American Express is running a welcome bonus offer for the American Express® Gold Card that's nearly double the prior offer.
Eligible new card members can earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after they spend $4,000 on eligible purchases within the first six months of card membership. If you've been considering this rewards card for a while, now is a great time to take advantage of this high welcome offer.
While the welcome offer is a nice perk, you should take into account the card's $250 annual fee when deciding whether to apply (see rates and fees). If you take full advantage of the rewards and benefits included in membership, you can recoup the annual fee every year. For instance, you'll benefit from up to $120 dining credits each year ($10 a month) on eligible dining at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory and other participating restaurants (enrollment required), which effectively reduces the annual fee to $130. On top of that, cardholders can receive up to $120 per year ($10 monthly) in Uber Cash to use for U.S. rides or dining via Uber Eats.
CNBC Select breaks down how the new and old American Express Gold Card offers compare, who's eligible to earn the welcome bonus and what 60,000 points are worth.
American Express® Gold Card
Rewards
4X Membership Rewards® points at Restaurants (plus 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, 1X points on all other purchases
Welcome bonus
Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases within the first 6 months of card membership
Annual fee
$250
Intro APR
Not applicable
Regular APR
See Pay Over Time APR
Balance transfer fee
N/A
Foreign transaction fee
None
Credit needed
Excellent/Good
See rates and fees and our methodology, terms apply.
Read our American Express® Gold Card review.
Pros
- Up to $120 dining credit annually ($10 a month) for purchases made with Grubhub, Goldbelly and other eligible restaurants (after a one-time enrollment)
- Up to $120 Uber Cash annually ($10 a month) for U.S. Uber Eats orders and U.S. Uber rides (card must be added to Uber app to receive the Uber Cash benefit)
- Strong rewards program with 4X points earned at restaurants and 3X points earned on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com
- Baggage insurance plan covers up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage that is damaged, lost or stolen
- No fee charged on purchases made outside the U.S.
Cons
- No introductory APR period
- $250 annual fee
- Estimated rewards earned after 1 year: $1,074
- Estimated rewards earned after 5 years: $2,969
Rewards totals incorporate the points earned from the welcome bonus
New Amex Gold Card welcome bonus
- New offer: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases within the first six months of card membership.
- Old offer: Earn 35,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership.
The new American Express® Gold Card welcome offer is significantly better than the previous one. New card members can earn a welcome bonus that's worth 25,000 points more than the old offer and has the same $4,000 spending requirement. Plus, you can benefit from an additional three months to meet the spending requirement.
Find the best credit card for you by reviewing offers in our credit card marketplace or get personalized offers via CardMatch™.
What 60,000 points are worth
You can redeem American Express Membership Rewards® points in various ways, including statement credits, travel and gift cards. The value of points varies based on the redemption method, so here are some examples of what the 60,000-point welcome bonus offer is worth, using Amex's points value calculator.
- Pay with points at checkout: $300 (Ticketmaster), $420 (all other sites, such as Amazon and PayPal), $600 (NYC Taxi)
- Gift cards: Up to $600
- Statement credit: $360
- Book or upgrade travel: $420* (prepaid hotels and cruises), $600* (flights)
- Transfer points to frequent traveler program partners: Up to 60,000 points in the partners' program. You can get around 2 cents per point in value when transferring points, meaning the 60,000 bonus points could be worth around $1,200 in travel.
- Shopping with merchant partners: $300
*Note that you have to pay for travel using your Amex Gold Card through American Express Travel to get these redemption rates.
How to qualify for the Amex Gold Card welcome bonus
Most card issuers impose restrictions on who's eligible to earn a welcome bonus, and Amex is no different. The offer terms state:
"Welcome offer not available to applicants who have or have had this card or the Premier Rewards Gold Card. We may also consider the number of American Express cards you have opened and closed as well as other factors in making a decision on your welcome offer eligibility."
So if you've ever had an Amex Gold Card or Premier Rewards Gold Card, you can't earn the bonus.
Read more
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.
