American Express® Green Card Review
The American Express® Green Card was revamped in 2019 to some fanfare. It was a vast improvement over the previous installment and we think it offers some value. In our American Express® Green Card review, we will look at the welcome offer, earning structure, card perks and share our overall thoughts.
All information about the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Travel on Point(s)
Current Welcome Offer
The American Express® Green Card has the following all-time high welcome offer:
- Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 6 months of card membership (terms apply)
- The card has a $150 annual fee. (Rates & Fees)
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. This includes personal and business cards. This is separate from the 5 card limit on credit cards.
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® Green Card Review: Earning Structure
The American Express® Green Card has the following earning structure:
- 3x Membership Rewards points for
- Travel
- Restaurants worldwide
- 1x points for all other eligible purchases.
Amex Green Card Benefits
The American Express® Green Card comes with the following notable credits:
Up To $189 CLEAR Plus Statement Credit
You receive up to $189 per calendar year in statement credits when you pay for your CLEAR Plus membership with your Amex Green Card. A one-year membership with CLEAR costs $179, and you can add additional family members for $50 per person (potentially even less with airline status). This benefit alone makes the Amex Green Card worthy of consideration for any frequent flyer who wants to breeze through security.
Up To $100 LoungeBuddy Credit
The American Express® Green Card offers up to $100 in statement credits per calendar year when you purchase lounge access through the LoungeBuddy app. LoungeBuddy is an airport lounge booking service that allows you to buy one-time passes to lounges in over 80 airports worldwide. Lounge visits through the app start at $25, so this benefit could net you 4 free lounge visits per year. LoungeBuddy can be a good way to supplement lounge access if you already have a Priority Pass membership, although a number of lounges available through LoungeBuddy are also Priority Pass lounges.
ToP Analysis
The American Express® Green Card tends to fly under the radar when compared to its bigger siblings, like the American Express® Gold Card and the The Platinum Card®. But with 3x per dollar for travel and restaurant purchases, and a reasonable annual fee, this card deserves everybody’s attention. To earn even 1 more point per dollar on either of those categories, you would have to spend at least another $100 in annual fees for the Amex Gold Card, and a lot more for the more expensive cards. Compared premium card's annual fees that are $400+ more per year, the Amex Green Card’s $150 annual fee is sure to get you more for your money.
It had been a very long time since the American Express® Green Card had an increased offer. So the card's all-time high welcome offer of 60,000 points certainly bumps it up in the priority list for those looking to earn MRs. The 20% back on eligible travel and transit purchases (capped at $200) is also an unusual welcome offer, but we won't turn our noses to it.
Earning 3x points for travel and restaurant purchases makes the American Express® Green Card a fantastic starter card for those first venturing into Membership Rewards. The $100 statement credits for CLEAR membership and LoungeBuddy also help (more than) offset the annual fee. If you don’t have an American Express card and are looking to start earning some Membership Rewards, this is a good option to get your feet wet with.
ToP Thoughts
The American Express® Green Card stands out as a great all-around player with tremendous points earning potential and a modest annual fee. This is a great starting point for those looking to earn valuable Amex Membership Rewards. Share your thoughts on the American Express® Green Card in our Facebook group!
For rates and fees of the Amex Green please visit here
