The American Express® Gold Card is one of the best cards for everyday spending. There is a $325 annual fee, but you also get up to $424 annual credits, which makes the fee less intimidating. 

Terms apply to Amex offers and benefits. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. Rates & Fees

Point Multipliers

With the American Express® Gold Card, you earn Membership Reward (MR) points for many everyday categories. This includes:

• 4x at Restaurants, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. 
• 4x at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 spent per calendar year).
• 3x for flights (booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com).
• 2x on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com
• 1x on other purchases

Terms apply.

Optimal Strategy

Many people use the American Express® Gold Card as their daily driver, given the competitive multipliers in categories like restaurants and US supermarkets. 

The American Express® Gold Card also has a few credits that help offset the annual fee.

$120 Uber Cash

You get $120 in Uber Cash annually (broken down into $10 each month). All you need to do is add your card to your Uber account, and it should show up at the start of each month. If you use Uber (or UberEats) regularly, it’s pretty fair to value this at the full $120. Enrollment required.

Basic Card Members on a Consumer U.S. American Express® Gold Card are eligible for $10 in Uber Cash each month ("Amex Benefit"), subject to these Terms and Conditions. To receive this benefit, you must have downloaded the latest version of the Uber App and your eligible American Express Gold Card must be a method of payment in your Uber account. The Amex Benefit may only be used in the United States.

$120 Dining Credit

You get $120 in Dining Credits annually (broken down into $10 statement credits each month). Partners include:

• Grubhub
• The Cheesecake Factory
• Goldbelly
• Wine.com
• Five Guys

Just use your card, and you should receive a statement credit a few days after the transaction. Enrollment required.

$84 Dunkin' Credit

You get $84 in Dunkin' Credit annually. Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with your eligible card at Dunkin' locations.

$100 Resy Credit

You 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.

Redeeming Points

The American Express® Gold Card earns Membership Reward (MR) points which are great for aspirational travel since you can transfer to Amex’s partners such as Etihad or ANA. This is one of the few ways that "normal" people can experience first and business class flights.

If you’re focused on cash back, you can redeem your points as a statement credit for 0.6 cents per point (CPP). This means that 4x * 0.6 CPP = 2.4%.

Main Takeaway

The American Express® Gold Card is one of the best cards for everyday spending, especially if food is a large expense – whether you eat out or cook at home. The $325 annual fee becomes a lot more reasonable once you include up to $424 in credits ($120 Uber Cash + $120 Dining + $84 Dunkin' + $100 Resy).

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