The Amex Gold is a solid pick for a travel rewards card if you can take full advantage of the bonus rewards categories and credits. But other options could provide a more rewarding experience, especially if you're looking for luxury travel perks or want better value for your travel rewards.
Is it hard to get an Amex Gold Card? Yes, it is hard to get the American Express® Gold Card because it requires at least good credit for approval. Unless your credit score is 700 or higher and you have a lot of income, it will be very hard for you to get approved for the Amex Gold card.
Bonus rewards on dining, supermarkets and certain travel
4 points at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $25,000 per year in purchases. After that, 1X back. 3 points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com. 1 point on all other spending.
If you consider yourself a foodie, the American Express® Gold Card could be the ideal luxury card for you. This card earns a competitive 4X points per dollar spent at restaurants and 4X points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X).
Amex Platinum ultimately offers more value, though. For example, its benefits include airport lounge access, while the Amex Gold Card's perks do not. When it comes to ongoing rewards on purchases, Amex Platinum has a higher maximum earning rate and better travel rewards. But Amex Gold provides more everyday value.
But not all flights — and not all credit cards — offer airport lounge access. Regrettably, the American Express® Gold Card falls into the latter category and doesn't currently offer this perk.
Rarely will just one rewards card earn you the best possible return on all of your spending. If you own both cards, use the Amex Platinum to pay for flights and prepaid hotels and the Amex Gold to pay for your supermarket and dining purchases to earn the most points possible on every dollar you spend.
For everyday spending
The Amex Gold earns a mere 1 point per dollar on spending outside its specific bonus categories. There are other cards issued by Amex as well as other banks, that can improve upon that.
Does the American Express Gold Card have a limit? The American Express® Gold Card has no preset spending limit, which reflects its origins as a charge card — a card that requires you to pay your bill in full every month.
Call the retention line and ask your card's issuer to waive or lower its annual fee. Long-time customers and high-spenders with great credit who always pay in full likely have the best chance. It's a common credit card promotion to waive the annual fee for the first year your account is open.
The American Express® Gold Card is our top-rated travel card. The card is made out of stainless steel and weighs 15 grams. Cardholders will have the ability to pay with a tap of their card at select merchants thanks to the card's contactless feature.
Yes, you can easily upgrade your Amex Gold card to the Amex Platinum card by calling the customer service number on the back of your Amex Gold card or using the chat feature on the American Express website.
American Express is one of the leading card issuers in the United States. It's known for its top-notch customer service and some of the best rewards available. From ultra-elite business travel cards to everyday rewards, American Express has credit cards that are a good choice for many different types of cardholders.
Wealthy Americans generally use credit cards the same way that everyone else does. They opt for cash back and no annual fee cards, and generally trust the big issuers. But they have some bad habits, too -- about half had an automatic payment set up, and only a third pay their statement or full balance every month.
The Amex Gold card requirements for approval include having a credit score of at least 700, being at least 18 years old, and being a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Amex Gold card applicants must also provide a Social Security number, Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, or passport.
Interest charges accrue when you don't pay the bill off in full. Pay Over Time charges an interest rate that is the same across the Green, Gold and Platinum products. As of August 2020, cardholders who use the feature will pay an APR between 15.99% to 22.99%, depending on creditworthiness.
You must pay in full, by the Payment Due Date, all charges that are not added to a Pay Over Time, Cash Advance, or Plan balance. We will begin charging interest on cash advances on the transaction date.
Each participating Certified Dealer in the American Express Auto Purchasing Program will accept the American Express Card for at least $2,000 and up to the full purchase price.
If your goal is to get or maintain a good credit score, two to three credit card accounts, in addition to other types of credit, are generally recommended. This combination may help you improve your credit mix. Lenders and creditors like to see a wide variety of credit types on your credit report.
To downgrade the Amex Gold card, call American Express customer service at (800) 528-4800, and ask to downgrade your Amex Gold card to the American Express® Green Card. You can also contact customer service online through the live chat feature from your account.
Membership Rewards® points have no expiration date.
The hardest Amex card to get is the Centurion® Card from American Express. Also known as the “Black Card,” this Amex card is hard to get because it is available by invitation only, and potential candidates are rumored to need an annual income of at least $1 million.
The Gold card has higher point-earning potential on dining out and spending on flights booked through the Amex Travel portal, while the Blue Cash Preferred® has the advantage in higher points earned in U.S. supermarket spend, streaming subscriptions, transit purchases, and at U.S. gas stations.
2 in 90 Rule
You can only get approved for two credit cards every 90 days. This means that if you apply for a third card within the 90-day window, you'll automatically be rejected. These rules apply to credit cards only and not charge cards, so you can apply for as many charge cards as you like.