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Credit Cards

Here's how American Express Gold Card members can score two lunches a month

Ordering through Uber Eats or at select restaurants with your Amex Gold Card can help you save.

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American Express

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

With the latest Consumer Price Index data from June showing how the price of food has risen by 10.4% year over year, any sort of savings, especially when it comes to our daily consumption, are greatly welcomed.

For those who have the American Express® Gold Card, some of those savings can come in the form of monthly dining credits and Uber Cash credits, which can be put toward rides or meal orders via Uber Eats. By leveraging those perks, cardholders can essentially score up to two meals each month.

Below, Select breaks down everything you need to know about the Amex Gold Card's monthly dining credits and Uber Cash benefits, plus some of the other great perks cardmembers have access to.

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Using dining credits and Uber Cash towards meals

To snag what equates to about two meals per month, cardholders simply need to use their Amex Gold Card when dining at certain participating eateries in person or via takeout (more on that later) to receive $10 in statement credits each month. They'll also receive $10 worth of monthly Uber Cash credits, which can be used to order food through Uber Eats.

You will need to enroll in each program to utilize these benefits. You can join the dining program through your American Express account to access those monthly dining credits and add your Amex Gold Card to your Uber account to receive the Uber Cash credits. It's also important to note that these meals aren't technically free, since you will have to pay the Gold Card's $250 annual fee (see rates and fees) to have an account, although, the card's other benefits and these credits can easily outweigh the fee.

Keep in mind that the secret to maximizing these benefits — and avoiding high surcharges — is to use them for pick-up orders instead of delivery. Savvy diners may also be able to stretch the value of these credits by taking advantage of promo codes and other discounts, such as any that are offered through Uber One (formerly Uber Eats Pass) or Grubhub+.

Note that Uber Cash and the monthly dining credit operate in a use-it-or-lose-it fashion, so you won't be able to roll over any unused credits to the following month if you don't use them in time.

Here's everything else you need to know about the Amex Gold Card's monthly dining credits.

$120 in dining credits per year

With the Amex Gold Card, you'll earn up to $120 each year in dining credits, which is broken down into $10 worth of statement credits each month.

After enrolling through American Express to link the benefit with your card, you'll automatically be reimbursed up to $10 each month when you use it to pay for meals through the following vendors and restaurants: Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar, GrubHub, The Cheesecake Factory and certain Shake Shack locations throughout the U.S. GrubHub offers food delivery and pickup for hundreds of thousands of restaurant locations across the U.S. — meaning you shouldn't have too much trouble taking advantage of the credit if you order through the platform.

With that $10 monthly statement credit, you'd have roughly enough to cover a salad or burger and fries, for example, or could purchase something a bit more substantial and enjoy a $10 discount.

$120 in Uber Cash credits per year

Amex Gold Card members can also receive up to $120 per year in Uber Cash to use for rides or food via Uber Eats anywhere in the U.S. Uber Eats also boasts hundreds of thousands of restaurant locations on its platform.

Cardholders must create an Uber account (if they don't have one already) and add their Amex Gold Card as a payment method in order to automatically receive the $10 in Uber Cash each month.

Other perks you'll get with the Amex Gold Card

While we love to score discounted food, the Amex Gold Card's benefits and perks don't stop there.

New cardholders can currently earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new card within the first 6 months of card membership. These points can be used for big value when redeeming for travel — plus you'll have the option to redeem them for cash back or gift cards as well.

You'll also have access to a robust rewards program that lets you earn 4X points at restaurants and when shopping for groceries at U.S. supermarkets — on up to $25,000 per year, after which point you'd earn 1X points — as well as 3X points for flights booked directly with airlines or through AmexTravel.com and 1X points for all other purchases.

Amex Gold Card members can also unlock a $100 experience credit, among other exclusive perks, when they book a stay of at least two nights through The Hotel Collection. (Experience credit varies by property.) There are also additional protections in place in case your trip is delayed, your baggage is lost, stolen or damaged or you find yourself needing car rental loss and damage insurance. Plus, if you're traveling abroad, you won't have to worry about paying foreign transaction fees for using the card overseas.

The Amex Gold Card can be a great option for making large purchases since it has no preset spending limit.

There's also a $250 annual fee , so make sure you're able to take advantage of its many perks and benefits so you can truly make this credit card worth your while.

American Express® Gold Card

On the American Express secure site
  • 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 $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card 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, terms apply.

 

Bottom line

Thanks to the Amex Gold Card's monthly dining and Uber Cash credits, cardholders can score roughly two lunches per month — call it $20 worth of grub.

If you don't want to pay the sizable $250 annual fee, though it could be worth it if you plan to make use of all the included benefits, consider signing up for a different credit card that also offers rewards-earning opportunities for all your food and travel purchases, and for a lot less in terms of annual fees — the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which has a more modest $95 annual fee, comes to mind. For more information, read Select's comparison of the Amex Gold Card and Chase Sapphire Preferred Card to see how the two really stack up against one another.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

On Chase's secure site
  • Rewards

    $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3X points on dining, 3X points on select streaming services and online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs), 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases

  • Welcome bonus

    Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

  • Annual fee

    $95

  • Intro APR

    None

  • Regular APR

    21.49% - 28.49% variable on purchases and balance transfers

  • Balance transfer fee

    Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater

  • Foreign transaction fee

    None

  • Credit needed

    Excellent/Good

  • Terms apply.

 

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

Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.
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