American Express® Gold Card Review

Last Reviewed: 3/20/2012

american express gold The American Express® Gold Card is a legendary piece of credit card (technically, charge card!) history..

Every credit card has its own DNA and history, and this card is no exception.  We’ll call out the elephant in the room and say that if you’re looking for a pure rewards card, with no other benefits, then there are some other cards (including from American Express) that you should look at first.  However, if you are looking for killer benefits and support, as well as the prestige that comes with carrying the American Express® Gold Card, then this card was born and bred to meet your needs.

American Express® Gold Card Basics

Earning Rewards with the American Express® Gold Card

As mentioned above, this card’s DNA isn’t so much about direct rewards.  You’ll earn a fairly par-for-course 1 point per dollar of spend. The silver lining is that you earn Membership Rewards points (versus MR Express Points), which tend to have a higher redemption value. The fact that there’s no signing bonus is a bit of a downer.

Redeeming Your American Express® Gold Card Rewards

Membership rewards points can be redeemed for cash, airfare, gift cards and more. To get a better idea of redemption options and associated value, I suggest you check out our post discussing the value of Amex Membership Rewards Points. It’s quite titillating.

Other Benefits of the American Express® Gold Card

While GetDebit really likes to stay focused on rewards (“show me the money”), it’s clear that the primary value of this card is derived from its benefits and prestige. Here is a quick overview of some of the key benefits:

Gold card events: Exclusive access to tickets for select concerts, shows, major sporting events, and more in cities nationwide. So if you had had this card back in the day, you could have had front row seats for Bloodsport, watching Jean Claude duke it out.

Purchase protection: Protects eligible purchases made with the Card against accidental damage and theft for up to 90 days from the date of purchase.

Return Protection: if you buy something, and you decide you want to return it, but the seller tells you to bugger off, Amex will make you whole.

Warranty Extension: extends the warranty on stuff you buy for 1 year.

Roadside Assistance: 24-hour roadside assistance, along with fairly comprehensive auto rental insurance.

As with any insurance-type benefits, the devil is in the details, and there are invariably sneaky carve-outs and such. I may dig deeper into these benefits and extend this section of the post.

Final Ruminations on the American Express® Gold Card

I think by now hopefully you have the point.  Every card has a story. This card’s story is about benefits and prestige, and the full support of American Express, an extremely customer-centric organization.  (anecdote: whenever I do credit card research, calling American Express is always a relative pleasure.  Service reps actually answer the phone within seconds of calling, and they know what they’re talking about (shocker!).  If you want pure rewards (like Han Solo in Star Wars), then check out our ranking engine and you’ll see what comes out on top given your own spend profile.

Apply for the American Express® Gold Card. A world of service.

Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by American Express. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of American Express, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. This site may be compensated through American Express Affiliate Program.

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