The American Express® Gold Card and the American Express® Green Card* are both best used to earn rewards to put toward flights. Though they’re a little pricier than other rewards credit cards with respective $250 (see rates and fees) and $150 annual fees, the Gold Card’s premium makes sense given that it doubles as a grocery card.
Despite the price, the Gold Card will be the best option for most cardholders because of its superior rewards program, welcome offer and other perks. Both cards dole out Membership Rewards points, which can make redeeming rewards trickier than classic cash-back credit cards, so both of these cards are best for frequent travelers. But there’s more to consider when deciding which one is ultimately right for you.
Annual fees
Winner: Green Card
These cards are both slightly pricier than your average rewards credit card. They aren’t quite in the $400-plus category of premium cards, but $150 (Green Card) and $250 (Gold Card) are both significantly more than the closest competing travel credit cards, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Citi Premier® Card which come in at $95 annually.
As always, you’ll want to make sure the rewards and perks will make the cost of the annual fee worth your while. Alternatively, you can apply for credit cards with no annual fee.
Welcome offers
Winner: Gold Card
The Gold Card’s welcome offer is much better -- as long as you can spend enough to earn it.
- Gold Card: You can earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months.
- Green Card: You can earn 40,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first six months.
Consider your normal spending habits to ensure you’ll be able to reach the welcome offer. If you normally wouldn’t spend $4,000 on a card over the course of six months, the Gold Card’s welcome offer is useless to you.
Also consider how you would redeem the welcome offer to get the best value. American Express values Membership Rewards points redeemed for flights booked through Amex Travel at 1 cent per point, and for statement credits at 0.6 cent per point. So 60,000 Membership Rewards points would be worth $600 if redeemed for flights through American Express Travel, but would only be worth $360 if redeemed for a statement credit.
Rewards
Winner: Gold Card
| Amex Gold | Amex Green |
| 4X Membership Rewards points at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. | 3X Membership Rewards Points on restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery |
| 4X Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X) | 3X points on transit including trains, buses, ferries, subway and more |
| 3X Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com | 3X points on travel including airfare, hotels, cruises, tours, car rentals, and more. |
| 1X point on other purchases | 1X points on other purchases |
The Gold earns more rewards on restaurants and U.S. supermarkets, while the Green earns more rewards on transit. Transit includes trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses and subways. If you commute a lot, the Green Card’s rewards programs may make more sense to you. Otherwise, the Gold covers more basic rewards categories.
Remember that the same redemption rates apply for Amex’s Membership Rewards points: You’ll get a value of 1 cent per point if you redeem your rewards for flights through American Express Travel, but significantly less for most other redemption options.
Annual credits
Winner: Gold Card
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
This one is trickier to determine. Here’s what each card offers:
| Gold Card | Green Card |
| Up to $120 annual dining statement credit (up to $10 per month) for Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations | Up to $189 CLEAR® statement credit for airport security expediting |
| Up to $120 annual Uber Cash (up to $10 per month) good for either rides or Uber Eats in the U.S. | Up to $100 LoungeBuddy statement credit for airport lounge access purchased through LoungeBuddy |
If you eat regularly at any of the Gold Card’s participating locations and use Uber, you can earn up to $240 that’s as good as cash. For the Green credits, CLEAR is less popular than TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, and single-use passes through LoungeBuddy typically cost $40 to $50. If you regularly purchase one-day lounge passes and value CLEAR membership, the Green Card offers good credit value, but we think the dining credit and Uber Cash will do more good for the broadest group of people.
Travel perks
Winner: Gold Card
Both cards offer car rental loss and damage insurance**, lost baggage insurance**, trip delay insurance** and a 24/7 global assist hotline. The Gold Card also grants access to the Hotel Collection -- a curated list of hotels which you can reserve through AmEx. If you stay at least two nights at a Hotel Collection property, you receive up to a $100 credit with the Gold Card for qualifying spa, dining, or resort activities.
How American Express® Gold Card and American Express® Green Card compare to other cards
- Intro Offer
-
60,000 points Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Annual fee
- $250
- APR
- See Pay Over Time APR
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
- Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
3x – 4x Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.; Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).; Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
- Intro Offer
-
40,000 points Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $2,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months
- Annual fee
- $150
- APR
- 20.74% – 28.74% Variable
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
- Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
1x – 3x 3X Membership Rewards® Points on Restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery.; 3X points on transit including trains, buses, ferries, subway, and more.; 3X points on travel including airfare, hotels, cruises, tours, car rentals, and more.; 1X points on other purchases
- Intro Offer
-
60,000 points Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Annual fee
- $95
- APR
- 20.49% – 27.49% Variable
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
- Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
2x – 5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®; 3x on dining.; 2x on all other travel purchases, plus more.
The bottom line
The Gold Card is more expensive, but it will also offer better value for most consumers. The Green Card is more travel-focused -- but other travel credit cards will most likely be better options.
FAQs
The Hotel Collection is a curated list of properties where American Express cardholders can book stays. Upon check-in, you’ll receive a free upgrade if available, and for two-night stays or longer, you’ll receive up to a $100 credit for qualifying resort activities, depending on the specific location.
Membership Rewards points can typically be redeemed for airline travel, hotels, statement credits, gift cards and more. Air travel and gift cards will generally net the highest values, but each card has its own redemption rates. Check out our breakdown of Membership Rewards point values for more information.
The CLEAR® program allows you to bypass designated airport security lines. It uses biometic information like an eye scan or fingerprint identification to quickly identify you. It only takes a few minutes to sign up. You can find more information in our comparison of Clear, TSA Precheck and Global Entry.
For rates and fees of the American Express Gold Card, click here.
*All information about the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
**Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.
The editorial content on this page is based solely on objective, independent assessments by our writers and is not influenced by advertising or partnerships. It has not been provided or commissioned by any third party. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products or services offered by our partners.
