Link: Apply now for the American Express® Green Card
There are several excellent cards that earn Amex Membership Rewards points. One of the frequently overlooked cards is the $150 annual fee (Rates & Fees) American Express® Green Card (review). Along with the American Express® Gold Card (review), I’d consider this to be one of the two best personal cards for earning Amex points (read a comparison of the two cards).
In this post I wanted to share nine reasons you should consider applying for the Amex Green Card. In no particular order…
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:
Solid Welcome Offer
The Amex Green Card has a solid welcome offer where you can earn 40,000 bonus Membership Rewards points after spending $3,000 within the first six months. This is a good bonus for a card that doesn’t get much attention. Based on my valuation of 1.7 cents per Amex point, those 40,000 points are worth $680.
You’re not eligible for the welcome offer on this card if you currently have this card or have had this card (or a previous version of the card) in the past. However, you are potentially eligible for the bonus on this card if you have or have had other Amex cards.
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.
3x points on dining
The Amex Green Card offers 3x points on dining at restaurants globally. I value Amex points at 1.7 cents each, so to me that’s like a 5.1% return in that category.
This doesn’t just include sit-down restaurants, but typically also includes fast food establishments, cafes, etc. This makes the Amex Green one of the best cards for dining.
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.
3x points on travel & transit
The Amex Green Card offers 3x points on all travel and transit purchases, ranging from airfare to hotels to car rentals to Ubers to trains to package holidays. This is a huge category, and makes the Amex Green Card the single most well-rounded Amex card for travel purchases.
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.
No authorized user fee
I think this point is really underrated. The Amex Green Card doesn’t have authorized user fees (Rates & Fees), so you can add an authorized user to the card without paying extra (beyond the regular annual fee).
This is significant because it means that it’s not just you earning 3x points on your own dining, travel, and transit, but you can earn points for spending from your family members in those categories as well.
For example, the Amex Green Card has a comparable rewards structure to the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (review), as both cards offer 3x points on dining and travel, but on that card you’ll pay $75 per authorized user.
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.
No foreign transaction fees
The Amex Green Card has no foreign transaction fees (Rates & Fees). This is valuable, because several other Amex cards that have good rewards structures do have foreign transaction fees. What makes this even more useful is that you can earn 3x points on dining and travel all while not paying foreign transaction fees. Those are big spending categories when abroad.
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.
$189 annual CLEAR Plus credit
While many people have TSA PreCheck, CLEAR Plus is a separate program that can add a lot of value. By being a CLEAR member you can bypass the ID check at the TSA lines, and be brought right into the actual queue for the security checkpoint.
The Amex Green Card offers an up to $189 annual CLEAR credit. This is enough to cover your membership, and potentially save you quite a bit of time at the airport. (Enrollment required)
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.
$100 annual LoungeBuddy credit
While it’s not a Priority Pass membership, having the Amex Green Card gives you an up to $100 annual LoungeBuddy credit, which you can use to buy access to lounges. This will easily get you a couple of lounge visits per year.
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.
Access to Amex Offers
One of the reasons to hold onto Amex cards long term is because of the amazing value of Amex Offers. With this program, you can receive statement credits or earn bonus points with all kinds of retailers.
The more Amex cards you have, the more offers you’ll potentially be eligible for. In many cases, Amex Offers alone more than justifies the annual fees on some of my cards.
Anecdotally easy approval
Many people are understandably worried if they’ll get approved for a new card when they apply. For those with excellent credit, I find that Amex cards (including the Amex Green) are among the easiest to be approved for, much more so than with Chase and Citi. Just keep in mind Amex’s general application rules, which shouldn’t be too restrictive.
Bottom line
The Amex Green Card is one of my favorite personal Amex cards for earning Membership Rewards points, given that it offers 3x points on dining, travel, and transit. While the card has a $150 annual fee, it offers up to almost $300 in annual credits, which can help offset that. This is a card that I have, and it’s one that I get quite a bit of value out of.
If you value Amex points and spend a lot on dining and travel, it’s tough to beat the value proposition of the Amex Green Card.
What’s your take on the value 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.
The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: American Express® Green Card (Rates & Fees).
Is there a way to find out if you've had this card in the past and so aren't eligible? It seems I had the green card in college 30 years ago, but I am far from sure one way or the other.
@ Dan J -- Amex generally has a pop-up in the event that you're not eligible for the welcome offer on a card, which is a great way to apply in a risk-free way. More on that here:
https://onemileatatime.com/guides/amex-application-pop-up-warning/
For the purposes of Amex's "once in a lifetime" rule on welcome offers, generally that resets anyway seven years after closing a card.
Between Amex green and Amex gold why have any chase cards what so ever? (I could only think of transfers to United but there is a way around that too)
I should add and a Capital one for daily expenses
@ Marcus -- You're definitely pretty well covered between those cards. I think the reason people want Chase cards is because of the potentially better travel protection, and World of Hyatt being a Chase Ultimate Rewards partner. But I think focusing on Amex can make a lot of sense as well.
Does Amex consider the Green Card to be a "credit card" (subject to the maximum 5 card limit) or a hybrid/charge (pay-in-full) card?
I already have the limit of five American Express "credit cards". Would I be eligible to apply for the Green Card?
@ ps241 -- For those purposes it's considered a hybrid/charge card in my experience, so you should be eligible if you already have five credit cards with Amex.
@Ben I already had the Green charge card back in August when I was ruled eligible for the Green credit card sign up bonus, which I have since received. I was told that they aren't issuing charge cards anymore. I doubt the accuracy of that being across the board, but it could be true for new Green card applications. Anyway, now I have two annual clear credits, loungebuddy credits, etc., which I don't totally hate,...
@Ben I already had the Green charge card back in August when I was ruled eligible for the Green credit card sign up bonus, which I have since received. I was told that they aren't issuing charge cards anymore. I doubt the accuracy of that being across the board, but it could be true for new Green card applications. Anyway, now I have two annual clear credits, loungebuddy credits, etc., which I don't totally hate, although the 3X category bonuses are obviously redundant. I will probably ask about retention offers for both in the future. Odd to be approved for a Green you already have, but that was the only way they would give me the bonus (I asked to get it just as a retention offer originally).