Amex Gold Card Benefits 2021

What Is The Amex Gold Sign

Amex Gold offers 20,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £3,000 within three months. This is the most generous sign-up bonus generally available on any free UK loyalty charge or credit card albeit that Amex Gold is only free for the first year.

This means that you can receive 20,000 Avios points for free by applying for this card, spending enough to trigger the sign-up bonus and then transferring the points to British Airways.

American Express Gold Card Benefits & Review

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Highlighted by a generous welcome bonus offer, 4x point categories, and a variety of credits, the American Express® Gold Card has a lot to like. While not a travel card, it does feature numerous benefits for the frequent vacationer like 3x points for flights and trip insurance. Additionally, it allows you to transfer American Express Membership Rewards Points to a variety of partner airlines and hotels for more value.

Learn How to Apply Here or keep reading to see if the Amex Gold Card is right for you.

Blue Cash Everyday Card From American Express: Best For Cash

Welcome offer: Earn a $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card within the first six months of card membership.

Earning rate: 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations and U.S. online retail purchases on up to $6,000 per calendar year in purchases for each category , and 1% cash back on other purchases. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed for statement credits. Terms apply.

Why we chose it: This card carries no annual fee , but offers lower bonus categories than the Blue Cash Preferred.

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Limitations On Travel Spending

Although transferring points for travel is a clear benefit of the Amex Gold and is arguably its best redemption option, rewards for spending on travel are a bit underwhelming. Youll earn just 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or through the American Express Travel portal.

Although this rewards rate is solid at a glance, its held back by the fact that only airfare purchased through American Express Travel counts as travel with the Amex Gold. You wont earn bonus points for flights booked with third-party travel flights or for hotel bookings or rental cars.

American Express Gold Card: Best For Dining At Restaurants

Welcome offer: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new card within the first six months of card membership.

Earning rate: 4 points per dollar spent dining at restaurants and at U.S. supermarkets , 3 points per dollar on flights purchased directly with the airline or at American Express Travel, 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases. Terms apply.

Annual fee: $250 .

TPGs Staff Pick: Theres no better card for groceries and dining than the Amex Gold. I earn 4 points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets and at restaurants, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. With additional perks like a monthly Uber credit and the ability to transfer my Membership Rewards points to valuable airline partners, the card is a mainstay in my wallet. Nick Ewen, Director of Content

Why we chose it: The Amex Gold Card is a terrific option for foodies whether you eat out, order delivery or cook at home. The 4 points per dollar earning rate on dining at restaurants and U.S. supermarket purchases equals a stellar 8% return on your spending according to TPG valuations.

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How To Earn Points With The American Express Gold Card

The Amex Gold Card is among the best cards for foodies because it earns strong rewards on dining and grocery shopping. You’ll earn points at the following rates:

• 4x points at restaurants and at U.S. supermarkets
• 3x points on flights booked with the airline or Amex Travel
• 1 point per dollar on all other purchases

To maximize your points earning, you can pair the Amex Gold Card with other Amex cards to earn the most points for every purchase. The “Amex Trifecta” of cards includes the Amex Gold Card, The Platinum Card® from American Express, and The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express.

Read more: 3 reasons why the Amex Gold card is an easy choice for foodies, travelers, and even beginners

A Cool Rose Gold Design

Personally Id never pick a credit card based on the design, but the general public seems to disagree with me on that. Over the years weve seen a lot of cards switch to a metal design. While that used to be special, its not really unique anymore.

What is unique about the Amex Gold Card is that you can choose to have it in a rose gold metal design. Let me tell you, that design really stands out, and this is easily one of the most attractive cards out there. Again, its not a reason Id get this card, but I know it gets many people excited.

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The Business Platinum Card From American Express: Best For Frequent Business Travelers

Welcome Offer: Earn 120,000 points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership.

Earning rate: 5 points per dollar on flights and prepaid hotels booked at Amex Travel, 1.5 points per dollar on eligible purchases in select business categories and eligible purchases of $5,000 or more on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year 1 point per dollar on other purchases.

