Benefits of the American Express Gold

For serious foodies, the benefits of the American Express® Gold Card are tailor-made for your wallet. If you can take full advantage of everything this card offers, you’ll easily be able to offset the $250 annual fee.

The main course: elevated rewards for dining in, dining out and grocery shopping. But the card also serves up healthy side portions of airline benefits and other perks.

Here are the benefits of the American Express® Gold Card:

Heaping helpings of bonus points

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The American Express® Gold Card features a welcome offer: Earn 35,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $2,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 3 months. Terms Apply. It also earns:

• 4X Membership Rewards points when you dine at restaurants worldwide. This includes takeout.
• 4X points at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $25,000 per year in purchases. After that, 1X back.
• 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
• 1X points on all other spending.
• Terms apply.

Multiple point-transfer options

Membership Rewards points can be redeemed several ways, including for statement credits, gift cards or on Amazon.com. But transferring points to AmEx’s multiple airline and hotel partners will almost always net you the most value per point. AmEx features more such travel partners than any other major U.S. credit card loyalty program. Here’s the list of Membership Rewards partners and transfer rates.

Generous travel perks

$120 Dining credit

Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Boxed, and participating Shake Shack locations.

$100 airline fee credit

Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $100 per calendar year in statement credits when incidental fees like baggage costs or on-board meals are charged by the airline to your American Express® Gold Card.

$100 resort credit

Book a room through American Express Travel that’s part of the Hotel Collection, stay two consecutive nights and get a $100 hotel credit to spend on qualifying dining, spa, and resort activities.

Presale and preferred event tickets

For select events, cardholders will have access to presale and/or preferred seating tickets purchased with their American Express® Gold Card.

no foreign transaction fees

Some credit cards add an additional 3% to 5% for using your card outside the U.S., but the American Express® Gold Card does not.

Terms apply.

» MORE: NerdWallet’s best no foreign transaction fee credit cards

Protection and insurance benefits

Travel

premium roadside assistance

As a cardholder, you’ll get the following services at no additional cost up to four times per calendar year if you’re present with the eligible vehicle: towing up to 10 miles, winching, jump-starts, flat-tire change when you provide a workable spare, lockout service when key is in vehicle and delivery of up to two gallons of fuel. This benefit applies to the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Terms apply.

rental car insurance

When you use your American Express® Gold Card to reserve and pay for your car rental, and decline the collision damage waiver at the rental car counter, you can be covered if the car is damaged or stolen. This coverage is secondary, meaning it kicks in after your personal auto insurance. Learn more about credit card rental car coverage. Terms apply.

baggage insurance plan

You can be covered for lost, damaged or stolen baggage when you purchase your entire ticket on your card. Coverage can be provided for up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage. Terms apply.

return protection

If you try to return an eligible item within 90 days from the date of purchase and the merchant won’t take it back, American Express may refund the full purchase price, up to $300 per item, up to a maximum of $1,000 per account per calendar year based on the date of purchase. Terms apply.

Complimentary two-day shipping

If you enroll in AmEx’s ShopRunner service and use your card to pay with a participating merchant, you’ll get complimentary two-day shipping and free returns. Terms apply.

More about the card