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The American Express® Green Card and the American Express® Gold Card are two excellent options for earning bonus Membership Rewards® and are some of the more popular consumer cards from Amex. Points can be earned on frequent purchases, plus you can enjoy luxury benefits that a standard rewards credit card doesn’t offer. This Amex Green vs. Amex Gold comparison can help you decide which one has more valuable rewards and benefits.
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Amex Green vs. Amex Gold: Earning Membership Rewards
You will earn Membership Rewards on each purchase, but the bonus categories are different for each product. Either card pairs well with The Platinum Card® from American Express, which you might have for its numerous travel perks, but you want one or both of these to have more ways to earn bonus points.
Amex Green
The American Express® Green Card earns 3x points on these purchases:
- Travel
- Transit
- Dining at restaurants worldwide (plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.)
All remaining purchases earn 1x points.
You may appreciate this card, as many purchases are eligible for bonus points. The 3x travel category makes the Amex Green the best American Express card for earning travel points.
Related: What’s the Credit Limit on the Amex Green Card?
Amex Gold
The American Express® Gold Card earns up to 4x Membership Rewards per $1:
- 4x at restaurants (plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.)
- 4x at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1x)
- 3x on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com
- 1x on all remaining purchases
This card is better for maximizing food-related purchases along with flights, which can be a significant portion of your travel budget.
Redeeming Points
Both cards have similar redemption options and redemption values. You can also combine your rewards with other Membership Rewards credit cards.
When redeeming through American Express, your most valuable redemption options are award flights and select gift cards. The redemption value is 1 cent.
You can also transfer your points at a 1:1 ratio to many airlines (including Delta Air Lines) and a couple of hotel loyalty programs. Most of the airline transfer partners are international carriers, so it can be easier to book international award flights or alliance partner domestic flights.
Travel Benefits
Both cards offer some additional travel benefits. The Green Card from American Express serves up more travel perks than the Gold Card which specializes in dining rewards instead. But both offer different types of travel benefits.
Amex Green
The Amex Green benefits are helpful to air travelers:
- CLEAR® Plus membership: Up to $189 reimbursement per calendar year in CLEAR application fee credits.
- LoungeBuddy credit: Up to $100 in statement credits per calendar year on lounge visits.
- Trip delay insurance: Up to $300 per trip (up to 2 claims per year) on qualifying delays exceeding 12 hours on round-trip itineraries.
While you don’t get unlimited airport lounge access, the LoungeBuddy credit is great for periodic flyers. You can also have more flexibility as you can visit several different lounges instead of being relegated to a particular airline or independent network.
Related: What Card Gets Airport Lounge Access?
Amex Gold
The Amex Gold can help you save on luxury hotel stays and transit:
- Hotel Experience Credit: Up to $100 experience credit with a two-night minimum stay when you book The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel.
- $120 Uber Cash: Receive up to $10 per month in Uber Cash for rides or eats.
Both cards offer similar baggage insurance plan benefits (up to $1,250 in carry-on baggage and $500 for checked baggage). Most car rentals are also eligible for secondary car rental loss and damage insurance with the Green or Gold Amex.
Dining Rewards
The American Express Gold Card is the superior option for dining perks.
Amex Gold
The American Express® Gold Card offers an annual up to $120 dining credit that’s awarded as an up to $10 monthly benefit at these participating restaurants:
- Grubhub
- The Cheesecake Factory
- Goldbelly
- Wine.com
- Milkbar
- Select Shake Shack locations
In addition, you can use up to $120 Uber Cash credits for Uber Eats purchases instead of rideshares. Further, Uber Eats purchases earn 4x points along with other dining and food delivery service purchases.
Amex Green
The American Express® Green Card doesn’t have additional dining perks. As a reminder, you can earn 3x Membership Rewards on dining at restaurants worldwide plus on takeout and delivery in the U.S.
Annual Fee
Both are “semi-premium” credit cards, as their annual fee is above $100, which is the standard threshold for consumer rewards credit cards.
The annual fee is $150 for the Amex Green (See Rates & Fees) and $250 for the Amex Gold (See Rates and Fees). You can add free authorized users to both cards.
Additionally, neither card charges a foreign transaction fee.
Welcome Bonus
You can earn 60,000 bonus Membership Rewards points with either card by meeting the introductory spending requirements. This bonus is worth $600 in award flights booked through American Express Travel.
Amex Green
Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 6 months with the American Express® Green Card. New cardholders can also earn 20% back on eligible travel and transit during the first 6 months (up to $200 back).
Amex Gold
Receive 60,000 Membership Rewards after spending $6,000 on purchases during the first 6 months with the American Express® Gold Card.
You may be eligible for a targeted bonus of up to 90,000 Membership Rewards by using the CardMatch™ tool. You can see if you’re eligible without impacting your credit score.
When The Amex Green Is Better Than The Amex Gold
Consider the American Express® Green Card when you want a travel credit card with flexible rewards categories. It can be easy to earn bonus points when you get 3x rewards on nearly any travel, transit, or dining purchase in the world.
You may also like this card if you can use the CLEAR and LoungeBuddy air travel perks. Additionally, the annual fee is more affordable, which can also be a deciding factor.
When The Amex Gold Is Better Than The Amex Green
Apply for the American Express® Gold Card when you want to maximize restaurant and supermarket purchases. The additional dining perks are also worth it when you use the Uber or Uber Eats platforms or regularly patronize the participating brands to utilize up to $10 dining credit. Additionally, the up to $100 hotel experience credit can also be worth it for luxury stays.
Summary of the Amex Green vs. Amex Gold Comparison
The American Express Gold Card is better when you want to earn more points at restaurants and supermarkets. But the American Express Green Card is better for earning bonus points on any travel or transit purchase, plus its benefits can help you have a less stressful airport experience.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Green Card, please click here.
