Amex Gold Vs. Amex Green: Which Card Is Better?

For those looking to earn Amex Membership Rewards points, there are arguably two best personal cards for doing so — the American Express® Gold Card (review) and the American Express® Green Card (review).

These are both fantastic cards, though I’d argue that they’re substitutes for one another, so for a vast majority of people, it only makes sense to have one card or the other. Which card makes the most sense for you? Well, I’m going to address that in this post.

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.

Comparing the Amex Gold Card & Amex Green Card

Below let’s take a look at various aspects of the Amex Gold Card and Amex Green Card. Let’s discuss the approval odds, annual fees, return on spending, general card perks, and more.

For the purposes of this comparison, I’ll be leaving out the welcome offers, since those can change over time. However, in general you’ll find that the Amex Gold Card has a better welcome offer than the Amex Green Card. With that out of the way, let’s get right into it.

Comparing Amex approval odds

The Amex Gold Card and Amex Green Card should be comparable in terms of approval odds:

• Both cards are considered hybrid cards for approval purposes, rather than credit cards
• The cards don’t count toward Amex’s five credit card limit, as hybrid cards are excluded from that
• Anecdotally I find Amex hybrid cards to be pretty easy to get approved for

Comparing Amex annual fees

Annual fees are one of the biggest considerations that people have when deciding on a credit card. There is a significant difference between the fees on these two cards:

• The Amex Gold Card has a $325 annual fee (Rates & Fees)
• The Amex Green Card has a $150 annual fee

Obviously the Amex Green Card wins in this category, as the card will cost you significantly less every year. However, that largely reflects the difference in value that the cards will offer for many consumers.

Comparing Amex points earning structures

Both the Amex Gold Card and Amex Green Card earn Membership Rewards points, which can be transfered to airline & hotel partners to maximize value. As a benefit of Membership Rewards, you also get access to a limited complimentary version of point.me! Login here to see the reward flight options available with your Amex points, along with step-by-step booking instructions.

The main reason you’ll want to pick up either of these cards is because of the return on spending that they offer. Note that both cards have no foreign transaction fees, so are potentially good for purchases abroad.

The Amex Gold Card rewards structure offers:

• 4x points on dining globally (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, and then 1x)
• 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, and then 1x)
• 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or through amextravel.com
• 1x point on other purchases

The Amex Green Card rewards structure offers:

• 3x points on dining globally
• 3x points on travel and transit
• 1x points on all other purchases

Which card wins here?

• The Amex Gold Card is one of the very best cards out there for both dining and supermarket spending, and is also great for airfare; if you spend a lot on eating (whether at restaurants or grocery stores), this is the card for you
• The Amex Green Card is extremely well-rounded in offering bonus points on both dining and travel, so in that sense it’s almost comparable to the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (review)

Comparing Amex benefits & perks

The Amex Gold Card and Amex Green Card offer some perks that can go a long way to offset the annual fees on the cards. Which perks are more valuable to you could help you decide which card is better in terms of justifying the annual fee. (Enrollment is required for select benefits)

The Amex Gold Card offers an impressive array of credits and benefits, including:

• Up to $120 in Uber Cash annually, by adding your Amex Gold Card to your Uber account; receive $10 in Uber Cash every calendar month directly to your Uber account, to be used toward U.S. Uber rides or U.S. Uber Eats orders, across one or more multiple transactions. An Amex Card must be selected as the payment method for your Uber or Uber Eats transaction to redeem the Amex Uber Cash benefit
• Up to $120 toward dining annually; receive up to $10 in statement credits each calendar month for purchases in the U.S. with Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys
• Up to $100 in credits through Resy; this comes in the form of a $50 semi-annual credit (January through June and July through December), with eligible purchases being for U.S. Resy restaurants
• Up to $84 in annual Dunkin’ credits; this comes as a $7 monthly Dunkin’ credit, valid for purchases at U.S. Dunkin’ locations

The Amex Green Card isn’t as robust in terms of the perks that it offers. It simply offers up to $199 in CLEAR® Plus credits every calendar year. Just charge an eligible CLEAR purchase to your card, and you’ll receive a statement credit up to that limit.

Which card wins here?

• With the Amex Gold Card, you get an impressive array of perks, and I tend to think that both the Resy and Uber Cash benefits are really easy to use; the dining credits and Dunkin’ credits might be a bit more niche, but could still be valuable
• With the Amex Green Card, the CLEAR credit could be valuable, though a similar perk is offered with The Platinum Card® from American Express (review), so that will be redundant for many

As you can see, in both cases the annual credits alone can largely justify the annual fees, assuming you can use them. However, I think the Amex Gold Card credits are much more impressive and widely useful, though they do have a bit of a “coupon book” philosophy.

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.

Bottom line

The Amex Gold Card and Amex Green Card are two of American Express’ best personal cards for earning points. Generally speaking, I think it only makes sense to have one card or the other, since there is quite a bit of overlap. As far as picking the right card goes, here’s how I’d think about it:

• If you spend a lot on dining and supermarkets, then the Amex Gold Card is an absolute must-have, as earning 4x points in those categories is awesome; the benefits and credits can also help largely offset the annual fee
• If you are committed to the Amex ecosystem and spend a lot on dining out and travel, then the Amex Green Card is Amex’s best competitor to the Chase Sapphire Reserve in terms of rewards structure

While I don’t think you can go wrong with either card, I think the Amex Gold Card is an especially good Amex card based on many peoples’ spending profiles.

Where do you stand — do you prefer the Amex Gold Card or 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® Gold Card (Rates & Fees).