Amex Green Card vs Amex Gold Card – Which Card is Better? 

by Daniel | Last Updated October 29th, 2024

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Are you looking to maximize your everyday spending with fantastic rewards and valuable perks?
Well, In this article, I’ll be comparing two of their top cards head-to-head: the Amex Green card versus the Amex Gold card.
Both of these cards offer a range of different perks, but is the Gold card really worth an additional $175 for the annual fee?
Well basically I’ll be breaking down the key features, benefits, and potential drawbacks of each card, to help you decide which one deserves a spot in your wallet.
Whether you’re looking to get a handful of extra benefits such as a dining credit, Resy credit or aiming to rack up a ton of extra points, this comparison will reveal whether the Amex Gold card is a obvious pick or if the Amex Green card’s more affordable annual fee make at a more desirable choice.
So stick around to see which card comes out on top.

https://youtu.be/bE2mtGmSjOY

So Who Are These Cards Good For?

Both the Amex Gold and Green cards cater to slightly different people, depending on their needs and spending habits. So here’s a simple breakdown of each card to determine who they are best suited for:

Amex Green Card – Best for Travelers & Experience Seekers

The Amex Green card shines for those who love adventure and travel perks without needing luxury-tier benefits.

It is ideal for:

• Frequent travelers who book flights and hotels independently (not just through amextravel.com)
• Public transport or rideshare users who spend a lot on Uber, taxis, trains, or buses.
• International travelers – no foreign transaction fees, plus access to lounges through travel credits.
• Moderate spenders who want a mid-level rewards card with great travel perks but without a premium fee.

Some it’s best features include:

• 3x points on travel and dining worldwide.
• Statement credits for Clear membership (expedited airport security) and LoungeBuddy.
• A lower annual fee than the Gold Card ($175 less)

So the Amex Green Card is perfect if you want travel rewards but don’t need luxury perks like hotel credits or airline lounges. It’s also great if you use public transport often or prefer traveling light!

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Amex Gold Card – Best for Foodies & High Spenders

The Amex Gold Card caters to those who spend heavily on dining and groceries and want to maximize rewards on everyday spending.

It is ideal for:

• Foodies and restaurant lovers who dine out frequently.
• Grocery shoppers – particularly at U.S. supermarkets, for households that spend heavily on food.
• Travelers who value dining just as much as flights and hotels.
• Big spenders who can maximize the card’s annual credits and rewards to offset the $325 annual fee.

Some it’s best features include:

• 4x points at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25K per year in grocery spending).
• 3x points on travel (flights booked directly or through Amex Travel).
• Annual dining credits ($120) and Uber Cash ($120) for rides and Eats.
• Premium perks for those who want high rewards on both food and travel.

So the Amex Gold Card is perfect for high spenders who love to eat out or shop for groceries. If your lifestyle revolves around restaurants, food delivery, and Uber, this card will pay for itself—and then some.

Annual Fee And Sign-up Bonus 

Now from here, let’s take look at how valuable the sign-up bonus is and how much the annual fee will cost you each year for each card.
And you will see that there is quite a big difference between these two cards, at least when it comes to the annual fee.

Amex Green Card 

Now it’s worth noting that it is possible to receive more value from Membership Rewards Points by transferring the one of the many travel parters.

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Amex Gold Card 

Now another benefit that is included until 6th of November is the ability to receive 20% back in the form of a statement credits for eligible purchases that are made at restaurants worldwide within the first 6 months of card ownership.
Although this is limited to a maximum of $100.

So if you are able to take advantage of both these signup bonuses, you are looking at a value of $1,000, which is pretty good!

Which Card Has The Best Points Earning Potential?

Ok so now we know how much each card costs on an annual basis and what they are offering as a sign-up bonus, we now need to look at the points earning ability of each card.
And this is an extremely important factor to consider when choosing a credit card.
If you are able to earn more points through your everyday spending habits, you will end up receiving a lot more value over time.

 Amex Green Card 

Starting right at the top, it is possible to earn 3x points from 3 different categories.
The first categories that earns 3x points is Travel and this includes purchase that are made on:

• Airfares
• Hotels
• Car rentals
• Vacations rentals and more.

The second category that earns 3x points is Transit and this includes:

• Trains
• Taxis
• Ride-shares
• Busses
• Tolls and more

Then the third category that earns 3x points is Dining, and this includes purchases made at restaurants worldwide, and then takeout and delivery from within the US.

And finally, all other purchases that are made on the Amex green card will earn you 1 point per dollar spent.

