Amex Gold Review 2026: Does It Beat a 3% Food Card?

Transcript

What Julia says in this video.

If I’m choosing a card for my family’s food spending, I’d want it to fit the places we already eat. I wouldn’t want a rewards card deciding where we order dinner.

That’s why I’d look closely at the American Express Gold Card. It earns Membership Rewards points, with its strongest everyday categories focused on restaurants and eligible U.S. supermarkets. It also offers credits at particular dining and other partners.

I’m Julia. What would interest me is earning rewards from meals I’m buying anyway. What I’d need to decide is whether those points and credits are useful enough to cover the 325 dollar annual fee.

I’d start with our normal food budget, pay every purchase in full, and leave the welcome bonus out of the ongoing decision.

Gold earns 4 Membership Rewards points per dollar at eligible restaurants worldwide. That rate covers up to 50,000 dollars of restaurant purchases per calendar year.

It also earns 4 points at U.S. supermarkets. That has its own 25,000 dollar annual limit. Go beyond either limit, and that spending earns 1 point per dollar.

For many people, the store matters more than the spending limit. Buying groceries at a warehouse club doesn't turn it into an eligible supermarket. The same goes for superstores.

What matters is how the business is classified. A restaurant charging you directly can also work differently from a payment processed through another business.

So start with the stores on your statements. We're finding a card for your grocery routine. You don't need a new grocery routine for the card.

If I spend 6,000 dollars at qualifying U.S. supermarkets and 4,800 at eligible restaurants, that’s 10,800 dollars on food. Gold would earn 43,200 points.

Once I know my stores qualify, I’d give myself a simpler option to compare. I like having that choice before deciding how much work I want to put into travel points.

I’d compare Gold with a no-annual-fee card earning 3 percent on those same eligible purchases, such as Capital One Savor. That would give me 324 dollars in cash.

A 2 percent card would earn less. But if a suitable 3 percent food card is available, that's the comparison Gold needs to win.

Then I’d look at the Gold credits as part of our routine. A long list wouldn’t persuade me by itself. I’d want to recognize meals and purchases we already make.

Dining, Uber Cash, Resy, and Dunkin’ add up to a headline 424 dollars a year. That sounds like enough to cover the fee.

But it isn't one big pot of money. Each benefit has its own rules and deadline.

The dining allowance gives up to 10 dollars monthly at participating partners after enrollment. Uber Cash adds another 10 monthly for eligible U.S. rides and orders. Add the card to your Uber account and meet the required Amex payment setup.

Dunkin' gives up to 7 dollars monthly after enrollment. Resy gives up to 50 in each half of the calendar year. That also needs enrollment and a qualifying purchase.

Miss November, and December doesn't get a double allowance. Additional cards share the account's allowance, too. They don't create another set.

I care about what these benefits replace in your budget. Higher delivery prices and fees can eat into a discount. A restaurant credit can help with dinner you'd already buy. A new dinner is still a new expense.

If I use 8 dining credits of 10 dollars each, that’s 80 dollars saved. Both 50 dollar Resy allowances would add another 100. These meals would already be in my restaurant budget. That's 180 dollars of useful credits.

Uber and Dunkin' get 0 here. If I wouldn't use them in my normal routine, I wouldn't count them.

These are statement credits on qualifying purchases. I wouldn't remove those same meals from my spending budget again. That would count the saving twice.

For this family budget, I’d count those 180 dollars of credits. Now I can ask how I’d actually use the points. If I want them to reduce my card bill, the answer is different from using them for a trip.

Using points to cover eligible card charges generally gives 0.6 cent per point. At that value, 4 points per dollar returns 2.4 percent. That’s before Gold’s 325 dollar annual fee.

Gold’s 43,200 points would cover 259.20 dollars of eligible charges. Even if I also use 180 dollars of qualifying dining credits, the fee would leave me with 114.20 dollars.

I’d finish 209.80 dollars behind Savor. So even with useful credits, I wouldn’t choose Gold for this budget if standard statement credits were my plan.

The credits can change it too. If I miss both Resy allowances, I’d take 100 dollars off every Gold result. Only add another benefit if you'd actually use it.

But suppose I’m also planning a trip and would be comfortable booking an eligible flight through Amex Travel. I can keep the same meals and 180 dollars of credits, and change just the redemption.

If I redeem at 1 cent each, my points would be worth 432 dollars. Eligible flights through Amex Travel can provide that rate, assuming the airfare is competitive.

After the 325 dollar fee, I’d have 287 dollars with Gold, versus 324 with Savor. I’d be 37 dollars behind with Gold.

That gets Gold much closer. Before paying for it, though, I’d want a better reason than hoping the points become more valuable later.

Let’s say I find an available award worth 1.5 cents per Amex point. That's after the transfer ratio, taxes, and any transfer charge.

My points would provide 648 dollars of travel value on that available booking, if it fits my plans.

Find the award before moving your points. You generally can't send them back to the bank because a seat disappears or plans change.

With that 1.5 cent travel redemption, Gold would leave 503 dollars. Now it's 179 ahead.

I’d spend the same amount either way. How I redeem the points changes which card comes out ahead.

That’s where I’d make the personal choice. If finding and booking that award fits how I like to travel, Gold could be useful. If I want cash without managing a trip around rewards, Savor would suit this spending better.

Gold also earns 3 points on eligible flights booked directly or through Amex Travel. Prepaid Amex Travel hotels earn 5. Eligible prepaid car rentals and cruises there earn 2.

There’s Hertz Five Star status with enrollment and qualifying Hotel Collection stay benefits, too. Check prices and conditions before giving them a dollar value. Gold doesn't include a general airport-lounge membership.

A welcome offer gets its own calculation. Check your specific offer and eligibility. Divide the required purchases by the months available. Can your normal spending cover it?

Buying extra things or paying interest changes the result. And that bonus won't turn up again at every renewal.

I’d come back to the reason I considered Gold: getting more from my family’s usual meals. I’d choose it when the credits fit that routine and I have a travel use for the points. I wouldn’t change our food spending just to make the card look worthwhile.

Before choosing Gold, write down your actual food stores, credits you’d use without extra spending, and the redemption you’d choose. If that redemption is standard statement credit, use 0.6 cent per point. If it’s travel, price a booking you’d actually make.

Which part would matter most in your routine: the food stores, the credits, or how you’d use the points? I’ll see you in the next Wallet Test.