Compare the Features and Benefits of American Express® Gold Card and
Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® Review

💳 This card earns American Express Membership Rewards points. American Express often runs transfer bonuses where you can get even more points when you transfer to airline or hotel partners at designated times. Transfer bonuses are awesome. Get 20%, 30%, 40% or more bonus miles when you transfer points at the right times. But they are easy to miss!

You can see all past Transfer Bonuses from American Express Membership Rewards here.

Even better? Get notified when a new transfer bonus comes out and again before it ends (either or both, your choice). Sign up for free alerts right here. 🔔

The American Express Gold Card (and the Rose Gold version of the Amex Gold Card) is one of my favorite credit cards on the market.

While many cards have more bonus categories or more features, the simplicity of a card that earns 4X American Express Membership Rewards points on both dining (up to $50,000 annually; 1X thereafter) and at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 annually; 1X thereafter), given how much of my monthly spend is in one of these two categories, makes it an easy top-of-wallet choice. 3X on airfare is also nice.

It helps that I have no problem at all using the included credits, living in a major metropolitan area. In fact, I’ve generally used both of the included credits at GrubHub and Uber Eats by the fifth of each month! The Resy credits are also easy to use if you live in a major metro area (although admittedly not as easy if you don’t!). And the $7 Dunkin’ credits come in handy if you live in a Dunkin’ heavy area (which we do).

While I wouldn’t make it my only credit card, it definitely complements other cards nicely. If you already have the American Express Platinum Card, for example, you’d be better off using the Platinum card for its many benefits and 5X on airfare (up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year), but using your Amex Gold Card for your groceries and restaurant expenses.

Keep in mind that all of your American Express Membership Rewards points accrue to one master account. As long as you have at least one card open that earns Membership Rewards points, your points will never expire.

This includes no-annual fee cards like the Blue Business Plus.

The Amex Gold is also featured in our 5 Best Credit Cards for Groceries / Supermarkets.

Rates and Fees for the American Express® Gold Card

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® is American Airlines’ mid-tier credit card option. All in all, it’s a solid card for semi-frequent American Airlines flyers who don’t live near an airport with an Admirals Club®. You’ll enjoy access to American Airlines lounges a few times per year, but you aren’t paying the hefty annual fee for unlimited access.

For starters, you’ll receive a $99 American Airlines companion certificate starting in your second year as a cardholder. Although it’s only valid on a main cabin domestic flight, you could potentially cover your entire annual fee from this benefit alone. You’ll also earn 3X miles per $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases, which is a great way to boost your AAdvantage miles balance.

You can earn three different statement credits annually — up to $240 back on Turo, up to $100 back on inflight purchases, and up to $100 for your Annual Splurge Credit, which can include merchants like Live Nation or AAdvantage Hotels. You’ll also earn a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit every four years, which can provide value if you aren’t already enrolled.

The Flight Streak Bonus is also an interesting feature for anyone chasing status, allowing you to earn 5,000 bonus Loyalty Points for every four flights you take in a calendar year, up to 15,000 bonus Loyalty Points. If that’s not enough, you’ll earn 1 Loyalty Point for every AAdvantage mile you earn on purchases.

Plus, you’ll receive your first checked bag free on domestic American Airlines itineraries, enjoy preferred boarding, and a variety of travel and shopping protection benefits. When you add up each of these perks, it’s incredibly easy to find value in the card — much more value than a $350 annual fee.