Card economics
Amex Gold
Annual fee
$325/yr
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Welcome offers change frequently — check the issuer's page for the current offer.
Earn rates
| Category | Rate |
|---|---|
| Amex Travel - Hotels | 5xPortal only |
| Dining | 4xUp to $50,000/yr shared, then 1x |
| Groceries — in store | 4xUp to $25,000/yr shared, then 1x |
| Groceries — online | 4xUp to $25,000/yr shared, then 1x |
| Whole Foods | 4xUp to $25,000/yr shared, then 1x |
| Fast Food | 4xUp to $50,000/yr shared, then 1x |
| Flights outside issuer portals | 3x |
| Amex Travel - Flights | 3xPortal only |
| Amex Travel - Car Rentals / Cruises | 2xPortal only |
| Everything else | 1xBase rate |
Transfer partners: Amex Membership Rewards
Spending caps
| Category | Bonus rate | Annual cap |
|---|---|---|
| Groceries — in store | 4x | $25,000/yrThen 1x |
| Groceries — online | 4x | $25,000/yrThen 1x |
| Whole Foods | 4x | $25,000/yrThen 1x |
| Dining | 4x | $50,000/yrThen 1x |
| Fast Food | 4x | $50,000/yrThen 1x |
After reaching the annual cap, spending in that category earns at the lower “after cap” rate. The optimizer automatically handles cap overflows.
Fee calculator
Sticker Fee
$325/yr
Credits
-$180
Effective Fee
$145
Credits & Benefits
Max: $120/yr ($10/mo) · monthly
$10 in Uber Cash each month for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders. Must use by month-end.
Max: $120/yr ($10/mo) · monthly
$10/month at select partner restaurants only (Grubhub, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, Wonder, and others). Monthly, no rollover.
Max: $100/yr · semiannual
$50 semiannually ($100/yr) at U.S. Resy restaurants. Enrollment required.
Max: $84/yr ($7/mo) · monthly
Dunkin' only. $7/month. No rollover. Must use the Amex offer.
Catalog record last reviewed Aug 2, 2026. Issuer terms and available offers control and may change.
Next step
One card is a start. The modeled setup is the whole wallet.
The Amex Gold might be useful on its own, but the modeled combination depends on your total spending. The optimizer searches eligible portfolios and clearly labels whether the result was proven optimal within that run's inputs or is the strongest valid setup found before timeout.
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