Earn as High as 100K Points With Amex Gold Card Welcome Offer [Targeted]

The ability to earn as high as 100,000 bonus points is the best welcome offer we’ve seen on the American Express^® Gold Card.

Not all applicants will see the same welcome offer, as there are key eligibility requirements to know. Before you hit apply, review the following criteria to learn how you can find a welcome offer as high as 100,000 points.

Please note that these offers are not available to all applicants.

Key Card Details

The Amex Gold card is one of the most popular picks for travel and everyday rewards. Here’s a snapshot of the card’s benefits:

• Annual fee: $325 (rates & fees)
• Welcome offer: Apply and find out if you're eligible for as high as 100,000 points after spending $8,000 in eligible purchases in the first 6 months. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.
• Rewards: Earn 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1x) and at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1x).
• Over $500 in annual benefits (enrollment may be required): Statement credits for eligible dining partners, U.S. Resy restaurants, Dunkin’ and more, and Hertz Five Star^® Status (Source: American Express)

Amex Gold Card Welcome Offer

There are a few different methods you can try to find as high as 100,000 points.

Option 1: Check on Amex Directly (Try This First)

If you’re applying for the Amex Gold card, we recommend you first check for offers directly on the American Express website to find out your exact welcome offer. On the front page, you should see messaging that your offer can be as high as 100,000 points.

After clicking the button that says “Apply Now,” either log in to your Amex account (if you have one) to autofill the required information or fill out the requested details to proceed.

After filling in the details, the exact number of points in your personalized offer will be shown, and you’ll have the option to accept the welcome offer.

If you quit the application at this stage, your credit score will remain unaffected. That’s because American Express uses a soft credit check rather than a hard inquiry for this process. Your credit score may be impacted only if you decide to accept the card’s offer and open the account (Source: American Express).

Like other targeted offers, these offers are not available to all applicants.

Option 2: Check on CardMatch

If you strike out on the American Express website, the second thing we recommend is checking through the CardMatch tool. This tool completes a soft credit check to see if you’re eligible for any elevated offers. Like the Amex check, it’s not a hard pull, so it won’t show up on your credit report.

To receive matches, you need to provide personal information such as your name, address, and email address.

You can also look for targeted email offers, so long as you’ve opted in for these offers.

After logging in to your American Express account, click on the button that says “Account Services” in the top menu, then choose the tab that says “Alerts and Communications.” From here, click on the option that says “Marketing Email Preferences” to ensure you’ve opted in to notifications about targeted offers.

Option 3: Snag a Referral

The highest welcome offers we see can also come from targeted referral offers. Find a friend (or 2) with an Amex Gold card. Have them send you their link and check if it’s for as high as a 100,000-point welcome offer. If not, try again.

What Are 100K Amex Points Worth?

The best way to redeem 100,000 Amex Membership Rewards points is with the issuer’s airline and hotel transfer partners, opening the door to redemptions that can easily return 5x the Amex Gold card’s $325 (rates & fees).

What 100,000 Amex Points Can Get You

Here are a few ideas on some ways to maximize 100,000 points:

• Fly business class to Europe: ANA, a transfer partner of Amex, charges just 100,000 miles round-trip for a United Polaris business class flight to tons of European destinations.
• Book 6+ tickets to the Caribbean: British Airways and American Airlines are in the Oneworld alliance, so you can redeem British Airways Avios to book AA flights from 13,500 Avios per ticket.
• Spend 10+ nights in Tokyo: Choice Hotels offers affordable redemption rates worldwide. You can find hotels for as few as 8,000 points per night, even in high-priced destinations.

Smart Ways To Achieve the Minimum Spend

You’ll need to spend $8,000 in the first 6 months to earn the bonus points on the Amex Gold card, which is equivalent to roughly $1,333 in monthly spend.

Meeting the spending requirement for a welcome offer doesn’t necessarily mean making purchases you wouldn’t otherwise make. Instead, consider using the card for expenses that are already part of your regular budget, such as monthly bills, large upcoming purchases, travel bookings you already plan to make, and everyday expenses.

As always, avoid spending more than you normally would simply to earn a welcome offer, and pay your balance in full whenever possible.

Do You Qualify for the Amex Gold Card’s Welcome Offer?

There are several eligibility rules that may determine whether you qualify for the Amex Gold card’s welcome offer:

• American Express generally limits cardholders to earning a welcome offer once per per lifetime. If you current have the Amex Gold card or previously earned a welcome offer on the Amex Gold card, you may not be eligible for another one.
• Amex restricts welcome bonuses based on card family. If you currently hold or have previously held the more expensive Platinum Card^® from American Express, you may not be eligible for the Amex Gold card’s bonus offer as you already have the higher tier card.
• Amex doesn’t publish minimum credit score requirements, but it’s generally recommended to have good to excellent credit with a strong credit profile and income history (Source: American Express).

The easiest way to know if you’re eligible for the Amex Gold card’s welcome offer is to complete the application process. After submitting, some people may receive a notification that they aren’t eligible for a welcome offer at this time — commonly referred to as “pop-up jail.” You can still apply for the card, but Amex will notify you before your credit score check if you’re not eligible to earn the bonus offer.

If you don’t come across any message, then you’ll be shown the welcome offer before accepting the new account. At any point before opening the new card, you can withdraw the application with no credit score impact.

Is This the Biggest Amex Gold Card’s Bonus Offer Yet?

Earning as high as 100,000 points is the best welcome offer we’ve seen based on the Amex Gold card’s bonus offer history since 2019.

Previously, welcome offers ranged between 35,000 points and 60,000 points. Therefore, earning as high as 100,000 points is a rare and exceptional opportunity compared to what was previously available. Because welcome offers change over time, there’s no guarantee that any of these top-tier bonus offers will remain available.

Final Thoughts

The American Express^® Gold Card features a welcome offer as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards points, and you’ll find out your version during the application process. Before applying, review the key benefits, confirm your eligibility for a welcome bonus offer, and make a plan to meet the minimum spend during the initial 6-month window.