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American Express® Gold Card review: The gold standard for foodies

Excellent everyday categories and monthly credits make this card a top contender.

 /  17 min
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At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict , this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for and how we rate our cards. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer.

Snapshot

4.9

Bankrate rating
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Rating: 4.9 stars out of 5

Bottom line

The Amex Gold card is an incredible option for earning travel rewards at restaurants and U.S. supermarket purchases. But the annual fee and lower rewards value for non-travel options likely make this a poor fit for occasional travelers or households just looking for cash back on everyday spending.

Best for dining
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  • Rewards value
    Rating: 4.7 stars out of 5
    4.7 / 5
    APR
    Rating: 2 stars out of 5
    2 / 5
    Rewards flexibility
    Rating: 4 stars out of 5
    4 / 5
    Features
    Rating: 5 stars out of 5
    5 / 5
Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
Info
Recommended Credit

60,000 points + earn up to $100 back

Intro offer

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$1200

Offer valuation

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1X - 4X

Rewards rate

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$325

Annual fee

See Pay Over Time APR

APR

American Express® Gold Card Overview

The American Express® Gold Card is one of the best travel rewards cards thanks to its numerous dining and travel perks that appeal to big spenders who can afford its $325 annual fee. It offers generous ongoing rewards for airfare, restaurant and U.S. supermarket purchases. It also comes with enough monthly credits that can help offset its fairly high annual fee.

While these credits can be valuable, they come with restrictions and can be difficult to fully utilize depending on your spending habits. Plus, Membership Rewards are most valuable when you redeem them for travel, so occasional travelers may want to consider a different card.

  • Credit Card Cash Back

    Rewards

    • 4X points on restaurant purchases worldwide (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points) and U.S. supermarket purchases (on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points)
    • 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or via Amex Travel
    • 2X points on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases via Amex Travel
    • 1X points on all other purchases

    Expert Appraisal: Exceptional
    See our expert analysis

  • Rewards

    Welcome offer

    • 60,000 points after spending $6,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership.
    • (Limited-time offer) Plus, receive 20 percent back in statement credits on eligible restaurant purchases within the first six months of card membership for up to $100 back (offer ends Nov. 6, 2024)

    Expert Appraisal: Good
    See our expert analysis

  • Credit Card Search

    Rates and fees

    • $325 annual fee
    • No foreign transaction fees
    • No intro APR on purchases or balance transfers
    • 21.24 percent to 29.24 percent variable ongoing APR (Pay Over Time)

    Expert Appraisal: Unimpressive
    See our expert analysis

  • Congrats

    Other cardholder perks

    • Up to $120 in annual dining credits (up to $10 in monthly statement credits) for purchases with GrubHub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys (enrollment required)
    • Up to $120 annual credits for Uber Cash (as $10 in automatic monthly Uber Cash) toward Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S.
    • Up to $100 in credits toward on-property charges and other eligible purchases with The Hotel Collection stays you book through American Express Travel (minimum two-night stay required)
    • Up to $100 in credits each calendar year for Resy restaurants in the U.S. and other eligible Resy purchases (up to $50 semi-annually; enrollment required)
    • Up to $84 in credits each year for Dunkin' purchases (as up to $7 monthly statement credits) when you enroll and use your Amex Gold to pay at Dunkin' locations
    • Travel protections, including baggage insurance, car rental loss and damage insurance*
    • Complimentary Shoprunner membership (enrollment required)

    Expert Appraisal: Good
    See our expert analysis

American Express Gold pros and cons

Pros

  • Checkmark

    This card has some of the best travel rewards rates on dining and groceries, and the bonus credits help justify the annual fee.

  • Checkmark

    The card’s welcome offer is impressive, and you have six months to meet the spending requirements.

  • Checkmark

    There is no preset credit limit, so the amount you can spend adapts based on factors such as your purchase, payment and credit history.

Cons

  • The $325 annual fee could be hard to offset if you don’t take advantage of the card’s annual credits and transfer partners.

  • Unlike some competing premium travel rewards cards, it doesn’t offer lounge access or travel credits.

  • Points are worth less than 1 cent when you redeem them for statement credits, limiting your long-term earning potential.

Why you might want the American Express Gold

Foodies with an appetite for travel will find it hard to beat the Amex Gold’s inclusive bonus categories, excellent rewards value and generous annual credits toward dining and hotel activities.

Rewards: Top value across popular categories

Out of all American Express cards, the Amex Gold provides the greatest point-earning opportunities (especially for frequent diners) with categories that reward everyday spending. Few cards carry bonus categories for restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets and offer dining credits as well. Plus the American Express Gold sets itself apart by offering one of the highest rewards rates for these categories. These factors make the Amex Gold one of the best cards for restaurants and one of the best for groceries, especially if you plan to transfer points to travel partners.

When you redeem your Membership Rewards, the most valuable options include booking travel or transferring points to American Express travel partners (usually at a 1:1 value, but varies by partner). Points are worth 1 cent each when redeeming for flights or upgrading your airfare class through the American Express Travel portal, but just 0.6 cents apiece when redeemed on other options.

