American Express Gold Card
$325 annual fee · $424/yr in printed statement credits · 1x on everything else · no foreign transaction fees
Earn rates
| Category | Rate | Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Dining | 4x | on the first $50,000/year |
| Groceries | 4x | on the first $25,000/year |
| Flights | 3x | uncapped |
| Travel | 2x | uncapped |
| Everything else | 1x | uncapped |
| Issuer travel portal portal only — pays only if you book through the issuer's own site, so it is excluded from every ranking on this site |
5x | uncapped |
See how it ranks: best dining cards · best groceries cards · best flights cards · best travel cards.
Signup bonus: 100,000 points after $8,000 in 6 months. We never count unearned bonuses in savings math — a bonus you don't clear is worth zero.
Statement credits — $424/yr on paper
| Credit | Value | How it pays |
|---|---|---|
| Dining Credit | $120/year | monthly · enrollment required |
| Uber Cash | $120/year | monthly · enrollment required |
| Resy Credit | $100/year | twice a year · enrollment required |
| Dunkin' Credit | $84/year | monthly · enrollment required |
Monthly and quarterly credits expire if unused — that's where most of their printed value quietly disappears.
Non-cash perks
- The Hotel Collection: $100 property credit on bookings of two nights or more through Amex Travel
- Hertz Five Star status (enrollment required)
- Trip Delay Insurance up to $300 per trip (12+ hour delay, 2 claims per 12 months)
- Baggage Insurance Plan (up to $1,250 carry-on / $500 checked)
- Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance (secondary)
- Global Assist Hotline
- Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty
- American Express Venue Collection: 10% back on qualifying concessions, up to $250 per calendar year
Does the fee earn out?
The printed statement credits ($424/yr) cover the $325 fee on paper — if you'd spend that way anyway. Credits you have to remember, enroll in, or change behavior for are worth less than face value. Our app tracks each one against your actual charges.
Is this $325 fee worth it? See the break-even math →
Check the current offer on the issuer's site → Where a card link will appear once available — no link on this page pays us today.
Compared head-to-head
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- American Express Gold Card vs Capital One Savor — which earns more?
- The Platinum Card from American Express vs American Express Gold Card vs Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express — all three side by side
- American Express Gold Card vs Chase Sapphire Preferred vs Citi Strata Premier® Card — all three side by side
Don't want the fee any more?
American Express Gold Card can normally be product-changed to 1 lower-fee card in the American Express Membership Rewards family instead of being closed — which keeps the account, its age and its credit line.
Comparing cards in the same currency? See the best cards that earn Amex Membership Rewards →
More from American Express
Which card should this spending actually be on? The demo re-scores a year of realistic spending against every card in a wallet — free, no signup. See it on sample data →
Verified 2026-09-03 against issuer terms · sources: www.americanexpress.com · cardstack.money · upgradedpoints.com. Spot an error? Tell us.