Key takeaways
- Both the American Express® Green Card* and American Express® Gold Card offer lucrative rewards in the form of versatile American Express Membership Rewards points.
- The Amex Green Card comes with a lower annual fee and slightly lower rewards rates than the Gold Card, though with two travel perks that can make jetsetting feel like a luxury.
- The Amex Gold Card charges a pricier annual fee but with stronger rewards rates than the Green Card in key everyday categories like groceries, restaurants and travel.
While American Express has quite a few rewards cards to choose from, they might not all offer the type of rewards you want to earn. Some Amex cards offer simple cash back that can be redeemed for statement credits, and others offer points in the valuable and versatile Amex Membership Rewards program.
If you’re looking for cards that offer Membership Rewards, the American Express® Green Card* and American Express® Gold Card may be on your radar. Here’s how these cards stack up in terms of their rewards and perks.
Main details
| Feature | American Express Green Card® | American Express® Gold Card |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome bonus |
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| Rewards rate |
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| Intro APR | N/A | N/A |
| Annual fee | $150 | $325 |
| Included benefits |
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American Express Green Card vs. Amex Gold highlights
When comparing these two rewards credit cards, it helps to look at how they stack up in several important categories. With that in mind, we compared the two Amex cards based on their welcome offers, ongoing rewards, annual fees and more.
Welcome bonus winner
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The Amex Gold Card offers a more lucrative welcome offer than the American Express Green Card. With $6,000 in spending within six months of account opening, customers can earn as high as 100,000 American Express Membership Rewards points, worth an average of $2,000 when you transfer your points to a high-value transfer partner. The Amex Green card offers 40,000 points after spending $3,000 within six months.
However, it’s important to note that for the Amex Gold welcome bonus, you have to spend twice as much as you would for the Amex Green Card in the same six-month period to earn 20,000 more points. For some, that monthly spending gap might not be worth the additional points.
Rewards rate winner
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The Amex Gold Card also offers a slightly better rewards rate in several everyday categories. Where Amex Green Card rewards top out at 3X points, the Amex Gold Card offers 4X points on up to $25,000 in spending at U.S. supermarkets each year (then 1X points), 4X points on up to $50,000 in spending at restaurants worldwide, 3X points on flights booked with airlines or through the Amex travel portal, 2X on prepaid hotels and 1X points on all other purchases.
Because of the 4X points for both restaurant and U.S. supermarket spending, the Amex Gold Card rewards rate makes it a great option for foodies, whether you dine out often, make a lot of meals at home or both.
Of course, rewards only best serve the cardholder when they align with the cardholder’s natural spending habits. If you travel or commute on public transit frequently, then the Amex Green’s expansive travel categories (which all earn 3X points) may be worth choosing instead.
Annual Fee winner
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The Amex Green Card wins in this category due to its $150 annual fee. That makes it a more affordable option than the Amex Gold Card, which can set you back $325 each year.
Cardholder perks
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The American Express Green Card comes with more benefits overall. Cardholders receive a $199 credit toward Clear Plus membership, which can make traveling much smoother.
The Amex Gold Card comes with up to $120 in Uber Cash and up to $120 in dining credits, but each of these credits are given out in monthly increments of $10. Credits do not roll over, either, so it’s easy to let them expire. The $100 experience credit for hotels in their Hotel Collection is also a nice perk, but it’s not always easy to meet the eligibility requirements needed to take advantage of it.
When it comes to other perks, both cards offer various shopping and entertainment benefits, car rental loss and damage insurance, access to a Global Assist Hotline, purchase protections and extended warranties.
Which card earns the most?
The amount you’ll earn in rewards depends on the categories you spend the most in, but it also depends on which credit card you pick. The spending example below shows how much you could earn with either of these cards.
American Express Green Card vs. Amex Gold spending example
For the sake of an example, let’s say you have a family of four with two adults under the age of 50 and two kids, ages nine and 11. Your average food spending under the moderate-cost plan might be $1,370.20 per month — or about $16,442 per year — based on USDA estimates.
From there, let’s imagine you spend $300 each month — or $3,600 a year — dining out, $3,000 each year on airfare and $2,000 each year on hotels and other travel. You also spend $12,000 a year on miscellaneous purchases made with your card. That’s a total of $37,042 annually on your American Express card.
| Spending category | American Express Green Card | American Express Gold Card |
|---|---|---|
| Groceries at U.S. supermarkets | 16,442 points | 65,768 points |
| Restaurants | 10,800 points | 14,400 points |
| Flights | 9,000 points | 9,000 points |
| Hotels and other travel | 6,000 points | 4,000 points |
| Other purchases | 12,000 points | 12,000 points |
| Total | 54,242 Membership Rewards points | 105,168 Membership Rewards |
With this specific spending example, you can see that the Amex Gold almost doubles the points earnings of the Amex Green — which is why it’s one of the top everyday spending credit cards on the market. But again, if you spend far more on travel categories or public transit than at restaurants or grocery stores, than you may find the Amex Green suits your wallet better.
Why should you get the Amex Green Card?
When does it make sense to get the Amex Green Card? If you travel often or just prefer the card’s bonus categories over the Amex Gold bonus categories, it could make sense to choose the Amex Green Card. The annual fee being less expensive at $150 might also factor into your decision.
Why should you get the Amex Gold Card?
When should you get the Amex Gold Card? If you spend a lot of money on dining and groceries at U.S. supermarkets, this card is likely worth it.
The bottom line
Which of these American Express credit cards will leave you ahead? That really depends on the annual fee you’re comfortable with, the perks you want and the categories you spend the most in. Those who value the extra points from U.S. supermarkets and dining might find more value in the Amex Gold card, while those who travel often and want Clear Plus credits might be better off with the Amex Green Card.
If you’re not sure which to choose, Amex’s once-per-lifetime rule says you can choose both cards and earn the welcome offer on each one.
*Information about the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Bankrate. Card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.
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