The honest answer: yes, but only if you use the credits
American Express raised the Gold Card annual fee to $325 in October 2024. On the surface that sounds like a price hike. In practice, the card now comes with $424 in credits that offset it — meaning if you use them, the effective cost is negative $99 per year.
What credits are available
- $120 dining credit — $10/month at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, and Wonder. Easy to use if you order delivery or grab takeout once a month.
- $120 Uber Cash — $10/month toward Uber rides or Uber Eats in the U.S. Stacks with Amex Platinum Uber Cash if you have both.
- $100 Resy credit — $50 semi-annually at U.S. Resy restaurants. Resy covers thousands of restaurants — if you eat out at all in a major city, this is easy.
- $84 Dunkin' credit — $7/month at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Niche, but free money if you're a coffee drinker.
New for 2026
Amex refreshed the Gold in April 2026:
- 5x on prepaid hotels via AmexTravel.com — a new earning category that stacks with the existing 4x dining and grocery rates.
- Complimentary Hertz Five Star Status — auto enrollment required. Gets you guaranteed car class upgrades and faster pick-up at Hertz.
The earning rates
4x at restaurants worldwide and 4x at U.S. supermarkets are best-in-class for those categories. On $500/month dining and $700/month groceries, that's 28,800 extra points per year vs a flat 2x card — worth roughly $576 at 2¢/point in transfer value.
When it's NOT worth it
If you can't use the credits because you don't order delivery, don't eat at Resy restaurants, don't use Uber, and don't drink Dunkin' — the card becomes a $325 annual fee with great earn rates. At that point you're better off with the Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95/yr) or Citi Strata Premier ($95/yr).
The verdict
For anyone spending $400+/month on dining and $500+/month on groceries who can realistically use at least the dining + Uber Cash credits: the Amex Gold is one of the best value cards in any wallet. The fee increase is real but the credits more than compensate.