American Express Gold Card vs. the American Express Green Card: Which is right for you?
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. The American Express® Gold Card and the American Express® Green Card are two popular credit cards designed for dining and travel rewards with middle-of-the-road annual fees of $250 (see rates and fees) and $150 (see rates and fees) respectively. Plus, the rewards program and perks make both cards appealing to anyone who's looking to upgrade to a credit card that gives them more value for their dollars. Below, CNBC Select compares both cards to help you land on the one that's most beneficial for your spending habits and needs.

Amex Gold Card vs. Amex Green Card

American Express® Gold Card Learn More On the American Express secure site Rewards 4X Membership Rewards® points at Restaurants (plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.) and at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X), 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com, 1X points on all other purchases

Welcome bonus Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.

Annual fee $250

Intro APR Not applicable

Regular APR See Pay Over Time APR

Balance transfer fee N/A

Foreign transaction fee None

Credit needed Excellent/Good

See rates and fees, terms apply. Read our American Express® Gold Card review. Pros Up to $120 dining credit annually ($10 a month) for purchases made with Grubhub, Goldbelly and other eligible restaurants (after a one-time enrollment)

Up to $120 Uber Cash annually ($10 a month) for U.S. Uber Eats orders and U.S. Uber rides (card must be added to Uber app to receive the Uber Cash benefit)

Strong rewards program with 4X points earned at restaurants and 3X points earned on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com

Baggage insurance plan covers up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage that is damaged, lost or stolen

No fee charged on purchases made outside the U.S. Cons No introductory APR period

$250 annual fee Estimated rewards earned after 1 year: $1,074

$1,074 Estimated rewards earned after 5 years: $2,969 Rewards totals incorporate the points earned from the welcome bonus Learn More View More

American Express® Green Card Learn More Information about the has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication. Rewards 3X Membership Rewards® points on travel, transit purchases, and on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.) and 1X Membership Rewards® points on all other eligible purchases

Welcome bonus Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Plus, earn 20% back on eligible travel and transit purchases made during your first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $200 back in the form of a statement credit.

Annual fee $150

Intro APR Not applicable

Regular APR See Pay Over Time APR

Balance transfer fee N/A

Foreign transaction fee None

Credit needed Excellent/Good

Terms apply. Read our American Express® Green Card review. Pros Up to $189 credit for a CLEAR® Plus membership each year

Up to $100 credit toward purchases with LoungeBuddy each year

No foreign transaction fees Cons $150 annual fee

No lounge access Learn More View More

Annual fee

Both the Amex Gold Card and the Amex Green Card come with a modest annual fee — neither is the least expensive on the market, but they also aren't asking as much as high-end credit cards such as the Platinum Card® from American Express, which has an annual fee of $695 (see rates and fees). The annual fee for the Amex Gold Card is $250 and the fee for the Amex Green Card comes in a bit lower at $150. Of course, they each have yearly perks that can offset the cost of that fee, so make sure you do your homework before applying to decide if your spending habits will earn you the rewards needed to make that fee worthwhile. WINNER: It's a tie. While the Amex Green Card is cheaper by $100, both cards have rewards that can offset their fees depending on your spending.

Card rewards

Spending on food and travel is one of the main ways to earn the most rewards with both cards. Amex Gold Card: Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at restaurants worldwide (as well as takeout and delivery in the U.S.) and at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X), 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com and 1X points on all other purchases.

Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at restaurants worldwide (as well as takeout and delivery in the U.S.) and at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X), 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com and 1X points on all other purchases. Amex Green Card: Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on travel, transit purchases, and on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.) and 1X Membership Rewards® points on all other eligible purchases. At first glance, the Amex Gold Card offers a higher reward for spending on food, including restaurants, takeout, delivery and purchases at U.S. supermarkets; it offers 4X points while the Green Card offers 3X points. Be sure to check Amex's consumer categories page for a list of supermarkets and stores that are eligible and ineligible for earning additional rewards on your purchases. When it comes to earning points for travel, the Green Card comes out on top. It allows you to earn 3X points for a wider variety of travel expenses (such as Ubers, public transportation, train tickets, etc.) with a more expansive number of merchants such as Expedia, Priceline or Hotels.com. With the Amex Gold Card, you can only earn that 3X rate on flights booked directly with the airlines or through the Amex travel portal at amextravel.com. WINNER: The Amex Green Card is a bit more flexible when it comes to earning points on travel bookings. Travel bookings through discount sites, like Expedia and Priceline, earn you 3X points with the Green Card whereas those same bookings will earn you just 1X points with the Gold Card.

