American Express refreshed the Gold recently, so the annual fee and credit structure changed — confirm the current fee, credit list, and welcome offer on the issuer's page before you apply.
The American Express® Gold Card is the best everyday-spend card in the transferable-points world if you eat out and buy groceries. Its 4x on dining and 4x at U.S. supermarkets turn the two biggest lines in most household budgets into Membership Rewards points worth ~2.0¢ each — an effective ~8% back in travel value on food. It's the natural pairing partner for a Platinum, and for many people it's the better card of the two.
Advertiser disclosure: we may be compensated when you're approved through our links. It doesn't affect our editorial take. Terms apply — see the issuer's Rates & Fees.
Quick answer
- Best for: dining worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (4x, groceries capped at $25,000/yr)
- Annual fee: $325 — offset by monthly dining, Uber, Resy and Dunkin' credits if you'd use them anyway
- Welcome bonus: as high as 100,000 points after $8,000 spend in 6 months — personalized (verify current offer)
- Key benefit: points worth ~2.0¢ each at our valuation, so 4x is an effective ~8% back in travel value
- Earning: 4x dining and U.S. supermarkets, 3x flights, 1x everything else
Free tool: find the credit card that earns the most for how you spend, and track every statement credit at kritdeals.com/points-path, or in the free KritDeals app for iPhone and Android.
At a glance
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual fee | $325 (refreshed 2024/25 — verify current fee) |
| Sign-up bonus | As high as 100,000 points after $8,000 spend in 6 months — personalized; the spend rose from $6,000 on 30 April 2026 (verify current offer) |
| Best for | Dining & grocery spenders; pairing with a premium card |
| Points earned | Amex Membership Rewards (transferable) |
| Points worth | ~2.0¢ each (our valuation) — up to $2,000 in travel on a 100,000-point offer |
| Key perk | Monthly dining, Uber, Resy and Dunkin' credits |
| Foreign transaction fee | None |
| Card network | American Express |
Apply now → see the current offer
What the points are worth
We value Membership Rewards at 2.0¢ each because they transfer 1:1 (or better) to Air Canada Aeroplan, ANA, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, Avianca, British Airways/Iberia/Qatar (Avios), Delta, Virgin Atlantic, Singapore KrisFlyer, Marriott, and Hilton (1:2). The Gold earns those same points, so every 4x category is worth an effective 8¢ per dollar in travel — better than almost any flat cash-back card, and far more flexible.
A 100,000-point bonus is therefore worth:
- $1,000 cashed out (don't) ·
- ~$1,000 toward paid travel via Amex Travel ·
- $2,000+ transferred to a partner for a well-chosen award.
Where your points can go
The Gold's points are Amex Membership Rewards, which transfer to these airline and hotel programs — tap any partner to see how to use those miles, what they're worth, and the best redemptions:
Airline transfer partners Air Canada Aeroplan · ANA Mileage Club · Air France/KLM Flying Blue · Avianca LifeMiles · British Airways / Qatar Avios · Delta SkyMiles · Virgin Atlantic · Singapore KrisFlyer · Cathay Pacific Asia Miles · Qantas Frequent Flyer · Emirates Skywards · JetBlue TrueBlue
Hotel transfer partners Hilton Honors · Marriott Bonvoy · Choice Privileges
Amex charges a small excise-tax fee to move points to U.S. airline programs (Delta, JetBlue) — see the fine print below. For every transfer ratio, transfer time and current bonus, see the complete transfer partners chart.
Earning rates
| Rate | Category |
|---|---|
| 4x | Dining worldwide (restaurants, takeout & delivery) |
| 4x | U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000/yr, then 1x) |
| 3x | Flights booked directly with airlines or via Amex Travel |
| 1x | Everything else |
At 2.0¢/point, 4x dining = an effective 8% back in travel value. Note the $25,000/yr cap on the 4x supermarket bonus — heavy grocery spenders will max it and drop to 1x after.
Benefits & credits
Credits require enrollment, land in monthly or semi-annual increments, and are use-it-or-lose-it. The 2024/25 refresh reshuffled these — verify the current list and amounts.
- $120/yr dining credit — up to $10/month at select partners (Grubhub, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and others — verify list).
