American Express Gold Card Review 2025: Benefits Fit For Foodies

Rewards Balances Grow at Record Speed

The Amex Gold earns a tremendous 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar), 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at US supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar), 3 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or on American Express Travel, 2 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on American Express Travel and 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases. Restaurants and supermarkets are two categories that will slide right into your natural spending habits if food is a priority in your life. The card also rewards flight purchases highly. Between the high rates and multiple featured categories, you can delight in watching your rewards balance grow quickly.

Tons of Credits To Subsidize Your Spending

The card comes with more than $300 in potential statement credits each year, divided between dining credits (valid at partners including Grubhub and Five Guys), Resy credits and credits to use toward charges made at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. The Amex Gold also provides up to $10 per month in Uber Cash, valid for rides and Uber Eats orders in the U.S. You must link your eligible card to your Uber account and select it as the payment method for the purchase to redeem this perk. Anyone who can maximize these credits can easily justify this card as one of the best American Express cards. Terms apply and enrollment is required for select benefits.

Travel

Though the Amex Gold isn’t explicitly a travel rewards card, the ability to earn and redeem American Express Membership Rewards® can make it an interesting combination for households that prioritize both travel and dining. Points are worth maximum value when redeemed toward travel, giving you a good excuse to earn on dining and groceries but redeem for your next adventure.

Other Amex Gold Card Benefits

• Amex Hotel Collection. Get a $100 hotel credit toward eligible charges, plus a room upgrade upon arrival, if available, when you book a stay of at least two consecutive nights with American Express Travel. Eligible charges vary by property.
• Car rental loss and damage insurance¹. You may receive secondary auto coverage in an eligible territory when you use your card to pay for a rental vehicle and decline the collision damage waiver at the rental counter. Terms apply.
• Baggage insurance². Amex provides coverage for eligible lost, damaged or stolen baggage⁠. Terms apply.

Payment Is Generally Required in Full

On the American Express® Gold Card, statements are handled similarly to a pay-in-full card. Payment for your complete monthly statement balance is expected by the due date unless you’ve specifically made other arrangements. The card allows you to carry a balance (with interest) through its Pay Over Time* program. Or, alternatively, you can use the Plan It® feature to make equal, monthly payments over time for a fixed fee. Either way, you’ll need to manually choose that option and not all charges will qualify, unlike other credit cards that roll over balances automatically.

Statement Credits Have Strings Attached

The card’s many credits are awesome—until you realize they come with some hassle. Enrollment is required and the credits are dished out in small increments, making them challenging to track and use without accidentally forfeiting value. Some cardholders won’t give this a second thought, but if you must go out of your way to use the credits, the juice might not be worth the squeeze.

Ideal For:

• Households with high spending at restaurants or supermarkets
• Customers who will use dining credits organically
• Cardholders looking for transferable travel rewards

Not Ideal For:

• Customers looking for cash-back rewards
• Members with a stronger emphasis on luxury travel perks

Earning Rewards

The American Express® Gold Card has the following rewards structure:

• 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar)
• 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at US supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar)
• 3 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or on American Express Travel
• 2 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on American Express Travel
• 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases

Additionally, the Amex Gold offers the following welcome bonus: Earn a personalized offer as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 on eligible purchases on the card in the first 6 months of card membership (approval required, welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer).

Redeeming Rewards

American Express Membership Rewards are valuable because they’re flexible. The points can be transferred to around 20 airline and hotel partners, most at a 1:1 ratio. In addition, American Express offers frequent transfer bonuses, which allow you to maximize your earnings. Popular airline transfer partners include Air Canada Aeroplan, Delta SkyMiles and British Airways Executive Club.

Membership Rewards can also be used to book flights via American Express Travel at 1 cent per point, pay with points at online retailers (most notably Amazon) at 0.7 cents per Membership Rewards point or use points for various gift cards in travel, retail and restaurant categories. Rates vary depending on the vendor and fluctuate between 0.6 cents and 1 cent per Membership Reward point.

Amex Gold Transfer Partners

Amex Gold offers added redemption flexibility by partnering with travel loyalty programs. Cardholders can transfer rewards they earn to any of the following Amex travel partners:

Airline Partners

• Aer Lingus AerClub (1:1)
• Aeromexico Rewards (1:1.6)
• Air Canada Aeroplan (1:1)
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue (1:1)
• ANA Mileage Club (1:1)
• Avianca Lifemiles (1:1)
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (1:1)
• Club Iberia Plus (1:1)
• Delta Air Lines SkyMiles (1:1)
• Emirates Skywards (1:1)
• Etihad Airways Guest Rewards (1:1)
• JetBlue TrueBlue (250:200)
• Qantas Frequent Flyer (1:1)
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club (1:1)
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1:1)
• The British Airways Club (1:1)
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1)

Hotel Partners

• Choice Privileges (1:1)
• Hilton Honors (1:2)
• Marriott Bonvoy (1:1)

Rewards Potential

Forbes Advisor uses data from various government agencies to determine baseline income and spending averages across various categories. The 70th percentile of wage-earning households brings in $127,200 annually and has $40,398 that can reasonably be spent on credit cards. We base spending on that number.

