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.
Why We Like It: 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.
Humphrey's Take
This card is ideal for dining enthusiasts with $120 dining credit (up to $10/month) at participating dining partners and Grubhub, 4x points on restaurants and takeout, and 4x points at U.S. Supermarkets (up to $25,000/calendar year, then 1x after that). Earn 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines and amextravel.com and 1x on everything else. Though the annual fee is high ($250), you get $120 in Uber Cash ($10/month) and a $120 dining credit (up to $10 per month) at participating partners, such as Grubhub, Cheesecake Factory, and Shake Shack. Spend $500/month on dining or U.S. Supermarkets to offset the fee.
Use the calculator below to crunch your numbers to see if the card is worth it for you.
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?
points earned from intro offer:
0Limited 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:
$100Credits: How Do You Value Them?
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
Yearly cash back breakdown:
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...
Expected Value of Points
(Intro offers + credits + spend - annual fee)
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.
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.
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.