Hotel and Airline Transfer Partners

The best use of American Express Membership Rewards points is to transfer them into an airline partner.

The option to transfer into hotel points exist, but they’re typically at a disadvantageous rate.

Here’s a complete list of Membership Rewards Airlines and Hotel transfer partners:

Whether you are looking fly economy, Business Class, or even First Class, there are ways to make that happen. You could transfer your Amex points to ANA and fly around the world in Business Class with up to 8 stopovers and spend just 125,000 Amex points or less.

Note: If you are transferring Membership Rewards points into a US airline, Amex will charge you $.0006 per point, up to a maximum of $99. American Express explains that this charge is to offset excise taxes that the airlines charge.

Credits Get You Back Most of the Gold Card’s Annual Fee

Each month you get up to $27 in statement credits if you are enrolled and use the credits in the month given. That’s in addition to $50 in bi-annual Resy credits ($50 each, January to June and July to December – Enrollment required; terms apply.)

The first is $10 in monthly dining statement credits which can be used at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and at 5 Guys. Enrollment required; terms apply. You will get a statement credit within a few days after making the purchase.

On top of that, you’ll automatically get $10 in Uber Cash (separate from the above dining credit) deposited into your Uber / Uber Eats account each month. You must have the latest version of the Uber app downloaded and your eligible Gold Card must be saved as a payment method in your Uber account in order to get the credits.

Up to $100 in annual Resy credits: $50 to use January to June and $50 to use July to December at restaurants on the Resy platform (you do not need to book the reservation with Resy – just pay with your enrolled card. (Enrollment required; Terms apply)

Up to $84 in annual Dunkin’ Donuts credits: $7 per month (Enrollment required; Terms apply)

If you used ALL of the available statement credits, you’d get back $424 for your $325 annual fee – a net gain!

The Hotel Collection

Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. Eligible charges vary by property.

While the American Express Gold Card used to be referred to as a charge card, it is no longer actively referred to in that way.

Unlike a typical credit card that has a Credit Limit, this Amex card has No Preset Spending Limit.

No Preset Spending Limit means your spending limit is flexible. Unlike a traditional card with a set limit, the amount you can spend adapts based on factors such as your purchase, payment, and credit history.

It’s also important to note that as a card product that American Express used to classify as “charge” – meaning that it has No Preset Spending Limit – so it is not counted against your 5 Amex credit card limit.

The Gold Card will still be in the category of cards (former charge products) in which you can have up to 10. Those include the American Express Green, Gold, Platinum, and Centurion cards.

The reason it is no longer referred to as a Charge card is because the card now offers you the option to “Pay Over Time” if you opt into that card feature.

Trip Delay Insurance

If you book your entire trip (round trip) with your American Express Gold Card (cash or American Express Membership rewards points, but no other points), you will have Trip Delay Insurance which will reimburse you for reasonable additional expenses (including but not limited to meals, lodging, toiletries, medication, and other personal use items) incurred if you are delayed more than 12 hours for a covered loss.

Terms:

Up to $300 per Covered Trip that is delayed for more than 12 hours; and 2 claims per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period.

• Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply.
• Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.
• Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company

Baggage Insurance Plan

The American Express Gold Card and Rose Gold card also offer the Baggage Insurance Plan. Coverage can be provided for up to $1,250 for carry-on Baggage and up to $500 for checked Baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the Common Carrier. For New York State residents, there is a $10,000 aggregate maximum limit for all Covered Persons per Covered Trip. See the American Express website before applying for all details.

Terms

Baggage Insurance Plan coverage can be in effect for Eligible Persons for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen Baggage during their travel on a Common Carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when the entire fare for a Common Carrier Vehicle ticket for the trip (one-way or round-trip) is charged to an eligible Account. Coverage can be provided for up to $1,250 for carry-on Baggage and up to $500 for checked Baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the Common Carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus). For New York State residents, there is a $10,000 aggregate maximum limit for all Covered Persons per Covered Trip.

• Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply.
• Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.
• Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company

The American Express Gold Card’s CDW (collision damage waiver) is secondary to your personal car insurance and covers Damage to or Theft of a Rental Vehicle in a Covered Territory when you use your Eligible Card to reserve and pay for the Entire Rental and decline the collision damage waiver (CDW) at the Rental Company counter. Not all cars are covered so call in advance of your rental if you are unsure. Does not cover vehicles in Australia, Italy, and New Zealand. This benefit does not include liability coverage.

Terms

Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible Card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the Commercial Car Rental Company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply.
• Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply.
• Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.
• Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

You’ll get one extra year of coverage when the manufacturer offers a warranty of 5 years or less; additional terms apply which you can when filling out your application. The limits are $10,000 per covered purchase and $50,000 per year.

Terms

When an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase to an Eligible Card, Extended Warranty§ can provide up to one extra year added to the Original Manufacturer’s Warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your Card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year.

• Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply.
• Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.
• Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For up to 90 days from making a covered purchase with your Card, you may be covered for up to $10,000 per occurrence ($50,000 per year). Additional terms apply which you can when filling out your application. Please read important exclusions and restrictions at the American Express website before you apply for all details.

Terms

Purchase Protection is an embedded benefit of your Card Membership and requires no enrollment. It can help protect Covered Purchases made on your Eligible Card when they’re accidentally damaged, stolen, or lost, for up to 90 days from the Covered Purchase date. The coverage is limited up to $10,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year. Coverage Limits Apply.

• Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply.
• Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.
• Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

The Amex Gold Card doesn’t charge any foreign transaction fees.

Additional cards are free for anyone you choose, like your child (aged 13+), spouse, or employee.

The American Express Gold Card is made of metal and weighs 18.5 grams.

Card membership comes with access to Amex Offers, a free offering of discounts on assorted eligible purchases. They often offer things like up to 20% off an airline purchase or cash back for dining at a specific restaurant. They also often offer bonus points per dollar at select stores.