All details about the American Categorical Inexperienced Card® has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
The American Express® Gold Card and the American Express Green Card are each finest used to earn rewards to place towards flights. Although they’re a little bit pricier than different rewards credit cards with respective $325 (see rates and fees) and $150 annual charges, the Gold Card’s premium is sensible on condition that it doubles as a grocery card.
Regardless of the value, the Gold Card would be the most suitable choice for many cardholders due to its superior rewards program, welcome provide and different perks. Each playing cards dole out Membership Rewards factors, which might make redeeming rewards trickier than basic cash-back credit cards, so each of those playing cards are finest for frequent vacationers. However there’s extra to contemplate when deciding which one is in the end best for you.
Annual charges
WINNER
American Categorical Inexperienced Card®
American Categorical® Gold Card
These playing cards are each barely pricier than your common rewards bank card. They aren’t fairly within the $400-plus class of premium playing cards, however $150 (Inexperienced Card) and $325 (Gold Card) are each considerably greater than the closest competing travel credit cards, just like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card* and the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card which are available in at $95 yearly.
As all the time, you’ll wish to be sure that the rewards and perks will make the price of the annual charge price your whereas. Alternatively, you may apply for credit cards with no annual fee.
Welcome gives
American Categorical Inexperienced Card®
- Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards® Factors
after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases in your American Categorical Inexperienced Card® throughout the first 6 months of Card Membership.
WINNER
American Categorical® Gold Card
- Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Factors after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases in your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Plus, obtain 20% again in assertion credit on eligible purchases made at eating places worldwide throughout the first 6 months of Card Membership, as much as $100 again. Restricted time provide. Supply ends 11/6/24.
The Gold Card has the next welcome provide. Nonetheless, the Inexperienced Card’s welcome provide requires a decrease spending threshold, requiring you to spend solely $3,000 in eligible purchases in your card within the first six months of card membership — a full $3,000 lower than the Gold Card’s $6,000 minimal spend requirement for a similar timeframe.
Think about your regular spending habits to make sure you’ll be capable of attain the welcome provide. In case you can simply spend $6,000 or extra in six months, the Gold Card’s welcome provide will likely be extra invaluable. However for those who assume you’ll wrestle to achieve that spending threshold by way of your regular spending, it’s possible you’ll be higher off getting the Inexperienced Card.
Additionally think about how you’ll redeem the welcome provide to get the very best worth. American Categorical values Membership Rewards factors redeemed for flights booked by way of Amex Journey at 1 cent per level, and for assertion credit at 0.6 cent per level. So 60,000 Membership Rewards factors could be price $600 if redeemed for flights by way of American Categorical Journey, however would solely be price $360 if redeemed for a press release credit score.
Rewards
American Categorical Inexperienced Card®
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® factors on journey together with airfare, inns, cruises, excursions, automobile leases, campgrounds, and trip leases.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® Factors on transit purchases together with trains, taxicabs, rideshare companies, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® factors on eligible purchases at eating places worldwide, together with takeout and supply within the US.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® factors on all different purchases.
WINNER
American Categorical® Gold Card
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® factors per greenback spent on purchases at eating places worldwide, on as much as $50,000 in purchases per calendar yr, then 1X factors for the remainder of the yr.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® factors per greenback spent at US supermarkets, on as much as $25,000 in purchases per calendar yr, then 1X factors for the remainder of the yr.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® factors per greenback spent on flights booked immediately with airways or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® factors per greenback spent on pay as you go inns and different eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® level per greenback spent on all different eligible purchases.
The Gold earns extra rewards on eating places and U.S. supermarkets, whereas the Inexperienced earns extra rewards on transit and a few journey purchases. Transit contains trains, taxicabs, rideshare companies, ferries, tolls, parking, buses and subways. In case you commute loads, the Inexperienced Card’s rewards packages might make extra sense to you. In any other case, the Gold covers extra primary rewards classes.
Do not forget that the identical redemption charges apply for Amex’s Membership Rewards factors: You’ll get a price of 1 cent per level for those who redeem your rewards for flights by way of American Categorical Journey, however considerably much less for many different redemption choices.
Annual credit
American Categorical Inexperienced Card®
- As much as $199 CLEAR® Plus assertion credit score for airport safety expediting (topic to auto-renewal)
- As much as $100 LoungeBuddy assertion credit score for airport lounge entry bought by way of LoungeBuddy
WINNER
American Categorical® Gold Card
- As much as $120 annual eating assertion credit score (as much as $10 per 30 days) for Grubhub, The Cheesecake Manufacturing unit, Goldbelly, Wine.com and 5 Guys
- As much as $120 annual Uber Money (as much as $10 per 30 days) good for both rides or Uber Eats within the U.S.
- As much as $100 Resy credit score (as much as $50 in assertion credit semi-annually) to dine at U.S. Resy eating places or make different eligible Resy purchases
- Annual $84 Dunkin’ credit score (as much as $7 in assertion credit per 30 days)
Phrases apply to American Categorical advantages and gives. Enrollment could also be required for choose American Categorical advantages and gives. Go to americanexpress.com to be taught extra.
