American Express Gold Card
The American Express Gold Card charges $325 a year and pays Membership Rewards points at 4X at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets, each up to a yearly cap, plus 3X on flights and 5X on prepaid hotels through Amex Travel. No foreign transaction fee applies.
- Annual fee
- $325
- Rewards type
- Points
- Foreign transaction fee
- None
- Headline earn
- 4X at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets (each capped); 5X on prepaid hotels on Amex Travel; 3X on flights
Facts read from the American Express official Gold Card page on October 22, 2026. How we check them: methodology.
Earn rates, as the issuer prints them
| Earn rate |
|---|
| 4X Membership Rewards points at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S., on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X |
| 4X points at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X |
| 5X points on prepaid hotels booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App |
| 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel |
| 2X points on prepaid car rentals booked through Amex Travel and on cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com |
| 1X points on other purchases |
The two 4X lines have different ceilings. Restaurant spending earns 4X on up to $50,000 per calendar year and supermarket spending on up to $25,000, after which both drop to 1X, which puts the yearly 4X ceiling at 200,000 points from dining and 100,000 from groceries. The supermarket line is U.S. only, while the restaurant line covers restaurants worldwide, so a meal abroad earns the top rate and a grocery run abroad does not.
A year of spending on this card, worked out
Arithmetic illustration with stated inputs: $600 a month at restaurants, $700 a month at U.S. supermarkets, $2,500 a year on flights and $6,000 a year on other purchases earns 28,800 + 33,600 + 7,500 + 6,000 = 75,900 points. All of that food spending, $15,600 in total, sits well under both caps, so none of it falls back to 1X.
Welcome offer as published
As published on the issuer page: As high as 100,000 Membership Rewards points; Amex shows the exact offer and its spend requirement when you apply, and states that welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
Amex prints the welcome offer as high as 100,000 points and shows the exact amount and spend requirement only when you apply, stating that offers vary and you may not be eligible. A ceiling is not an offer, so plan around the number on your own application screen. Whatever it shows is paid once, while the $325 fee comes back each year.
Who this earn structure suits
People whose spending concentrates on food: restaurants worldwide and groceries at U.S. supermarkets earn the 4X rate, each with an annual cap printed on the issuer page. Flights earn 3X and prepaid hotels on Amex Travel earn 5X, so the card suits a food first budget that also travels, provided the $325 fee is carried by that category spend.
Notes from the issuer page
- Amex shows the exact welcome offer and its spend requirement during the application process and states that welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for one, so this directory prints the published ceiling and no fixed spend threshold.
- Up to five Additional Cards carry no additional annual fee, as published on the issuer pages checked.
The traps to check in your account
- Points land in American Express Membership Rewards; read its hub and the transfer guides before moving any.
- Both 4X lines are capped per calendar year, at $50,000 for restaurants and $25,000 for U.S. supermarkets, and earn 1X beyond the cap.
- Interest on a carried balance can outweigh the rewards, so the earn table assumes you pay in full.
Questions readers ask
What does the American Express Gold Card earn?
4X at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets (each capped); 5X on prepaid hotels on Amex Travel; 3X on flights, per the issuer page checked October 22, 2026.
What is the welcome offer on the American Express Gold Card?
Checked October 22, 2026: Amex prints the welcome offer as high as 100,000 points and shows the exact amount and spend requirement only when you apply, stating that offers vary and you may not be eligible. A ceiling is not an offer, so plan around the number on your own application screen. Whatever it shows is paid once, while the $325 fee comes back each year.
Does the American Express Gold Card charge foreign transaction fees?
None, per the issuer page checked October 22, 2026.
Is the American Express Gold Card worth its annual fee?
The fee is $325. In the illustration above, the 4X lanes earn 62,400 points on $15,600 of food spending against 15,600 points at 1X, a gap of 46,800 points a year. Whether that gap pays for $325 depends on the bookings the points go toward, which is a calculator question for a specific trip, not a figure this page assigns. The 2X lines on prepaid car rentals and cruises add to that gap only for travel booked and paid through Amex Travel.
Can I add cardholders to the Amex Gold without another fee?
As published on the issuer pages checked October 22, 2026, up to five Additional Cards carry no additional annual fee. Read the issuer terms for additional cards before relying on that, since this directory records only the fee.