Amex® Green Card vs. Amex Gold: Which is better?

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American Express is known for its travel cards that reward cardmembers with the finest benefits and perks as well as bountiful points that can be leveraged for great deals booking award travel. Two of the card issuer’s most popular cards are the American Express® Green Card * The information for the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. (terms apply) and the American Express® Gold Card (terms apply, rates & fees). 

Though both cards earn Membership Rewards® points, each one offers its own unique combination of bonus spending categories and benefits that may appeal to certain consumers. The Green from Amex is geared toward travel lovers, while the Amex Gold rewards spending on culinary delights. We’ll help you evaluate which is best for your needs.

	Green from Amex	Amex Gold
Annual fee	$150	$325
Rewards	3 points per $1 at restaurants, 3 points per $1 on travel including flights, hotels, transit, taxis, tours, and ridesharing services and 1 point per $1 on other purchases	4 Membership Rewards points per $1 at restaurants worldwide, up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per $1, 4 points per $1 at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1 point per $1), 3 points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express travel and 1 point per $1 on other eligible purchases
Welcome bonus	40,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $3,000 in purchases in the first six months of card membership	60,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $6,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months of card membership. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible restaurant purchases worldwide (up to $100 back) within the first six months of card membership. Offer ends 11/6/24
Card benefits	Up to $189 CLEAR® Plus statement credit; up to $100 LoungeBuddy statement credit; Global Assist® Hotline¹; trip delay insurance²; secondary car rental loss and damage insurance³; baggage insurance⁴. Enrollment is required for select benefits.	Up to $120 dining statement credit; up to $120 in Uber Cash (card must be added in Uber app to receive benefit); experience credit during eligible stays at The Hotel Collection properties; Global Assist® Hotline¹; secondary car rental loss and damage insurance³; baggage insurance⁴. Enrollment is required for select benefits.

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Annual fees

The American Express® Green Card * The information for the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. carries a $150 annual fee while the Amex Gold charges a $325 annual fee. This pricing places both of these cards squarely between mid-tier cards such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, with its $95 annual fee, and ultra-premium cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express — which will set you back a steep $695 per year to carry (terms apply, rates & fees).

Consumers who rarely travel or dine out might not find either of these cards worth it, and may prefer instead to opt for a rewards credit card with no annual fee. However, for the right person, either the Amex® Green Card or the Amex Gold Card can be well worth the price you’ll pay to carry it. For example, if you take full advantage of the Amex® Green Card’s up to $189 CLEAR® Plus statement credit and up to $100 LoungeBuddy statement credit every calendar year, you’ve already come out ahead of the $150 annual fee. 

Plus, both cards give access to the Membership Rewards program and a valuable lineup of transfer partners. For those seeking almost-free award travel via points, that’s a major asset. 

Rewards

Both the American Express® Green Card * The information for the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. and Amex Gold reward cardholders handsomely for card spending on food and travel purchases. The Green from Amex offers lower bonus rates but is a better choice for varied travel spending, while the Gold Card is geared towards foodies who want to earn rewards.

With the Green from Amex, you’ll earn 3 points per $1 at restaurants, 3 points per $1 on travel including flights, hotels, transit, taxis, tours, and ridesharing services and 1 point per $1 on other purchases.

Meanwhile, with the American Express Gold Card, you’ll earn 4 Membership Rewards points per $1 at restaurants worldwide, up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per $1, 4 points per $1 at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1 point per $1), 3 points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express travel and 1 point per $1 on other eligible purchases.

The Amex® Green Card and Amex Gold both earn Membership Rewards points, Amex’s flexible rewards currency. Cardmembers have several options for redeeming points, including: 

• Booking or upgrading travel.
• Applying statement credits to past purchases.
• Selecting gift cards for a variety of retailers.
• Shopping online with participating merchants.
• Buying merchandise through Amex’s shopping portal. 

Cardholders also have the option to transfer their Membership Rewards points to nearly two dozen airline and hotel loyalty partners. Points transfer at a 1:1 rate or better with most partners.

