After having the AMEX Gold credit card since 2005, I have been a loyal American Express customer for a long time. The recent addition of the AMEX platinum to my credit card portfolio is one I have considered and often passed on, until now. My reviews and opinions are solely based on how I use my credit cards for everyday spending, but also for the diversification of flexible travel points currency.
The American Express Gold credit card provides a lot of free travel opportunities because of all the redemption offers available when choosing HOW to best redeem those “Membership Rewards” points, as American Express calls their credit card points currency. They are very generous with their offers and credits to help offset the annual fee.
This makes for a great card to add to your points and miles portfolio based on a number of factors.
Amex Gold Card Benefits
- Uber EatsPass Membership
- Grubhub/Seamless credits
- Monthly AMEX Offers
- Extended Warranty
- Shoprunner Membership
- Earn Membership Rewards
- Transfer points to Airline Partners
- Transfer points to hotel chains
Earning Points with the Amex Gold Card
Dining Expenses
Earn 4x (4 points per dollar spent) at restaurants whether you dine in, take out or order delivery.
You can maximize earning points, more than any other travel and points earning credit card when using the AMEX gold for all dining expenses. This includes all restaurants worldwide or if you decide to order takeout, and stack offers with Grubhub or Uber Eats. You will earn the 4x on the amount spent on the AMEX card, in addition to those credits. So this basically allows you to stack some of the credits.
For example, you can place a $20 UberEats/GrubHub order, set to be paid using the AMEX card, receive $10 credit and 4x on the other $10 you paid. $10 out of pocket for a $20 takeout/delivery meal and earn 40 AMEX points.
Supermarket/Groceries Spending
Earn 4X at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases. This also includes home food delivery services.
Travel Bookings
Earn 3x when you use the AMEX Gold to book travel expenses like hotels or flights, as long as it is booked directly with the airline or amextravel.com.
Online Shopping with Rakuten – Use Rakuten to earn AMEX Membership Rewards points when you shop online at thousands of online retailers. You need to register your AMEX Membership Rewards account with your Rakuten account. This will be an option to receive Rakuten rewards in lieu of the traditional cashback options.
Redeeming Points with Amex Gold Card
There are many options when it comes to redeeming your AMEX Membership rewards points. However, not all redemptions are great. There is a travel booking portal, there will be gift card redemptions and even products you can book directly, by using the AMEX points.
Best use of Membership Rewards
Some of the best ways to redeem AMEX Membership Rewards points is by transferring them to the different airline partners and hotel chains to book award flight and redeem directly with those brands.
This allows you to fly all over the world, connect with all the airline alliances and take advantage of the airline’s direct booking rules and award charts.
Here are the current AMEX airline and hotel transfer partners, based on loyalty programs.
Airline Transfer Partners:
- Alitalia MilleMiglia
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Asia Miles
- British Airways Executive Club (40% transfer bonus currently)
- Delta SkyMiles
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Guest
- Finnair Plus
- Flying Blue
- Iberia Plus (40% transfer bonus currently)
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- SAS EuroBonus
- Singapore KrisFlyer
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Hotel Transfer Partners:
- Marriott Bonvoy™
- Hilton Honors
- Radisson Rewards™
Please note, when points are transferred to the airlines or hotel loyalty programs, they are FINAL. If you decide to cancel or modify your flight, this will be dealt with by the airline, not AMEX.
Other AMEX Gold Benefits
Extended Warranty – great to use when buying electronics, like computers, mobile phones, home appliances. This is especially useful when purchasing a new smartphone that may be damaged for other things not covered under the manufacturer’s warranty.
GrubHub Dining Credits – Value $120 per year – Earn $10 per month when using your AMEX Gold at checkout, after ordering on the Grubhub website or their App. If you don’t use them, you lose them.
What if I do not eat out?
You can use Grubhub or Uber Eats credits for meal pickup or delivery. Just order anything using their app and checkout using your AMEX to receive the $10 credit, made directly to your AMEX account and shown as a “statement credit.”
Uber Cash credits – Value $120 per year – Earn $10 per month when using Amex Gold for Uber rides. You need to add the AMEX gold card to your wallet in the Uber app in order for this to apply.
ShopRunner Membership – Value $79 per year – Use this benefit when online shopping and want free two-day shipping and free returns. You can turn a lot of online stores into quick shopping, not just Amazon.
Amex Offers – changes monthly – Choose offers you like, add them to your card. Can be used to stack with warranty coverage and category spending for online purchases and many stores.
