A Complete American Express Gold Card Review

First, the American Express Gold Card gives you four points for every dollar you spend at restaurants and on up to $25,000 worth of grocery shopping in the United States each year. This makes it one of the best rewards cards for dining and grocery shopping. It also gives you three points for every dollar you spend on flights you book directly with the airline or through amextravel.com. Users will also get up to $120 worth of dining credits at select chains, and they will get up to $120 worth of Uber credits each year.

Pros

1. Amazing Rewards for Flights, Dining, and Shopping at the Supermarket

It's better than most cards, even those for airlines, which usually only give one or two points per dollar spent on flights. If you spend $6,000 at U.S. supermarkets in the first year, you get 6% back. The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express, on the other hand, gives you 1% back for the rest of the year.

2. For The Annual Fee, Dining and Uber Credits Are More than Enough

Most of the card's $250 annual fee can be recouped if you use its $10-a-month Uber credit and $10-a-month dining credit at Shake Shack or a few other restaurants, or if you use Seamless or GrubHub to order food at home. To make that justification even easier, the card has high reward rates at restaurants and US stores, so you can even say you need the card.

3. Options for Redemption

Redeeming your points through Amex will give you up to 1.54 cents per point in value. You can transfer your points to the credit card company's airline and hotel program partners, and you might get more value out of them than you would with the points on your own.

Cons

1. A Year's Fee Is Double

Many cards that give you a lot of money back usually charge $95 or so a year, making the American Express Gold Card one of the most expensive cards out there, unless you have a super-premium card with a $500-plus fee. If you don't eat out or travel often enough to get the most out of the card's dining and airline credits, or if you don't like paying fees, the card may not be worth it for you.

2. American Express Isn't Broadly Used

Many stores now accept American Express, but you still have a better chance of getting a Visa or MasterCard if you have one. That's especially true if you live outside the United States, where American Express's reach isn't as wide.

Why You Should Consider Getting an American Express Gold Card

You can get up to $240 worth of benefits with the American Express® Gold Card if you use them. If you don't use them, the card's $250 annual fee will still come out of your pocket. That could make this card a lot more valuable than other cards that offer similar rewards on a long-term basis, which could make this one even more valuable.

1. Dining credit of $120 per year

You'll get $120 in monthly $10 credits on your account that can be used to buy food from The Cheesecake Factory, Grubhub, Seamless, Boxed, Ruth's Chris Steak House, and joining Shake Shack places. You can use the credits to buy food from these and other partners. Credits will be added to your account two to four weeks after purchase. This month's credits don't carry over into the next month, so if you don't use them, you'll lose them. People have to follow the rules.

2. Uber Cash worth More Than $119.9 Yearly

Add your credit card to your Uber profile, and you'll get $9.99 in Uber for U.S. monthly. Uber rides orders or Uber Eats in the United States. When you use your card each month, you get a certain amount of Uber Cash. If you don't use it all, you won't get it back. People have to follow the rules. If you go to the Cheesecake Factory at least once a month and use Uber at least once a week, it's easier than rolling a log. But if you don't usually spend money this way, the credits might not be worth as much as they seem at first glance.

Conclusion

If you want to eat out a lot, the American Express Gold Card is not the right card for you. But for people who can make the most of their annual credits and spend a lot of money on food, travel, and other things, it can be one of the best options. The American Express Gold Card is a great choice for people who spend a lot of money on food and going out to eat.