American Express Gold Card: what it earns

Updated September 24, 2026 · from RightCard's verified card and merchant data

American Express Gold Card earns 4x points at restaurants, 4x points at supermarkets, and 1x points on everything else. We value Amex Membership Rewards at 1.8¢ per point toward travel and 1¢ as cash; the table below shows both readings. Annual fee: $325.

Every category, as published

The everyday rates only. No welcome bonus, no limited-time offers. Where a rotating 5% quarter is live today it is noted in the row.

Category	Earn	≈ value / $1
Restaurants	4x points	4¢ cash · 7.2¢ travel
Supermarkets	4x points	4¢ cash · 7.2¢ travel
Gas stations	1x points	1¢ cash · 1.8¢ travel
Travel	1x points	1¢ cash · 1.8¢ travel
Online shopping	1x points	1¢ cash · 1.8¢ travel
Drugstores	1x points	1¢ cash · 1.8¢ travel
Transit & rideshare	1x points	1¢ cash · 1.8¢ travel
Streaming	1x points	1¢ cash · 1.8¢ travel
Everything else	1x points	1¢ cash · 1.8¢ travel

Travel value uses 1.8¢ per point for Amex Membership Rewards, a conservative figure. Cash redemptions on most points programs pay 1¢ or less.

Where it beats a flat 2% card

Restaurants, Supermarkets. Everywhere else a plain 2% card earns more, so this card is a category card, not an everything card.

Statement credits

Verified from the issuer's terms. A credit is worth its face value only if you would spend there anyway.

Credit	Amount	Per year
Dining credit	$10 monthly · enrollment required	$120 / yr
Uber Cash	$10 monthly	$120 / yr
Resy Credit	$50 twice a year · enrollment required	$100 / yr
Dunkin' Credit	$7 monthly · enrollment required	$84 / yr

Tick the ones you would use and get the fee verdict →

Where the grocery bonus will not post

Superstores and warehouse clubs code outside the supermarket category, so the grocery rate usually does not post at Walmart, Target, Costco, Sam's Club or BJ's. Check any store.

Delivery apps and the dining rate

DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub set their own merchant codes. Chase and Amex write delivery into their dining terms; read yours once. The DoorDash breakdown.

See it against the rest of your wallet →

How RightCard handles this: add the American Express Gold Card in the app and it competes with your other cards at every store, with your bank offers and this quarter's rotating bonus folded in. The app is free and private. No bank login. Recommendations are computed on your phone.

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FAQ

What does the American Express Gold Card earn at supermarkets?

4x points at stores that code as supermarkets. Superstores and warehouse clubs usually do not count.

What does the American Express Gold Card earn on everything else?

1x points on purchases outside its bonus categories.

Is the American Express Gold Card's $325 fee worth it?

Only if the credits and rewards you would actually use add up to more than $325 a year. Our coupon-book tool lets you tick the credits you would use and see the verdict.

How much are American Express Gold Card points worth?

About 1.8¢ each toward travel by our conservative estimate for Amex Membership Rewards, and 1¢ or less as cash.

Where these numbers come from: RightCard's data pipeline re-checks each card's published rates weekly and lists a rate only after two independent sources agree. Merchant codes come from our merchant directory. If a card or store is missing here, it is because we could not verify it, not because we guessed.

More guides: Rate my wallet · All cards · Restaurants guide · Supermarkets guide