American Express · Personal
American Express Gold
A $325-a-year card earning Membership Rewards: 5× on Hotels (Portal), 1× on everything else.
- Annual fee
- $325Charged every year
- Signup bonus
- 100,000 ≈ $1,900 in travel (our estimate)*
- Top rate
- 5×Hotels (Portal)
- Point value
- 1.9¢ In travel · 0.7¢ as cash (our estimate)*
Year one and year two
Is it worth it for you?
Tick the credits you’d really use and enter what you spend. The ledger adds up the bonus, your points and the credits, less the fee.
| Line | Year one | Year two |
|---|---|---|
| Signup bonus 100,000 points | $1,900 | – |
| Points on your spend Enter your spending | $0 | $0 |
| Credits you’d use None ticked yet | $0 | $0 |
| Annual fee Charged each year | −$325 | −$325 |
| NetYear one includes the bonus · at your inputs · our estimates* | $1,575 | −$325 |
Bonus terms: Earn up to 100,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
Earning structure
8 categories, 5 rates
| Icon | Category | Points per $1 | Worth per $100 (our estimate)* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotels (Portal) | 5× | $9.50 | |
Dining Cap $50,000 / 12 moNotesWorldwide, on up to $50,000 per year. | 4× | $7.60 | |
Groceries US onlyCap $25,000 / 12 moNotesU.S. only and up to $25,000 per year. | 4× | $7.60 | |
| Airfare | 3× | $5.70 | |
| Car Rentals (Portal) | 2× | $3.80 | |
| Cruises (Portal) | 2× | $3.80 | |
| Travel (Portal) | 2× | $3.80 | |
| All Other | 1× | $1.90 |
The rest of the card
Details, rules and benefits
Card details
- Annual fee
- $325
- Card type
- Personal
- Network
- American Express
- Bank
- American Express
- Point system
- Membership Rewards
- Travel value (our estimate)*
- 1.9¢ per point
- Cash value (our estimate)*
- 0.7¢ per point
- Foreign transaction fee
- None
- Transfer partners
- Yes
- Travel portal redemption
- Yes
- Cash to travel
- No
Application rules4
- Amex 1/10
Amex allows only one bonus per specific card per lifetime. However, when a "No Lifetime Language" offer is available, it means you can receive the sign-up bonus even if you've held that card previously and already earned its bonus. These offers are rare and are usually targeted to specific individuals/businesses, either through email, physical mail, or direct application links.
- Amex 3/90
You'll be declined if you apply for a fourth Amex card in 90 days.
- No 5/24
Card approval not subject to 5-personal-cards-in-24-months rule
- Amex Family
Amex will most likely disqualify you from receiving the welcome offer on lower-tier cards if you've previously held the higher-tier cards within the same card family. Note: The rule doesn't apply to business cards but if they apply it in the future, it'll be retroactive, and you won't be able to get lower card bonuses if you have a higher bonus card.
Transfer partners18
- AeroMexico Rewards 1:1.6
- Aeroplan 1:1
- ANA Mileage Club 1:1
- Asia Miles 5:4
- Avios 1:1
- Choice Privileges Rewards 1:1
- Emirates Skywards 5:4
- Etihad Guest Miles 1:1
- Flying Blue 1:1
- Flying Club 1:1
- Hilton Honors 1:2
- KrisFlyer 1:1
- Leaders Club 4:1
- LifeMiles 1:1
- Marriott Bonvoy 1:1
- Qantas Frequent Flyer 1:1
- SkyMiles 1:1
- True Blue 5:4
Ratio is Membership Rewards points to partner miles or points.
Benefits9 · 0 high value
- Car Rental Insurance SECONDARY Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance
- Credits & Discounts $100 Resy Credit + 5 more credits & discounts benefits
- Instant Perks & Status Hertz Five Star Status
- Travel Protections Baggage Insurance
Benefit details, terms, and availability may vary. Please refer to the card’s terms and conditions for complete information.
Alternatives
Head to head with similar cards
 American Express Gold |  American Express Platinum |  American Express Centurion |  IHG One Rewards Premier Select | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $325 | $895+$570 | $5,000+$4,675 | $350+$25 |
| Signup bonus | 100,000 pts | 175,000 pts | $-10,000 | None |
| Top rate | 5×Hotels (Portal) | 5×Hotels (Portal), Airfare | 1.5×Large Purchases | 12×Hotels (Portal) |
| Travel value * | 1.9¢Membership Rewards | 1.9¢Membership Rewards | 1.9¢Membership Rewards | 0.56¢IHG Rewards |
| Why it’s here | This card | Same issuer and the same Membership Rewards points | Same issuer and the same Membership Rewards points | An annual fee within $100, with transferable points |
American Express Platinum
$895 fee (+$570) · 5× top175,000 pts bonusSame issuer and the same Membership Rewards points
American Express Centurion
$5,000 fee (+$4,675) · 1.5× top$-10,000 bonusSame issuer and the same Membership Rewards points
IHG One Rewards Premier Select
$350 fee (+$25) · 12× topNone bonusAn annual fee within $100, with transferable points
Video and discussion
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* Point valuations are RICH with POINTS™ editorial estimates, averaged from published valuations by The Points Guy, Upgraded Points, and Frequent Miler. They are not issuer figures and do not represent guaranteed redemption value.
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