American Express Gold Card vs. the American Express Green Card: Which is right for you?

The offer mentioned below for the American Express® Gold Card,  the Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Green Card is no longer available.

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The American Express® Gold Card and the American Express® Green Card are two popular credit cards designed for dining and travel rewards with middle-of-the-road annual fees of $250 (see rates and fees) and $150 (see rates and fees) respectively. Plus, the rewards program and perks make both cards appealing to anyone who's looking to upgrade to a credit card that gives them more value for their dollars.

Below, CNBC Select compares both cards to help you land on the one that's most beneficial for your spending habits and needs.

• Annual fee
• Card rewards
• Redemption options
• The welcome bonus
• Additional perks
• Bottom line

Both the Amex Gold Card and the Amex Green Card come with a modest annual fee — neither is the least expensive on the market, but they also aren't asking as much as high-end credit cards such as the Platinum Card® from American Express, which has an annual fee of $695 (see rates and fees).

The annual fee for the Amex Gold Card is $250 and the fee for the Amex Green Card comes in a bit lower at $150. Of course, they each have yearly perks that can offset the cost of that fee, so make sure you do your homework before applying to decide if your spending habits will earn you the rewards needed to make that fee worthwhile.

Spending on food and travel is one of the main ways to earn the most rewards with both cards.

• Amex Gold Card: Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at restaurants worldwide (as well as takeout and delivery in the U.S.) and at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X), 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com and 1X points on all other purchases.
• Amex Green Card: Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on travel, transit purchases, and on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.) and 1X Membership Rewards® points on all other eligible purchases.

At first glance, the Amex Gold Card offers a higher reward for spending on food, including restaurants, takeout, delivery and purchases at U.S. supermarkets; it offers 4X points while the Green Card offers 3X points. Be sure to check Amex's consumer categories page for a list of supermarkets and stores that are eligible and ineligible for earning additional rewards on your purchases.

When it comes to earning points for travel, the Green Card comes out on top. It allows you to earn 3X points for a wider variety of travel expenses (such as Ubers, public transportation, train tickets, etc.) with a more expansive number of merchants such as Expedia, Priceline or Hotels.com. With the Amex Gold Card, you can only earn that 3X rate on flights booked directly with the airlines or through the Amex travel portal at amextravel.com.

There are several ways to redeem your points for both Amex cards:

• Transferring them to a partner airline and hotel loyalty programs
• Redeeming them for travel through Amextravel.com
• Covering charges on your American Express credit card
• Paying with points at checkout with retailers such as Best Buy, Amazon and Dell, among others
• Redeeming them for gift cards, exclusive access to entertainment experiences and using them for Preferred Seating at certain sports and cultural events
• Purchasing merchandise directly through American Express

Both Amex cards come with lofty welcome bonuses:

• Amex Gold Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new card within the first 6 months of card membership.
• Amex Green Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card membership. Plus, earn 20% back on eligible travel and transit purchases made during your first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $200 back in the form of a statement credit.

As you can tell, the Amex Green Card has a lower barrier for achieving the same number of Membership Rewards® points since cardholders must spend $3,000 less in the first 6 months compared to the Amex Gold Card. And unlike the Gold Card, the Green Card allows new members to earn back some of the money they spent on travel in those first 6 months.

Both of these cards come with plenty of perks and while some of them overlap, the differences should help you decide which card better fits your spending habits and lifestyle. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

Members with either card can benefit from:

• No foreign transaction fees
• Baggage insurance plan* (Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.)
• Car rental loss and damage insurance* (Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.)
• Global Assist Hotline* (Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.)
• Pay with points on travel through Amextravel.com
• Amex Offers for certain shopping categories and retailers

Amex Gold card holders enjoy these additional perks:

• $120 Uber Cash per year ($10 per month in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S; To receive this benefit, you must have downloaded the latest version of the Uber App and your eligible American Express Gold Card must be a method of payment in your Uber account. The Amex Benefit may only be used in the United States)
• $120 Dining Credit ($10 per month in statement credits for Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations)
• A $100 experience credit to use during your stay at properties listed in The Hotel Collection with American Express Travel (minimum 2-night stay required)
• Exclusive access to concert and event ticket sales

Amex Green card holders enjoy these additional perks:

• Up to $189 credit for a CLEAR® Plus membership each year
• Up to $100 credit toward purchases with LoungeBuddy each year
• Trip delay insurance

* Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.

The American Express® Gold Card and the American Express® Green Card both have strong welcome bonuses and a plethora of mostly travel-related perks. Both cards also charge moderate annual fees, with the Gold Card costing $100 more than the Green Card.

While the Gold Card's travel perks have earned it a spot in the wallets of many frequent fliers, the Green Card offers some valuable travel benefits not offered by the Gold Card — like credit for a CLEAR® Plus membership and $100 credit toward LoungeBuddy purchases. However, the Gold Card also offers more in the way of dining benefits.

If you value a more holistic set of travel and lifestyle benefits and can reasonably manage a higher annual fee, the American Express® Gold Card is the better option.

But if you still want to get in on some travel perks without as high of an annual fee, the American Express® Green Card may be more appealing.

Overall, both cards are extremely solid. But if you don't want to be on the hook for an annual fee, there are travel cards with no or low annual fees, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees).

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For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.  

For rates and fees of the American Express® Green Card, click here.  

For rates and fees of the Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.