Link: Apply now for the American Express® Green Card
The American Express® Green Card (review) is one of the most lucrative Amex cards for earning points. In this post, I want to focus on the rewards structure of the card. First, let’s cover the very basics of this lucrative product.
The information and associated card details on this page for the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
In this post:
Why you should apply for the Amex Green Card
The Amex Green Card has a $150 annual fee, and potentially offers quite a bit of value.
The card has a welcome offer where you can earn 40,000 bonus Membership Rewards points after spending $3,000 within the first six months. Admittedly that’s not the most exciting welcome offer on earth, but the offer on this product doesn’t get much better than that.
This is one of the best cards for earning Amex Membership Rewards points. It’s incredibly rewarding for spending, as it offers 3x points on dining, travel, and transit, all with no caps and no foreign transaction fees. In terms of the rewards structure, this is Amex’s competitor to the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (review), as that card also offers 3x points on dining and travel.
On top of that, the Amex Green Card offers some extra benefits, which for many will help justify the annual fee. For example, cardmembers can receive up to $199 in CLEAR® Plus credits annually.
The information and associated card details on this page for the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Amex Green Card bonus categories explained
The primary reason you’ll want to pick up the Amex Green Card is because of its lucrative rewards structure, as this is probably the most well-rounded Amex card for everyday spending. Specifically, the card offers 3x points on travel, transit, and restaurants.
What all is included with those bonus categories? Let’s cover all the details. Let me note upfront that this card has no foreign transaction fees as well, and unless otherwise noted, these bonus categories apply for purchases globally.
What counts as travel on the Amex Green Card
The Amex Green Card offers 3x points on travel purchases, with no caps. The travel category on this card is really broad, and includes eligible purchases involving airfare, hotels, cruises, tours, car rentals, campgrounds, vacation rentals, travel purchases on third party travel websites, and travel purchases on amextravel.com.
What counts as transit on the Amex Green Card
The Amex Green Card offers 3x points on transit purchases, with no caps. The transit category on this card is also broad, and includes eligible purchases involving trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways.
What counts as restaurants on the Amex Green Card
The Amex Green Card offers 3x points on restaurant purchases, with no caps. The restaurant category is defined a bit differently than the other ones. Rather than listing what is included, Amex instead lists what isn’t included.
Specifically, you may not earn 3x points on restaurants when they’re located within another establishment (like a restaurant inside a hotel), or for purchases made through third party food delivery services outside the United States.
However, you can expect that purchases at restaurants, cafes, fast food joints, and takeout and delivery in the United States, will generally qualify for 3x points. Ultimately it comes down to how an establishment chooses to categorize itself with its merchant code.
The information and associated card details on this page for the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Bottom line
The Amex Green Card can be worth getting for its great rewards structure, which is unique among Amex cards. The card offers 3x points on travel, transit, and restaurants, making this one of the most rewarding Amex cards for spending.
What’s your take on the rewards structure of the Amex Green Card?
The information and associated card details on this page for the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
One major drawback is that this is offered by Amex which isn’t widely accepted outside the US and there weren’t many benefits for this card. I guess it partly depends where you’re looking to pick up the points.
So, hypothetically, if a certain Chase credit card stopped paying 3x on things like rental car, transit and tours, would this be the next best choice to earn 3x on "other travel"? Are there cards other than the AMEX Green Card that offer 3x in those categories?
Noticed the Omekai box. Have you tried Bondi yet?
@ Jayce -- Hah, sharp eye. I have... great hand rolls!