20 Benefits of Adding Authorized Users to the Amex Gold Card [2026]

One of the top cards on the market is the American Express^® Gold Card, both for primary cardholders and Authorized Users.

This card allows you to earn Amex Membership Rewards points at a rate of up to 4 points per $1 spent at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year). Adding your household members as Authorized Users on the Amex Gold card means that your family racks up more points quickly, because Authorized Users get their own cards and earn Membership Rewards Points on all purchases, including bonus categories. Plus, you can add the first 5 Authorized Users at no extra annual cost, which is much cheaper than having each household member hold their own Amex Gold card (rates & fees).

If you hold the Amex Gold card and want to understand more about the benefits your Authorized Users would receive, what they wouldn’t get, and how to add them to your card, read on.

Quick Overview of Amex Gold Card Authorized User Benefits

At a glance, here is some of the information and benefits related to Authorized Users on the Amex Gold card:

• Add up to 5 authorized users for no additonal fee. Each additional user beyond that costs $35 annually (rates & fees)
• Authorized Users earn the same amount of Membership Rewards points as the primary cardholder (4x on restaurants worldwide and 4x at U.S. supermarkets)
• Travel and shopping protections extend to Authorized Users
• All statement credits ($120 dining, $120 Uber Cash, $100 Resy, $84 Dunkin’) are per account, not per user. Enrollment is required.
• Transfer points to an Authorized User’s frequent flyer account after 90 days on the account
• Authorized user accounts are reported to the credit bureaus and can count toward Chase’s 5/24 rule

Amex Gold Card Snapshot

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

BEST FOR DINING

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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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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

Hot Tip: Apply and find out if you’re eligible for a welcome bonus offer as high as 100,000 points with the Amex Gold card. Welcome offers may vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.

What Is an Authorized User?

An Authorized User is an individual added to someone’s account who is authorized to make transactions on the primary account. It makes the most sense to add an Authorized User to your account if you want to give your kids or spouse or partner a credit card. This way, the children and spouse don’t need to worry about qualifying, applying, or paying multiple annual fees (or the bill, since that’s technically the primary cardholder’s responsibility). According to Amex, anyone over the age of 13 can be an Authorized User, though only those 18 and up can establish credit. Just remember that all transactions made by Authorized Users are the complete responsibility of the primary cardholder.

Core Benefits of Adding an Authorized User

Generally, adding cardholders can benefit you and them by simplifying household finances and helping them build credit.

Add up to 5 Authorized Users at No Charge

Right now, the Amex Gold card allows up to 5 Authorized Users for no extra annual fee, making it great for households of up to 6 to use this perk. 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 cost the primary $35 per year per card.

Build Credit History

If you want to get your child started early on their financial wellness journey, Amex allows Authorized Users as young as 13. That way, your child can start building credit as early as possible. Ideally, they’d have excellent credit by the time they can apply for their own credit cards.

The same principle applies to spouses. If your spouse doesn’t have great credit, you can add them as an Authorized User to continue building credit, as long as your card also has an excellent payment history. Of course, if you don’t make payments on time, you could theoretically harm Authorized Users’ credit scores.

Merge Finances

If you’re looking to simplify your household finances, then Authorized Users could be your saving grace. If each household member had a different credit card, managing household spending would get complicated.

By having just the Amex Gold card for everyday purchases and adding all household members as Authorized Users, the entire household’s spending patterns are tracked under a single umbrella.

In addition, Amex offers useful features for additional cards to set spending limits, apply advanced filtering for expense management, and so on.

Get Additional Perks

The major reason why you should consider adding Authorized Users to 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 let the household earn bonus points and avoid missing out on massive rewards.

Authorized User Earning Benefits

All spending by Authorized Users earns rewards for the primary cardholder.

Meet Minimum Spending Requirements for a Welcome Bonus Offer

With the Amex Gold card, you should get a welcome offer to help accelerate the rewards you earn during the first months of your card membership.

Any spending made by Authorized Users helps qualify for the welcome offer. This could mean the difference between getting a bonus and missing out on it.

Hot Tip:

Even if your Authorized User is added to your Amex Gold card, he or she can earn a separate welcome offer in the future should he or she decide to get his or her own Amex Gold card.

Bonus Points on Purchases

When you add Authorized Users to your Amex Gold card, any spending they do can count toward bonus categories. Here are the Amex Gold card’s current bonus categories:

• Earn 4x points on restaurants worldwide, up to $50,000 per calendar year.
• Earn 4x points at U.S. supermarkets, up to $25,000 per calendar year.
• Earn 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or with AmexTravel.com.
• Earn 2x points on other AmexTravel.com purchases.
• Earn 1 Membership Rewards point per $1 spent on other purchases.

So if your Authorized User spends $1,000 monthly on groceries at U.S. supermarkets, you could earn another 4,000 points each month. Just remember you have to pay off those charges.

Earn Rewards on Other Purchases

If your purchases don’t fall into the bonus categories above, don’t worry. You still earn 1 Membership Rewards point per $1 spent on other purchases, even if your Authorized User’s the one making these purchases.

