How I’d Strategically Redeem 100K Amex Gold Points for Over $6,000 in Value

If there’s a single card that can turn everyday spending into rich rewards, it’s the American Express^® Gold Card.

The 4x earning rate across 2 everyday food categories is a major win for most households nowadays. With 4x points at restaurants worldwide on up to $50,000 annually and 4x points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 annually (both then earning 1x), rewards add up really fast.

Not only that, but eligible new applicants can also apply for a massive welcome offer that makes the card even more rewarding:

• 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.

Today, we’ll focus our attention on the aspirational redemption opportunities with 100,000 American Express Membership Rewards points — to score upwards of $6,000+ in potential redemption value. Keep in mind, though, that once you redeem the points from that welcome offer, rebuilding a 6-figure points balance is very achievable with ongoing card spending.

Earning as High as 100K Points With the Amex Gold Card

The Amex Gold card may not be as flashy as the Platinum Card^® from American Express, but that’s largely by design. It’s designed for those who spend — a lot — on food and want to get rewarded for it.

While the Amex Gold card has a $325 annual fee (rates & fees), the card’s yearly built-in value can quickly make up for it, thanks to up to $120 in monthly Uber Cash, up to $100 in Resy credit, up to $120 in dining credit, and up to $84 in Dunkin’ credit. Enrollment is required for these benefits.

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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 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

Here’s how the Amex Gold card’s welcome offer process works. The exact number of potential bonus points are be displayed after you submit the application, at which point you can choose whether to proceed.

If you decide to quit the application at this stage, your credit score will not be affected, as American Express uses a soft credit check. Your credit score may be impacted only if you accept the welcome offer and open the account.

1. Business Class to Australia (6 or More Cents per Point)

You can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to more than 20 airline and hotel loyalty programs. Remember, too, that it’s free to enroll in any of these partner programs — even if you’ve never flown or stayed with them before.

For example, Amex Membership Rewards is a transfer partner with British Airways, Iberia, and Qatar Airways. However, these Oneworld airlines all share the same member currency (Avios), so you can actually unlock redemption opportunities across more airlines than you would think at first.

Case in point: Although Finnair Plus is technically not a direct Amex partner, you can link your loyalty accounts with British Airways, Iberia, or Qatar, and move over the Avios to Finnair at a 1:1 rate. Finnair has excellent award rates between the U.S. and Australia (and even New Zealand!), allowing you to book a one-way Qantas ticket for just 95,000 points.

In this situation, taking the extra time to move over 95,000 Amex points to British Airways, then to Finnair Plus, to snag this favorable rate is absolutely worthwhile.

In fact, American Express partners directly with Qantas Frequent Flyer, too. However, award pricing is often significantly higher than what you’d find through partner programs like Finnair.

By booking through Finnair instead, you could save roughly 50,000 points on the same redemption. Best of all, this one-way ticket can cost over $7,000, so you’re getting well over 6 cents per point in value. That’s nearly triple our valuation of American Express Membership Rewards points.

2. Business Class to Bangkok (6 or More Cents per Point)

I’m already planning a far-flung honeymoon to Thailand in 2027. With plenty of time before my trip, I’m mapping out how to get there using one of Amex’s strongest transfer partners, Air Canada Aeroplan.

Since Amex points transfer at a 1:1 ratio, I can book a business class ticket from Denver (DEN) to Bangkok (BKK) the long way around, with a stop in Munich (MUC), while still enjoying 2 separate business class products.

The routing includes Denver to Frankfurt or Munich on Lufthansa, followed by Germany to Bangkok, all for just 87,500 points plus $116.30 in taxes and fees.

Yes, it’s nearly a 24-hour journey. But with lie-flat seats, premium dining, and business class lounge access along the way, I’m more than happy to trade speed for comfort. This same flight costs $6,000, so again, I’m getting over 6 cents per point in value here after the taxes and fees.

3. Business Class to Germany (4 or More Cents per Point)

When flying to Europe, I’ve learned that flying into major hub airports and then booking a separate ticket to my final destination keeps costs down. That’s exactly how I’m getting to the South of France this spring, a destination that will inevitably require a layover somewhere but gives me the opportunity to lock in a business class flight to a major European city.

With Amex’s varied transfer partners, I’m going to be leveraging a unique partnership between JetBlue TrueBlue and Condor Airlines, first announced in August 2025. By searching for award availability, I was able to find a one-way business class ticket between New York (JFK) and Frankfurt (FRA) on Condor Airlines for an amazing rate:

American Express Membership Rewards points transfer to JetBlue TrueBlue at a 1:0.8 ratio, meaning I need to transfer 67,000 points to secure this redemption. With a cash price north of $3,000 for a one-way ticket, this booking still delivers an impressive value of 4 cents per point or more.

4. Business Class to Seoul (3 or More Cents per Point)

This is the year I’ll go back to South Korea to see my extended family, and of course, booking business class to Seoul (ICN) is the goal.

A one-way business class ticket on Delta Air Lines can be booked for 96,000 points — but not through Delta SkyMiles, despite it being an Amex transfer partner. Instead, I’ll be transferring 96,000 of my 100,000 Amex points to Air France-KLM Flying Blue, which is a SkyTeam alliance partner.

The taxes and fees are extremely low, at just $33.50 per ticket, and I can book a comfortable Delta One ticket to get me from Seattle (SEA) to Seoul. (All I’d need to book is a quick hop from Salt Lake City (SLC) to Seattle!).

By comparison, Delta prices the same flight at 130,000 SkyMiles — about 35% more — so booking through its partner results in significant savings. With the flight’s cash price hovers around $3,200, this redemption delivers more than 3 cents per point in value.

5. Business Class to Greece or Italy (3 or More Cents per Point)

Last but not least, Amex Membership Rewards points transfer to Emirates Skywards at a 5:4 ratio, which can be a little confusing. (Fortunately, you can bookmark our transfer partner calculator tool to know exactly how many points you need to move over.)

And if you’ve ever wanted to try Emirates without flying all the way to Dubai (DXB), now’s your chance with Amex Membership Rewards points. Emirates operates a handful of U.S. routes worth noting. This includes flights from Newark (EWR) to Athens (ATH), Greece, and Milan (MXP), Italy, making Emirates a great option for these popular European destinations.

Here’s exactly how many points you need for one-way tickets on these routes:

• Economy: 17,500 Emirates Skywards miles (requires 22,000 American Express Membership Rewards points) and around $120 in taxes and fees
• Premium economy: 49,000 Emirates Skywards miles (requires 62,000 American Express Membership Rewards points) and about $120 in taxes and fees
• Business class: 87,000 Emirates Skywards miles (requires 109,000 American Express Membership Rewards points) and approximately $434 in taxes and fees

After meeting the minimum spending requirements for the Amex Gold card’s welcome offer, you could end up with a few thousand more points — especially if you’re using the card to dine out or shop at U.S. supermarkets.

With 109,000 Amex Membership Rewards points, you can book a one-way Emirates business class ticket on these routes to Europe. While that’s a high price to pay even with points, after taxes and fees, you’d be looking at getting over 3 cents per point in redemption value.

Final Thoughts

Securing the as-high-as-100,000-point welcome offer on the Amex Gold card opens the door to countless opportunities to fly up front to incredible destinations. All that’s left is choosing which of these award flights to book next!