Link: Apply now for the American Express® Gold Card
The American Express® Gold Card is one of Amex’s most lucrative cards for earning Membership Rewards points. We’ve just seen an improved welcome offer rolled out on the card (with a twist), making it a great time to apply, if eligible.
In this post:
Amex Gold Card welcome offer with lots of points
The Amex Gold Card has an increased welcome offer, with a twist. The welcome offer is marketed as being as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 within the first six months. Amex notes how the welcome offers vary, and applicants may not be eligible for that welcome offer.
The way this works, you can apply for the card, and then find out your offer amount. Then you can decide whether you want to accept the offer or not. That’s an unconventional approach for a welcome offer. At least Amex has the “apply with confidence” feature, so there won’t be a hard pull unless you accept the offer.
Personally, I value Membership Rewards points at 1.7 cents each, meaning that to me, 100,000 points are worth $1,700. Of course that assumes you’re eligible for this offer, which not everyone will be. There are lots of great uses for Amex points, as they can be transferred to all kinds of useful airline and hotel partners.
As a point of comparison, previously the card’s standard welcome offer was for up to 60,000 points.
Who is eligible for the Amex Gold Card offer?
In line with Amex’s “once in a lifetime” rule, the welcome offer on the Amex Gold Card isn’t available to those who currently have the card, or those who have had the card (or previous versions of the card) in the past. On top of that, you may not be eligible for the welcome offer on this card if you have or have had The Platinum Card® from American Express (review).
This is a reason to pick up the Amex Gold Card before you pick up the Amex Platinum Card. That’s because you’re potentially eligible for the Amex Platinum Card welcome offer if you have or have had the Amex Gold Card, while the inverse may not be true.
On top of that, Amex’s general card restrictions apply. There are a couple of additional things to note:
- While Amex typically has a limit of letting someone have at most five Amex credit cards (including personal and business cards), that doesn’t include this product, since it’s not a traditional credit card
- There’s a mystery to Amex card approvals, as you may sometimes receive a pop-up when applying for cards, indicating that you’re not eligible for the offer
Read more about Amex Gold Card application tips.
Why the Amex Gold Card could be worth it
The Amex Gold Card has a $325 annual fee (Rates & Fees). This is one of the most popular Amex cards for earning Membership Rewards points, given its excellent rewards structure and credits.
For one, it’s an amazing card in terms of the return on spending. The card offers 4x points at restaurants (on the first $50,000 spent each calendar year), 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (on the first $25,000 spent each calendar year), 3x points on airfare, and 1x points on all other purchases. Essentially, this card is hard to beat for anyone who loves to eat (and who doesn’t?).
On top of that, the card offers up to $424 in credits annually, which can help offset the annual fee (or more than offset the annual fee, in some cases). These credits are with Uber, Resy, Dunkin’, and more.
Essentially, if you spend a lot on food (whether at restaurants or supermarkets) and if you can get some value out of the credits, I tend to think this is a card that’s quite easy to justify.
Read a full review of the Amex Gold Card here.
Bottom line
The Amex Gold Card has a new welcome offer as high as 100,000 points upon completing minimum spending. The structure of this offer is a little unusual, since the offer is “as high as” that amount, and when you fill out your application, you’ll see exactly what offer you’re eligible for.
If you are eligible for such a big welcome offer, this card is absolutely worth picking up. Beyond the huge welcome offer, this is one of the most rewarding cards for earning Membership Rewards points, and the crd also offers credits and benefits that can help offset the annual fee.
Do you plan on picking up the Amex Gold Card with this improved welcome offer?
The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees).
I applied about two months ago and got the 100k offer. First Amex card
Not a fan of the “as high as” marketing bs but at least Amex is not like Chase. Forget anti-churn, Chase has become anti-customer and anti- relationship. Chase was never good bank but they used to be at least rational .
I got offered 80k points and I have an AMEX Plat, should I jump on the offer?
Here’s a weird tip: when I visited the offer page (logged out of Amex) and the 100k offer wasn’t even visible, it was for 60k.
I went incognito mode to see what would happen with no cache. Instead of the 60k offer I saw the “see what you qualify for” 100k messaging and went through the application...
I got offered 80k points and I have an AMEX Plat, should I jump on the offer?
Here’s a weird tip: when I visited the offer page (logged out of Amex) and the 100k offer wasn’t even visible, it was for 60k.
I went incognito mode to see what would happen with no cache. Instead of the 60k offer I saw the “see what you qualify for” 100k messaging and went through the application to see what would happen. I was then offered 80k. Seems odd! I almost want to try it again to see if 100k comes up but also don’t want to potentially lose out on the 80k offer.
If you're 20s-early 30s and financially stable, this is the card/bonus for you. NOT Chase products. And I say that as someone who eagerly got the CSR and the Amex Plat when they first launched.
“At least Amex has the “apply with confidence” feature, so there won’t be a hard pull unless you accept the offer.”
That’s clutch. No risk. Unlike Chase…