Redemption options

There are several ways to redeem your points for both Amex cards: Transferring them to a partner airline and hotel loyalty programs

Redeeming them for travel through Amextravel.com

Covering charges on your American Express credit card

Paying with points at checkout with retailers such as Best Buy, Amazon and Dell, among others

Redeeming them for gift cards, exclusive access to entertainment experiences and using them for Preferred Seating at certain sports and cultural events

Purchasing merchandise directly through American Express

The welcome bonus

Both Amex cards come with lofty welcome bonuses: Amex Gold Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new card within the first 6 months of card membership.

Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new card within the first 6 months of card membership. Amex Green Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card membership. Plus, earn 20% back on eligible travel and transit purchases made during your first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $200 back in the form of a statement credit. As you can tell, the Amex Green Card has a lower barrier for achieving the same number of Membership Rewards® points since cardholders must spend $3,000 less in the first 6 months compared to the Amex Gold Card. And unlike the Gold Card, the Green Card allows new members to earn back some of the money they spent on travel in those first 6 months. WINNER: The Amex Green Card has a lower spending requirement than the Gold Card for its welcome bonus, plus 20% back on travel purchases.

Additional perks

Both of these cards come with plenty of perks and while some of them overlap, the differences should help you decide which card better fits your spending habits and lifestyle. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Members with either card can benefit from: No foreign transaction fees

Baggage insurance plan* (Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.)

Car rental loss and damage insurance* (Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.)

Global Assist Hotline* (Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.)

Pay with points on travel through Amextravel.com

Amex Offers for certain shopping categories and retailers Amex Gold card holders enjoy these additional perks: $120 Uber Cash per year ($10 per month in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S.)

$120 Dining Credit ($10 per month in statement credits for Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations)

A $100 experience credit to use during your stay at properties listed in The Hotel Collection with American Express Travel (minimum 2-night stay required)

Exclusive access to concert and event ticket sales Amex Green card holders enjoy these additional perks: Up to $189 credit for a CLEAR® Plus membership each year

Up to $100 credit toward purchases with LoungeBuddy each year

Trip delay insurance * Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. WINNER: Both cards offer a fairly comprehensive array of benefits for the average traveler, but the Amex Gold Card goes above and beyond with its offerings thanks to the Uber Cash and dining credits, event ticket access and the travel experience credit.

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Bottom line

The American Express® Gold Card and the American Express® Green Card both have strong welcome bonuses and a plethora of mostly travel-related perks. Both cards also charge moderate annual fees, with the Gold Card costing $100 more than the Green Card. While the Gold Card's travel perks have earned it a spot in the wallets of many frequent fliers, the Green Card offers some valuable travel benefits not offered by the Gold Card — like credit for a CLEAR® Plus membership and $100 credit toward LoungeBuddy purchases. However, the Gold Card also offers more in the way of dining benefits. If you value a more holistic set of travel and lifestyle benefits and can reasonably manage a higher annual fee, the American Express® Gold Card is the better option. But if you still want to get in on some travel perks without as high of an annual fee, the American Express® Green Card may be more appealing. Overall, both cards are extremely solid. But if you don't want to be on the hook for an annual fee, there are travel cards with no or low annual fees, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Learn More On Chase's secure site Rewards Enjoy beneﬁts such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, and $50 annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.

Welcome bonus Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Annual fee $95

Intro APR None

Regular APR 21.49% - 28.49% variable on purchases and balance transfers

Balance transfer fee Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater

Foreign transaction fee None

Credit needed Excellent/Good

Terms apply. Read our Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card review.

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For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here. For rates and fees of the American Express® Green Card, click here. For rates and fees of the Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.

Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.