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American Express Gold Card Vs. American Express Green Card: See Why Gold Wins

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updated: April 4, 2024

The card_name and card_name offer the best of both worlds because you can earn rewards on everyday spending and travel purchases. Although the annual fee for the card_name is $100 more, the welcome bonus, statement credits, and other perks make this card our top pick.

How the cards stack up

The card_name and card_name offer the same APR rates and neither charges a foreign transaction fee. However, they offer different welcome bonuses, rewards and perks.

Hereโ€™s an overview of what to expect from each card:

Featurecard_namecard_name
Welcome Offer
bonus_miles_full
bonus_miles_full
Rewards*
Earn 3x Membership Rewards Points on:
  • Restaurant purchases (including delivery and takeout)
  • Transit (including buses, subway, trains, and ferries)
  • Travel purchases.
Earn 1x Membership Rewards Points on all other eligible purchases.

Terms Apply.
Earn 4x Membership Rewards Points on:
  • Restaurant purchases (including delivery and takeout)
  • Grocery purchases (limited to $25,000 annually).
Earn 3x Membership Rewards Points on: Airfare booked with AmexTravel.com.

Earn 1X Membership Rewards on all other eligible purchases.

Terms Apply.
Annual fee
annual_fees
annual_fees (Rates & Fees)
APR (or regular APR)
reg_apr,reg_apr_type
reg_apr,reg_apr_type (Rates & Fees)
Foreign transaction fee
foreign_transaction_fee
foreign_transaction_fee (Rates & Fees)
Other benefits (or additional perks)
Annual $189 CLEARยฎ Credit

$100 LoungeBuddy Credit

Free two-day shipping with ShopRunner

Purchase protections and extended warranties

Trip delay insurance

Baggage insurance coverage

Car rental loss and damage insurance

Emergency global travel assistance

Exclusive access to American Express Experiences

Terms Apply.
Monthly statement credit of up to $10 for dining purchases through Grubhub at eligible Shake Shack locations, The Cheesecake Factory, Wine.com, Milk Bar, and Goldbelly

$10 of Uber Cash each month for Uber rides or Uber Eats

$100 experience credit to use when you stay at a hotel for two or more nights and book through The Hotel Collection with American Express Travel

Baggage insurance coverage

Car rental and loss damage insurance

Emergency global travel assistance

Exclusive access to American Express Experiences

Preferred access to select events

Terms Apply.

Welcome bonus

card_name offers 9075,000 bonus points if you spend $4,000 in the first six months. You wonโ€™t be able to earn as many points if you get the card_name. Youโ€™ll bonus_miles_full.

However, if you donโ€™t think you can afford to spend more than $2,000 on your card in the first six months, youโ€™ll be better off with the card_name.

Welcome bonus winner: card_name

Rewards

card_name lets you earn more points on restaurant and grocery purchases. Youโ€™ll also earn three points for every dollar spent on airfare booked through AmexTravel.com. But with the card_name, youโ€™ll earn more on transit and general travel purchases.

card_name is our pick because you earn on travel purchases and everyday purchases, and you can earn more points on an individual purchase.

Rewards winner: card_name

Annual fee

Youโ€™ll need to pay a yearly fee to access the cash-back rewards and perks that come with these cards. The annual fee for card_name is annual_fees, increasing to annual_fees for card_name (Rates & Fees).

Although the card_name is cheaper, you should look at your typical expenditures and see if the extra $100 for the card_name could save you money in the long term.

Annual fee winner: card_name

APR

The APR range is the same on both cards. Neither card offers an introductory interest-free period on purchases or balance transfers, which means that carrying a balance on one of these cards can become expensive very quickly (Rates & Fees).

APR winner: Tie

Foreign transaction fee

You wonโ€™t need to pay a foreign transaction fee with card_name or card_name (Rates & Fees). If youโ€™re a frequent international traveler, one of these cards could save you money in fees.

Foreign transaction fee winner: Tie

Additional perks

Both cards offer travel and purchase protections, rental car coverage, and exclusive access to American Express Experiences. But thereโ€™s a fork in the road in terms of statement credits.

With card_name, youโ€™ll get:

  • An annual $189 CLEARยฎ Credit to get through airport security faster
  • A $100 LoungeBuddy Credit for airport lounge access
  • Terms Apply.

The statement credits offered with card_name hold more value. They include:

  • Up to $120 annually in Uber Cash for use with Uber rides or Uber Eats
  • Up to $120 annually for dining purchases through Grubhub or at Shake Shack (select locations), The Cheesecake Factory, Wine.com, Milk Bar and Goldbelly
  • Terms Apply.

If you travel often, card_name could be the better deal, especially if you purchase single-use airport lounge access passes. This card might also be better for you if you donโ€™t order takeout or rarely take Ubers.

Additional perks: card_name

Which card earns the most

To get a better understanding of your earning potential with both cards, hereโ€™s how much youโ€™d earn if you spent $500 in each rewards category:

Restaurant purchasesTransit purchasesGrocery purchasesTotal points earned
$1,500
$1,500
$500
$3,500
$2,000
$500
$2,000
$4,500

This chart does not consider the rewards earned on flights booked through AmexTravel.com. However, the earnings would be the same with either card since youโ€™d also earn three points per dollar with card_name, even if you booked independently.

You can determine if itโ€™s worth it to spend the extra $100 per year on card_name by estimating how much youโ€™d spend in each category.

Our recommendations

Why we recommend card_name

card_name

card_name features a higher welcome bonus and greater earning potential if you can meet the minimum spending thresholds. Youโ€™ll also earn more when you eat out or buy groceries, and the value of the dining, rideshare, and lodging statement credits can cover the difference between the two higher annual fees (Rates & Fees).

Why you would still opt for card_name

card_name

If youโ€™re a frequent flier who dines out oftenโ€”or you wonโ€™t be able to spend $4,000 in the first six monthsโ€”you could get more value from card_name. Your travel purchases will almost always earn you more points if you use this card. Plus, you could use the CLEAR credit, lounge access credit, and other benefits to improve your air travel experience.

The bottom line

card_name comes at a higher cost but offers more value to cardholders. If you want to earn more for travel purchases, or if you wonโ€™t be able to maximize the card_name rewards, card_name might be a better choice.

For rates and fees of the card_name, please visit this URL.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

How does the card_name dining credit work?

You can earn a statement credit of up to $10 per month if youn use your card_name card to pay for purchases made through Grubhub or Goldbelly, at some Shake Shack locations, or at The Cheesecake Factory, Wine.com, or Milk Bar.

What is the card_name card limit?

card_name does not come with a preset spending limit. Instead, your limit could adjust based on how much you spent in prior months.

Can you upgrade from card_name to card_name?

As long as you meet the eligibility criteria and can pay the additional $100 per month, you can get an card_name. You can even have both cards if you want to.

The information presented here is created by TIME Stamped and overseen by TIME editorial staff. To learn more, see our About Us page.

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