American Express® Gold Card Review: Worth the $325 Annual Fee if You’ll Maximize the Credits

American Express® Gold Card

• Best for: People who spend heavily at restaurants and supermarkets and like to use points for flights; frequent Uber, Grubhub, and Dunkin’ users
• What sets it apart: 4X points at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets, plus $424 a year in dining, Uber, Resy, and Dunkin’ credits
• Cost: $325 annual fee; no foreign transaction fee; variable APR of 19.74% to 28.74% on Pay Over Time balances
• Welcome offer: Up to 100,000 points after $8,000 in purchases within 6 months; the exact offer, if any, appears before you accept
• Rewards: 4X at restaurants up to $50,000 a year and at U.S. supermarkets up to $25,000; 5X on prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel; 3X on flights booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel; 1X on other purchases; points are worth 1 cent each for Amex Travel flights or 0.6 cent as a statement credit
• Rideshare: $10 in Uber Cash each month for Uber rides and Uber Eats orders in the U.S.; unused Uber Cash expires at month-end; Uber and Lyft rides earn 1X
• Dining credits: Up to $10 a month at Grubhub, Seamless, Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder; up to $50 every six months at Resy restaurants; up to $7 a month at Dunkin’; enrollment required; unused amounts do not roll over
• Pros: 4X on restaurant meals abroad with no foreign transaction fee; welcome offer worth up to $1,000 toward Amex Travel flights; no annual fee on up to five additional cards
• Cons: Points are worth only 0.6 cent each as statement credits; dining credits require enrollment and do not roll over; no airport lounge access

Choose the American Express® Gold Card if you spend heavily at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets, expect to use most of its $424 in annual credits, and plan to book flights with the points you earn. If you redeem points as statement credits, the card’s 4 points per dollar are worth 2.4 cents, which is below the return a no-fee card can offer on dining and groceries.

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The Gold Card is a better fit for households that dine out often and shop at U.S. supermarkets, where the 4 points per dollar bonus applies, rather than at superstores or warehouse clubs. Its credits are tied to specific merchants such as Uber, Grubhub, and Dunkin’, so they only add value if you already spend with those brands.

Key Features

• $325 annual fee, no foreign transaction fee, and a variable interest rate of 19.74% to 28.74% on carried balances
• Welcome offer of up to 100,000 points after $8,000 in purchases within 6 months, with the exact offer, if any, shown before you accept
• 4 points per dollar on the first $50,000 spent each year at restaurants worldwide and the first $25,000 at U.S. supermarkets, 5X on prepaid Amex Travel hotels, 3X on flights booked with airlines or Amex Travel, and 1X on other purchases
• Monthly credits of up to $10 at Grubhub, Five Guys, and three other dining partners, $10 in Uber Cash, and up to $7 at Dunkin’, plus up to $50 every six months at Resy restaurants, all in the U.S.
• Points worth 1 cent each toward Amex Travel flights and 0.7 cent toward prepaid Amex Travel hotels or Amazon purchases

Pros

• 4X on restaurant meals abroad, with no foreign transaction fee
• Welcome offer worth up to $1,000 toward Amex Travel flights
• No annual fee on up to five additional cards

Cons

• Points are worth just 0.6 cent each as statement credits
• Unused credits do not roll over, and Uber Cash expires at the end of each month
• Dining, Resy, and Dunkin’ credits require enrollment
• No 4X at bars, bakeries, or restaurants inside hotels and casinos
• No airport lounge access, unlike the $895 Platinum Card

If you use at least $325 in credits, they offset the annual fee, and each dollar spent at restaurants or supermarkets earns 4 cents toward Amex Travel flights versus 3 cents in cash from Capital One’s no-fee Savor card. If you do not use the credits, the Gold Card’s extra cent per dollar only makes up for its fee after about $32,500 a year in restaurant and supermarket spending, so below that level the Savor card is the stronger choice.

Learn more about the American Express® Gold Card or compare it with other top dining credit cards.

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