Typically, you’ll get the best value from either booking flights via American Express Travel or transferring points to your preferred airline or hotel program and redeeming award travel directly. 

Welcome bonus

Both of these American Express cards come with sizable welcome bonuses if you can meet certain spending requirements. 

With the American Express® Green Card * The information for the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. , you can earn 40,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $3,000 in purchases in the first six months of card membership. 

And with the Amex Gold Card, you can earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $6,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months of card membership. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible restaurant purchases worldwide (up to $100 back) within the first six months of card membership. Offer ends 11/6/24.

Travel benefits

The American Express® Green Card * The information for the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. and Amex Gold both offer decent travel benefits that can help justify the cards’ annual fees. For starters, neither of these Amex cards charges foreign transaction fees on purchases made outside of the U.S. And both cards come with emergency coordination and assistance through Amex’s Global Assist® Hotline¹ when you’re more than 100 miles from home. 

The Amex® Green Card comes with two significant yearly credits — a CLEAR Plus statement credit up to $189 and a LoungeBuddy statement credit up to $100. CLEAR can help you get through select airports more quickly using biometric identification, and LoungeBuddy can help if you need to purchase occasional airport lounge access. In terms of travel protections, you’ll receive trip delay insurance² and baggage insurance⁴ when you book a trip with your Green from Amex.

The Amex Gold also comes with a couple valuable credits. Cardholders can receive up to $120 in dining statement credits and $120 in Uber Cash each year of card ownership. Book a trip with your Gold Card and you’ll receive baggage insurance⁴ and trip delay insurance² as well.

Car rental insurance coverage

The American Express® Green Card * The information for the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. and Amex Gold both offer secondary car rental insurance³ as a benefit. Secondary car insurance only covers costs not covered by your personal car insurance policy.

This car rental loss and damage insurance doesn’t include liability insurance. It covers damages to the vehicle if there’s an accident or theft during the rental period. Coverage may extend to reasonable charges like towing charges, storage and rental company administration fees.

Cardmembers must pay for the rental vehicle using their Amex card and decline the rental company’s collision damage waiver at the counter to receive coverage through this benefit.

Hotel benefits

Neither of these two Amex cards is known for its hotel perks. The American Express® Green Card * The information for the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. ’s only hotel benefit is earning bonus points for hotel purchases. The Amex Gold offers an up to $100 experience credit when booking stays with The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel. Note, a minimum two-night stay is required to qualify for this credit offered by the Gold Card. 

If you seek elevated rewards on hotel stays or automatic status, consider a hotel card instead.

Shopping benefits

The American Express® Green Card * The information for the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. and the American Express Gold Card both offer purchase protection and extended warranty protection⁴ on eligible purchases made with your card. 

You also get a complimentary ShopRunner membership with your card when you enroll. This provides free two-day shipping when shopping online at more than 100 participating merchants.

Should you get both the Amex® Green Card and Amex Gold?

There is a case to be made for having both of these Amex cards in your wallet. Foodies would likely benefit more from the Amex Gold, while frequent travelers may earn more rewards with the American Express® Green Card * The information for the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. . There is some overlap in spending categories and card benefits, though, so evaluate carefully whether you’ll get enough value to justify paying two annual fees.

We think most consumers would be better off with one card or the other. That said, if you can use the major credits on both cards, and spend heavily on travel, restaurants and groceries, it’s possible that carrying both the Green from Amex and the Amex Gold could make sense for you.  

Both credit cards are among the issuer’s flagship suite of rewards cards. For the best chances of approval, you will likely need a good-to-excellent credit score (though your score is not the only factor considered). Good credit is generally considered a FICO Score of 670 or higher. 

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

^{For rates and fees for the American Express® Gold Card please visit this page.}

^{For rates and fees for The Platinum Card® from American Express please visit this page.}

^{¹Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.}

^{²Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.}

^{³Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible Card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the Commercial Car Rental Company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.}

^{⁴Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.}