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Amex Gold Card 

So staring right at the top, it is possible to earn 4x points from 2 different categories.

The first categories that earns 4x points is any purchases that are made at Restaurants worldwide up to a total spend each year of $50,000.
And this includes purchases that are made at take out and delivery services from within the US.

Then the second category that earns 4x points is purchases made at US supermarkets up to a total of $25,000 each year.
It is then possible to earn 3x points on Flights that are booked either directly with airlines or through amextravel.com. 
Purchases made on Prepaid hotels and other eligible travel that is booked through amextravel.com will earn 2x points 
Then all other purchases that are made on the Amex Gold card will receive 1 point per dollar spent.

Which Card Has The Best Benefits And Perks?

Ok so now that we know what the annual fee, sign-up bonus and points earning potential of each card is, let’s take a look at the benefits that actually come with each card to see how they compare. 

 Amex Green Card 

Ok so now that we know what the annual fee, sign-up bonus and points earning potential of each card is, let’s take a look at the benefits that actually come with each card to see how they compare. 

Now another useful benefit that is available until January 13th 2025 is a $100 LoungeBuddy Credit.
This essentially allows you to book into airport lounges through the website loungebuddy.com.
So it’s a great way to give you a taste of what airport lounges are actually like.

And just on a side note, if you do want access to airport lounges it’s worth considering getting a Priory Pass membership, which provides you with access to over 1,600 airport lounges all over the world.
And if you want to save upto $50 off a membership, just use this link.

So if you can manage to make use of these two benefits, you are looking at a value of around $300, which is twice that of the annual fee.

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Amex Gold Card 

So the first benefit on offer is a $120 dining credit that is provided to you in $10 monthly allotments, and this can be used at the following business:

• Grubhub
• The Cheesecake Factory
• Goldbelly
• Wine.com
• Five Guys

Along with this there is then a $120 Uber credit which is also provided in $10 allotments each month and this can be used for both Uber Rides or Uber Eats.

There is then a $100 Resy credit that is provided to you in $50 allotments semi annually.
And to make use this credit all you need to do is visit resy.com/ and make a booking at one of the many restaurants.

Then a relatively new benefit that is also included with the Amex Gold card is an $84 Dunkin credit that is provided to you in $7 monthly allotments. 

And finally you will also have access to the Hotel Collection. 
With this it is possible to receive a $100 hotel credit when you make a booking of 2 nights or more at a hotel through Amextravel.com.

So with all of three benefits combined, you are looking at a value of over $500 (assuming you use the hotel credit once.
The main thing to consider with either card in this review is weather you will actually make use of the benefits on offer.

Final Thoughts

Ok so that covers just about everything you need to know about the Amex Green and Gold cards, and as you can see, they both offer a decent amount of value. 
So let’s just do a quick recap and go back over each section to see how the cards actually compare.

Annual Fee

In terms of the annual fee the Amex Green card is by far the cheapest card with an annual fee of just $150.   
And then the Amex Gold card comes in second with a rather hefty annual fee of $325.

1. Amex Green card
2. Amex Gold card

Sign-up Bonus

When it comes to the value of the sign-up bonus, the Amex Gold card comes out on top with a value of $1,000.
Then coming in second is the Amex Green card with a sign-up value of $400.

1. Amex Gold card
2. Amex Green card

Earning Points 

Now if you want to earn a ton of points the Amex Gold card has the highest points earnings potential as it offers multiple categories to earn elevated points from.
And although the Amex Green card doesn’t offer quite the points earning ability of the Amex Gold card, it still has the ability to earn a decent amount of points from a reasonably wide range of categories. 

1. Amex Green card
2. Amex Gold card

Benefits and Perks

So last but not least is benefits and perks, and the Amex Gold card comes out on top, specifically because it does offer more value than the Amex Green card, although it will cost an additional $175 each year to have the card.
That leave the Amex Green card in second place when it comes to benefits and perks.
But to be fair, considering it is $175 cheaper on an annual basis, I think this card still presents pretty good value.

1. Amex Gold card
2. Amex Green card

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So when it comes to choosing which card is the better card, it really depends on what you are looking for in card and which benefits you will actually use.

If you want the ability to earn more points from a slightly wider range of categories than what the Amex Green card is offering, then the Amex Gold card is a solid choice.  
But if you don’t think you will make use of the benefits that come with the Amex Gold card, the Amex Green card is still a good choice.
And if you want to learn more about the even more exclusive Amex Platinum card, make sure to check out this article here.