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. For the purchase protection benefit of the American Express^® Gold Card, purchase protection is an embedded benefit of your card membership and requires no enrollment. It can help protect covered purchases made on your eligible card when they’re accidentally damaged, stolen, or lost, for up to 90 days from the covered purchase date. The coverage is limited up to $10,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per card member account per calendar year. Coverage limits apply. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. For the Global Assist Hotline benefit of the American Express^® Gold Card, you can rely on Global Assist Hotline 24 hours a day / 7 days a week for medical, legal, financial or other select emergency coordination and assistance services while traveling more than 100 miles away from your home. Third-party service costs may be your responsibility. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.