Disadvantages Of The American Express Gold
The American Express Gold is a specialized card. Beyond dining, supermarkets and airfare, youll earn only 1 point for every dollar you spend on everything else. This means the card works best when paired with a card like our benchmark credit card, the Citi® Double Cash Card, for purchases that dont fall into the Gold Cards bonus categories.
Related: Read CNN Underscoreds review of the Citi Double Cash Card.
While the included credits are worth almost as much as the annual fee each year, they take a bit of strategy to use. The credits are capped at $10 per month, so you cant just use them in one fell swoop. Plus, the list of eligible restaurants is small. If you live in an urban area where Grubhub and Seamless are available, utilizing this credit becomes easier. But if you dont, maximizing the dining credit can be a challenge.
Also, while this wont impact many families, the 4x return at U.S. supermarkets is capped at $25,000 per calendar year with the Gold Card. If you spend more than that on groceries in a year, youll earn just 1 point per dollar after that.
Comparing The Annual Fees
Amex Gold Card: $250 . The card includes a $10 Uber/Uber Eats credit each month and a $10 per month Seamless/Grubhub statement credit . Max out your credits and your net annual fee is $10.
Citi Premier Credit Card: $95. The card includes an annual one-time $100 credit for a single hotel stay that costs more than $500, not including taxes and fees. Net annual fee? Its actually a $5 profit.
Winner: Citi Premier Card, which not only gets you that $5 profit but makes it slightly easier to offset that annual fee. But its close.
$50 Nexus Statement Credit
The NEXUS program allows you to speed your way through border lineups, and at the airport. Its designed for pre-approved low risk travellers who have completed the application process.
Amex Gold Rewards Card members will be reimbursed with a $50 statement credit for new applications, and renewal fees.
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Existing Amex Gold Cardholders
If youre an Amex Gold cardholder, the easiest way to switch to the rose gold colored card is to call the number on the back of your card. Youll be able to speak with an Amex representative and request the new and improved rose gold card, and itll be sent to you in the mail.
Amex Gold cardholders can also switch by going to the American Express cards website and using the online chat function. Here, youll be able to chat with a live agent, request the switch to rose gold, and have it sent to you shortly after.
Amex Gold Perks And Credits
The Amex Gold is one of the best-looking cards on the market, especially if you get the Rose Gold metal version. Granted, it has a much shorter list of benefits than the Amex Platinum. That said, the Amex Golds perks still add a ton of value to the card.
First off, cardholders can enjoy up to $240 in annual statement credits, including:
- Up to $120 in annual Uber Cash Up to $10 in Uber Cash each month once you add your card to your Uber app. Enrollment required.
- Up to $120 in annual dining credits Up to $10 a month at the following merchants: Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar, and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment is required.
If youre capable of maxing out these benefits, this will leave you with an out-of-pocket cost of just $10 a year after considering the cards $250 annual fee . Thats not even counting the value to be had from my four other lesser-known perks of the Amex Gold.
Related: 7 ways to make the most of the Amex Gold Card benefits
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Is The Amex Gold Card Being Discontinued
The Amex Gold Card in Canada was temporarily discontinued in July, 2021 and then quickly relaunched with a new Card design and welcome bonus in September, 2021. At the time, there was uncertainty about whether the Card was gone for good, but the Gold Rewards Card is here to stay, and better than ever.
Is The Gold Rewards Card Worth It In Canada Now
The revamped Gold Card features a new design, a $100 travel credit, limited airport lounge benefits, and a $50 Nexus credit. For the occasional traveller, the Card makes sense for those who wouldnt use all of the perks of the more robust Platinum Card. If you see yourself using all of these Card benefits to the fullest, this Card can make sense for you.
Personally I would rather have a Card with a lower annual fee, then be forced to use multiple credits to justify the annual fee, which never really cover the whole bill anyway.
Before you make your decision, compare with the Cobalt Card Canada which offers a better earning rate, comes with a lower annual fee, and is a Membership Rewards Card that still allows you to transfer your Amex points out to other loyalty programs. If you can live without the limited airport lounge access, check out the Cobalt Card first.
Learn more: How To Get 4 Nights Free in the Bahamas with your Amex Gold or Platinum Card Canada
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So Which Is Better The American Express Gold Card Or The Citi Premier Card
This one is a pretty close call, given that both cards have great sign-up benefits and ongoing perks, including high bonuses in key categories. But there can be only one winner, and I have to give that title to the American Express Gold Card .
