Most credit cards want you to travel more. The Amex Gold just wants you to eat.
It's the card I'd point anyone to if most of their money goes to restaurants and groceries, which, if we're honest, is most of us. And there's one rule about when to get it that a lot of people learn the hard way.
Full transparency: that's my referral link, and I can be rewarded if you apply through it and get approved.
My 3 years with it
I've had the Gold for 3 years now. It's definitely harder to justify since the annual fee went up, but I still think it's worth it, mainly because of the 4x dining multiplier if you eat out enough. I do.
And if you're on the fence, it's a no-brainer to keep for one year just for the bonus and then cancel.
The card-order rule nobody tells you about
This is the most important part of this post, so it goes first.
Amex has what people call a "family" rule for welcome bonuses. If you've ever had the Amex Platinum, you generally can't get the signup bonus on the Gold. But it doesn't work the other way: having the Gold doesn't stop you from getting the Platinum's bonus later.
So the order is simple: Gold first, then Platinum. The only exception is a "no lifetime language" (NLL) offer, which occasionally pops up but you can't count on.
If you're even thinking about the Platinum someday, especially for Fine Hotels + Resorts (which I think beats Chase's Edit; more on that in my Sapphire Reserve review), grab the Gold's bonus first.
FHR is pretty nice, too. It's a Platinum perk, so it's one more reason to get the Platinum after the Gold. And if you're planning a 1–2 night stay at a nice hotel, the Gold's signup bonus points alone can go a long way toward covering it.
Where the points come from
- 4x at restaurants worldwide (up to $50,000 a year, then 1x)
- 4x at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 a year, then 1x)
- 3x on flights booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel
- 1x on everything else
For food spending, that's about as good as it gets. And Membership Rewards points transfer to about 20 airline and hotel partners, so they're worth a lot more than 1 cent each if you use them right.
The credits: what's real and what's homework
Here's my rule: a credit is only worth what I'd have spent anyway. The Gold's credits are mostly small monthly ones, which means they're easy to waste.
| Credit | Amount | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Uber Cash | $120/yr | $10 a month, for U.S. rides or Uber Eats |
| Dining credit | $120/yr | $10 a month at Grubhub/Seamless, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Wonder |
| Resy credit | $100/yr | $50 from Jan–June and $50 from July–Dec at U.S. Resy restaurants |
| Dunkin' | $84/yr | $7 a month at U.S. Dunkin' |
| The Hotel Collection | $100 property credit | Book 2+ nights through Amex Travel at a Hotel Collection hotel |
Most of these need to be enrolled in your Amex account first. If you skip that step, you get nothing.
My math
| Credit | Amex says | I count | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uber Cash | $120 | $120 | Organic. I use Uber anyway. |
| Dining credit | $120 | $120 | Organic |
| Resy | $100 | $100 | Organic. I already book nice dinners on Resy. |
| Dunkin' | $84 | $0 | I don't care about it (see below) |
| Total | $340 | vs. a $325 annual fee |
So the credits I'd use anyway already cover the fee, and the 4x on dining is all upside.
The Dunkin' hack: I don't care about the Dunkin' credit, especially since I took advantage of a Paze promo earlier this year and now have way too many Dunkin' gift cards. But here's the cool thing: buying Dunkin' gift cards counts toward the $7 monthly credit. So at worst, you just buy a $7 gift card every month and stockpile them.
Always ask for a retention offer
Every year so far, I've gotten a retention offer on the Gold. I think the last one was something like $125 back after $2,000 in spend. That makes the math even better.
How to do it: after your annual fee posts, call in and ask if there are any retention offers. No need to give them a whole story. Just be straight to the point, and they'll tell you the offer if there is one.
My rule: the first year they don't offer me retention, I cancel. Not because the card is bad, but because I'd rather chase signup bonuses than credits.
Who should get it
Get the Gold if:
- A big chunk of your spending is restaurants and groceries
- You want to build up transferable points fast
- You might want the Platinum someday, so you can grab this bonus first
Skip it if:
- You won't use the monthly credits and don't spend much on food. Then it's a $325 card earning 4x on a category you barely use.
- You'd rather have one simple card. The Sapphire Preferred is $95 and still earns 3x on dining.
The verdict
The Gold isn't flashy. No lounges, no fancy metal-card flexing at the airport (okay, it is metal). What it does is quietly turn your most boring, unavoidable spending into points.
Just do three things: enroll in the credits, get it before the Platinum, and call for a retention offer every year.
