8 Reasons To Get The Amex Green Card: Overlooked & Underrated

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 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 want to share eight 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.

Solid welcome offer of 40K bonus points

The Amex Green Card currently has a solid welcome offer of 40,000 bonus Membership Rewards points after spending $3,000 within the first six months. Okay, to be honest, this isn’t the biggest or flashiest welcome offer you’ll find on a card, but we’ve never really seen a terribly exciting offer on the card. That’s probably because the rewards structure on the card is so good.

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. You’re also not eligible for this card if you have the Amex Platinum or Amex Gold (while the invest isn’t true, which is a reason you may want to pick up this card before the others).

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, 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. 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.

$199 annual CLEAR® Plus credit

While many people have TSA PreCheck, CLEAR® Plus is a separate program that can add 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 $199 annual CLEAR credit. This is enough to cover your membership, and potentially save you quite a bit of time at the airport.

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 some credits that 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.