The writing has been on the wall for months and last week we heard it directly from Amex's CEO: The popular *amex gold* is due for a facelift. We didn't have to wait long to see what's in store.
Amex unveiled the details Thursday, and there's a lot to digest. The annual fee is increasing from $250 to $325 (see rates & fees) – though current cardholders won't pay that higher fee just yet. Meanwhile, Amex is tweaking some of the card's existing monthly credits while adding others, like up to $100 a year for dining at Resy-participating restaurants and a few bucks a month for Dunkin' Donuts coffee. And there's a new, white gold card design that both new and existing cardholders can get.
But the card's biggest selling point isn't changing – it's still the best card for dining and groceries. You'll still earn 4x points per dollar at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. (though that's now capped up to $50,000 per year) and 4x points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year).
These changes come with a limited-time welcome offer of 60,000 Membership Rewards points, plus 20% back on restaurant spending worldwide (up to $100) after spending $6,000 within the first six months of card membership.
It's right out of Amex's playbook: Raise fees while adding new benefits (some better than others) to justify the higher price tag. Wondering who these changes are geared towards? American Express isn't being shy about it.
“We’re seeing particularly strong restaurant spend with Millennial and Gen Z consumers, which is our fastest growing customer segment,” Howard Grosfield, president of U.S. consumer services, said in a statement.
The Amex Gold Card has been one of our favorites for years. While paying more in annual fees is never fun, that hasn't changed.
Here's everything we know about these changes and what they mean for you – and your wallet.
Related reading: Amex Statement Credits Are Out of Control
Amex Gold Card: Benefits Overview
- Welcome Offer: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points, plus 20% back on restaurant spending worldwide (up to $100), after spending $6,000 within the first six months of card membership.
- Earn 4x points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. (now capped up to $50,000 per year)
- Earn 4x points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year)
- Earn 3x points per dollar spent directly with airlines or at amextravel.com
- Earn 2x points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels, car rentals, and cruises at amextravel.com
- Earn 1x point per dollar spent on other eligible purchases
- Changed! $120 Dining Credit: Enroll and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly (up to $120 annually) when you pay with the Gold Card at Five Guys, Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory®, wine.com, and Goldbelly
- $120 Uber Cash: Add the U.S. Consumer Gold Card to your Uber account to receive $10 in monthly Uber Cash credits (up to $120 annually) towards Uber Eats or Uber Rides.
- New! $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $50 in semi-annual statement credits ($100 per year) after you enroll and pay with the Gold Card at U.S. Resy restaurants or on other eligible Resy purchases.
- New! $84 Dunkin' Credit: Get up to $7 per month ($84 per year) in statement credits after you enroll and pay with the Gold Card.
- No foreign transaction fees
- Increased! Annual fee: $325 (see rates and fees).
Learn more about the *amex gold*
What's New?
All told, this is a pretty significant overhaul. The card's benefits have remained largely unchanged since the last update six years ago … and that was mostly a good thing.
We've long considered the Amex Gold one of the best travel cards on the planet, thanks to its 4x point earning on dining worldwide (including delivery and takeout in the U.S.) and at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year). Thankfully, those bonus categories stuck around, though dining bonuses are now capped at $50,000 in spending per year. Previously, there was no limit on how much of your dining spending could earn 4x points per dollar spent.
With a higher annual fee, new monthly and twice-a-year statement credits, and a reshuffling of the card's dining credit, there's a lot to unpack here. Let's take a closer look at what's new.
A Bigger $325 Annual Fee
Stop me if you've heard this before: American Express is raising annual fees again.
The Amex Gold Card now carries with a $325 price tag (see rates & fees) – up from the previous $250 price tag it's had for years. New applicants will pay that
For current cardholders, exactly when you'll see this higher price depends on when your card is up for renewal:
- If your card renews by Sept. 30, you'll pay $250 for one more year, then pay the $325 fee in 2025.
- If your card renews on or after Oct. 1, you'll pay $325
Paying more in annual fees is never fun, but it feels like we could have seen worse than a $75 increase. At $325, it's firmly in the mid-range category, just below the recently-revamped *delta skymiles platinum card* and *biz gold*.
