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Cardmembers earn 4 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on restaurant dining, up to $50,000 per calendar year (1 point per dollar thereafter). According to TPG’s July 2024 valuation, this equates to an 8% return on spend.

For this reason, it tops our list of the best cards for dining at restaurants.

To get the most out of your Amex Gold for this category, you must maximize its dining statement credit.

Cardmembers can earn $10 per month (up to $120 per calendar year) in statement credits when paying with Amex Gold at the following dining partners:

• Grubh
• The Cheesecake Factory
• Goldbelly
• wine.com
• Five guys

Additionally, cardmembers can earn up to $120 per calendar year (up to $10 per month) in Uber Cash to use on Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, so be sure to link your Amex Gold to your Uber account.

Amex Gold also offers up to $100 in statement credits per calendar year for purchases made at affiliated US restaurants with Receipt. These statement credits are divided into bi-annual, up to $50 credits.

Finally, annual Dunkin’ Donuts credits of up to $84 per calendar year are allocated in monthly increments of up to $7. Just use your Amex Gold to pay at Dunkin’.

for groceries

Food is the name of the game with Amex Gold. Excluding restaurant dining, the card earns 4 points per dollar spent on purchases up to $25,000 per calendar year spent at US supermarkets (1 point per dollar thereafter).

So, you should definitely use the card for your next supermarket run, as it tops our list of the best cards for groceries.

It’s possible to get a slightly higher return on purchases at US supermarkets using The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express – it earns 3 points per dollar spent at US grocery stores up to $6,000 per year, but each billing cycle you spend 30 or so with the card. If you make more transactions, you get a 50% bonus, so your potential comes to 4.5 points per dollar.

That said, the bonus categories on Amex Gold don’t require you to jump through any hoops, such as a minimum number of transactions per month to get the highest earning rates, and the annual limit for US grocery stores is much higher than that. With Amex Everyday Preferred.

Information for the Amex Everyday Preferred Card has been independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Related: 7 Best Cards to Link with Amex Gold

for flights

While not as strong as some of our other favorite travel cards, the Amex Gold is a great card to use for flights if you don’t have many premium travel cards in your wallet. Its 3-points-per-dollar earning rate on flights booked directly through the airline or on Amex Travel is significant.

Just keep in mind that if you were using Platinum Card® from American Express Instead, you can earn 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar on flights booked through Amex Travel or directly with airlines, up to $500,000 in such purchases per calendar year (1 point per dollar thereafter).

That said, Amex Gold costs $300 less per year than Amex Platinum (see Amex Platinum Rates and Fees ), so I don’t recommend opening Amex Platinum for the extra two points per dollar spent on flights.

Related: Do Amex Platinum and Amex Gold Cards Make Sense?

When should you not take Amex Gold?

For daily expenses

for example, Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express It may be a better option if you have a business. It has no annual fee (see Rates and Fees) but earns 2 points per dollar on the first $50,000 spent on purchases each year (1 point per dollar thereafter).

Alternatively, cards such as Citi Double Cash® Card (See Rates and Fees) Earn 1% when you make purchases and another 1% when you pay your statement. This means you can effectively get 2% back.

If you also have the Citi Prestige® Card, you can combine your points into fully transferable ThankYou Points. Based on TPG’s July 2024 valuation of Citi ThankYou points at 1.8 cents each, this means you can earn an effective 3.6% return when you buy and pay with your Citi Double Cash Card.

Related: Why Citi Double Cash will always have a place in my wallet

Information for City Prestige The card is independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

For non-flight travel, such as hotels or rental cars

While Amex Gold earns 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly with the airline or through amextravel.com, you don’t earn such a bonus on other travel spending, and it doesn’t offer travel protection like some other cards. there

Given that, it makes more sense to use an alternate card for your non-flight bookings.

One of the most popular travel rewards cards on the market is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which has an annual fee of $95. On the travel front, these are the current earning rates:

• 5 points per dollar on travel booked through Chase Travel℠
• 2 points per dollar on other travel

In addition, you will also receive the following non-travel bonuses:

• 3 points per dollar on dining
• 3 points per dollar on select streaming services
• 3 points per dollar on online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart and Wholesale Club)

Bottom line

Amex Gold is one of the most rewarding cards on the market. But to truly maximize your Amex Gold earnings, you have to be selective about where you’re using it.

Between dining, Dunkin’, Racy, and Uber statement credits, the card’s annual fee is completely covered, and you get net positive value. Add in its bonus category and you’ll be earning like a pro in no time.