In food-focused budgets, the Amex Gold Card concentrates value in two everyday categories while layering monthly dining credits that offset the annual fee.
The headline earn rates deliver 4X at restaurants worldwide (capped) and 4X at U.S. supermarkets (capped), then step down to 1X afterward.
Because this guide references the U.S. consumer Gold Card, residents outside the U.S. should verify local variants and pricing before applying. Selected benefits may require enrollment and are subject to change; always confirm current terms with American Express.
What the Amex Gold Card Offers in 2025
After benefit updates, Gold positions itself as a dining-first product with elevated earn rates and stackable restaurant credits.
Official pages confirm 4X at restaurants worldwide up to $50,000 per calendar year, 4X at U.S. supermarkets up to $25,000 per year, and 1X thereafter.
Flight bookings earn 3X when purchased directly with airlines or through AmexTravel.com, while prepaid hotels and other eligible travel booked via AmexTravel.com earn 2X. The annual fee is $325 for the U.S. card.
Recurring Credits
Recurring credits center on dining partners:
- $120 Dining Credit ($10 monthly across select merchants),
- $100 Resy Credit (annual, enrollment required),
- $84 Dunkin’ Credit ($7 monthly), and
- $120 in Uber Cash ($10 monthly in the Uber Wallet).
These can exceed $500 in stated yearly value when fully utilized.
How 4X Categories and Caps Work
The restaurant accelerator covers global dining, including eligible takeout and U.S. delivery, up to $50,000 per calendar year. Supermarket spend earns 4X only at U.S. supermarkets and only up to $25,000 per calendar year. Once a cap is reached, purchases post at 1X for the remainder of the year.
Superstores, warehouse clubs, and convenience stores typically do not qualify as supermarkets; American Express lists Walmart and Target among examples that generally do not earn supermarket bonuses. When a grocery purchase is made at a merchant coded as a supermarket, 4X applies within the cap.
Restaurant purchases worldwide qualify, though dining located inside other establishments (for example, a restaurant within a hotel) may post under the host merchant’s category and miss the accelerator. Delivery services outside the U.S. may not code as dining; verify coding on posted transactions.
Earn Rates and Caps
For clarity, the following summarizes headline earn rates and the most common caps. Terms apply and may change.
| Category | Earn Rate | Annual Cap | Notes |
| Restaurants worldwide (plus U.S. takeout & delivery) | 4X | $50,000 | 1X after cap; MCC must code as restaurant. |
| U.S. supermarkets | 4X | $25,000 | Excludes superstores, warehouse clubs, and convenience stores. |
| Flights (airline direct or AmexTravel.com) | 3X | — | Applies to tickets booked directly or via AmexTravel.com. |
| Prepaid hotels & eligible travel via AmexTravel.com | 2X | — | Only for prepaid bookings through AmexTravel.com. |
Credits and How to Use Them
Careful setup keeps recurring value flowing all year. Most credits require enrollment before use and follow monthly or annual clocks that don’t roll over.
- Dining Credit ($120): Up to $10 per month in statement credits at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Stack this alongside 4X restaurant earnings when applicable. Enrollment required.
- Resy dining credit ($100): Up to $100 per year in statement credits after paying with Gold at U.S. Resy restaurants or on eligible Resy purchases. Enrollment through the benefit dashboard is required.
- Dunkin’ Credit ($84): Up to $7 per month in statement credits at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required; the total is capped at $84 per calendar year across the account.
- Uber Cash benefit ($120): $10 in Uber Cash deposits monthly into the Uber Wallet after adding the card and selecting an Amex card at checkout. Usable for Uber Eats orders and Uber rides in the U.S. Enrollment required.
Credits Snapshot
The table below helps plan monthly usage.
| Credit | Value | Frequency | Key Requirements |
| Dining Credit | $10 | Monthly | Partners include Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Five Guys; enrollment required. |
| Resy dining credit | $100 | Annual | Pay at U.S. Resy restaurants or eligible Resy purchases; enrollment required. |
| Dunkin’ Credit | $7 | Monthly | U.S. Dunkin’ only; total $84 per calendar year; enrollment required. |
| Uber Cash benefit | $10 | Monthly | Added to Uber Wallet; add card and select an Amex card for the transaction. |
Redemption: Where Points Go Furthest
Transferring to Membership Rewards transfer partners usually returns more value than statement credits or gift cards. American Express lists 21 participating airline and lodging partners for the U.S. program; transfer ratios and promos vary by partner.