This one is trickier to find out. For the Inexperienced credit, CLEAR® Plus is much less standard than TSA PreCheck or World Entry, and single-use passes by way of LoungeBuddy usually value $40 to $50. In case you repeatedly buy one-day lounge passes and worth CLEAR® Plus membership, the Inexperienced Card gives good credit score worth, however we expect the eating credit score and Uber Money will do extra good for the broadest group of individuals.
Journey perks
American Categorical Inexperienced Card®
WINNER
American Categorical® Gold Card
Each playing cards provide automobile rental loss and harm insurance coverage**, misplaced baggage insurance coverage**, journey delay insurance coverage** and a 24/7 international help hotline. The Gold Card additionally grants entry to the Resort Assortment — a curated listing of inns which you’ll be able to reserve by way of AmEx. In case you keep no less than two nights at a Resort Assortment property, you obtain as much as a $100 expertise credit score with the Gold Card for qualifying spa, eating, or resort actions (expertise credit score varies by property).
How American Categorical® Gold Card and American Categorical Inexperienced Card® examine to different playing cards
CNET’S PICK
-
Intro Supply -
60,000 factors + earn as much as $100 again
Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Factors after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases in your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Plus, obtain 20% again in assertion credit on eligible purchases made at eating places worldwide throughout the first 6 months of Card Membership, as much as $100 again. Restricted time provide. Supply ends 11/6/24.
- Annual charge
- $325
- APR
- See Pay Over Time APR
- Intro Buy APR
- N/A
- Beneficial Credit score
A credit score rating is used to point an applicant’s credit score worthiness and will present steering about account eligibility. It doesn’t essentially assure approval for any monetary product.
- Good – Glorious
- Rewards price
-
1x
– 4x
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® factors per greenback spent on purchases at eating places worldwide, on as much as $50,000 in purchases per calendar yr, then 1X factors for the remainder of the yr.; Earn 4X Membership Rewards® factors per greenback spent at US supermarkets, on as much as $25,000 in purchases per calendar yr, then 1X factors for the remainder of the yr.; Earn 3X Membership Rewards® factors per greenback spent on flights booked immediately with airways or on AmexTravel.com.; Earn 2X Membership Rewards® factors per greenback spent on pay as you go inns and different eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.; Earn 1X Membership Rewards® level per greenback spent on all different eligible purchases.
-
Intro Supply -
Earn 40,000 factors
Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards® Factors
after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases in your American Categorical Inexperienced Card® throughout the first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Annual charge
- $150
- APR
- 21.24% – 29.24% (Variable)
- Intro Buy APR
- N/A
- Beneficial Credit score
A credit score rating is used to point an applicant’s credit score worthiness and will present steering about account eligibility. It doesn’t essentially assure approval for any monetary product.
- Good – Glorious
- Rewards price
-
1x
– 3x
Earn 3X Membership Rewards® factors on journey together with airfare, inns, cruises, excursions, automobile leases, campgrounds, and trip leases.; Earn 3X Membership Rewards® Factors on transit purchases together with trains, taxicabs, rideshare companies, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways.; Earn 3X Membership Rewards® factors on eligible purchases at eating places worldwide, together with takeout and supply within the US.; Earn 1X Membership Rewards® factors on all different purchases.
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Intro Supply -
Earn 75,000 + $250 in Journey Credit score
Earn 75,000 miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases throughout the first 3 months of account opening, plus obtain a one-time $250 Capital One Journey credit score in your first cardholder yr – that’s equal to $1,000 in journey
- Annual charge
- $95
- APR
- 19.99% – 29.99% (Variable)
- Intro Buy APR
- N/A
- Beneficial Credit score
A credit score rating is used to point an applicant’s credit score worthiness and will present steering about account eligibility. It doesn’t essentially assure approval for any monetary product.
- Good – Glorious
- Rewards price
-
2x
– 5x
5 Miles per greenback on inns, trip leases and rental vehicles booked by way of Capital One Journey; 2 Miles per greenback on each buy, day by day
The underside line
The Gold Card is dearer, however it should additionally provide higher worth for many customers. The Inexperienced Card is extra travel-focused — however different journey bank cards will most certainly be higher choices.
FAQs
The Resort Assortment is a curated listing of properties the place American Categorical cardholders can guide stays. Upon check-in, you’ll obtain a free improve if obtainable, and for two-night stays or longer, you’ll obtain as much as a $100 credit score for qualifying resort actions, relying on the particular location.
Membership Rewards factors can usually be redeemed for airline journey, inns, assertion credit, reward playing cards and extra. Air journey and reward playing cards will usually internet the best values, however every card has its personal redemption charges. Try our breakdown of Membership Rewards point values for extra data.
The CLEAR® program lets you bypass designated airport safety strains. It makes use of biometic data like a watch scan or fingerprint identification to shortly determine you. It solely takes a couple of minutes to enroll. You’ll find extra data in our comparability of Clear, TSA Precheck and Global Entry.
For charges and costs of the American Categorical Gold Card, click on here.
*All details about the Capital One Enterprise Rewards Credit score Card has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
**Eligibility and Profit degree varies by Card. Phrases, Situations, and Limitations Apply. Please go to americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for extra particulars. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Firm.
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