Last updated: July 2026. Fees, credits, and welcome bonuses change often — confirm the current offer on the issuer's page before you apply.
The American Express® Green Card is the forgotten middle child of the Amex lineup, and that's a shame — it's one of the most sensible ways into the Membership Rewards ecosystem. For a mid-tier fee it earns 3x on an unusually broad definition of travel (not just flights and hotels, but transit, rideshare, tolls, and more) plus 3x dining, and it keeps your Membership Rewards account alive so points earned elsewhere stay transferable.
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At a glance
| Annual fee | ~$150 (verify current fee) |
| Sign-up bonus | ~40,000 points after meeting minimum spend (verify current offer) |
| Bonus value | ~$800 in travel at our 2.0¢ valuation |
| Best for | Broad travel/transit spenders; a low-cost way to hold MR |
| Points earned | Amex Membership Rewards (transferable) |
| 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 Green earns the exact same currency as the Platinum and Gold — so a point earned here is worth every bit as much when you transfer it. At 2.0¢, 3x = an effective 6% back in travel value.
A 40,000-point bonus is therefore worth:
- $400 cashed out (don't) ·
- ~$400 toward paid travel via Amex Travel ·
- $800+ transferred to a partner for a well-chosen award.
Where your points can go
The Green'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 |
|---|---|
| 3x | Travel — flights, hotels, cruises, tours and the broad stuff (car rentals, campgrounds) |
| 3x | Transit — rideshare, trains, buses, subways, tolls, parking, ferries |
| 3x | Dining worldwide (restaurants, takeout & delivery) |
| 1x | Everything else |
The Green's edge is that "travel" and "transit" are defined generously — rideshare, commuter rail, and tolls all earn 3x, categories the Gold doesn't bonus at all. If your spend skews toward getting-around rather than groceries, the Green can out-earn the Gold on those dollars.
Benefits & credits
Credits require enrollment and are use-it-or-lose-it — verify current amounts and terms.
- ~$199/yr CLEAR Plus credit — covers the airport-security membership outright; on its own it recovers most of the annual fee.
- ~$100/yr LoungeBuddy credit — pay for one-off airport-lounge visits through the LoungeBuddy app (no membership required).
- Trip delay and baggage insurance, purchase protection, extended warranty (verify current coverage).
- The Hotel Collection benefit ($100 experience credit + room upgrade on 2-night prepaid Amex Travel stays).
- No foreign transaction fees.
Stack the CLEAR and LoungeBuddy credits and the card's net cost is close to zero for anyone who'd use CLEAR anyway — while still earning 3x on a wide swath of spend.
Best uses (sweet spots), with examples
1. Turn commuting and rideshare into award flights. Put $8,000/yr of transit and dining on the Green at 3x → 24,000 MR. Add the ~40K bonus and you're at 64,000 points — enough for a one-way business seat on many partners. Transfer 60,000 to Aeroplan for a ~$4,200 Star Alliance business fare + ~$200 taxes: CPP = (4,200 − 200) ÷ 60,000 × 100 = 6.67¢ per point.
2. Short-haul Avios from everyday spend. Move points to British Airways/Iberia Avios for cheap nonstops. A ~$180 fare for 11,000 Avios + ~$12 taxes: CPP = (180 − 12) ÷ 11,000 × 100 = 1.53¢ — and there's tons of availability.
3. Keep Membership Rewards alive for cheap. If you cancel a Platinum or Gold, your MR points can be forfeited unless another MR card stays open. The Green is a low-fee anchor that preserves a large points balance for far less than a premium card's fee.
4. The floor: Amex Travel at ~1¢. A fixed fallback; transfer to a partner whenever an award beats a cheap cash fare.
Fine print worth knowing
- Earning is strong but narrow to travel/transit/dining — non-bonus spend earns just 1x, so don't use it for groceries (that's the Gold) or big-box shopping.
- Credits are enrollment-gated and don't roll over.
- Once-per-lifetime bonus per Amex card product; the pre-application pop-up may flag ineligibility.
- US-airline transfer fee: 60¢ per 1,000 points to U.S. airline programs (cap ~$99).
- No lounge membership — the LoungeBuddy credit is pay-per-visit, not unlimited access like a Platinum.
Who should get it
Get the Green if you want a low-cost foothold in Membership Rewards, you spend on transit/rideshare/travel more than on groceries, or you need a cheap card to keep an MR balance alive after downgrading a premium card. It's an underrated first Amex.
Step up to the Amex Gold if dining and supermarkets dominate your budget, or the Amex Platinum if you'll use lounges and the bigger credit stack. For no annual fee entirely, the Blue Business Plus earns 2x MR on everything.
Bottom line
The Green is the quiet, sensible on-ramp to Membership Rewards: a modest fee largely erased by the CLEAR and LoungeBuddy credits, broad 3x earning on travel, transit, and dining, and the full transfer program behind every point. It won't wow anyone at the airport, but it's an efficient points earner and a smart anchor card for an Amex setup.
Apply Now → see the current offer
Related: How much are your points worth? · Amex transfer partners · Amex Gold guide
