Cardholders can make up the cost with up to $ 240 in food-related credits every year and a $ 100 credit on eligible hotel stays, but paying $ 250 for a card is n’t within everyone ‘s budget. If you order food for tone arm or delivery with popular services like Uber Eats, GrubHub and Seamless at least twice a calendar month, you can well recoup the card ‘s annual tip. alone, the food-related credits efficaciously reduce the menu ‘s $ 250 annual tip to $ 10 — all with little sour done on your part — and its extra perks only raise the value. Ahead, we break down the benefits and credits of the Amex Gold card so you can decide if the $ 250 annual fee is worthwhile .
Value of Amex Gold card benefits
In ordain to recoup the Gold poster ’ s $ 250 annual fee, you ’ ll need to take advantage of the card ’ s benefits. We crunched the numbers to find out how much each perk up is estimated to be worth .
- Up to $120 per year in dining credits: Receive a $10 statement credit every month for purchases made with Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Boxed and participating Shake Shack locations (after a one-time enrollment).
- Up to $120 per year in Uber Cash: Up to $120 per year ($10 in Uber Cash every month) that you can apply toward U.S. Uber Eats orders and Uber rides in the U.S. Add your Gold card as a payment method in your Uber account to benefit.
- Complimentary year of Uber Eats Pass ($119 value): Uber Eats Pass membership provides unlimited $0 delivery fees and 5% off orders over $15 at eligible restaurants (taxes and service fees may apply and do not count toward order minimum). Also benefit from no delivery fees on grocery deliveries over $30 in select markets. After the complimentary year, you’ll be auto-billed at the then-current monthly rate (currently $9.99 per month). Enrollment required by 12/31/21. Learn more about the Uber Eats Pass benefit.
- Up to $100 credit at eligible hotels and resorts: When you stay a minimum of two consecutive nights at a property in The Hotel Collection, you’ll receive a $100 credit to spend on qualifying dining, spa and resort activities.
additionally, Amex provides shop offers, known as Amex Offers, at a variety show of retailers, like restaurants, hotels and department stores. These offers let you receive a argument credit or points on eligible spend after you activate. The value varies by card extremity, so it ’ s not dim-witted to estimate how a lot you can earn per year. Combined, however, Amex card members have saved over $ 931 million since January 2010 .
Alternatives to the Amex Gold card
If you ’ re not tidal bore to pay $ 250 for the Amex Gold calling card, consider option cards, like the American Express® Green Card or the American Express Cash Magnet® Card, that are more low-cost. The green card is geared toward restaurant, theodolite and change of location rewards, while the Cash Magnet is an easy-to-use cash-back card. And if the annual tip doesn ’ t bother you, consider The Platinum Card® from American Express, which offers deluxe travel perks, including up to $ 200 in annual Uber Cash and up to $ 200 in annual airline fee credits .
No annual fee and cash back
American Express Cash Magnet® Card
Learn More information about the American Express Cash Magnet® Card has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the cards prior to publication .
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Rewards
Unlimited 1.5 % cash back on all purchases
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Welcome bonus
Earn a $ 200 statement credit rating after spending $ 2,000 in purchases within your foremost 6 months of card membership .
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Annual fee
none
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Intro APR
0 % for the beginning 15 months on purchases from the date of bill hatchway, N/A for balance transfers
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Regular APR
14.74 % to 24.74 % variable
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Balance transfer fee
N/A
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Foreign transaction fee
2.7 %
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Credit needed
Excellent/Good
See rates and fees, terms apply.
More manageable annual fee
American Express® Green Card
Learn More data about the american Express® Green Card has been collected independently by CNBC and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication .
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Rewards
3X Membership Rewards® points on eligible travel, transit and at restaurants worldwide and 1X Membership Rewards® points on all other purchases
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Welcome bonus
30,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $ 2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of card membership
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Annual fee
$ 150
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Intro APR
not applicable
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Regular APR
See Pay Over Time APR
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Balance transfer fee
N/A
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Foreign transaction fee
none
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Credit needed
Excellent/Good
See rates and fees, terms apply.
Luxury travel benefits
The Platinum Card® from American Express
Learn More On the American Express secure site
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Rewards
Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $ 500,000 on these purchases per calendar year, 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepay hotels booked with American Express Travel, 1X points on all early eligible purchases
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Welcome bonus
Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $ 6,000 within 6 months of wag membership. Apply and select your choose metallic element Card design : classical Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu .
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Annual fee
$ 695
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Intro APR
none
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Regular APR
See Pay Over Time APR
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Balance transfer fee
N/A
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Foreign transaction fee
none
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Credit Needed
Excellent/Good
See rates and fees, terms apply .
Bottom line
If your food pitch bills are high, the Amex Gold card can help you save on eligible orders through the dine credit and Uber Cash fringe benefit. And if you plan on traveling later this year, booking a stay at The Hotel Collection can help you save up to $ 100 per eligible trip. But if you prefer meal-prep over takeout or do n’t plan on using the Amex Gold ‘s food-centric credits, you would need to maximize the tease ‘s rewards program to offset the annual fee. This requires more oeuvre and tied more spending — approximately $ 6,250 to $ 25,000 in purchases is required to offset the annual tip, depending on the categories you spend in. The quickest way to recoup the Amex Gold ‘s annual fee is to spend a aggregate $ 6,250 at U.S. supermarkets and restaurants. For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, pawl hera. For rates and fees of the American Express Cash Magnet, click here For rates and fees of the Platinum card from American Express, chatter here
Read more: What Is a Debt Management Plan? – NerdWallet
For rates and fees of the American Express Green Card, snap here Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select column staff ’ mho alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third base party .