At first, I found the annual fee to be a little bit daunting, but thats just the sticker price. Lets exclude the sign-up bonus, which I value at a little over $1,000, using MilesTalks value for American Express Membership Rewards points.
But the card also offers some of the best spending bonuses that Ive seen from American Express. A constant knock on American Express cards is that they dont offer much in the way of spending bonuses on their premium cards, which is largely true for the Platinum cards. Thats certainly not the case with Amex Gold. 4X points at U.S. supermarkets and on all dining are huge for everyday categories and the 3X points on airfare is also excellent.
Having said that, the Citi Premier Card has a lot going for it. In particular, the 80,000 point sign-up bonus is a whopper, and the 3X points for hotels and gas certainly have the Amex Gold beat.
Heres more information about how to apply for our big winner. And, of course, dont forget to check out the Rose Gold Amex.
Get 60,000 Bonus Membership Rewards points
Prefer the runner-up? Here are the details on the bonus and how to apply for the Citi Premier:
Get 80,000 Citi ThankYou points when you spend $4,000 in 3 months.
Earning With The Amex Gold
Meanwhile, bonus earning categories are where the Amex Gold Card excels. Specifically, it accrues:
- 4 points per dollar on dining at worldwide restaurants.
- 4 points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets .
- 3 points per dollar on airfare purchased directly from the airline or through American Express Travel.
- 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases.
Earning 4 points per dollar at restaurants, which amounts to an 8% return, makes the Amex Gold one of the best cards for dining at restaurants.
The Amex Gold is also one of the best cards for groceries at U.S. supermarkets. Even with the $25,000 calendar year cap, thats still over $2,000 per month though the bonus categorys restriction to supermarkets in the U.S. isnt ideal. That said, the strong earning rates across numerous categories are still worth getting excited about for most of us.
Related: Why I became even more loyal to the Amex Gold during the pandemic
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Should You Get The American Express Gold
The American Express Gold is a must-have for those who know theyll spend heavily at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets, and who also have the patience to maximize their Membership Rewards points through Amexs transfer partners. While cards like the Capital One Savor have a lower annual fee and no hoops to jump through to redeem your cash back, the 60,000-point bonus on the Amex Gold and credits that can be worth almost as much as the annual fee make it the winner right now.
So if youre looking to redeem credit card rewards for exotic travel once the pandemic is over, and you spend a lot of your time eating in or dining out, the Amex Gold could be a great fit for you. And if you decide its a card that should be in your wallet, make sure to grab it now and get it with the highest welcome bonus offer weve ever seen for it, and credits that make the card almost pay for itself.
Can You Get American Express Centurion Lounge Access With A Gold Card
No. Currently, Gold Rewards Cardmembers do not get access to Amex Centurion Lounges. Youll need to be a Platinum Card, or Business Platinum Card member to use Centurion Lounges.
Flexible Transfer Points
The Amex Gold Card Canada allows you to earn and redeem Amex points that can be transferred to other hotel and airline loyalty programs. Like other Membership Rewards Card, this is a huge benefit that allows you to get the most value out of your points.
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The American Express Platinum Card
The Platinum Amex card offers members five points for every dollar spent on flights booked directly through airlines or through the American Express travel site, five points for prepaid hotels booked through amextravel.com, and one point for every dollar spent on other purchases.
The Platinum welcome bonus as of February 2021 gives cardholders 75,000 points when they spend $5,000 or more in the first six months of account membership. This is the equivalent of $855 for flights booked through the Amex travel website. However, if you decide to add up to three additional cards on your Platinum account, expect to pay an extra annual fee of $175. Each card after that will be billed a $175 annual fee, as well.
The Platinum card is great for people who love to travel. There are obviously many more perks that come with the Platinum card than with the Gold, especially when you consider the higher annual fee. Rewards can be used for merchandise, gift cards, dining, shopping, entertainment, or for use at the Amex travel website. Points can also be transferred to other frequent flyer programs.
The Platinum card offers Uber ride credits in the United States, giving cardholders a maximum of $15 in credits each month. The card also comes with an annual $200 incidental airline fee credit on the eligible airline of your choice, giving passengers complimentary checked baggage and an in-flight meal with qualifying airlines.
Who Is The American Express Platinum Card Aimed At
The card’s marketing pushes status. A solid credit score and income is necessary to qualify for the American Express Platinum card. Annual membership soared $145 to $695 for 2021. Cardholders get a variety of travel perks including access to airport lounges as well as benefits from Uber, airport security app CLEAR, hotels, car rental companies, and concierge services.
