Amex Green Card benefits guide

The American Express® Green Card* comes with a $150 annual fee and a rewards rate focused on dining, travel and transit. If you’re in the market for your first travel card, these travel benefits make it a clear front-runner, along with other entry-level travel cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card or Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.

There are a lot of travel credit cards out there – but which one is right for you? Here’s what you need to know about the American Express Green Card benefits, including how to get the most out of it.

Amex Green Card benefits

Whether you’re a frequent flyer or a regular at your favorite restaurant, the Amex Green Card offers plenty of rewards, benefits and perks. Earn and redeem Amex Membership Rewards points, take advantage of expedited airport security screening and airport lounge access and use the card’s flexible payment options to pay off your bill in full or split large purchases into multiple payments.

Here’s a quick overview of the Amex Green Card’s benefits:

3X points on travel, transit and dining worldwide

You’ll earn 3X Membership Rewards points on travel, transit and dining worldwide (all other purchases earn 1X points). You’ll also earn 3X points ordering takeout from your favorite pizza place, for example, as well as when you book a flight to a brand-new city and take a taxi to a restaurant you’ve never tried before.

30,000-point welcome bonus

New Amex Green cardholders have the opportunity to earn 30,000 bonus points during their first year of card membership. All you have to do is spend $2,000 on purchases during the first three months of membership (that’s only about $666 a month for three months).

$189 CLEAR credit

Want to breeze through airport security? Your Amex Green Card benefits include up to $189 in annual statement credits toward CLEAR membership, giving you the opportunity to access expedited airport security lines. Your CLEAR membership also helps you quickly navigate security at sports venues, concert arenas and more. Plus, it’s a safe and secure way to store your vaccination information.

$100 LoungeBuddy credit

You’ll receive up to $100 in annual statement credits toward LoungeBuddy purchases. Frequent flyers can pay to access any of the lounges in the LoungeBuddy network, with no membership requirements or elite status required – and you can use your Amex statement credits to help cover the cost.

No foreign transaction fees

Similar to other worthwhile travel cards, the Amex Green Card doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees on purchases you make outside of the United States. This makes it a solid option for those who frequently travel abroad and would like to earn rewards on the go.

Flexible payment options

You’ll have three different ways you can pay your Amex Green Card bill. You can pay off your bill in full every month, use American Express Pay Over Time to pay off your balance with interest or use Plan It to split large purchases into monthly installments and pay them off with a fixed fee.

Maximizing the Amex Green Card

If you sign up for the American Express Green Card, follow these tips to ensure you fully maximize your benefits:

• Spend at least $2,000 in the first three months to earn the introductory bonus.
• Put all travel, transit and dining purchases on your card.
• Make a plan to pay off your balance in full every month.
• Consider joining United MileagePlus or Delta SkyMiles to get a discounted Clear membership, so the Amex Green credit covers more of the cost.
• Scout out LoungeBuddy locations in your favorite airports to decide how to best spend your credit.
• Research the best ways to spend American Express points to get the most out of your points. In many cases, they can be worth up to 2 cents apiece when you redeem for travel through American Express transfer partners.

Bottom line

The American Express Green Card is an excellent entry-level travel credit card – especially if you take advantage of all the benefits it has to offer. Want to know more? Read our complete American Express Green Card review or check out our list of the best travel credit cards for more options to consider.

*All information about the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by CreditCards.com and has not been reviewed by the issuer. This offer is no longer available on our site.