American Express® Gold Card Review

card_name is perfect for anyone who enjoys food.  Whether you prefer dining out or cooking at home, you can earn points quickly when using this card.

American Express’ Membership Rewards program has one of the most valuable point currencies you can earn. They rank high on my list of points to earn because they can be used in so many different ways. In a world where airlines and hotels are constantly devaluing their points, the more options you have to use them, the better.

card_name charges a $250 annual fee, see rates and fees.  To offset that fee, the card comes with a good welcome offer, excellent bonus categories and a couple annual credits that are designed with the foodie in mind.  If you’ve been eyeing this card, let’s take a look and see if it’s right for you.

Welcome Offer

Currently, the card_name comes with a valuable welcome offer. bonus_miles_full Terms apply.

If you don’t want to hassle with transfers, the welcome offer for these points can be quickly redeemed for $600 dollars in free travel.  Although I would never recommend you do that, it does give you an idea of what these points can be worth. If you transfer the points to one of American Express’ 22 transfer partners (see below), you can easily unlock even more value.

Earning Points

When you make purchases with the card_name you’ll earn Membership Rewards points on every qualifying purchase.  These points are arguably some of the best transferable points currencies out there.  Fortunately, this card has some great bonus categories so you can earn them quickly if you spend a lot in those categories.

Dining & U.S. Supermarkets – This is where the card shines.  You’ll earn 4x points on purchases made a restaurants worldwide and at supermarkets within the U.S.  The bonus points on U.S. supermarket purchases are limited to the first $25,000 you spend each year.  Regardless, that’s a lot of potential bonus points.

Flights – You’ll earn 3x points on all flights purchased directly from an airline or if you book your flights through amextravel.com.

Other Purchases – You’ll ear 1 point for every dollar spent on all other qualifying purchases.

Card Perks

The card_name also comes with several benefits just for having the card.  Included in these benefits are two credits that can help offset the $250 annual fee.  This is where you’ll be able to quickly determine if this card is right for you.

Dining Credit – Each month you can earn up to a $10 credit for purchases made with the card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations, enrollment required.  If you maximize these credits, that can save you $120 per year.

Hotel Collection Credit – If you book a stay (minimum of 2 nights) through the AMEX Hotel Collection, you can get a $100 credit towards spa treatments or dining at the resort.  Plus, you’ll earn 2x points on those hotel stays.

Trip Delay Insurance – This is a new benefit I really like that was added to the card in 2020.  Up to $300 per Covered Trip that is delayed for more than 12 hours; and 2 claims per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

Extended Warranty Coverage – How many times have you had something break soon after you buy it or stop working right after their warranty expires?  If you purchased it with this card, you don’t have to worry about it.  Your purchases are covered by the purchase protection and extended warranty coverage.  I’ve used this benefit repeatedly and this alone has more than covered the cost of the annual fee.

When an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase to an Eligible Card, Extended Warranty§ can provide up to one extra year added to the Original Manufacturer’s Warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your Card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

No Foreign Transaction Fees – You will not be charged any purchases made with the card worldwide, See Rates and Fees.

Baggage Insurance – If you purchase your ticket with the card_name, you are eligible for baggage insurance.  Baggage Insurance Plan coverage can be in effect for Covered Persons for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen Baggage during their travel on a Common Carrier Vehicle (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when the Entire Fare for a ticket for the trip (one-way or round-trip) is charged to an Eligible Card. Coverage can be provided for up to $2,000 for checked Baggage and up to a combined maximum of $3,000 for checked and carry-on Baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the Common Carrier. The coverage is also subject to a $3,000 aggregate limit per Covered Trip.  For New York State residents, there is a $2,000 per bag/suitcase limit for each Covered Person with a $10,000 aggregate maximum for all Covered Persons per Covered Trip.

Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

Redeeming Chase Points

Membership Rewards points are one of my favorite point currencies because there’s so many ways to use them.  I would only recommend transferring them to one of AMEX’s travel partners because that’s where you’ll get the most value.  However, there are a few other ways that are easy and straightforward.  Here’s a quick breakdown of the different options.

Shopping – You can redeem your points for one of several different store gift cards.  You can also redeem your points for purchases while shopping at Amazon.com or BestBuy.com.

AMEX Travel – You can use your points to pay for travel purchases made directly through American Express Travel.  You use your points for travel with almost any airline or hotel.

Travel Partners – This is where you can unlock some excellent value with your points.  You can use British Airways Avios points to book flights to Hawaii from the West Coast, Mexico or short domestic flights, all on American Airlines.  Delta frequently offers flash sales around the globe and AMEX is the only way you can transfer points to Delta.  You can also use the Etihad Guest program to book one-way business class flights to Europe for only 50,000 points.  There are so many other great options but this should give you an idea of what’s possible.

Transfer Partners

As I mentioned above, here is a list (in alphabetical order) of the travel partners you can transfer your Membership Rewards points to.  Except where noted below, your MR points will transfer to these programs at a 1:1 ratio.

Airline Partners

• Aer Lingus
• Aeromexico – Transfer Ratio 1:1.6
• Air Canada
• Alitalia
• All Nippon
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Delta
• El Al – Transfer Ratio 50:1
• Emirates
• Flying Blue (Air France/KLM)
• Hawaiian Airlines
• Iberia
• JetBlue – Transfer Ratio 1.25:1
• Singapore Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic

Hotel Transfer Partners

• Choice Hotels
• Hilton – Transfer Ratio 1:2
• Marriott

Which Cards Are Similar To The AMEX Gold

It’s hard to compare the card_name to just one other card.  It’s unique in that the $250 annual fee is higher than other entry level travel cards.  Along with the higher annual fee comes a few credits those cards don’t offer.  Then, when you compare the benefits of the Gold card to a premium card, they don’t quite measure up .  However, those premium cards also charge a much higher annual fee than the card_name.  While there’s no great comparison, here are a few options to consider.

card_name – This is one of my favorite entry level travel cards to recommend.  The card has a low annual fee but doesn’t have any annual statement credits.  You do earn 2x points on travel and dining purchases.  It also comes with a solid welcome offer. bonus_miles_full  You can read all about the card here.

card_name – This is another good travel card for beginners.  bonus_miles_full You can learn more about the card here.

card_name – This card is a great premium card option.  bonus_miles_full The Sapphire Reserve has a $550 annual fee but comes with a $300 annual credit for travel purchases.  Plus, it comes with a credit for one TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee every 4 years.  You will earn 3x on all dining and travel purchases.  Here’s more information on this card.

card_name – The AMEX Platinum card is another great option for a premium travel card.  This one also has a $695 annual fee, see rates and fees.  bonus_miles_full  Terms apply. Each year you can get up to a $200 airline fee credit and a $100 credit to Saks Fifth Avenue (enrollment required).  You’ll also get access to the Global Lounge Collection, enrollment required, which includes The Centurion Lounge and Delta Sky Clubs.

Final Thoughts

If you love eating out or spend a lot of money at grocery stores, the card_name could be an excellent option for you.  Membership Rewards points are a great point currency to earn and you can earn them quickly with this card.  The one thing I don’t like about this card, is the credits are very focused so they can be inconvenient and sometimes difficult to use.  Therefore, if you are able to take full advantage of these credits, then maybe it deserves a spot in your wallet.

For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, See Rates and Fees

For rates and fees of the The Platinum Card® From American Express, See Rates and Fees.

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