Annual fee: $695 .

Why we chose it: Like its consumer-card counterpart, the Amex Business Platinum is best in class when it comes to benefits for frequent travelers. Many benefits are the same across the cards, including lounge access, up-to-$200 annual airline fee credit on one selected airlines, up-to-$189 annual Clear membership credit, automatic elite status and more . Similar to the consumer card, the card allows you to carry a balance for certain charges, but not all.

The card also comes with a 35% rebate when you book a business- or first-class ticket or any class flight with your selected qualifying airline through American Express Travel using Membership Rewards points. Amex is now offering a variety of business-centered annual statement credits, from Dell, Indeed, Adobe and wireless telephone services. Terms apply. Enrollment is required for select benefits.

American Express Gold Card Review Summary

The American Express® Gold Card offers lots of rewards, especially on travel and dining purchases. But it costs a pretty penny, too.

Amex Gold offers an initial bonus of 60,000 points for spending $4,000 in the first 6 months, up to $10 per month for dining with Amex dining partners, and up to $10 in Uber Cash per month for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S. Thats not all, either. Amex Gold cardholders also earn great rewards on purchases.

The bad news is that the American Express Gold Card has a $250 annual fee. Amex Gold also is far from ideal if you want to carry a balance from month to month.

So, if youre a big-spender with good credit or better who likes to eat and travel, Amex Gold could be a good card for you. Otherwise, you can probably do better.

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Earn 3x Points On Flights Booked Direct And At Amextravelcom

Despite not being a travel card, the Amex Gold card does offer a respectable 3x points per dollar spent on flights. That includes flights booked directly with the airline and flights booked on amextravel.com. While you can do better elsewhere, it is surprisingly as good or better than other popular travel cards for direct bookings. For example, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers 3x points per dollar spent on flights booked direct. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card only offers 2x points per dollar spent on flights booked direct.

As previously mentioned, the American Express Gold Card pairs extremely well with The Platinum Card. It earns 5x points per dollar spent on flights as well as a multitude of other travel benefits. I hold both cards and recommend that strategy for anyone looking to maximize their earnings in the American Express ecosystem.

Amex Credit Cards That Earn Hotel And Airline Points

In addition to cards that earn Membership Rewards points, American Express issues several credit cards that are specific for a particular airline or hotel chain. The big advantage of these cards is that they often carry extra benefits with the cobranded airline or hotel partner.

However, youre locked into earning points or miles in that specific program, leaving you at the mercy of the airline or hotel chain when it comes to devaluations that can wipe significant value from your accounts.

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Is The Amex Gold Card Worth It

The American Express® Gold Cards $250 annual fee isnt quite a premium price, but its still substantial and youll need to overcome this fee in perks or rewards to make the card worth your time. Here are a few factors thatll help you decide if the Amex Gold Card is worth the price of the annual fee for your needs.

• Review your overall spending. To break even on the annual fee with rewards alone, youll need 25,000 points. Get there by spending $6,250 at restaurants or US supermarkets, which is around $520 per month. Of course, youll likely be spending on other categories as well, which will only add more points to cover the annual fee and earn something extra.
• Take advantage of the cards valuable credits. Earning the dining and Uber cash credits could help you offset most of the cards annual fee when used effectively.
• Create a Membership Rewards plan. One of the biggest assets of the Amex Gold is the fact that it earns Membership Rewards points. These can prove much more valuable than standard cashback , but youll need to put a little more effort into redeeming them to find this value.
• Clear the welcome offer. The welcome offer can be worth around $600, which is enough to pay for the annual fee twice over.

Amex Gold Card: For Anyone Who Loves To Eat

American Express® Gold Card

American Express Membership Rewards is one of the most popular transferable points currencies, and theres arguably one best personal card for earning Amex points the American Express® Gold Card . In this post I wanted to take a closer look at why this card should be in most points collectors wallets.