Extended Warranty – purchase any electronic with your AMEX gold and receive up to one additional year of warranty protection, up to certain limits. This is a great benefit when you need coverage beyond the original Manufacturer’s Warranty.
Full warranty details founds here:
WHY SIGN UP NOW?
As a welcome bonus, you can earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months. Take a look at all the AMEX card offers here.
Is Amex Gold Worth the Annual Fee?
If you use the AMEX Gold card for the right categories and take advantage of either their credits, offers or incentives, the card will pay for itself.
Here are a few perks that will easily offset the annual fee, as long as you use them:
- Grubhub/Seamless credit – Value $120 per year
- Uber rides credit – Value $120 per year – $10 per month
- ShopRunner membership – Value $79 per year
Extended Warranty – up to $10,000 replacement value
The AMEX gold card has a lot of features with bells and whistles that are created to compete in the travel credit card space but also made to justify the annual fee to provide a loyal customer experience. It may not be the beginner card for most,m but definitely a keeper card for any award traveler’s wallet.
Is the AMEX gold card a good choice for me?
If you plan on buying food, whether it is for dining out, delivery, pickup or grocery shopping then you will get a great value when using it for those main purposes. Earning points at a rate a 4x for all supermarket expenses, pretty much makes it a go to card for many households.
Other points travel credit card alternatives
An alternative to getting an Amex Gold card and having options to transfer points to different airline partners or hotel chains would be to apply for a Chase credit card and accumulate Ultimate Rewards points.
Having the option to transfer those credit card points directly to airline or hotel brands directly is one of the best uses of credit card points.
If you still want to earn airline miles, without applying for more credit cards, consider earning your frequent flyer miles by using different shopping portals. If you have AMEX, you can earn Rakuten when shopping online, or consider using dining programs.
My thoughts on the AMEX Gold
I highly recommend earning points with travel credit cards that will allow you to transfer points from your credit card to different loyalty programs. This means, I can use my Membership Rewards points to airline partners and hotel chains. In this case, you will have a wide range of airlines that will connect you to all the major alliances , such as One World, Star Alliance and My suggestion for a mid tier credit card is to consider the Chase Amex and take advantage of all the credits it provides.
The Amex gold signup bonus is really good right now, earning 60,000 Membership Rewards points as long as you meet a minimum spending requirement of $4,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months. You will be subject to the annual fee of $250 , so think of this as a basic keeper card for your wallet.
Focus spending to the categories where American Express pays the highest amount of points, ilke when spending on dining, whether it is delivery, take out or dine in, or in other categories like groceries/supermarket, earning 4x per dollar spent.
COMPARISON TO THE AMEX PLATINUM
My experience with the AMEX Platinum Credit card has been as of 2021, after holding the AMEX gold since 2005. I had debated the validity of the fee and determined that I can easily offset the high annual fee by taking advantage of the many “coupons” it offers. This is the best way to make up for the heft $695 annual fee.
When AMEX decides to lure you in with a good deal, this is one I would suggest jumping on. Since you can only earn the sign up bonus once a lifetime per product, its best to get it when it is at an all time high.
WHY Sign up now?
Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Plus, earn 10x points on eligible purchases on the Card at restaurants worldwide and when you Shop Small in the U.S., on up to $25,000 in combined purchases, during your first 6 months of Card Membership. Take a look at all the AMEX card offers here.
benefits I immediately signed up for:
- WALMART + Monthly membership Credit ($12.95 monthly fee) – great for same day delivery of groceries and many other household items
- Audible ($240 annual digital credit) –
- $15 monthly Uber Eats/Uber cash + plus $20 bonus in December (up to $200)
- $179 CLEAR credit
- $50 Saks.com semiannual credit ($100 annual)
- $200 Airline fee reimbursememts- this is triggered when you select an airline you plan on traveling and incurring charges with. Can change as needed but requires a call with an agent.
- Priority Pass enrollment – enroll online and obtain digital pass for immediate use
- Centurion Lounge Club Access for 2
- $200 Hotel Credit – when using AMEX Travel to book 2 nights at their Fine Hotels & Resorts and includes daily breakfast for two
- Hotel Status upgrade: Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status
- Hotel Status upgrade: Hilton Honors Gold Status
MY FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE Amex Platinum
With all these benefits, I can offset the high annual fee. Always remember to check for the AMEX offers that can usually be stacked in addition to earning regular Membership rewards points.
I would suggest this card if you plan on staying on top of using the monthly credits, or gifting them to someone that can use the free membership perhaps? The monthly and annual perks, far exceed the annual fee in terms of value. however, it is only great if you take advantage of at least what you are spending on to get this card. Overall I believe it is well worth it so far.
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