Then again, it's just shy of the *venture x* which comes loaded with travel perks like airport lounge access, a $300 Capital One Travel credit, a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus, and much more. This makes the Venture X look like an even better bargain.
New Welcome Offer
To soften the blow of the higher annual fee, Amex rolled out a better welcome offer.
Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points plus 20% back on restaurant spending worldwide (up to $100) after spending $6,000 within the first six months of card membership. This limited-time offer is available to new card members through Nov. 6, 2024.
Considering the standard offer on this card has long been a 60,000-point bonus, adding up to $100 back on restaurant spending is a nice sweetener. But this still falls short of the best offers we've seen on the card – including better bonuses you can get today.
For example, you might be targeted for a 75,000-point welcome offer through CardMatch or even see offers as big as 100,000 points when applying through a personal referral link. So again, this new bonus offer is great and certainly better than the standard offer. Just make sure you check all available offers before applying.
One additional word of warning about the welcome offer: In recent months, Amex has added additional language to its offer terms, ruling out some new applicants altogether. While it used to be possible to earn a bonus on each Amex card once per lifetime, that's no longer the case.
Now, you'll need to start at the bottom of a given card family and work your way up – this means if you've previously held the Amex Gold or any version of *amex platinum card*, you won't be eligible for this new offer.
Related reading: ‘Apply With Confidence' For a New Amex Card
$100 Resy Credit
Amex first introduced Resy statement credits when it refreshed the suite of Delta SkyMiles cards earlier this year. Thankfully, the credit that now comes with the Amex Gold will be far easier to use.
Each year, cardholders can get up to $100 in statement credits when dining at U.S. Resy participating restaurants. The statement credit is broken up twice a year: You have $50 to use from January through June and another $50 from July through December.
Just like the credits on Delta cards, you'll need to enroll online in your Amex account before dining at one of these restaurants. And like most Amex credits, this is a use-it-or-lose-it benefit. If you don't spend the full $50 in the first half of the year, it won't roll over to the next six months.
Read more: How to Use Amex Resy Credits
$84 Dunkin' Credit
The jokes almost write themselves: You now get $7 a month for coffee with the Amex Gold Card.
Gold cardholders now get up to $84 per year at Dunkin' – the artist formerly known as Dunkin Donuts. But that's split into $7 a month installments.
Much like the new Resy credit, you'll need to enroll your card in this benefit before taking advantage of it. Once you do, simply swipe your Gold Card when purchasing your morning coffee at Dunkin', and you're all set. Amex will automatically reimburse you up to $7 per month.
I have to admit, this one's a bit of a head scratcher. I wonder if it was supposed to be a nice, clean $10 per month credit … until Dunkin' blew its marketing budget on this year's Superbowl commercial and had to settle for a $7 credit instead.
A Reshuffled Dining Credit
Out with the old and in with the new. In this case, Shake Shack and Milk Bar are getting the boot for using the Gold Card's monthly dining credit in favor of Shake Shack.
Effective Sept. 26, Shake Shack and Milk Bar will no longer be eligible for this credit.
The Amex Gold Card has long offered an up to $10 per month statement credit when you dine at participating partners. The number stays the same, but the list of eligible partners has changed slightly. Going forward, you can use the credit at Five Guys, Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory®, wine.com, and Goldbelly.
Maybe you think Shake Shack's burgers are superior to Five Guys, but by the numbers, this is a win. With over 1,500 locations nationwide, swapping Five Guys for Shake Shack will likely make this credit far easier for many cardholders to use.
White Gold Card Design
You should never judge a book by its cover – and the same goes for credit cards. But having a cool-looking card does matter … at least to some. And I'd wager a guess that Amex knows that.
As part of this overhaul, Amex is now offering a limited-edition white gold card design in addition to the normal and rose gold variants. The white gold version is sure to be popular and will only be available while supplies last.
New card applicants can pick the white gold design from the drop. And current cardholders can get it too: Simply replace your card with the new design in your Amex account.
We saw something similar earlier this year when the bank rolled out a sleek *delta reserve card* made from the metal of a scrapped Delta Boeing 747.
