American Express Gold Card Review 2024

The card_name is one of the most popular credit cards out there—and for good reason. Its earning structure offers more bonus points in fun spending categories, such as dining, flights, and supermarkets.

However, there are a lot of cardholders who probably would be better served by another card. The annual_fees annual fee is high, and you would need to spend a lot of money on this card to earn back how much you pay for the annual fee.

In this review we’ll cover what the benefits and features are, who should get this card, and what alternative credit cards you may want to consider. By the end you should have a better idea if the card_name is worth adding to your wallet or whether another card would be more rewarding for your spending habits.

TIME’s Take

The card_name is worth getting for many cardmembers who can earn a substantial amount of rewards from dining, supermarket, and flight purchases. Still, this card comes with a big reason not to immediately apply for it: a annual_fees annual fee. Borrowers should consider carefully whether or not they can really get their money’s worth out of this card. You have to spend a lot of money on a combination of groceries, dining out, and travel for it to make sense.

The dining* and Uber* credits are a so-so benefit. They need to be used $10 at a time, once per month. They don’t roll over, and the dining credits are limited in where they can be used. However, if you’re regularly catching Ubers or eating at the Cheesecake Factory, it’s nice to have a discount each month.

Pros and cons

Who is the card for?

The card_name benefits cardholders who are able to earn points from large dining and grocery expenses. It also benefits frequent travelers by earning three points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines* or on Amextravel.com.

The kind of person who has somewhat frequent travel and dining purchases but also spends a lot on grocery purchases for meals at home might be the ideal cardholder. The cardholder also needs to have good to excellent credit, which is a FICO score of 670 or above.

Features

The main features of the card_name include bonus_miles, $240 in Uber and dining credits, a $100 hotel experience credit, and a rewards structure beneficial for frequent foodies and travelers. It’s a feature-rich card, but it’s also expensive. For annual_fees cardholders need to ensure that they’re earning enough rewards and taking advantage of the monthly credits to make it worth it.

Rewards structure

The card_name remains immensely popular for its rewarding earnings structure. You can expect to earn bonus points in a number of categories. Cardholders earn 4x points (up to $25,000) at supermarkets (but not including general retailers such as Walmart or Target).

The card also earns 4x points on dining, takeout, and delivery. To round out the bonus earnings, the card earns 3x points on flights booked directly with the airline and with Amextravel.com. The earnings rate is 1x for all other purchases.

Bonus offer

The card offers new members bonus_miles_full. These points can be very valuable in the American Express Membership Rewards program, depending on how they’re used.

Uber and dining credits

The card comes with $240 in credits, which can help the annual_fees annual fee make sense, but you need to be able to use the credits to make it worth a spot in your wallet.

First off, the card offers $120 in Uber credits. These must be used in $10 increments, one time each month. If they're not used, they don’t roll over. You just get $10 the next month.

The card also comes with a $120 dining benefit. The credits are also doled out in $10 increments that must be used monthly and only at select restaurants. Restaurants include the Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar, select Shake Shack locations, and Grubhub delivery services.

The Hotel Collection Program

With the card_name you can get a $100 experience credit when booking two or more consecutive nights through American Express Travel.

Additional hidden perks

The ancillary benefits on the card_name are also very strong. These benefits aren’t touted as a reason to get the card, but they can help make it worth it to you.

• American Express offers. With your American Express card you’ll gain access to discounts and other promotions in the “Amex Offers” section of your online portal. One example from mine is a $20 rebate from Lululemon for spending $100 or more (expires 01/28/2024). These offers are limited-time offers that vary from card to card but are a really cool perk.

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• Instant card number. When you’re approved for the card_name, you’re given a card number instantly, which you can use for immediate virtual purchases.
• Ticketing benefit. The card_name comes with American Express Preferred Access, which is where cardholders have access to better seats at select cultural or sporting events. It also has Early Access, which allows cardholders to purchase tickets before they’re released to the general public.
• Lowest hotel rate guarantee. If you’ve booked a hotel through Amex travel and you find a lower price, Amex will refund you the difference.
• Trip delay and baggage insurance. The card_name also comes with trip delay insurance up to $300 per eligible trip. Baggage insurance claims can be made up to $1,250 for each covered person.
• Car rental loss and damage insurance. You may be covered in the event something happens to your car rental while on vacation.
• Extended warranty. The card_name has an extended warranty up to one additional year of coverage on top of a manufacturer’s warranty of five years or less. The covered amount is up to $10,000 per eligible purchase.

*Enrollment is required for select benefits.

What could be improved

The card_name’s annual_fees annual fee precludes a lot of potential borrowers from applying for this card. For those who spend a limited number of dollars at restaurants or are very frugal with grocery spending, it may not make a lot of sense for them.

Additionally, the $10 monthly statement credit for restaurants and Uber don't roll over. The credit is also limited to certain restaurants, which cardholders may not enjoy or be able to patronize.

Card alternatives

In addition to competitive credit cards, there are other American Express cards that could better match your spending. For example, if you’re frequently purchasing flights, you may want to look at the card_name, which earns five points for every dollar, $200 in airline credits, and offers lounge access. You also may want to look at the card_name, which earns three points for every dollar spent on groceries and does not charge an annual fee.

RELATED: Best Credit Cards for Groceries

Time Stamped: Great rewards for big spenders

The card_name is a good rewards earner, but it comes with a big caveat: Can you make the annual_fees annual fee worth it? If you’re a big spender on dining, groceries, and air tickets, the card is almost certainly going to be worth it to you. If you’re not a big spender in those categories or don’t appreciate $10 monthly credits, you may want to consider other cards.

FAQs

Is an card_name hard to get?

The card_name does look for borrowers with good to excellent credit. Many borrowers in the U.S. qualify with their credit score, and if you don’t, you can try applying at a later date when your credit score and report have improved.

Is an card_name prestigious?

There are some excellent benefits that come with the card_name, but if you’re looking for a more impressive card, you may want to consider the American Express Platinum card.

Is card_name or Platinum better?

The Platinum comes with more perks, such as lounge access and airline credits, but it has a steep fee of $695, which could make it hard for potential cardholders to justify. The card_name has a moderately expensive annual fee of only annual_fees. While it has a number of enticing offers, it provides fewer perks than the Platinum card.