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American Express® Gold Card Review

Best credit card for earning points on dining and U.S. supermarkets.

By Mandy H.|Updated on 7/25/2024

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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

card art for the American Express® Gold Card

American Express® Gold Card

Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide within the first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $100 back. Limited time offer. Offer ends 11/6/24.

Check if you're pre-approved for this card or special offers using the CardMatch Tool.

The American Express® Gold Card offers competitive point multipliers when it comes to purchases at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets, and it also has a handful of other benefits offered by Amex that make it stand out compared to other premium cards. 

Read the full review

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.

American Express Gold Card Calculator

Cardonomics calculates the expected value of the American Express® Gold Card based on the information you provide. The expected value is calculated based on the dollar value you input into the calculator.

The default figures in the calculator are just an example, so you should enter your own information for more accurate results. The methodology for this calculator is explained at the bottom of the post.

American Express Gold Card Intro Offer

Are you eligible for the intro offer? You are not eligible if you have or have had the card (even without getting the bonus).

Are you able to complete $6,000 of spend in the first 6 months?

The current public offer is 60,000 MR. What bonus are you considering?

MRpoints

points earned from intro offer:

0

Limited Time Offer: 20% Back on Restaurants

20% back in statement credits for restaurant purchases in first 6 months (up to $100 back). Offer ends 11/6/2024.

How much will you spend on restaurants in first 6 months?

$

Statement credits earned from limited time intro offer:

$100

Credits: How Do You Value Them?

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$120 dining credit, up to $10 per month in statement credits at participating dining partners.
$
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$120 Uber Cash; automatically get up to $10 per month.
$
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$100 Resy credit, up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
$
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$84 Dunkin' Credit, up to $7 in monthly statement credits. Enrollment required.
$

The American Express Gold Card annual fee is $325.

Given how you value the credits, your effective annual fee is: $-99

You're getting more value from the credits than the annual fee!

Point Multipliers: Category Spend

Restaurants (4X points) on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X
Restaurants (4X points) on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X
$
U.S. supermarkets (4X points) on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X
U.S. supermarkets (4X points) on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X
$
Flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com (3X points)
Flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com (3X points)
$
Prepaid Hotels and other eligible travel through amextravel.com (2X points)
Prepaid Hotels and other eligible travel through amextravel.com (2X points)
$
All other purchases
All other purchases
$

Yearly cash back breakdown:

4X Restaurants24,000 MR
4X U.S. Supermarkets24,000 MR
3X Flights7,200 MR
2X Hotels2,000 MR
1X All other purchases600 MR
Total points earned per year:57,800 MR

How do you plan on redeeming points?

American Express gives you many ways to redeem your points. Here are some common examples:

  • Points are denoted as CPP = "cents per point"

Given how you value points...

Value of points from intro offer:$0
Value of statement credits from limited time intro offer:$100
Value from category spend:$0
Total value of points:$0

Expected Value of Points

(Intro offers + credits + spend - annual fee)

Year 1:
$100
Year 2:
$0

Calculation Methodology

The calculator's results are determined by several factors, including your ability to meet the minimum spending requirement to earn the welcome offer, spending habits in different categories, point redemption strategy, and how much relative value you place on other benefits.

The "Years" in the calculator refer to the cardmember year, which begins when you are approved for the card. The first year of membership is the first 12 months after approval, and the second year is the 12 months following that.

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%.

card art for the CardMatch™

CardMatch™

Check if you're pre-approved for cards or special offers using the CardMatch tool.

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.