From time to time, American Express runs elevated welcome offers through the card issuer’s referral program made available to eligible cardholders. Right now is one of those times.
If you apply for the American Express® Gold Card using a referral link, you may see a welcome offer as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after qualifying spend. For context, the typical welcome offer for the Gold Card is around 60,000 to 75,000 points. If you’re selected for the 100,000 bonus point offer, this current elevated referral offer ends up substantially higher than the baseline offers the card usually offers new applicants.
However, there are a few important caveats up front:
- The offer is not guaranteed. American Express shows you your exact welcome offer during the application process, but before you accept the card.
- Not all applicants will see the maximum 100,000-point offer.
- These referral offers are time-limited, but American Express does not publish a firm end date.
With that context out of the way, let’s put the elevated welcome offer aside for a moment and focus on whether the Amex Gold Card actually makes sense.
What You Need to Know About The American Express Gold Card
Despite a name that evokes luxury, the American Express Gold Card ($325 annual fee) is not meant to serve as a catch-all premium rewards credit card. It’s actually American Express’ mid-tier rewards card. The card is positioned above the Green Card ($150 annual fee) and below The Platinum Card ($895 annual fee). Positioned between these two cards, the Gold Card offers upgraded benefits over the Green Card but lacks the premium benefits offered by The Platinum Card.
At its core, it’s a solid everyday card that earns bonus Membership Rewards points in two key categories: supermarkets and restaurants.
How You Earn Points with The Gold Card
The card’s bonus earning rate at supermarkets and restaurants is the main reason I’ve kept this card in my wallet. However, it also earns a modest bonus on travel booked directly through AmexTravel.
Here’s how the card earns American Express Membership Rewards points:
| Category | Points per $1 Spent | Bonus Category Conditions | Bonus Category Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants Worldwide | 4x | Bonus earned on the first $50,000 of eligible purchases | |
| U.S. Supermarkets | 4x | "Supermarkets" excludes superstores and wholesale clubs among others | Bonus earned on the first $25,000 of eligible purchases |
| Airfare | 3x | Must be booked through AmexTravel | |
| Prepaid Travel | 2x | Includes prepaid hotels, car rentals, and cruise bookings booked through AmexTravel | |
| All Other Purchases | 1x |
So, if you’re someone constantly eating out at restaurants or you spend a fair amount on groceries at supermarkets (this excludes wholesale clubs like Costco), the 4x bonus points on these purchases add up quickly making the card a strong fit. Here are a few examples of how many Membership Rewards points you’d earn on these bonus categories:
| Supermarkets Monthly Spend | Restaurants Monthly Spend | Points Earned in a Year | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $500 | $200 | 33,600 | Average amount spent by Americans for both categories |
| $750 | $300 | 50,400 | |
| $1,000 | $500 | 72,000 | |
| $2,080 | $4,165 | 299,760 | Maximum monthly spend before you hit the bonus earning caps |
If you’re also someone willing to put in a few minutes each month to review and add the card’s Amex Offers and you manage to max out your monthly statement credits, the Gold Card may also be a good fit. On the other hand, if you don’t eat out regularly, do most of your shopping at stores like Walmart or Costco, and you’re not interested in statement credits, you’re probably not going to get much value from the card.
With an annual fee of $325, the bonus points you earn on purchases from bonus categories may be enough to recoup this fee. The card’s annual fee does, however, come with some added cardholder benefits.
American Express Gold Card Benefits
As previously mentioned, the Gold Card is not designed to compete in the same league as The Platinum Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve. So, cardholder benefits do not include things like lounge access, perks at Fine Hotels & Resorts, or a Marriott Bonvoy Gold status. Still, there are a few noteworthy and practical cardholder benefits offered by the Gold Card:
- $120 Uber Cash Annually: Cardholders that add their Gold Card to their Uber account will automatically receive $10 in Uber Cash each month. If you’re not familiar with Uber Cash, you can redeem this credit for rides and orders in the U.S. when you select your Gold Card for a transaction.
- $84 Dunkin’ Credit: Earn up $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the Amex Gold Card at Dunkin’ locations in the U.S. Keep in mind, enrollment in this benefit is required. But, I will be completely honest that as someone who brews their coffee at home, this statement credit goes unused.