What's Staying the Same?
While the changes are significant, some things are staying status quo – and that's a good thing.
Here's a look at what's been left (mostly) untouched with the refresh.
$120 Uber Cash
Gold Cardholders still get up to $10 per month in Uber Cash for use on either Uber or Uber Eats. But just like all the other credits on the card, this is a use-it-or-lose-it benefit: If you don't spend $10 with Uber or Uber Eats in one month, it won't carry over to the next.
Sure, a $10 monthly discount on your Uber ride is nice, but not everyone uses the rideshare service on a monthly basis. I personally prefer to use my Uber Cash with Uber Eats and if you opt for pick-up instead of delivery, it can be much cheaper.
Related reading: Making the Most of Your Monthly Uber Cash
Bonus Categories
A big part of what we love most about the Amex Gold card are all the extra points you can earn when buying groceries or going out to dinner. Thankfully, that didn't change with this revamp – at least not much.
You'll still earn 4x Membership Rewards points on dining worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. There's one small change: Earning 4x is now capped at $50,000 per year. That likely won't be an issue for many people unless you dine at absurdly expensive places … a lot.
In addition to dining, the card still earns 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year) and 3x points on flights booked directly with the airline or at amextravel.com. Neither of those bonus categories have changed. Neither has the 2x point earning you'll get when booking prepaid hotels, rental card, or cruises through Amex Travel – or the 1x you earn on other eligible purchases.
Long story short, the Amex Gold is still a fantastic option for racking up points in the many common spending categories.
Is This Good or Bad?
Add it all up, and Amex added $184 worth of credits and raised the annual fee by $75. That's a clear win for cardholders, right? Maybe, maybe not.
While we speculated months ago about what a refreshed Amex Gold Card might look like, we all but guaranteed the annual fee would be increasing in exchange for some questionable statement credits. I'd say we hit the nail on the head with that prediction.
I have to admit: I'm pleasantly surprised with the $100 Resy credit. While it's no slam dunk, breaking it up into two semi-annual chunks of $50 instead of the typical monthly installments makes it far more appealing.
Resy restaurants are most widely available in big cities, so it won't be an easy option for every cardholder. Then again, most people who have this card get to a city with Resy restaurants at least twice a year. With a little planning, it shouldn't be too hard to use it up every six months.
The new $7 per month Dunkin' credit, however, is just weird.
If you like Dunkin' and already stop there often, this will be an easy win. For others, it might make sense to grab a coffee there instead of your local coffee shop once or twice a month.
The biggest issue with using this credit boils down to Dunkin's footprint. While they're a dime a dozen on the east coast and many major cities, they don't have the same reach as Starbucks or other national chains. And $7 a month? OK then!
Add in all the standard features that aren't going anywhere, and is this enough to offset the new $325 annual fee? The math will likely look different for everyone.
For most, this card should still be a keeper. The main reason to hold and use this card is earning 4x points at restaurants and grocery purchases. That isn't changing, so this is a card I'll continue to have at the top of my wallet.
If you're a current Amex Gold Cardholder and the math no longer works for you, don't race out to cancel your card immediately. For starters, you won't have to pay the higher fee until your card renews next – and maybe, not until sometime in 2025. If that's many months down the road, you can take advantage of all these new benefits before deciding whether or not to keep the card long-term.
And even if you do decide to cancel your card, you should first ask Amex for a retention offer. Higher annual fees often force Amex to be more generous with retention offers, doling out bonus points to convince cardholders to hang around for another year.
While there's no guaranteeing that will be the case this time around, it doesn't hurt to try.
Bottom Line
American Express just announced big changes to its popular *amex gold*.
The annual fee went up to a whopping $325 per year. To help soften the blow, Amex added a new $100 Resy dining credit and up to $84 per year in credits at Dunkin'. There's a bigger bonus to convince new applicants to apply and a fancy new white gold design for new and longtime cardholders a like.
Every traveler can (and should) weigh the card's benefits differently. No one likes paying more in annual fees.
Yet even with a fee increase, this card will still be a winner for many.
Learn more about the *amex gold*