American Express Gold Card

Foodies who spend heavily on dining and groceries and will actually redeem points through Amex's airline transfer partners rather than for cash.

Compare Travel Credit Cards →Terms apply. Data last checked July 2026.

Sign-Up Bonus

Up to 100,000 points

after $8,000 spent in the first 6 months (offer varies by applicant)

Estimated value: ~$2,000 (at 2¢/point via top transfer partner redemptions)

Earn Rates

4x U.S. supermarkets applies up to $25,000/year in purchases, then drops to 1x. 3x applies to flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.

Travel

Dining

Groceries

Gas & Transit

Everything Else

Estimated redemption value: 1.8¢ per point/mile.

Annual Credits & Perks

~$240/yr realistic value

Amex advertises up to $424 in credits ($120 dining credit, $120 Uber Cash, $84 Dunkin' credit, $100 resort credit). Our estimate reflects a cardholder who realistically uses the dining and Uber credits but not the full lineup.

Transfer Partners

Delta SkyMilesBritish Airways Executive ClubAir France-KLM Flying BlueANA Mileage ClubCathay Pacific Asia MilesEmirates SkywardsEtihad GuestQantas Frequent FlyerQatar Privilege ClubSingapore KrisFlyerVirgin AtlanticMarriott BonvoyHilton HonorsChoice Privileges

Pros & Cons

Pros

+ Best-in-class dining and U.S. supermarket earning
+ Wide airline and hotel transfer network
+ Credits can offset much of the fee for the right spender

Cons

– $325 fee is steep if you don't cook or eat out heavily
– Travel earning outside flights and Amex Travel bookings is only 1x
– Credits are fragmented into small monthly increments that are easy to forget to use

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