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- The American Express Gold Card is getting a few improvements.
- The card, which already earned 4 points per dollar spent at US restaurants and supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year at supermarkets – 1 point after that), will now earn 4x points at restaurants worldwide, making it a more valuable card for frequent travelers.
- The card offers up to $10 in credit each month for a handful of restaurants; now these credits can also be used at the wholesale website Boxed.
- AmEx is also bringing back the popular rose-gold edition of the card for a limited time – but only when you apply through a personal referral link.
One of the best rewards credit cards is getting even better.
Last fall, American Express relaunched its Gold Card, with a refreshed version that earned 4 points per dollar spent at US restaurants, 4x points at US supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year – 1 point for anything beyond that), and 3x points on flights booked directly with the airline or with AmEx travel. It earns 1 point on everything else.
The card also added up to $120 in annual dining credits, broken into $10 monthly. These credits apply automatically to qualifying purchases at a few participating chain restaurants – specifically, Cheesecake Factory, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, and some Shake Shack locations – as well as the popular food-ordering services GrubHub and Seamless.
On Thursday, AmEx announced two updates to those benefits - both improvements.
First, the 4x points rate now applies to restaurants worldwide, not just in the US. For frequent travelers, this is great news and eliminates a specific competitive advantage that the Chase Sapphire Reserve card held - though it's worth noting that outside the US, American Express isn't accepted as widely as Mastercard and Visa. (The Sapphire Reserve is a Visa card.)
Whether you earn 4x points depends on how the merchant is registered, but generally, purchases at restaurants, bars, pubs, cafes, and more tend to qualify.
The second change is an addition to the list of places where cardholders can use the dining credit. Alongside the restaurants, the credit will also apply to purchases from the wholesale website Boxed.
As an added bonus, AmEx is bringing back the rose-gold edition of the card, introduced when the card was relaunched last fall, for a limited time. However, it appears the only way to get it is to apply through a friend's personal referral link.
When the rose-gold card was last available, it was so popular that AmEx had trouble keeping up with requests for it.
Reports suggest that you can also just apply for the Gold Card normally, then send AmEx a chat message requesting a rose-gold version - not using the refer-a-friend - though you'll need to do this before the rose-gold version is pulled on July 17.
Ultimately, these two changes are likely to appeal to a niche audience; however, the AmEx Gold Card remains one of the strongest cards available today, particularly for those who tend to spend a lot on dining and groceries.