Example sweet spots often include intra-Asia business-class awards, North America to Europe off-peak itineraries, and hotel transfers during limited-time bonuses. Always compare cash fares against award prices before committing points.
Pay-with-Points at checkout, statement credits, and gift cards deliver simplicity but usually a lower per-point value than partner transfers. Travelers who prefer simplicity can still offset prepaid travel booked through AmexTravel.com using Pay With Points, recognizing the trade-off in valuation.
Travel Extras Tied to Hotel Stays
For short getaways, The Hotel Collection offers a $100 on-property experience credit (amenities vary) and a room upgrade when available, on prepaid stays of two nights or more booked through AmexTravel.com.
Combine that credit with 2X earning on prepaid bookings to keep effective costs down.
Monthly Routine to Maximize Value
A simple, repeatable cadence prevents unused credits and missed points.
- Set calendar reminders on the first of the month for Dining, Uber Cash benefit, and Dunkin’ Credit enrollments or usage; unused months don’t roll over.
- Route daily dining to Gold, then switch categories once a cap approaches to avoid earning 1X after thresholds.
- Keep supermarkets on Gold, while excluding superstores and warehouse clubs that don’t code as supermarkets.
- Enroll and book occasional restaurant visits through Resy to trigger the Resy dining credit alongside 4X earnings.
- Reserve prepaid two-night hotel stays in The Hotel Collection when an on-property credit would offset dining or spa charges.
Advanced Stacking and Offers
Because American Express periodically surfaces targeted Amex Offers in the account dashboard, activating relevant merchants can layer statement credits or bonus points on top of category earnings.
Purchases routed through AmexTravel.com can be paired with Amex Plan It to spread costs with a fixed fee, while still earning rewards. Evaluate plan fees versus expected redemption value before using installment features.
Since Uber Cash behaves differently from statement credits, link the card in the Uber app and select an Amex card at checkout to ensure the monthly $10 loads to the wallet. Missed linkage often explains absent deposits.
Payment Flexibility: No Preset Spending Limit, Pay Over Time, and Plan It
Unlike traditional credit cards with a fixed limit, Gold has no preset spending limit; available purchasing power adjusts based on account profile and history.
For flexible repayment, Pay Over Time allows eligible charges to carry a balance with interest up to a separate Pay Over Time limit, while Amex Plan It lets cardholders split purchases of $100 or more into equal monthly installments for a fixed fee.
Rewards continue to accrue under these features; consider the cost carefully before electing a plan.
Drawbacks and Workarounds
International acceptance varies by market and merchant, so carrying a no-foreign-transaction-fee Visa or Mastercard backup helps when traveling.
Lounge access is not included; frequent lounge users often pair Gold with a premium lounge-access card.
Caps make category management necessary late in the year; tracking tools or category-spend alerts mitigate earning at 1X unintentionally. None of these constraints erase the core value when dining and grocery spend dominate a budget.
Eligibility and Enrollment Steps
Accurate setup unlocks credits and prevents month-end surprises.
- Enroll each credit in the Benefits dashboard before first use; credits generally will not backdate.
- Add the card to the Uber app, confirm an Amex card is selected for payment, and verify Uber Cash shows $10 at the start of each month.
- Activate Resy and browse participating venues; pay with Gold to trigger the annual Resy dining credit automatically after posting.
- Use U.S. merchants that code as U.S. supermarkets for 4X; avoid superstores and warehouse clubs for grocery runs when chasing the accelerator.
- Set spend alerts for the $50,000 restaurant cap and $25,000 supermarket cap to preserve 4X earning through December.
Redemption Game Plan
Because Membership Rewards transfer partners unlock premium-cabin awards and outsized hotel nights, prioritize partner transfers once balances are meaningful.
Keep an eye on limited-time transfer bonuses published by partners, then compare the cash price to the award price before executing a transfer; transfers are usually irreversible.
For simple trips, Pay With Points through AmexTravel.com provides frictionless redemption while earning on new bookings.
Conclusion
Across 2025, Amex Gold remains a high-utility dining and grocery card when paired with disciplined credit usage and strategic redemptions.
The combination of 4X at restaurants and 4X at U.S. supermarkets, layered with monthly dining credits and Uber Cash, can offset the $325 annual fee under normal household spending patterns.
Treat partner transfers as the primary redemption path, keep categories clean using merchant coding rules, and enroll every credit on day one to avoid leaving value unclaimed.
