Going for Green: 5 Perks That Sold Me on This Underrated Amex Card

The American Express^® Green Card wasn’t even on my radar until recently. A long-time holder of the Platinum Card^® from American Express, 2025 was the year I finally decided that the hefty annual fee wasn’t worth it for me.

Instead, I wanted a card that offered me bonus American Express Membership Rewards points for categories I spent the most on, like dining and travel. Here are some of the reasons I’m prioritizing using the Amex Green card this year.

The information regarding the American Express^® Green Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

1. 3x Points on Travel and Restaurants Worldwide

Many of American Express’s best cards, such as the American Express^® Gold Card and the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express, offer bonus Membership Rewards points or cash-back for purchases at U.S. supermarkets.

The key takeaway here is the U.S. stipulation. Since I live abroad, my supermarket purchases don’t earn those bonus points. Instead, I use my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card to earn 2x miles on supermarket purchases (and other non-bonus categories).

It’s been tough for me to rack up Membership Rewards points with the Amex Platinum card because doesn’t offer general travel or dining bonus points. This is where holding the Amex Green card makes sense.

The Amex Green card’s 3x bonus points on travel and restaurant purchases worldwide allow me to earn significantly more points.

Although I also use my Chase Sapphire Reserve^® for dining purchases, I value earning Membership Rewards points, too. I can transfer them to diverse partners that Chase doesn’t have, like Delta SkyMiles or Etihad Guest.

2. No Foreign Transaction Fees

I live abroad and spend abroad. This means I can only spend on credit cards that don’t charge a foreign transaction fee. Luckily, the Amex Green card doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees.

3. Simple Benefits

The Amex Green card is a simple credit card without bells and whistles, both a con and a pro. It’s true that the card doesn’t come with many perks or benefits, but I get elite status and lounge access from other credit cards, like my Capital One Venture X card and Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

The pro to the Amex Green card’s simplicity is that I always remember the card’s bonus categories.

When the Amex Platinum card was in my wallet, I constantly had to monitor the card’s ever-changing statement credits to ensure I took advantage of as many of them as possible to make the hefty $895 annual fee worth it (rates & fees).

It felt like a race I was always falling behind in: I was spending money just to use it, not because I actually needed whatever the statement credit offered. With the Amex Green card, benefits are sparse, but it’s also easy to figure out if and when I’m getting value without the mess of spreadsheets and statement credits.

4. Low Annual Fee

Given the continued rise of inflation, political drama, and general pricing instability, this feels like a year I should be saving more for a rainy day. I could spend the money on a few dozen eggs instead of the Amex Platinum card’s annual fee (sigh).

All jokes aside, I wanted a low-stakes card, where if I didn’t manage to take advantage of every single perk and benefit, it would still be worth the annual fee. The Amex Green card has a low annual fee of $150.

I calculated that I can earn a minimum of 20,000 points annually thanks to the 3x bonuses, which, according to Upgraded Points valuations at 2.2 cents per point, yields a value of $440. If I subtract the annual fee, that’s still a minimum value of $290 I’ll get from the card beyond the annual fee.

And that’s if I spend conservatively and don’t get any retention offers. Plus, I often transfer my Amex Rewards points to Iberia, where Amex often offers 30% transfer bonuses and I can often get a much higher value per point.

5. Flexibility and Ease of Membership Rewards

American Express Membership Rewards points are a valuable and flexible rewards currency. This is why it’s important to me to have a card where I can earn these points. However, due to my situation living abroad and my current goal of having cards that don’t require too much constant managing to extract value, I’m limited in which Amex cards are the right fit.

As airlines and hotels continue to devalue their loyalty programs and elite status (especially U.S.-based airlines), the flexibility of Amex Membership Rewards points becomes increasingly enticing. I need a card that earns these points, and having just Chase and Capital One cards isn’t enough!

This year, and likely subsequent years, the card to help me earn those points will be the Amex Green card.

Final Thoughts

The constant rat race of elite status, devaluation of loyalty programs, and ever-changing benefits that comes with premium credit cards can make getting value out of spending and traveling difficult unless you’re extremely on top of things. But in my case, 2025 calls for simplicity, affordability, and value, so you can find me dining and traveling with my Amex Green card in hand.