The American Express® Gold Card is one of Amex’s most compelling cards for earning Membership Rewards points, and it currently has a best-ever welcome offer that’s as high as 100,000 bonus points, making it a great time to apply. In this post, I’d like to go over all the details of the current Amex Gold Card bonus, including who is eligible, and why you might want to apply.
Link: Learn more about the American Express® Gold Card
Best Amex Gold Card welcome offer details
The Amex Gold Card currently has a lucrative bonus, marketed as being as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards bonus points after spending $8,000 within the first six months. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
The way this works, you can apply for the Amex Gold Card, and then find out your offer amount. Then you can decide whether you want to accept the offer or not. That’s an unconventional approach for a welcome offer. At least Amex has the “apply with confidence” feature, so there won’t be a hard pull unless you accept the offer.
Based on my latest miles & points valuations, I consider Membership Rewards points to be worth 1.7 cents each. This means that to me, the 100,000 points are worth $1,700, making it among the best welcome offers out there. Of course that assumes you’re eligible for this offer, which not everyone will be.
As a point of comparison, previously the Amex Gold Card bonus offered up to 60,000 points, so this is a lot better. As a matter of fact, the current Amex Gold Card offer is potentially the best publicly available one that we’ve seen.
There are lots of great uses for Amex points, as they can be transferred to roughly 20 airline and hotel partners, ranging from Air Canada Aeroplan, to Air France-KLM Flying Blue, All Nippon Airways Mileage Club, to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. Just to give a couple of quick examples:
- You could transfer 60,000 points to Flying Blue to book a one-way Air France business class award from Miami (MIA) to Paris (CDG), with $336.90 in taxes & fees; that same flight would cost thousands of dollars if paying cash
- You could transfer 60,000 points to Aeroplan to book a one-way SWISS business class award from Boston (BOS) to Zurich), with $56.62 in taxes & fees; that same flight would cost thousands of dollars if paying cash
Who is eligible for the Amex Gold Card bonus?
In line with Amex’s “once in a lifetime” rule, the welcome offer on the Amex Gold Card isn’t available to those who currently have the card, or those who have had the card (or previous versions of the card) in the past. On top of that, you may not be eligible for the welcome offer on this card if you have or have had American Express Platinum Card® (learn more).
This is a reason to pick up the Amex Gold Card before you pick up the Amex Platinum Card. That’s because you’re potentially eligible for the Amex Platinum Card welcome offer if you have or have had the Amex Gold Card, while the inverse may not be true.
On top of that, Amex’s general card restrictions apply. There are a couple of additional things to note:
- While Amex typically has a limit of letting someone have at most five Amex credit cards (including personal and business cards), that doesn’t include this product, since it’s not a traditional credit card
- There’s a mystery to Amex card approvals, as you may sometimes receive a pop-up when applying for cards, indicating that you’re not eligible for the offer
Read more about Amex Gold Card application tips.
Why the Amex Gold Card could be worth it
The Amex Gold Card has a $325 annual fee (Rates & Fees). This is one of the most popular Amex cards for earning Membership Rewards points, given its excellent rewards structure and credits.
For one, it’s an amazing card in terms of the return on spending, especially for anyone who loves to eat (and who doesn’t?). The card offers the following Membership Rewards points multipliers for spending:
- 5x points on prepaid hotel stays booked through Amex Travel
- 4x points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year (then 1x points)
- 4x points at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year (then 1x points)
- 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or through amextravel.com or the Amex Travel app
- 2x points on prepaid car rentals, cruises, and other eligible travel booked through amextravel.com or the Amex Travel app
- 1x points on all other eligible purchases
On top of that, the Amex Gold Card offers up to $424 in credits annually, which can help recoup much of the annual fee (or more than offset the annual fee, in some cases). These credits are with Uber, Resy, Dunkin’, and more, and are summarized in the below chart. (Enrollment is required for select benefits)
| Credit | Annual value | How it’s issued | Where it works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uber Cash | Up to $120 | $10 per month, added as Uber Cash (not a statement credit) | Uber rides and Uber Eats in the U.S. |
| Dining | Up to $120 | $10 per month statement credit | Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, Wonder |
| Resy | Up to $100 | $50 semi-annual statement credit (Jan-Jun and Jul-Dec) | U.S. restaurants that take reservations through Resy, or purchases made directly on the Resy site or app |
| Dunkin’ | Up to $84 | $7 per month statement credit | Dunkin’ locations in the U.S. that accept Amex |
The Amex Gold Card also offers Hertz Five Star status just for having the card (enrollment required), which can get you valuable perks.
Essentially, if you spend a lot on food (whether at restaurants or supermarkets) and if you can get some value out of the credits, I tend to think the Amex Gold Card is easy to justify.
Read a full review of the Amex Gold Card here.
Amex Gold Card bonus & eligibility FAQ
Bottom line
The Amex Gold Card welcome offer is currently as high as 100,000 points upon completing minimum spending. The way this works, you have to fill out the application, and then you’ll see exactly what offer you’re eligible for. Then before there’s a hard pull, you can decide if you want to submit the application or not.
If you are eligible for the full Amex Gold Card bonus, this card is absolutely worth picking up. Beyond the huge welcome offer, this is one of the most rewarding cards for earning Membership Rewards points, and the card also offers credits and benefits that can help offset the annual fee. Amex doesn’t have that many super lucrative cards in terms of the number of points you can earn, and this is among my favorites.
Do you plan on picking up the Amex Gold Card with this welcome offer?
The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees).