In this post:

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Amex Cards For Business Owners

There are plenty of benefits to using a small-business card for business purchases. For one, these cards often offer bonus rewards in categories more suited to business expenses, such as internet services or advertising.

Plus, you want to be able to keep your business expenses separate from your personal finances and the best business credit cards come with management tools that make that process easier. Here are a few of Amexs top business credit cards:

Who Is The American Express Gold Card For

The ideal cardholder is someone who spends a lot of money at restaurants and grocery stores. The card earns 4x Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year . It also includes up to a $120 yearly dining credit for purchases made at participating restaurants . Another benefit is up to a $120 yearly Uber Cash credit for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S. Finally, it includes up to a $100 onsite credit for qualifying activities at The Hotel Collection resorts for two-night stays. Those credits easily offset the $250 annual fee .

While the 3x points earned per dollar spent on flights is solid, The Platinum Card® from American Express earns 5x points per dollar spent on flights on up to $500,000 per calendar year booked directly with airlines and amextravel.com. It also earns 5x points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked via amextravel.com. Finally, it features a variety of other premium travel benefits that the Gold Card does not have. For those reasons, I recommend pairing the American Express Gold Card with another travel-focused credit card like The Platinum Card for maximum value.

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Why We Chose It

The Blue Business Plus is a great card for small business owners who want to earn lucrative Membership Rewards points on everyday business spending. It was created specifically for sole proprietorships and start-ups with limited revenue who would appreciate a card with an introductory interest rate and expanded buying power. Read our full review of the Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express.

• 6X Earn 6 Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program.
• 3X 3 points at Worldwide Restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines.
• 2X 2 points on all other eligible purchases.

• 6X Earn 6 Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program.
• 3X 3 points at Worldwide Restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines.
• 2X 2 points on all other eligible purchases.

• 2X Earn 2 Miles on every dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta, on every dollar spent on eligible U.S. purchases for advertising in select media, on every dollar spent on eligible U.S. shipping purchases, on every eligible dollar spent at restaurants.
• 1X Earn 1 Mile on every eligible dollar spent on purchases.

Personalized Travel Services & Global Assist Hotline

Cardholders are eligible for assistance in the trip planning stages as well as during the trip. Here is what you need to know.

Personalized Travel Services: Call 1-877-227-5819 for personalized travel advice. Allow American Express travel experts to help you plan the perfect trip exactly how you want it.

Global Assist Hotline: Available exclusively to U.S. cardholders, this service provides medical, legal, and financial advice before traveling and when traveling more than 100 miles from home. The representative will either solve the problems themselves or find someone who can. If a third party is consulted, you will be responsible for any fees. Before the trip, you can receive advice on weather, passports, foreign exchange rates, and more. During the trip, you can receive advice on card cancellations, lost item help, ATM referrals, lawyer referrals, medical referrals, and more. Call 1-800-333-AMEX for assistance.

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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.

American Express Gold Card Vs The Platinum Card From American Express

With a hefty $695 annual fee and a slate of luxury travel benefits, The Platinum Card® from American Express is a good choice for high spenders who frequently fly. The card lets you earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Terms apply. That’s a higher rate on directly booked flights than the American Express® Gold Card, though you won’t get the elevated rate on dining and U.S. supermarkets that you get with the American Express® Gold Card. If you spend more on travel than dining and supermarkets, then The Platinum Card® from American Express is worth considering.

The decision to get The Platinum Card® from American Express also depends on whether you value luxury travel experiences. Consider that the card’s $695 annual fee goes toward a membership to Amex’s Global Lounge Collection this isnt a perk thats available on the American Express® Gold Card. You’ll also get elite hotel status and more extensive travel insurance.

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.

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Amex Gold Card Travel Benefits

The Amex Gold Card provides cardmembers with plenty of food and shopping perks, but that’s not all. With this card, you’ll also be able to take advantage of travel benefits. To utilize these perks, you’ll want to make sure that you charge your travel expenses to your Amex Gold Card. Here are some of the best Amex Gold Card travel benefits.