Earn $500+ in credits in your first year, and offset the Amex Gold card’s annual fee

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The American Express® Gold Card recently upgraded its benefits – and this new package of Amex Gold perks promises to save savvy cardholders $500+ per year in Uber Cash credits, Amex Gold dining credits, hotel credits and more.

Why are these savings important? Because the American Express Gold Card charges a $250 annual fee, which might be steep enough to prevent some people from seriously considering the card.

What you might not realize is that the credits, points and benefits offered by the American Express Gold Card can more than offset the annual fee – especially if you use it wisely.

Although some may be sad to learn that the Amex Gold airline fee credit was no longer available to new applicants as of Feb. 4, 2021 (and is going to be phased out at the end of 2021 for current cardholders), the Amex Gold dining credits, hotel credits and complimentary memberships provide benefits that can be used right away – whether you’re ordering takeout, booking an Uber or shopping online.

Let’s take a look at everything the American Express Gold Card offers and how to make those offers work for you.

American Express Gold Card: At a glance

The American Express Gold Card offers a number of money-saving benefits, whether you’re hoping to earn points on purchases, use Amex Gold dining credits or take advantage of the free shipping that comes with your complimentary ShopRunner membership.

Let’s start with Membership Rewards points. Amex Gold cardholders can earn serious points when they use their Gold Cards on restaurants, supermarkets and flights, and points can be redeemed for statement credits, travel purchases and more. (We did the math, and the best way to spend your Membership Rewards points is by making airline purchases on Amextravel.com.)

Here’s a quick overview of how many points you can earn:

• 4X points per dollar at restaurants(including Uber Eats purchases)
• 4X points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X point per dollar)
• 3X points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com
• 1X point per dollar on other purchases

New cardholders can also earn the largest welcome bonus Amex Gold has ever offered: 60,000 Membership Rewards points if you spend $4,000 in the first six months.

If you add an Amex Gold Card authorized user to your account – which is free, by the way – they can also earn Membership Rewards points on every purchase.

What else can you get from your American Express Gold Card? We’re going to go over each of the annual credits in more detail, but let’s just say that you can earn well over $500 every year in Uber Cash credits, dining credits, hotel benefits and more.

Plus, you get access to additional Gold Card benefits like purchase protection, Pay It Plan it financing on eligible purchases and the option to choose between the classic gold card and Amex’s new Rose Gold card.

Earn more than $500 in annual credits

The American Express Gold Card gives you the opportunity to earn up to $500 or more in annual credits, discounts and perks – which is more than double the cost of your annual fee.

Here’s a breakdown of each Amex Gold credit in detail:

Uber Cash: Up to $120 per year

When you connect your Gold Card to your Uber account, you’ll automatically receive $10 in Uber Cash every month. That’s $120 per year in Uber Cash credits, making the Amex Gold one of the best cards for Uber.

Plus, you can use your Uber Cash for both Uber rides and Uber Eats purchases, which gives you the opportunity to save money whether you’re going out or staying in.

Dining credit: Up to $120 per year

The Amex Gold dining credit offers up to $10 in statement credits per month when you order from Grubhub, Seamless, Boxed and other participating partners, for a total of up to $120 in statement credits per year.

You’ll need to enroll before you can take advantage of this credit but if you order a lot of takeouts, it’s more than worth it.

Hotel Collection benefits: $100 per eligible stay

Use American Express Travel to book a hotel stay of at least two consecutive nights at a participating property and receive a $100 credit to spend on qualifying dining, spa and resort activities. You’ll also receive a complimentary room upgrade when available.

Complimentary Uber Eats pass for 12 months: $120 per year value, plus money saved on delivery charges

Cardholders who enroll by Dec 31, 2021, receive a complimentary one-year Uber Eats pass. Uber Eats membership typically costs $9.99 per month over 12 months or $119.88 per year – and once you’ve activated your free membership, you’ll be able to take advantage of Uber Eats benefits, including 5% off eligible restaurant purchases of $15 or more and free delivery at many locations (taxes and service fees may apply and do not count toward order minimum, Uber Eats Pass will auto-bill starting 12 months from initial enrollment in this offer, at then-current monthly rate).

ShopRunner membership: $79 per year value, plus money saved on shipping

Amex Gold cardholders can sign up for a free ShopRunner membership, which gets you free two-day shipping when you shop online at more than 100 retailers. ShopRunner generally charges $79 per year for membership, so this perk could save you a lot of money, especially if you do a lot of online shopping.

Should you sign up for the Amex Gold card now?

Is the Amex Gold card worth it? Although the $250 annual fee might feel a little steep – especially when compared to some of the top no-annual-fee rewards cards on the market – keep in mind that the new benefits offered by the American Express Gold Card could save you a lot of money.

How much money can you save with the Gold Card? In addition to the $500+ you could earn in Amex Gold dining credits, free shipping, Uber Cash and hotel credits, you’ll also be earning American Express Membership Rewards Points on every purchase. We estimate that cardholders spending an average of $1,325 per month can earn over 30,000 points a year.

Not bad for a $250 annual fee.

Want more information? Check out our American Express Gold Card review to learn even more about the card, or use CardMatch to see if you prequalify.