4 Awesome Ways To Use 100,000 Amex Gold Card Points

The American Express^® Gold Card is a favorite among the Upgraded Points team. It offers some of the best rewards earning rates at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets and a handful of dining statement credits that help offset its $325 annual fee (rates & fees).

And, if you’re a new applicant, you might be eligible for a sizable welcome offer:

• 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.

There are so many redemption possibilities with 100,000 Amex Membership Rewards points. I’ll assume I was targeted for the highest offer, but many of these redemptions are still possible if you’re targeted for a lower welcome offer.

Amex Gold Card Rewards and Benefits

Let’s start by taking a quick look at the Amex Gold card. Since it earns 4 points per $1 at restaurants worldwide (up to $50,000 per year, then 1x points) and at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year, then 1x points), this card is one of the best for foodies. It also earns 3 points per $1 on flights booked directly with an airline or through AmexTravel.com and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.

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American Express^® Gold Card

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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 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

• 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

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American Express Membership Rewards

There are also a handful of useful statement credits and other benefits. These include up to a $10 monthly dining credit, up to a $50 semi-annual Resy credit, and up to $7 per month in Dunkin’ statement credits (some benefits require prior enrollment). You can even add your Amex 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 Amex card for your transaction.

As mentioned, new Amex Gold cardmembers are eligible for welcome bonus offers of as high as 100,000 points. You can preview your welcome offer during the application process, and if you don’t like what you see, you can withdraw your application without affecting your credit score. If you do accept the card, then a hard credit check may appear on your credit report.

Book 4 Round-Trip Flights to Europe

There are many ways for couples and families to redeem Membership Rewards points for round-trip flights to Europe. Usually, the most cost-effective way to do this is to transfer points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. This loyalty program charges between 12,000 and 15,000 points plus taxes and fees for a one-way flight to Europe on Air France and KLM. The exact price depends on where you depart from.

You’ll find the cheapest Flying Club flights to Europe when you depart from major East Coast airports like Boston (BOS), New York (JFK), and Washington D.C. (IAD). Flights to Europe from these airports cost 12,000 points plus between $150 and $200 in taxes each way. Even better, these fares are booked as standard economy, which includes a checked bag.

To fly from the West Coast to Europe, you’ll pay a slightly higher 15,000 points, plus similar taxes and fees. This is a particularly good deal since flights to Europe from Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO) are often expensive during peak travel times.

You can also get great deals on Virgin Atlantic flights to London (LHR) through Flying Club. The loyalty program dynamically prices these flights, which will fluctuate based on when you book, fly, and your origin airport. However, in economy class, you can find one-way tickets for as low as 6,000 points, plus taxes and fees. You might also find good deals on premium economy and Upper Class flights.

That said, always compare the cost of booking these tickets to the price of a cash ticket. You might be able to find cheap fares from the U.S. to Europe if you’re traveling on off-peak dates, like during the winter after the holidays or right after the school year starts.

Book Solo Flgihts to Europe in Lie-Flat Business Class

If you’re traveling alone and want a luxurious ride to Europe, you’re in luck. 100,000 Membership Rewards points are enough to fly round-trip from the U.S. to Europe in a lie-flat business class seat.

You can find the best deals when you transfer points to ANA Mileage Club, which charges 50,000 miles for a one-way business class ticket from the U.S. to Europe, or vice versa.

This is a solid redemption rate, but there’s a big caveat. If the carrier you book with imposes fuel surcharges, they will be passed on to you. This makes redemptions on Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, and some other Star Alliance carriers extremely expensive, as you’ll pay over $1,000 in taxes and fees on many bookings.

As a result, you’re best booking Star Alliance flights that have high fuel surcharges with Air Canada Aeroplan. This loyalty program charges more miles for U.S. to Europe awards than ANA Mileage Club, but does not pass on fuel surcharges. Aeroplan is also a 1:1 Membership Rewards transfer partner.

You can avoid paying fuel surcharges on ANA Mileage Club bookings to Europe by flying with carriers like LOT Polish Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, and United Airlines. These airlines do not add fuel surcharges to award tickets, so you’ll pay around $5.60 in taxes and fees for a one-way ticket from the U.S. to Europe.

Also, note that transfers to ANA Mileage Club can take up to 48 hours to process. You should have backup flights ready if your transfer processes after the ticket you’d like to book is filled before your points transfer. This is unlikely to be an issue if you’re booking far in advance, but it could present a problem for tickets booked close to departure.

Book 10+ Domestic Flights on Delta Air Lines

Delta SkyMiles aren’t the most valuable airline miles out there, but they can be immensely helpful for short-haul domestic flights. Like Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Delta dynamically prices its own award tickets, so prices can change drastically depending on where you fly and when you book. This often means expensive international business class tickets, but the loyalty program can yield great deals on domestic trips.

For example, this weekday flight from New York (JFK) to Boston (BOS) starts at 6,600 SkyMiles plus $5.60 in taxes and fees in basic economy. And if you prefer a bit of luxury on your jump up the East Coast, you can book a domestic first-class ticket for 11,600 SkyMiles.

Likewise, you’ll find flights from Chicago (MDW) to Minneapolis (MSP) from 6,300 SkyMiles next February. You’ll find the same price when departing from Chicago (ORD) on this example date.

You can even find flights from the U.S. to Hawaii for under 10,000 SkyMiles. This flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Honolulu (HNL) starts at 8,600 SkyMiles next February.

Keep Delta SkyMiles in mind when redeeming Membership Rewards points for flights around the U.S. It won’t always be the best deal, but Delta might surprise you if you’re traveling on off-peak dates. Redeeming at an average of 10,000 SkyMiles per ticket means you can use your 100,000 Membership Rewards points for 10 Delta flights.

Book a Flight to Asia in Business Class

Whether you want to see the cherry blossoms bloom in Japan or sample dim sum in Hong Kong, there’s a destination in Asia for you. And if you’re a solo traveler, 100,000 Membership Rewards points are more than enough for a one-way business class flight to the region.

There are a variety of ways to book tickets to Asia with Membership Rewards points, but Air Canada Aeroplan tends to be the easiest. This program has a distance-based award chart for most Star Alliance partner award tickets. You’ll pay between 75,000 and 87,500 Aeroplan points for a one-way ticket on most routes between the U.S. and Asia, plus minor taxes and fees.

One-way Aeroplan award flights between 5,001 and 7,500 miles cost 75,000 points. This covers most flights from the U.S. West Coast to Asia. For example, this flight from San Francisco (SFO) to Taipei (TPE) covers 6,469 miles. In turn, it costs 75,000 Aeroplan points plus roughly $57 in taxes and fees.

You can add a stopover to Aeroplan award tickets for just 5,000 points. This means you can fly the San Francisco to Taipei itinerary above, spend 4 days in Taipei, and then fly to Hong Kong (HKG) — all for 80,000 points. Tickets with a stopover are priced based on the total distance flown between your origin and final destination.

Final Thoughts

The Amex Gold card is among my favorite travel cards, thanks to its high earning rates on select everyday purchases. Its welcome offer provides immense potential — and the redemption options I presented above are just a starting point.