American Express® Gold Card Rewards Potential

Category	Earning Rate	Estimated Annual Spend	Estimated Annual Earnings
U.S. Supermarkets	4X	$7,687	30,748
Restaurants	4X	$4,995	19,980
Airfare	3X	$805	2,415
All Other Purchases	1X	$26,911	26,911
			Total: 80,054 American Express Membership Rewards

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Interest Rates

• Regular APR: See Pay Over Time APR
• Purchase intro APR: N/A
• Balance transfer intro APR: N/A

Fees

• Annual fee: $325
• Balance transfer fee: N/A
• Foreign purchase transaction fee: None

Amex Gold Card Requirements

When applying for the American Express® Gold Card, American Express performs a hard credit inquiry to determine your creditworthiness. Amex may consider:

• Your credit score
• Credit history
• Personal financial factors, including income, assets and housing payments
• History or existing relationships with American Express
• Number of previously opened accounts

Account Features	American Express® Gold Card	Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card	American Express Platinum Card®	Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
Annual Fee	$325	$95	$895 (Terms apply, see rates & fees)	$0
Welcome Bonus	a personalized offer as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 on eligible purchases on the card in the first 6 months of card membership (approval required, welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer)	75,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening	a personalized offer as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $8,000 on eligible purchases on the card in the first 6 months of card membership (approval required, welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer)	$200 cash bonus after spending $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening, plus a $100 credit to use towards flights, stays and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel during your first cardholder year
Dining Rewards	4X (up to $50,000 per year)	3X	1X	3%
Grocery Rewards	4X (up to $25,000 per year; U.S. supermarkets only)	1X	1X	3%
Credits	Dining partners, Resy, Uber Cash, U.S. Dunkin locations	Hotel credit	Numerous, including Resy, Uber Cash, hotel credits, and more	N/A
Type of Rewards	Membership Rewards	Chase UItimate Rewards	Membership Rewards	Cash back

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American Express® Gold Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

With another approach toward flexible rewards, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card puts more emphasis on travel, with an annual $50 credit toward select hotel bookings through Chase Travel℠. The earning rates on dining are a little lower than what you’ll get on the Amex Gold, but cardholders are eligible for a 10% points bonus after their account anniversary, which helps bridge the difference.

Learn more about the card differences in our guide to the Amex Gold vs. the Chase Sapphire Preferred.

American Express® Gold Card vs. American Express Platinum Card®

The American Express Platinum Card® (Terms apply, see rates & fees) is one of the most prestigious cards on the market, with a towering annual fee to match.

Although the Amex Gold offers elevated rewards across wider spending categories than the Amex Platinum, it can’t match the swanky perks that Platinum cardholders receive. Get a full look at the card’s benefits and credits in our comparison of the Amex Gold vs. Platinum.

American Express® Gold Card vs. Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card

Another card suited well for foodies, the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card takes a more basic approach. It has no annual fee but still earns almost as much on dining and grocery purchases (and throws in bonus rewards for entertainment and select streaming services, too). Take note that rewards are issued as cash back—a simpler but potentially less valuable form of award.

No statement credits are included on the Savor, but there also aren’t any games to play. If you’re looking for an unembellished approach to a credit card, this could be a fantastic tradeoff. There’s one other strong positive for the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card: New cardholders can take advantage of a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months, an 18.99% to 28.99% variable APR applies after that; 3% balance transfer fee for the first 12 months, 4% at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer you.

Ask an expert

Should you get an Amex Gold Card?

Clint Proctor

Credit Cards Lead Editor

Becky Pokora

Credit Cards Writer

Meghan Hunter

Credit Card Expert

 

My family of four spends a lot on food every month, so I appreciate that the Amex Gold helps us accumulate rewards quickly on every grocery store trip or drive-thru run. But for those with more modest food budgets, the card may only be worth it if they maximize the monthly credits, which can take some work.

Clint Proctor

Credit Cards Lead Editor

 

The Amex Gold is worth it for someone who expects to use the card’s dining credits and Uber Cash, which collectively are worth more than $400 per year. For anyone else, it may be better to consider credit cards with a lower annual fee.

Becky Pokora

Credit Cards Writer

 

The Amex Gold card is a wise choice for anyone looking to increase their stash of Amex Membership Rewards points, especially if you’re a foodie. It’s hard to beat the card’s bonus earnings on restaurant and U.S. supermarket purchases. Add that to the solid welcome offer, the various card credits and the flexibility of Membership Rewards, and it’s easy to realize the value one could get from the card.

Meghan Hunter

Credit Card Expert

The American Express® Gold Card is a premium option with exceptional Membership Rewards earning rates. The annual fee of $325 is high, but for customers who suspect they’ll use the monthly included credits on a regular basis, that’s an easy hurdle to jump over. Ultimately, the Amex Gold card slides right into many foodies’ lifestyle, making it more than worth the slot in your wallet.

Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. The Amex Gold card was graded based on numerous factors, including its:

• Annual fee
• Welcome bonus
• Ongoing earning rates
• Value of individual rewards
• Included travel or merchant credits
• Additional cardholder benefits
• Flexibility of rewards

Card features we expect cardholders to use the most often are weighted more heavily in our ratings. Together, these factors provide a star rating for the Amex Gold Card.

To learn more about our rating and review methodology and editorial process, check out our guide on how Forbes Advisor rates credit cards.

To view rates and fees for American Express® Gold Card please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for American Express Platinum Card® please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for American Express® Business Gold Card please visit this page.
¹Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible Card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the Commercial Car Rental Company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply. 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. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
²Baggage Insurance Plan coverage can be in effect for Eligible Persons for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen Baggage during their travel on a Common Carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when the entire fare for a Common Carrier Vehicle ticket for the trip (one-way or round-trip) is charged to an eligible Account. Coverage can be provided for up to $1,250 for carry-on Baggage and up to $500 for checked Baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the Common Carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus). For New York State residents, there is a $10,000 aggregate maximum limit 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.