The Amex Gold is a food card with a travel streak. It pays 4 points on every dollar at restaurants and US supermarkets, costs 325 dollars a year, and tries to win some of that back with credits at places like Grubhub, Uber and Resy. Whether it pays for itself depends less on the headline rate than on whether you would use those credits anyway. This guide goes through what Amex's own page lists in October 2026, the sums, and the rules around the bonus.
The card at a glance
- 325 dollars
- Annual fee
- 4x
- Restaurants and US supermarkets
- 5x
- Prepaid hotels
- 0
- Foreign transaction fees
The first five additional cards are free
Up to 50,000 and 25,000 dollars a year
Booked through Amex Travel, added in April 2026
And no lounge access, as Amex states
Amex adds that the Gold has no preset spending limit, which means your purchasing power moves with how you use and pay the card. Reviewers describe it as a charge card: you are meant to pay it in full each month, and a Pay Over Time option exists for eligible purchases. Read the terms before you use it.
The credits
Amex's page counts "500 dollars and more" in yearly value. The four regular credits add up to 424 dollars:
| Credit | A year | How it pays out |
|---|---|---|
| Dining | 120 dollars | Up to 10 dollars a month at Grubhub including Seamless, Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory and Wonder. Enrollment required. |
| Uber Cash | 120 dollars | 10 dollars a month once the card is in your Uber account, for US rides and orders. |
| Resy | 100 dollars | Up to 50 dollars from January to June and 50 from July to December, at qualifying US Resy restaurants. Enrollment required. |
| Dunkin' | 84 dollars | Up to 7 dollars a month at US Dunkin' shops. Enrollment required. |
The Hotel Collection adds a 100-dollar credit toward eligible charges when you book two nights or more through Amex Travel. Amex also lists complimentary Hertz Five Star status. The dining partner list changed in 2026: Buffalo Wild Wings and Wonder were added, and reviewers reported that Goldbelly and Wine.com left after 30 June.
Does the 325-dollar fee pay for itself?
Amex's page also lists purchase protection for 90 days, up to 10,000 dollars per purchase and 50,000 a year, an extra year on warranties of five years or less, baggage insurance, secondary rental car damage cover and trip delay insurance after a delay of more than 12 hours.
The welcome offer and the rules
Amex's page does not state a welcome offer. Amex says it shows your decision before you accept, with no effect on your credit score until you do. Trackers recorded an offer of up to 100,000 points after 8,000 dollars in 6 months during 2026, with the spend requirement raised to 8,000 dollars. Treat the headline as a ceiling: the offer you see can be lower.
Check what you already hold
Look for any past Gold or Platinum before you apply.
Look at your offer
Read your own offer. A bonus you cannot pass is worth nothing.
Build the habit
Enroll in each credit in the Amex app and put the monthly ones in your calendar.
Price the bonus
Use your own point value. See how to price a sign-up bonus.
Points: where they can go
- Membership Rewards
- Amex's points currency, shared by all of your Amex points cards.
- Pay with Points
- Using points towards flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel, which reviewers value at around 1 cent each.
- Transfer partner
- An airline or hotel programme you can send points to, at a ratio that depends on the partner.
Amex says points can move to 20 airline and hotel partners. Most airline ratios are 1 to 1 but not all of them: reviewers list Hilton at 1 to 2 and, in 2026, Cathay Pacific at 5 to 4 and the end of Etihad Guest transfers on 30 June. Transfers cannot be undone, so check Amex's current list first. For ideas, see where to send flexible points in 2026.
Is it right for you?
Fits you
- Restaurants and US supermarkets take a large share of your monthly spending.
- You will use most of the dining, Uber and Resy credits for things you buy anyway.
- You like transferring points to airlines or hotels and know your target.
Think twice
- Your supermarket spending is at warehouse clubs or retailers that do not count as supermarkets.
- You cannot be bothered to enroll in, track and use monthly credits.
- You need lounge access, which the Gold does not have.
See also which US cards are worth getting by spending style and what points are worth.
Questions people ask
Is the Gold a credit card or a charge card?
Reviewers describe it as a charge card meant to be paid in full each month, with no preset spending limit and a Pay Over Time option for eligible purchases. Read Amex's terms on interest and fees before you rely on it.
Does the Gold charge foreign transaction fees or give lounge access?
Amex's page says no foreign transaction fees. It also says the Gold does not currently have lounge access and points to the Platinum for that.
Can I get both the Gold and the Platinum welcome bonuses?
Reviewers report that Amex's offer terms treat higher-fee cards in a family as blocking the lower one, so having held a Platinum can block the Gold bonus. People who want both usually apply for the Gold first. Amex shows your offer, or none, before you accept.
Do Membership Rewards points expire?
Reviewers report that points do not expire while you keep an account in the programme, and are lost if you close every Membership Rewards card. Keep one open, or move points first, and check Amex's current terms.
How does the dining credit work?
Amex's page says up to 10 dollars of statement credits each month when you pay with the card at Grubhub including Seamless, Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory and Wonder. Enrollment is required, and reviewers note that an unused month does not carry over.
Sources
Written from these pages and checked against them on October 8, 2026. Programs and rules change, so check the provider’s current terms before you decide.
Cards in this guide
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- #amex gold
- #membership rewards
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- #groceries
- #charge card
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General information, not financial, legal or travel advice. Your own card terms and the provider’s current rules always come first.