- $120/yr Uber Cash — $10/month for U.S. rides or Uber Eats; add the card in the Uber app.
- $100/yr Resy credit — up to $50 semi-annually (Jan–Jun and Jul–Dec) at U.S. Resy-booked restaurants (verify).
- $84/yr Dunkin' credit — up to $7/month at U.S. Dunkin' locations (verify).
- Baggage insurance, purchase protection, extended warranty (verify current coverage).
- No foreign transaction fees.
- The Hotel Collection benefit ($100 experience credit + upgrade on 2-night prepaid stays via Amex Travel).
The monthly credits are worth roughly the fee if you'd spend at these merchants anyway — but they're narrow (specific brands, specific months), so be honest about whether you'll use them before you count them.
Best uses
- Fund premium-cabin flights from your grocery bill. Spend $15,000/yr on dining and groceries at 4x → 60,000 MR. Transfer to Flying Blue for a ~$4,000 business-class seat to Europe, paying ~$250 in taxes. CPP = (4,000 − 250) ÷ 60,000 × 100 = 6.25¢ (on a 60K award) — your food spend paid for the flight.
- Short-haul Avios sweet spots. Move points to British Airways/Iberia Avios for cheap sub-650-mile nonstops. A ~$180 fare for 11,000 Avios + ~$12 taxes: CPP = (180 − 12) ÷ 11,000 × 100 = 1.53¢ — and the tickets are plentiful.
- Skip Marriott — keep MR flexible for airlines. MR → Marriott is a weak 1:1 for most, so prefer airline partners; the point is that the same grocery spend can become flights worth 6¢+ instead of 1¢ cash back.
- The floor: Amex Travel at ~1¢. A fixed fallback when no transfer beats a cheap cash fare.
Who should get it
Get the Gold if dining and groceries are big monthly expenses and you want those dollars earning transferable points instead of 1–2% cash back. It's the highest-earning "everyday" card in the Amex stable.
Pair it with a premium card for lounges — the Gold does the earning, the Amex Platinum does the perks — and a no-fee Blue Business Plus to catch the non-bonus spend at 2x.
- Good alternative: Chase Sapphire Preferred — if you'd rather have one lower-fee card that also covers travel and protections.
Fine print worth knowing
- The 4x supermarket rate caps at $25,000/yr, and warehouse clubs (Costco/Sam's) and Walmart Supercenters generally don't code as supermarkets.
- Credits are monthly and merchant-specific — miss a month and it's gone; they don't roll over.
- Once-per-lifetime bonus per Amex card product; the pre-application pop-up may flag you as ineligible.
- US-airline transfer fee: 60¢ per 1,000 points to U.S. airline programs (cap ~$99).
- Recently refreshed — the fee and credits changed, so confirm the current terms.
Bottom line
The Gold is the foodie's points card: unmatched 4x earning on dining and U.S. groceries, a stack of monthly credits that can cover much of the fee, and the full Membership Rewards transfer program behind every point. If your grocery and restaurant spend is real, this card quietly funds business-class trips out of your weekly shop.
Apply now → see the current offer
Note: Sign-up bonuses and benefits change. Always confirm current terms on the issuer's site before applying.
FAQ
Is the 4x on groceries unlimited? No. The 4x U.S. supermarket rate caps at $25,000 a year, then drops to 1x — and warehouse clubs (Costco/Sam's) and Walmart Supercenters generally don't code as supermarkets.
Do the credits cover the $325 annual fee? Roughly, if you'd spend at those merchants anyway: $120 dining, $120 Uber Cash, $100 Resy and $84 Dunkin'. They're monthly or semi-annual, need enrollment, and don't roll over, so be honest about whether you'll use them.
What are Membership Rewards points worth? We value them at 2.0¢ each because they transfer to airline and hotel partners like Aeroplan, Flying Blue, Avios and Virgin Atlantic. Amex Travel is the ~1¢ floor.
Can I get the welcome bonus more than once? No — it's once per lifetime per Amex card product, and the pre-application pop-up may flag you as ineligible.
Does Amex charge to transfer points? Only to U.S. airline programs (Delta, JetBlue): 60¢ per 1,000 points, capped around $99.
