American Express® Green Card calculator: Worth $150?

All information about the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by AskSebby.com.

The American Express® Green Card was revamped in October 2019 to offer competitive multipliers on travel and restaurants worldwide. In addition to adding more benefits, the card’s annual fee was increased from $95 to $150.

Is the American Express® Green Card worth the $150 annual fee?

Terms apply to Amex offers and benefits. See rates and fees.

Intro Bonus and Eligibility

American Express has a “once in a lifetime” intro bonus rule. To qualify for this offer, you must not currently have the card and/or have received a previous American Express® Green welcome offer.

If you previously received a bonus from the Amex Green, you do not qualify for a welcome offer. “New” Amex Green cards from before the revamp fall into this bucket.

If you attempt to apply and you are greeted with a pop-up that says you aren’t eligible for the welcome offer, then you will not receive one.

Ask Sebby crunches the numbers for you to calculate the Expected Value of the American Express® Green Card. For the expected value of points, we derive the approximate dollar value based on the numbers you enter in the calculator. Scroll down to the end of the post to see our methodology.

The calculator below contains default figures and serve as an example only. Users should insert their own data for the most accurate results.    

American Express® Green Card calculator

Calculation Methodology

The results from the above calculator are based on your ability to reach the minimum spend requirement to earn the intro bonus, your amount of spend on different categories, how you plan to redeem American Express Membership Rewards, and how much relative value you assign to the other benefits.  

The “Years” referenced in the calculator refer to the cardmember year, based on when you are approved for the card.

• Year 1 = first 12 months of card membership
• Year X = any year after the first 12 months of card membership

American Express® Green Card

Spend multipliers:

• 3X points on travel including flights, hotels, transit, taxis, and ridesharing services
• 3X points at restaurants worldwide
• 1X points on all other purchases
• CLEAR membership: Up to $189 per the calendar year in statement credits, when you pay for your CLEAR membership with the Amex Green Card
• LoungeBuddy: Up to $100 in statement credits per the calendar year
• No foreign transaction fees
• Terms apply

“Is the Amex Green Card Metal?”

The revamped American Express Green Card is made primarily from plastic reclaimed from beaches, islands, and coastal communities.

The eco-friendly makeover comes from their new partnership with Parley for the Oceans to end the fast-growing threat of marine plastic pollution.

3X on Travel

Unlike the American Express Gold Card and The Platinum Card from American Express, the travel purchases on the Green card cover a wide range of purchases.

Amex Green Eligible Travel Purchases:

• airfare
• hotels
• cruises
• car rentals
• campgrounds
• trains
• taxicabs
• rideshare services
• tours
• ferries
• tolls
• parking
• buses
• subways
• purchases on third party travel websites
• amextravel.com

Purchases of timeshare properties are excluded from earning 3X points.

3X at Restaurants Worldwide

Earn unlimited 3X at restaurants worldwide with the Amex Green Card. To qualify as a restaurant purchase, the merchant must code as a restaurant.

You may not earn 3X on purchases from a restaurant located within another establishment. For example, restaurants located inside a hotel, casino, or event venue may not qualify.

A purchase also may not qualify if payment is made through a third-party payment account or an online marketplace (with multiple retailers).

American Express Travel Benefits

The Amex Green Card comes with a handful of other travel benefits like baggage insurance and global assist hotline. Depending on the cards you have in your wallet, these benefits might not matter if they overlap.

Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance

• Get secondary coverage (does not include liability coverage) when you pay for the entire vehicle rental, and decline the collision damage waiver at the car rental counter.
• Not all vehicle types are covered. Coverage is not available for vehicles rented in Australia, Italy, and New Zealand.
• Check the Amex Green Card benefits guide for full terms and details.

Baggage Insurance Plan

• Coverage for lost, damaged, or stolen baggage when you purchase the entire fare for a Common Carrier ticket (i.e., plane, train, ship, or bus).
• Coverage is up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage.
• New York state residents: $10,000 aggregate maximum limit for all covered persons per trip
• Terms and restrictions apply.

Global Assist Hotline

• 24/7 emergency assistance and coordination services, including medical, legal, and passport referrals, emergency cash wires, and missing luggage assistance.
• Cardmember is responsible for any costs charged by third-party providers.
• Valid when you travel more than 100 miles away from home.
• Terms and restrictions apply.

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

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