- $100 Resy Credit: Receive up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually after you pay with your Gold Card when dining at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible purchases with Resy.
- $120 Dining Credit: Receive up to $10 in statement credits each month when you use your Gold Card to pay for transactions with participating restaurants.
If you haven’t noticed by now, the American Express Gold Card is really strong in the dining category. In addition to the Uber Cash benefit, there is one additional none-dining-related benefit:
- $100 Hotel Collection Credit: When you book two or more nights at a The Hotel Collection property through AmexTravel, you’ll receive a $100 statement credit towards eligible charges at over 1,300 The Hotel Collection properties.
Why I Keep The Amex Gold Card in My Wallet
The American Express Gold Card was actually among one of my first credit cards having received this card back when I was still in college. Since then, the Gold Card has stayed in my wallet for one simple reason: it earns points where I spend quite a bit of money.
Though I also keep a few travel rewards cards in my wallet, most people will find that they are more likely to rack-up points at the neighborhood supermarket or Chipotle than with airlines and at hotels. That’s where the Gold Card does its best work.
There are credit cards for travel purchases, and then there are cards for everyday expenses. The Gold Card is my everyday card and I treat it as an earning engine. Over time, the points from routine spending add up surprisingly fast.
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Using Your American Express Membership Rewards
Membership Rewards points are quite valuable thanks to the ability to transfer your points to other programs. You can redeem your points directly with American Express but, you will get far more value from those points by transferring them to American Express’ airline or hotel partners.
There are 20 transfer partners to which you can transfer your Membership Rewards. Here are a few of the most noteworthy transfer partners:
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- Avianca LifeMiles
- Delta SkyMiles
- Emirates Skywards
- Hilton Honors
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Marriott Bonvoy
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- The British Airways Club
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Ultimately, I recommend utilizing those transfer partners especially during the times when bonus points or miles are offered on transfers to select partners. However, you can redeem points via AmexTravel for flights, rental cars, and hotels. As a last resort, you can also redeem points for statement credit though, I do not recommend doing so.
If you’re interested in some of the best uses of American Express Membership Rewards, check out this guide from AwardWallet.
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The American Express Gold Card Referral Bonus
Unlike some welcome offers you see on other points and miles sites, this referral bonus offer is a slightly different experience. As already noted, 100,000 points is the maximum welcome bonus that new applicants can receive. New applicants only see their actual welcome offer once they submit their initial application.
The process in determining your individual welcome offer is as follows:
- Use this link or other links in this post to access information about the Gold Card and to start an application.
- Complete and submit your application for the Gold Card
- If you receive conditional approval, you will also be presented with your welcome offer
- You can make the decision to continue with the application and accept your offer or decline the offer and end the application process
The Terms and Conditions for This Referral Bonus
Currently, to receive points offered as part of any bonus, the spending requirement is $6,000 in purchases on your new card within the first 6 months of card membership. It’s also worth noting that some new applicants may not be eligible for any bonus offer.
American Express is clear that you may not be eligible for a welcome offer if you currently have or have previously held certain cards. Always review the terms shown during your application. You can review full offer terms directly on the American Express website during the application process and by clicking this link.
Finally, the American Express Gold Card has an annual fee of $325. To be eligible for any welcome bonus you will need to pay this annual fee once you have opened your account.
Final Thoughts
The American Express® Gold Card is not designed to compete on prestige or travel perks, and that is precisely why it works well for a specific type of cardholder. It is built around consistent, everyday spending rather than flashy benefits that many would only use a few times a year.
For people who regularly spend on dining and groceries, the Gold Card can generate a nice sum of Membership Rewards points without changing spending habits or tracking complicated benefits. Over time, that steady earning often outweighs the appeal of cards that focus primarily on travel-related perks.
The current referral offers, which may show welcome bonuses of up to 100,000 points, make the Gold Card more compelling than usual. That said, the card only makes sense if it fits naturally into how you already spend money. A strong welcome offer should be viewed as an added benefit, not the sole reason to apply.