However, Amex Gold’s transfer partners are one of its key strengths. Bankrate estimates American Express Membership Rewards points are worth around 2.0 cents each on average when you transfer your points to select airline partners. Amex also offers limited-time bonus promotions with various partners throughout the year, which can add significant value.

Perks: Some of the richest dining perks available

The Gold Card is one of American Express’ premier travel cards, and it doesn’t disappoint with its excellent benefits for foodies. Major benefits include monthly credits for Dunkin' and participating restaurants (including The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys), Uber rides and Uber Eats orders and eligible purchases at The Hotel Collection properties. You can also net up to $100 additional credits toward eligible restaurant reservations and other purchases through Resy (up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually; enrollment required). Just the dining, Resy and Uber credits more than make up for the annual fee without eating into your hard-earned rewards, but taking advantage of all five credit options could rake in a whopping $524 in credit value each year.

The Hotel Collection perk offers $100 credit on qualifying dining, spa services, resort activities and more (depending on the property). However, you can squeeze the most value from the dining and food delivery credits because your monthly Uber Cash can also go toward rideshare travel if your card is linked to the Uber app. This provides rich, ongoing value and makes the American Express Gold one of the best cards for Uber. However, some cardholders may have a hard time taking full advantage of these credits since they can all be pretty niche other than the Uber Cash.

The card update on July 25, 2024, may not have helped the Amex Gold in this regard since it doubled down on the coupon book approach American Express' premium cards are known for by adding the Dunkin' and Resy credits and increasing the annual fee from $250 to $325. Although the additional credits are worth more than the $75 annual fee hike, these new features may make this card even harder to justify if you don't frequently dine at Dunkin', the locations in the dining credits or through Resy.

Welcome offer: Good head start on your next trip

As a new cardholder, you can earn an impressive 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 in purchases within your first six months of card membership. Based on Bankrate's latest valuations, this welcome offer could be worth around $1,200 when transferred to a high-value travel partner. Even redeemed through American Express, it could still be worth an impressive $600 at 1 cent per point. Plus, a new limited time offer could tack on another up to $100 with 20 percent back in statement credits on eligible restaurant purchases within the same six month timeframe (offer ends Nov. 6, 2024). 

This is a solid welcome offer, but the spending requirement is quite high compared to some competing cards. For example, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card can rake in 75,000 miles, but it only requires spending $4,000 in your first three months of card membership. Still, the new limited offer has made the Amex Gold card's intro value even more competitive thanks to the July 2024 card update.

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Bankrate Insight

If you want to maximize your rewards, the Amex Offers program allows you to activate limited-time deals with participating retailers and earn bonus points (usually up to a spending cap). You can also earn a referral bonus (up to 55,000 points per year) when someone you refer applies to and opens any American Express card.

Why you might want a different travel card

The Amex Gold can be worth its weight in food-focused monthly credits and rewards rates if you make the most of them. However, the annual fee can be intimidating, especially if you expect comparable travel perks you’d find with other premium cards.

Rates and fees: Sizable annual fee

Although the Amex Gold card offers plenty of annual credits and rewards opportunities, its hefty $325 annual fee may give you second thoughts. Whether the American Express Gold is worth it depends on how much you plan to use the card and whether you can take advantage of its perks. 

If you plan on traveling in the future and spend often in the Amex Gold card’s bonus categories, the value of its perks and rewards can offset its annual fee, especially if you transfer points to get more value. In fact, our ongoing value estimates show that the average spender may not have much trouble offsetting the $325 price tag. But making up for the annual fee could be more challenging if the monthly dining credits don’t fit your usual dining plans. It can also be tiring keeping track of your rewards to ensure you’re justifying the cost of the card every year.

Travel benefits: Competing cards have stronger features

It’s worth noting that this card focuses more on food-related features than travel. The 3X-point travel category only rewards flights booked directly with airlines or through the American Express Travel portal, and the other travel perks are unremarkable.

The perks can still be worth the annual fee, but you won’t receive some popular travel benefits that you’ll find on other premium cards like airline credits, a TSA Precheck® credit or lounge access.

First-year value vs. ongoing value

Your first year with the Amex Gold is undoubtedly where you’ll see the most value because of its generous welcome offer, which is worth $700 based on a 1-cent-per-point redemption value. However, the card's ongoing perks and rewards could also provide enough value to make the annual fee worthwhile. Credits for dining, Uber, hotel purchases and more could be worth over $400 — more than enough to offset the $325 annual fee.

The card’s ongoing rewards potential should also give you plenty of chances to offset the annual fee. The average person could earn about $492 in yearly rewards value with the Amex Gold, but it only takes spending around $680 across your two 4X-point categories each month to break even on the annual fee if you redeem your points toward Amex air travel. However, you can whittle your monthly 4X-point category spending down to about $340 if you transfer your points to a travel partner with a redemption value of around 2.0 cents per point.

To make your research easier, we’ve calculated the Amex Gold card’s first-year and ongoing value based on our card scoring formula, a $22,500 annual spend and the baseline 1-cent value through Amex.