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Whats The Difference Between The Amex Gold And Rose Gold
The only difference between the Rose Gold Amex and the Amex Gold Card is the color. Besides the pink hue on the rose gold card, the two are exactly the same. They both come with an annual fee of $250 , an incredible welcome bonus of 60,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first six months of account opening, and the exact same rates of earning points on dining at restaurants, groceries at U.S. supermarkets, and flights booked directly with the airlines or via American Express Travel and other purchases.
Well get more into the benefits later in this article, but for now, know that these two cards are the same in terms of earning, redeeming and fees.
Earn 7500 Amex Points For Each Approved Card Referral
After you apply for the Business Gold Card, start referring friends, family, and business associates to also sign up for the Business Gold Rewards Card. Youll earn 7,500 Amex points, up to a maximum of 112,500 points per year for each approved referral. That means you can refer up to 15 people each year and get rewarded for your efforts.
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up to 30000 Amex points
- $155.88 annual fee
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up to 50000 Amex points
- $250 annual fee
- 2 points for every $1 in Card purchases at eligible gas stations, grocery stores and drugstores in Canada
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up to 110000 Amex points
- $199 annual fee
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Milestalks Review Of The American Express Gold Card
The American Express Gold card is one of the best and it unseated my Chase Sapphire Reserve for the #1 spot when I got it. I have it in my own wallet and use it for all of my supermarket spend. Most of us spend a ton at grocery stores and 4X on up to $25,000 a year means that I can even pick up some store brand gift cards from time to time and add that to my grocery order, gaining 4X points on those as well.
For dining, at 4X Membership Rewards, this credit card is second only to the $495 annual fee Citi Prestige card, though of course that card wont help you if your goal is earning Membership Rewards.
The annual fee is basically covered by the statement credits. With the Uber Cash credits and the GrubHub/Seamless credits you are getting $240 in dining credits total, making the net annual fee just $10.
For that, you earn 4X on all restaurants and US supermarkets + 3X on airfare. Not bad at all!
With this card, youll have all of your airline tickets covered and youll have your food covered with 4X Membership Rewards points for charges on groceries and eating out / dining in but you wont have other every day spending covered. Consider a card like the Citi Double Cash which earns 2% cash back convertible to Citi ThankYou points to use on non dining/supermarket/airfare spend, or use the at Your Best Credit Cards to find other cards that match your spending habits.
Amex Gold Vs Citi Premier: Which Is Better
The American Express® Gold Card is an absolute category killer.
It earns 4X American Express Membership Rewards points at restaurants and U.S. Supermarkets . And if youre on the road, you can earn 3X Membership Rewards points on airline spend . Add in monthly restaurant statement credits and Uber Cash credits and you can offset nearly the entire $250 annual fee. And if you want a little variety, choose the American Express Rose Gold Card , which may be the best looking card in the industry.
Given those benefits, it seemed appropriate to compare the card with another must-have credit card, the Citi Premier credit card, which costs only $95 per year. So lets take a look at the two.
Ive often been told that a picture is worth a thousand words, so lets start with a comparison chart to save me a heck of a lot of typing.
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American Express Gold Benefits
- Global Assist Hotline: 24/7 access for medical, legal, financial and other select emergency assistance and coordination services.
- Amex Hotel Collection: Get a $100 hotel credit to spend on qualifying dining, spa and resort activities, plus a room upgrade upon arrival, if available, when you book a stay of at least two consecutive nights with American Express Travel.
- Baggage Insurance: Provides coverage for eligible lost, damaged or stolen baggage. Terms Apply.
- Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance: When you use your card to pay for a rental vehicle and decline the collision damage waiver at the rental counter, you may receive secondary auto coverage in an eligible territory. Terms apply.
Is The Amex Platinum Worth It
The Platinum Card® from American Express can be worth having if youre a frequent flyer and you can use the cards various travel benefits.
Earning 5x Membership Rewards on qualifying flights and hotels along with the 1:1 point transfers is a good start.
But, to justify the $695 annual fee, you will need to use some or all of these benefits:
- Global Lounge Collection airport lounge benefit
- Trip cancellation and delay benefits
Staying at upscale hotels can easily utilize the hotel credits. Several flights and lounge visits can use the airline fee credit and airport lounge benefits.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please .
For rates and fees of The American Express® Gold Card, please .
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Editorial Note: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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