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For those that love dining out, the American Express® Gold Card (Terms apply. See rates & fees) could be a worthwhile addition to your wallet. Although it does have a relatively high annual fee, it allows you to earn valuable Membership Rewards points at restaurants and grocery stores and it offers added benefits like dining credits and Uber Cash.
If you’re not sure if you can qualify for the American Express Gold card, here’s what you need to know.
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American Express® Gold Card
On American Express's Website
4.6
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On American Express's Website
Up to 4X Reward Rate
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.; Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points atRead More
Welcome Bonus
Earn 60,000 points
Annual Fee
$250
Credit Score
Excellent/Good(700 - 749)
Editorial Review
Foodies and travelers can leverage the American Express® Gold Card to the hilt, earning up to 4x points. The annual fee may seem intimidating, but by using the included benefits and doing some spending, it’s easy to come out ahead.
Pros & Cons
- High rewards earnings possibilities
- Points transfer option to many partners
- Add up to 5 authorized users for no additional annual fee
- Can choose from regular or rose gold versions
- No lounge benefits
- Limited options to carry a balance
- High APR for pay over time feature
- High pay over time penalty APR
Card Details
- Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.
- Get a $100 experience credit with a minimum two-night stay when you book The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel. Experience credit varies by property.
- Choose the color that suits your style. Gold or Rose Gold.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $250.
- Terms Apply.
Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
What Credit Score Do You Need for Amex Gold?
American Express doesn’t disclose its minimum credit score requirements. However, premium cards like the American Express Gold card generally require good to excellent credit. According to Equifax, one of the three main credit reporting bureaus, that means you’ll need a credit score of 670 or higher.
Requirements for Amex Gold Credit Card Pre-Qualification
Although American Express doesn’t disclose its minimum credit score or income requirements, you can check your eligibility for the Amex Gold without impacting your credit.
Amex introduced its ‘apply with confidence’ preapproval tool in 2022. It allows you to fill out a pre-qualification form, and with a soft credit pull, Amex will tell you your likelihood of being approved.
How To Improve Your Credit Score To Get Approved for the Amex Gold Card
If your credit is less-than-perfect, you can improve your credit over the next few months by following these steps:
- Review your credit report: Errors on credit reports are common, and incorrect information can damage your credit. You can review your credit reports for free at AnnualCreditReport.com. If you find information that’s inaccurate, you can file disputes with the major credit bureaus.
- Make all of your payments on time: Your payment history is the biggest contributor to your credit score. Sign up for automatic payments and mark down due dates, so you don’t miss any payments.
- Pay down existing balances: The amount of your available credit you use has a substantial impact on your credit. You can improve your credit by paying down your credit card balances.
- Limit credit inquiries: Limit inquiries for new credit, including credit cards and loans, to when you really need them. Each inquiry can cause your score to drop, so limiting inquiries can help you maintain good credit.
American Express Gold Card Rewards and Benefits
The Amex Gold card is a charge card. It doesn’t have a pre-set spending limit, giving you more flexibility on how you use the card. With the American Express Gold card, you can take advantage of the following benefits and rewards:
New Cardmember Offer
You can earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first 6 months of card membership. Once you reach that threshold, Amex will credit the points to your account within eight to 12 weeks.
Depending on how you use your points, that new cardmember offer is worth anywhere from $360 for statement credits to $1,200 if you transfer points to a frequent traveler program.
Rewards Points
- With the Amex Gold card, you’ll earn 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1 point per dollar), 3 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express travel and 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases.
Your points can be redeemed for account credits, gift cards, travel arrangements or they can be transferred to frequent traveler loyalty programs.
Benefits
The American Express® Gold Card has several other benefits. Standout perks include:
- $120 Dining credit: When you enroll and pay with your Amex Gold card for transactions through GrubHub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Milk Bar, Wine.com or select Shake Shack locations, you’ll get $10 in statement credits each month.
- $120 Uber Cash: Add your Amex Gold card to your Uber account and you’ll get up to $10 in Uber Cash per month. You can redeem Uber Cash for rides or UberEats orders in the U.S.
- Global Assist Hotline¹: If you travel more than 100 miles away from home, you can use the Global Assist Hotline to get emergency assistance. The hotline can help with everything from medical and legal referrals to missing luggage assistance.
- Baggage Insurance²: When you use your card to book your fare on a common carrier, you get coverage for up to $1,250 for carry-on bags and up to $500 for checked bags that are lost, damaged or stolen.
- Car Rental Loss and Damage Waiver³: Use your card to pay for your car rental—and decline the rental company’s coverage—and you’ll get insurance for damage or theft to the rental car.
- American Express Preferred Access: Preferred Access allows you to book premium seats at select sporting events and concerts.
Drawbacks of the American Express Gold Card
Despite its benefits, the American Express Gold card does some have significant drawbacks:
- High annual fee: The card has an annual fee of $250. Even if you don’t use the card, you owe the fee simply for keeping the account open.
- Limited travel benefits: While it does offer baggage insurance and car rental coverage, the Amex Gold has relatively few benefits for travelers. By contrast, cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card—which has an annual fee of just $95—includes trip cancellation/interruption insurance and trip delay reimbursem*nt.
- Rewards are less valuable for non-travelers: To get the most value when redeeming your rewards, you have to transfer them to a frequent traveler program. Other redemption methods, such as gift cards or statement credits, have much lower values.
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Bottom Line
If you love dining out, the American Express® Gold Card could be a fit for you. It offers valuable rewards at restaurants and grocery stores, and it includes added benefits like $120 in dining and Uber credits.
However, the card requires good to excellent credit to get approved. It also has a high annual fee, and those that travel often may be disappointed by the few traveler benefits the card offers.
If you do decide to apply for the Amex Gold card, make sure you pay attention to the new Membership Rewards offer and reach the spending requirement, so you can get the welcome bonus. If you pay off your balance in full every month, you can earn those valuable rewards without paying added interest charges.
Explore The Benefits Of the American Express® Gold Card
Click to learn more and apply today. Rates & Fees / Terms Apply
On American Express's Website
To view rates and fees for the American Express® Gold Card please visit this page.
¹You can rely on Global Assist Hotline 24 hours a day / 7 days a week for medical, legal, financial or other select emergency coordination and assistance services while traveling more than 100 miles away from your home. Third-party service costs may be your responsibility. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.
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.
³Eligibility 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.