Benefits and Costs First-year value Ongoing value (no welcome offers)
Yearly rewards +$492 +$492
Welcome offers +$700 value (60,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership, plus the limited-time offer of up to $100 of statement credits from 20 percent back on eligible restaurant purchases [through Nov. 6, 2024])
Perks (of monetary value)
  • +$120 (Uber Cash provided as $10 monthly credits that expire at the end of the month)
  • +$120 (Dining credits per year on eligible purchases)
  • +$100 (Eligible on-property purchase credits with The Hotel Collection offer when you book two consecutive nights or more through the Amex Travel Portal, credit use varies by property)
  • +$100 (Resy credits per year on eligible purchases)
  • +$84 (Dunkin' credits per year on eligible purchases)
  • +$120 (Uber Cash provided as $10 monthly credits that expire at the end of the month)
  • +$120 (Dining credits per year on eligible purchases)
  • +$100 (Eligible on-property purchase credits with The Hotel Collection offer when you book two consecutive nights or more through the Amex Travel Portal, credit use varies by property)
  • +$100 (Resy credits per year on eligible purchases)
  • +$84 (Dunkin' credits per year on eligible purchases)
Annual fee -$325 -$325
Total value $1,391 $691

We tried it: Here’s what our experts say

Bankrate credit cards writer Ryan Flanigan uses his American Express Gold card for groceries and restaurants to rack up tons of points for travel.

I never go grocery shopping without this card. Membership Rewards points are very valuable to me and this card earns a lot of them. I easily offset the annual fee with Uber and GrubHub credits, which I use regularly. This is as high of a return as you can get with groceries and restaurants, so it’s a great choice for those frequently used categories. This card is my main vehicle to generate tons of Amex points, which helps me go on all sorts of great travel adventures using all of Amex’s different travel partners.

— Ryan Flanigan, Writer, Credit Cards

How the American Express Gold Card compares to other travel cards

The Amex Gold is a solid pick for a travel rewards card if you can take advantage of its bonus rewards categories and credits. But other options could provide a more rewarding experience, especially if you’re looking for luxury travel perks or want better value for your travel rewards. 

Image of American Express® Gold Card
Bankrate Score
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Apply now Lock
on American Express's secure site

Annual fee

$325

Intro offer

60,000 points + earn up to $100 back
Info

Rewards rate

1X - 4X
Info

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
Info
Image of Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Bankrate Score
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on Capital One's secure site

Annual fee

$395

Intro offer

75,000 miles
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Rewards rate

2 Miles - 10 Miles
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Recommended Credit Score

Excellent (740 – 850)
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Bankrate Score
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on Chase's secure site

Annual fee

$95

Intro offer

60,000 bonus points
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Rewards rate

1x - 5x
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Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
Info

Best cards to pair with the American Express Gold

It’s worth pairing the Amex Gold with another Amex card that earns bonus rewards for travel, or a hotel rewards card that could help you rake in a lot of bonus rewards on hotel stays. Another option is to pair the Amex Gold card with a cash back card if you have a lot of spending that falls outside the Gold card’s bonus categories.

However, you could also complete the Amex trifecta if you want to maximize your Membership Rewards and aren’t worried about offsetting annual fees.

Who is the Amex Gold right for?

The Amex Gold is one of the best options for dining available. It’s a great choice for foodies who like to travel, especially people who like to use Uber and Uber Eats.

Bankrate’s Take — Is the American Express Gold Card worth it?

The American Express Gold Card is a great choice if you’re looking for travel rewards from everyday expenses like restaurant and U.S. supermarket purchases. Add in the annual credits, which could potentially be worth more than the $325 annual fee, and this card offers a unique food-and-travel experience you may not find with another card. 

However, it’s not as versatile as other travel cards, as some travel cards offer stronger travel perks and more flexible rewards. 

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

For rates and fees of the Platinum Card® from American Express , please click here.

*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.

How we rated this card

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We rate credit cards using a proprietary card scoring system that ranks each card’s estimated average rewards rate, estimated annual earnings, welcome bonus value, APR, fees, perks and more against those of other cards in its primary category.

Each card feature is assigned a weighting based on how important it is to people looking for a card in a given category. These features are then scored based on how they rank relative to the features on other cards in the category. Based on these calculations, each card receives an overall rating of 1-5 stars (with 5 being the highest possible score and 1 being the lowest). 

We analyzed over 150 of the most popular rewards and cash back cards to determine where each stacked up based on their value, cost, benefits and more. Here are some of the key factors that influenced this card’s overall score and how the score influenced our review:

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Written by
Garrett Yarbrough
Writer, Credit Cards
Bankrate expert Garrett Yarbrough strives to make navigating credit cards and credit building smooth sailing for his readers. After regularly featuring his credit card, credit monitoring and identity theft analysis on NextAdvisor.com, he joined the CreditCards.com and Bankrate teams as a staff writer to develop product reviews and comprehensive credit card guides focused on cash back, credit scores and card offers.
Edited by Senior Editor, Credit Cards
Reviewed by Senior Editor, Credit Cards

* See the online application for details about terms and conditions for these offers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. After you click on the offer you desire you will be directed to the credit card issuer's web site where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer.

Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.