American Express® Gold Card calculator: Is It Worth $325?

The American Express® Gold Card offers competitive point multipliers when it comes to purchases at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets, and it also has a handful of other benefits offered by Amex that make it stand out in compared to other premium cards.

Is the American Express® Gold Card worth the $325 annual fee?

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. Rates and fees.

Important note: the American Express® Gold Card is NOT the same card as the Platinum Card® authorized user Gold card. They are two completely different cards, and you will not receive the same benefits.

American Express® Gold Card Calculator

Ask Sebby crunches the numbers for you to calculate the Expected Value of the American Express® Gold 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.  

Welcome Offer Eligibility

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

Additionally, if you have or have had any version of The Platinum Card® from American Express, you are not eligible for the Amex Gold welcome offer.

You may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer if you have or have had this Card, the Premier Rewards Gold Card, the Platinum Card, the Platinum Card from American Express Exclusively for Charles Schwab, the Platinum Card from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley or previous versions of these Cards.

In October 2018, the American Express Premier Rewards Gold (PRG) card was revamped to the American Express® Gold Card. If you previously received a bonus from the Amex PRG card, you do not qualify for a welcome offer.

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.

Calculation Methodology

The results from the above calculator are based on your ability to reach the minimum spend requirement to earn the welcome offer, 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 2 = the following 12 months afterward

American Express® Gold Card

Point Multipliers:‍

• Earn 4X points at restaurants, , on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
• Earn 4X points on Uber Eats purchases
• Earn 4X points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per year, then 1X
• Earn 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com
• Earn 2X on Prepaid Hotels (and other eligible travel through amextravel.com)
• Earn 1X points on all other purchases

Credits:

• $120 Uber Cash, up to $10 each month
• Up to $10 in monthly statement credits when you pay with the Gold Card at select dining partners (see below for details)
• $100 Resy credit, up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• $84 Dunkin' Credit, up to $7 in monthly statement credits. U.S. Dunkin locations only. Enrollment required.

Other Benefits:

• Access to The Hotel Collection
• ShopRunner membership
• No foreign transaction fee
• Terms apply

$120 Uber Cash

Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats order or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.

The $10 Uber Cash credits do not roll over to the next month, so you’ll lose them if you don’t use it.

Pro-Tip: If you want to avoid delivery fees, you can opt for “Pick Up” in Uber Eats to pick up the order directly at the restaurant.

Basic Card Members on a Consumer U.S. American Express® Gold Card are eligible for $10 in Uber Cash each month ("Amex Benefit"), subject to these Terms and Conditions. To receive this benefit, you must have downloaded the latest version of the Uber App and  an Amex Card must be selected as the payment method for your Uber or Uber Eats transaction to redeem the Amex Uber Cash benefit. The Amex Benefit may only be used in the United States.

$10 Monthly Dining Statement Credit

Earn up to $10 in statement credits each month when you pay with the Gold Card at participating partners. You must enroll in the benefit to receive the credits.

If you maximize the $10 statement credit each month, you’ll receive an annual savings of $120.

Participating partners:

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

The Hotel Collection

The Hotel Collection is a program that offers room upgrades and hotel credits towards eligible charges when you book a room through AmexTravel.com. Eligible charges vary by property.

Cardholders must stay 2 or more consecutive nights to receive the following benefits:

• $100 hotel credit to spend on eligible charges. Eligible charges vary by property.
• Room upgrade at check-in, based on availability
• Earn 2X points on prepaid bookings with the Gold Card
• Ability to use pay with points on prepaid bookings

The value of the “Other Benefits” is going to be different for everyone based on the cards you have in your wallet, and how often you can utilize them. In the calculator, you should enter the dollar amounts for how much you value the benefit.