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

Redeeming Rewards

Although the primary cardholder earns the rewards, Authorized Users can benefit from points transfers and redemptions.

Transfer Points to Authorized Users’ Frequent Flyer Programs

American Express lets the primary cardholder 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.

Hot Tip:

Amex doesn’t allow Membership Rewards transfers directly to someone else’s Membership Rewards account.

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 its terms and conditions.

Travel Benefits and Protections

Authorized Users on the Amex Gold card get the following travel benefits and purchase protections.

Access to The Hotel Collection

Besides the 4x earning structure on this card, the Amex Gold card is known for its hotel benefits program, The Hotel Collection, which includes around 1,300 hotels globally.

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

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 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 damage on eligible rentals of 30 days or less. Keep in mind that liability insurance isn’t offered on this policy.

When Authorized Users book a qualifying car rental, they also get secondary rental car insurance.

Trip Delay Reimbursement

If your trip on a common carrier is delayed for more than 12 hours or if an overnight stay is required, you may be eligible for reimbursement for necessary expenses, up to $300 per covered trip and 2 claims every period of 12 consecutive months.

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

Baggage Insurance

With the Amex Gold card, you can access a baggage insurance plan, which reimburses up to $1,250 per covered person (with a $250 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 people.

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

Global Assist

Amex offers a benefit called Global Assist, which can help you coordinate services at no extra charge, including medical, legal, financial, and some emergency services.

Although all service charges are your responsibility, this could be incredibly helpful during a stressful travel situation. You could easily get passport assistance, emergency translation, or bail bond referral services.

Shopping Benefits and Protections

Authorized Users and primary cardholders both get these shopping protections and benefits.

Access to Amex Offers

One of our favorite features of American Express cards is Amex Offers, retailer deals that earn you additional points and discounts. Enrollment is required.

Purchase Protection

Purchase protection covers items bought with the card that are accidentally damaged, lost, or stolen up to 90 days after the original purchase date.

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

Extended Warranty

When you purchase an item with the card that has an original manufacturer’s warranty of 5 years or less, 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.

No Preset Spending Limit

A benefit of this card is that it doesn’t have a traditional credit limit like most credit cards do. Unlike with a traditional credit card with a set limit, the amount you can spend adapts to factors such as your purchase, payment, and credit history.

This could be extremely helpful if you (or your Authorized Users) need to make a big purchase that would be declined with a normal credit card because your credit limit isn’t high enough.

No Foreign Transaction Fees

The Amex Gold card could save you money abroad, as it has 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, based on a valuation of 2.2 cents per point. (Source: Upgraded Points)

Digital Wallets

The Amex Gold card supports contactless payments, so you can add it to Apple Wallet, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and Fitbit Pay.

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 don’t get. All of the below statement credits are by account and not by user.

Up to a $120 Dining Credit

The Amex Gold card offers up to $10 in monthly statement credits (up to $120 annually) toward dining, upon enrollment, at participating merchants:

Although purchases made by Authorized Users can count toward the dining credit, Authorized Users don’t receive their own dining credit each month.

Up to $120 in Uber Cash

Upon enrollment, only the primary cardholder receives up to $120 in Uber Cash (distributed as $10 per month), which is valid for Uber Eats orders and Uber rides in the U.S. so long as the card is added to your account. Note that any Amex card can be used as payment.

Authorized Users can certainly use the Uber Cash credit if they add their Amex Gold card account to their Uber wallet, but they don’t get their own credits.

Up to $100 in Resy Credits

Primary cardholders get an annual statement credit of up to $100 ($50 semiannually) upon enrollment, redeemable at any U.S. Resy restaurant and for other eligible Resy purchases. Authorized users don’t get their own credit to spend, but their purchases can be eligible for the primary cardholder’s credit.

Up to $84 in Dunkin’ Credits

Authorized Users are not eligible for their own statement credit of up to $7 per month (up to $84 annually) at U.S. Dunkin’ stores. Once the primary cardholder enrolls in this benefit, the Authorized User can have their purchases taken from the primary’s credit.

How To Add an Authorized User to the Amex Gold Card

To add an Authorized User to your Amex Gold card, log in to your online account first. Then, in the top ribbon menu, click the tab that says “Account Services.”

On the left menu, click on the options that say “Manage Other Users” and “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 to 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.”

You should see a form that expands. Fill out the personal information and click the button labeled “Agree & Submit.”

After you add an Authorized User, it takes around 7 to 10 business days for the new card to arrive in the mail. Then simply activate it, and your Authorized User should be ready to spend.

Hot Tip:

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.

Final Thoughts

All in all, there are many compelling reasons to add Authorized Users to the Amex Gold card. The first 5 Authorized User cards come with no additional annual fee, and adding Authorized Users can help your household members build credit as long as the primary Amex Gold card has an excellent payment history, as well as help you earn rewards faster. Just remember that the statement credits are per account, not per user, regardless of how many Authorized Users you add.

The Amex Gold card gives Authorized Users access to The Hotel Collection and travel and shopping protections, all with no preset spending limit. Before adding Authorized Users to your Amex Gold card, verify benefit terms and eligibility at americanexpress.com.