When You Should (or Shouldn’t) Use the Amex Gold Card

It’s no secret that we’re big fans of American Express® Gold Card at TPG.

While the card has been was renewed at the end of JulyIt still sits in the sweet spot between a premium card and a beginner card, with high earnings on purchases at US restaurants and supermarkets and over $400 in annual statement credits that can be earned. help compensate Annual fee is $325 (see prices and fees).Registration required and terms apply.

In this guide, we’ll highlight strategies that can help you earn thousands of bonus points each year by knowing when you should — and shouldn’t — use the Amex Gold Card.

Amex Gold Overview

Amex Gold is the perfect choice “middle” tagespecially since it offers some significant benefits and earning potential for a $325 annual fee.

With this card, you’ll earn 4 points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 spent per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar) and restaurants (up to $50,000 spent per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar), as well as 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly with the airline or through amextravel.com.

And on top of that earning potential, this card comes with some serious perks. You’ll get up to $424 in annual credit for eat and drinkDunkin’, Resy And Ubertravel benefits such as baggage insurance* and up to $100 hotel credit for stays at The Hotel Collection properties (minimum two-night stay required). Registration required to enjoy selected benefits and terms apply.

New Amex Gold card members can earn a welcome bonus of 60,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first six months of card membership. Additionally, new card members will receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible restaurant purchases in their first year of card membership (up to $100 back).

According to TPG July 2024 valuationThis welcome offer is worth up to $1,300.

Using CardMatch ToolYou can get a better welcome offer on the Amex Gold (offers are subject to change at any time). Since American Express only allows cardholders to earn one welcome offer in their lifetime, it’s important to get the best deal possible.

*Benefits and eligibility vary by card. Terms, conditions and restrictions apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG company.

When should you use Amex Gold?

To eat and drink

The Amex Gold It’s not the only card that offers a rewards portfolio for dining at restaurants, but it may be one of the most valuable.

Cardholders will earn 4 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on restaurant dining, up to $50,000 per calendar year (1 point per dollar thereafter). According to TPG July 2024 valuationequivalent to a return on investment of 8%.

For that reason, it tops our list. best cards for dining out.

To get the most out of your Amex Gold for this category, you must maximize your dining credit report.

Cardholders can earn up to $10 per month (up to $120 per calendar year) in statement credits when paying with Amex Gold at the following dining partners:

• Grubhub
• Cheesecake Factory
• Yellow belly
• Wine.com
• Five boys

Additionally, cardholders can receive up to $120 per calendar year in Uber Cash (up to $10 per month) to use Uber Ride or Uber Eats orders, so be sure to link your Amex Gold card to your Uber account.

Amex Gold also offers up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year for purchases at Resy-affiliated U.S. restaurants. These statement credits are broken down into bi-annual credits of up to $50.

Finally, an annual Dunkin’ Donuts credit of up to $84 per calendar year is distributed in monthly increments of up to $7. Just use your Amex Gold to pay at Dunkin’.

For groceries

Food is the name of the game with the Amex Gold. In addition to dining out, the card earns 4 points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets on purchases up to $25,000 per calendar year (1 point per dollar thereafter).

Therefore, you should definitely use this card for your next grocery trip as it tops our list. best card for groceries.

It is possible to achieve a slightly higher profit margin when shopping at supermarkets in the United States by using Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express — This card earns 3 points per dollar at U.S. grocery stores on up to $6,000 in purchases per year, but each billing cycle when you make 30 or more purchases with the card, you’ll earn a 50% bonus, so your potential is 4.5 points per dollar.

That said, the bonus categories on the Amex Gold don’t require you to clear any hurdles, such as a minimum number of transactions per month to reach the highest bonus level, and the annual limit for US groceries is much higher than the Amex EveryDay Preferred.

The information about the Amex EveryDay Preferred card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Related: The 7 Best Cards to Pair With Amex Gold

For flights

Although not as strong as some of our other favorites travel cardThe Amex Gold is a great card to use for flights if you don’t have a more premium travel card in your wallet. Earn 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly through the airline or on Amex Travel is significantly.

Just remember that if you use The Platinum Card® from American Express Instead, you can earn 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar on flights booked through Amex Travel or directly with airlines, for up to $500,000 in such purchases per calendar year (1 point per dollar thereafter).

However, the Amex Gold is $300 cheaper per year than the Amex Platinum (see Amex Platinum prices and fees), so I wouldn’t recommend opening an Amex Platinum card just to get an extra two points per dollar on airfare purchases.

Related: Should I get the Amex Platinum and Amex Gold cards?

When should you not use Amex Gold?

For daily expenses

The Amex Gold Earn only 1 point per dollar spent in addition to its specific bonus categories. Other cards issued by Amex and other banks may offer better rewards rates.

For example, Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express may be a better choice if you have a business. No annual fee (see prices and fees) but earn 2 points per dollar spent on the first $50,000 in purchases each year (then 1 point per dollar thereafter).

Additionally, a card like Citi Double Cash® Card (see prices and fees) earn 1% when you make purchases and another 1% when you pay your statement. This means you can earn 2% cash back.

If you also have Citi Prestige® CardYou can combine your points into fully transferable ThankYou points. Based on TPG July 2024 valuation Citi ThankYou points are worth 1.8 cents per point, which means you can earn an effective 3.6% cash back on purchases and payments with the Citi Double Cash Card.

Related: Why Citi Double Cash Always Has a Place in My Wallet

Information about Citi Prestige Card information has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

For non-air travel, such as hotels or rental cars

While Amex Gold earns 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly with Airlines or through amextravel.com, you don’t earn such rewards on other travel expenses and it doesn’t offer the same tourist protection like some other cards out there.

Therefore, it makes more sense to use a replacement card for non-airline bookings.

One of the most popular travel rewards cards on the market is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Cardwith an annual fee of $95. In terms of travel, here are the current earnings:

• 5 points per dollar on travel booked through Chase℠ Travel
• 2 points per dollar spent on other travel

Additionally, you will also receive the following non-travel related bonuses:

• 3 points per dollar on dining
• 3 points for every dollar selected streaming service
• 3 points per dollar spent on online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)

Last line

The Amex Gold is one of the most rewarding cards on the market. But to really maximize your Amex Gold rewards, you’ll have to be selective about where you use it.

Between the dining statement credits, Dunkin’, Resy, and Uber, the card’s annual fee is fully covered and you have a positive net worth. Add in its bonus categories and you’ll be maximizing your earnings as a pro in no time.

To learn more, see Full review of Amex Gold.

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Register here: American Express® Gold Card

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Related: This might be the best Amex card combination: Amex Gold and Amex Business Platinum

For Amex Gold Card rates and fees, please click This.
For Amex Platinum rates and fees, click This.
For rates and fees for the Amex Blue Business Plus Card, click This.