American Express® Gold Card

• $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.‍‍
• $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
• $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
• $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
• No foreign transaction fees (see rates & fees)
• Your miles don't expire as long as your account is open.
• Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
• As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
• Terms Apply.

When it comes to Membership Rewards points, the best way to maximize your points is to redeem them with travel.

[.dontreco] We don’t recommend: Redeeming your points for cash back [.dontreco]

While you can use your Membership Rewards points for a statement credit, essentially getting cash back, those points are typically worth just 0.6 cents each. This simply doesn’t provide the best value for your points.

[.sometimesreco] We sometimes recommend: Booking through the AmEx travel portal [.sometimesreco]

You can redeem your points for flights, hotel stays, and car rentals through Amex Travel, but this usually gives you a value of 1 cent per point or less, which is at least 50% lower than the normal value of points. While this is a decent option, it’s still not the best.

[.alwaysreco] We always recommend: Using points to book with transfer partners [.alwaysreco]

The bottom line is — if a flight or hotel room can be bought with cash, you can use your points to book it. Transferring your Amex points can score you more than 1.25 cents per point by moving rewards to Amex'’s super-duper-wonderful airline and hotel partners. Top picks include Delta, Emirates, Qatar, Hilton, Marriott, and so many more. Taking advantage of these transfer partners is one of the best ways to justify your AmEx Gold Card.

Simply log into your Amex account, click on “earn and redeem,” and you’ll see Amex’s long list of transfer partners. From there, make your transfer selection based on your trip and transfer those points. And just like that, you’re on your way! ✈️

Here’s that sweet list of Amex Gold Card transfer partners we were just chatting about:

The Platinum Card® from American Express — Annual Fee: $695 (rates and fees)

Why? Look. The Amex Platinum speaks for itself in more ways than one. And if you’re looking to upgrade your travel game, then this is a fantastic addition to your wallet alongside the Amex Gold. It offers higher rewards on flights and hotels, plus tons of travel perks like lounge access, elite status with Marriott and Hilton, and hundreds of statement credits. The Amex Platinum comes with a pretty steep annual fee (rates and fees), but its perks offset that annual fee — and then some — if you utilize said perks. Its current offer is worth over $1,500 and comes with statements galore: up to $200 annual airline fee credit, up to $200 hotel credit on Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection, up to $200 Uber Cash annually (To receive this benefit, you must have downloaded the latest version of the Uber App and your eligible American Express Platinum Card must be a method of payment in your Uber account. The Amex Benefit may only be used in the United States.), up to $189 Clear Plus membership credit, up to $240 digital entertainment credit, up to $300 Equinox credit, $155 Walmart+ membership credit, up to $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, and more. Enrollment required for select benefits.

Phew…I’m winded just reading that. The Gold Card has higher earning rates on Amex travel and eligible prepaid hotels booked including The Hotel Collection, which is a nice addition to the Gold Card’s earnings on everyday purchases. Again, The Amex Platinum is ideal for frequent travelers who can take full advantage, so if you can utilize the credits and value the travel benefits, it’s a great choice.

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express — Annual Fee: $0 introductory annual fee, then $95 (rates and fees)

Why? If you love cash back and spend money on U.S. streaming, U.S. supermarkets, transit, and gas (and who doesn’t?) the Blue Cash Preferred is for you. With great rates in these categories, it's perfect for travelers who want flexible rewards and maybe aren’t traveling full-time. The $95 annual fee actually has a $0 intro annual fee the first year (rates and fees), which is nice considering the Gold Card comes with a higher annual fee. With the Blue Cash Preferred, you’ll earn 6% on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 6% at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year, then 1%), 3% on transit and U.S. gas stations, and 1% on other purchases. So, if you’re looking for flexible rewards, the Blue Cash Preferred is a great option to pair with the Amex Gold Card.

1. The Foodie

Ok, if there’s one thing about me — it’s that I’m gonna eat. If you can relate even a little bit, you should consider applying for the Gold Card. It’s physically painful to watch your friend pull out their debit card to pay for a meal and earn zero points. Ugh, seriously. Painful. Because the Gold Card earns 4X per dollar at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (see caps above), you’ll be racking up points pretty much daily. This is one of those cards that is great to pair with others. While your other cards might earn great points back on gas, Doordash, etc., you should always whip this card out to spot the bill.

1. The Twice-a-Year Traveler

Ok, so you might not be traveling every single day, but if you’re using your PTO for a few really awesome trips, this is a good card to keep around. Remember that math we did earlier about how many points you can earn in a year? With some simple miles and points strategies, you can stretch those miles to cover thousands of dollars in travel.

1. The Miles and Points Novice

While the Gold Card might not be considered “luxury,” it’s not as easy to be approved for as some starter cards. It’s not super-duper difficult, but still. You need to be traveling enough to make the annual fee (rates and fees) worth it.There are several ways you can go about this. You can book travel through the Amex travel portal. You could also transfer to one of Amex’s many, many partners (this is preferred). For example, you could escape on a 7-night Spanish countryside vacation booked entirely with points. Mike breaks down exactly how to use your Membership Rewards points for just that in this newsletter. And even if you’d want to use your points another way, this example will still give you a good idea about how far you can stretch those points.

Here’s a good rule of thumb:

You probably shouldn’t own a credit card if you: (1) have a bad credit score, (2) are a non-U.S. resident (for this particular card), and (3) cannot control your spending. If your credit score is low, you'll need to improve it before applying for travel credit cards, as approval for the best ones, like the Gold Card, is unlikely.

Be honest with yourself: if a new credit card will tempt you to overspend, it's best to avoid it. Credit cards are crucial for earning miles and points, but they require responsible use.

A good to excellent credit score is recommended for the Amex Gold Card. But again, if you’re in a solid place with your credit and feel you are ready for a new card, don’t let the fear of being rejected keep you from applying.

We’ve known several people to be rejected on their first application, use the reconsideration line, and be granted the Amex Gold Card. While it’s not necessarily a beginner card, the worst they can say is “no.”