American Express® Gold Card Review
The Quidget_Amex_Gold is one of our favorite cards at ToP. The card is one of the best cards for spending at restaurants and supermarkets as it earns 4x Membership Rewards® points per dollar. This makes the Gold card a permanent fixture on many award travelers' wallets. It is pretty to look at too! In our Quidget_Amex_Gold review, we will look at the welcome offer, card benefits, earning structure, and share our overall thoughts on this workhorse.
Current Welcome Offer
Amex usually has many different welcome offers for its cards at any given time. The current public welcome offer for the Quidget_Amex_Gold is the following:
- Quidget_Gold_Bonus Terms Apply.
- This card has an annual fee of annual_fees and it is NOT waived the first year. See Rates and Fees
**There may be better welcome offers available to select cardmembers.
Amex Application Rules
If you choose to apply, remember that Amex typically will not approve you for more than two Amex credit cards during a 90-day period. They also have a 10 card limit on the colored Membership Rewards earning cards (of which this is one). This includes personal and business cards. This is separate from the 5 card limit on credit cards.
Due to the new family rule, you should follow our application guidance found here. Order of Amex Membership Rewards applications now matters and you need to strategize what card to open and when! You are now ineligible for the welcome offer on this card if you have, or have had, any variety of the same card, the (now defunct) Premier Rewards Gold or any variety of the Amex Platinum.
Amex also has a once per lifetime welcome offer rule on each card. This is more like every 5 – 7 years in reality though, and not actually your lifetime. That timeline is based off of when you last held a card, not when you last earned a welcome offer on the product though. If you are ineligible for the welcome offer for any reason American Express will usually let you know that with a pop-up before the application is processed. You can cancel the application at this time with no hard pull.
American Express® Gold Card Review: Earning Structure
The Quidget_Amex_Gold has the following earning structure:
- 4x Membership Rewards® in the following categories
- 4x at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- 4x at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X.
- 3x on travel booked directly with airlines and via the American Express® travel portal.
- 1x on all other eligible purchases.
Amex Gold Card Benefits
The Quidget_Amex_Gold comes with many benefits that essentially pay for the card's annual fee.
- $120 annually of Uber cash distributed as $10 monthly. Each month, you receive $10 in Uber cash that also works with Uber Eats. The cash is automatically loaded onto your Uber account and can be combined with the $25 monthly credit from The Platinum Card®.
- $120 annually of food credit distributed as $10 monthly statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations (Enrollment required).
- No foreign transaction fees. (Rates & Fees)
ToP Analysis
The Quidget_Amex_Gold deserves a spot in most wallets. The card's earning structure makes it a true workhorse of a card. Earning 4x Membership Rewards at U.S. supermarkets is huge, despite the cap at $25,000 per calendar year. No other card offers these many points per dollar at supermarkets regularly. In addition, 4x at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., is also great.
Based on the new Amex “family rule” for this card, applications for Amex Membership Rewards cards are very strategic. We discuss the preferred breakdown and order here.
In addition to great earning, the Amex Gold card still offers a few decent benefits. Monthly Uber cash is pretty easy to use. Once you add your card to your Uber wallet, the benefit kicks in automatically at the start of every month. Meanwhile, the $10 monthly food credit depends more on your eating habits, so we don't consider it as easy as the Uber cash.
The Quidget_Amex_Gold also does provide some travel coverage. However, both the Quidget_Sapphire_Preferred and Quidget_Sapphire_Reserve offer more comprehensive trip protection benefits. But in a pinch, the Gold is not a bad option for travel protection, either.
American Express® Gold Card Review: ToP Thoughts
The Quidget_Amex_Gold is a workhorse for spending on all things food-related: 4x Membership Rewards® points at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets. Despite having a $250 annual fee, you can easily utilize the benefits to pay for the card. Combine this with the opportunity to earn over 100,000 Membership Rewards annually at U.S. supermarkets, on top of the welcome offer, and the Gold deserves a permanent place in many people's wallets.
What do you think of the Quidget_Amex_Gold? Come share your thoughts in our Facebook group!
For the Quidget_Amex_Gold, See Rates and Fees
