[Expired] Best Ways To Maximize 60K Welcome Bonus Offer on the American Express^® Gold Card

The beloved American Express^® Gold Card has upped the ante with its refreshed version, now offering the potential to unlock tons of value on eligible dining and travel purchases — learn more below.

Beyond its new benefits and statement credits, the ability to earn points through the American Express^® Membership Rewards^® program makes the Amex Gold Card a keeper. After all, you can transfer points to nearly 2 dozen participating airline and hotel partners – the most point transfer partners compared to any major U.S. credit card rewards program.

The new welcome bonus offer is:

• 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.

What exactly can you do with those 60,000 bonus points? Let’s explore some of the creative ways to redeem Amex Membership Rewards points for travel — spanning from the aspirational to more practical approaches.

Overview of the New Amex Gold Card

Here’s a quick glance at the welcome offer, benefits, and rewards of the Amex Gold Card.

1. Check Off an AvGeek Bucket List Item … Emirates First Class for 60.5K Points!

Many flyers dream of flying Emirates first class, but the cash fares are often prohibitive. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the airline charges thousands of dollars on some of its longest routes.

Fortunately, Emirates Skywards is a transfer partner of the Amex Membership Rewards program. By getting creative, you can even experience Emirates first class on its newest fifth-freedom route between Miami and Bogotá.

Of course, booking Emirates first class is surely a want, not a need, especially since the flight is under 4 hours long. But when else can you achieve this level of opulence in the sky?

You’ll transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to Emirates Skywards at a 1:1 rate to book using 60,500 Emirates Skywards miles and $105.30 in taxes and fees.

Emirates first class awards using Skywards miles are only available to members with Skywards Silver, Gold, or Platinum status. You can get around this limitation by booking a business class award and then using additional miles to upgrade to first class.

We estimate the value of Amex Membership Rewards points to be around 2.2 cents for travel, but of course, this can vary depending on the award redemption. Considering this same first class ticket would cost over $3,000 paid in cash, you’re getting nearly 5 cents per point in value in this scenario.

2. Fly to Europe With a Singapore Airlines Business Class Ticket for 56.7K Miles

Going further along the aspirational train, perhaps your goal is to book a lie-flat seat to Europe. If that’s the case, you should consider flying award-winning Singapore Airlines, which operates nonstop service between New York (JFK) and Frankfurt (FRA).

Singapore’s KrisFlyer loyalty program typically charges 87,500 miles and just $5.60 in taxes and fees for this exact business class redemption. But there are ways to snag these flights for an even better deal by looking at the airline’s monthly Spontaneous Escapes promotion, which offers a 30% discount on select award flights for the upcoming month.

The offers will change frequently, but the New York (JFK) to Frankfurt (FRA) route is a great example of a flight that goes on sale. When that 30% discount happens, you can book the roughly 8-hour flight for just 56,700 miles.

This redemption yields a value of ~5.6 cents per point, which is nearly as good as it gets in the points and miles world.

3. Snag a One-Way Air France Business Class Ticket to Europe for 55K Points

The biggest obstacle to redeeming miles is finding the right award availability. After all, without the right award space, it’s impossible to put your points to good use.

A somewhat reliable way to find business class seats to Europe with points and miles is to check Flying Blue, Air France/KLM’s joint frequent flyer program. While the program has variable pricing depending on travel demand, there are often routes you can book starting at 60,000 points.

As shown below, there’s sometimes an option to fly on Air France or KLM’s nonstop routes to Paris or Amsterdam, respectively, for 60,000 points.

If you’re willing to travel during the shoulder or off-peak season, you can often find award space for multiple travelers. So, each friend or family member can book their own ticket in business class at this incredible rate.

The taxes and fees may be around $200, but that’s well worth the cost, considering this flight costs over $3,000 on its own. These kinds of redemptions easily result in a value of ~5 cents per point.

4. Book 8-One Way Flights … or 4 Round-Trip Flights on Delta!

It’s not every day you’re jetting off in business class seats to somewhere glamorous. While we love to write about aspirational flights, we also want to venture into the more practical territory.

With 60,000 Membership Rewards points, you can sometimes book up to 4 round-trip flights on Delta Air Lines. That’s fantastic news for those who want to save on pricey domestic flights, especially in peak travel periods.

Rather than booking with Delta SkyMiles — which is an Amex transfer partner — you can get better value from booking with its partner, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, 9 times out of 10.

That’s because Virgin Atlantic has a set distance-based award chart for partner airlines, like Delta. For one-way flights under 500 miles, it will only cost 7,500 Flying Club points and $5.60 in taxes and fees in Main Cabin. (You can’t book basic economy tickets via Virgin … a huge blessing!).

As I’m based on the East Coast, I often maximize this airline loyalty program to my advantage. For instance, I fly to New York many times every year for work and leisure. A flight between New York-JFK, and my hometown airport, Raleigh-Durham, is 427 miles. That means I can book flights for just 7,500 points in economy, or if I really wanted to, 21,000 miles for a first-class ticket!

If I had booked via Delta’s website for the same flights pictured above, I’d pay either $159 in cash or redeem 12,000 SkyMiles and $5.60 in taxes and fees. As you can see, you’ll find significant savings from booking with partner airline Virgin Atlantic, as you’ll get a redemption value of roughly 2 cents each.

5. Spend 2 Nights at Hilton Playa Del Carmen, All-Inclusive Resort for 100K Points

While most of this guide is airline-focused, there are plenty of ways to get meaningful value from Amex Membership Rewards points when booking hotels.

That’s mainly in part due to Amex’s transfer partnership with Hilton Honors, which is at an elevated 1:2 ratio. In other words, you’ll get double the Hilton Honors points when transferring them from American Express Membership Rewards program.

One of my favorite all-inclusive resorts I’ve been to is the Hilton Playa del Carmen. The made-to-order food is superb, ranging from poke bowls to chips and guacamole, and I love that it’s an adults-only resort.

Standard room nights start at around 50,000 points — which can accommodate up to 2 guests. Since food and drinks are included, you’re getting even more staying power for your points when booking an all-inclusive resort.

Final Thoughts

While we’ve highlighted a few real-world examples of redemptions that are bookable with roughly 60,000 points, the more you spend on travel and dining, the more you can earn toward your next redemption. Whether you’re booking a honeymoon or simply want to save money on travel, we hope this gives you inspiration to maximize the Amex Gold Card’s welcome bonus offer.