The Deal:
Right now, new American Express Gold card accounts have an unbelievable offer of 75,000 bonus points (worth at least $1,300), $200 in statement credits at U.S. Home Furnishing Stores, and $240 in credits in the first year for a card that only has an annual fee of $250.
INCREASED SIGN UP BONUS: This card typically only has a 30,000 bonus point offer, so this is over twice that amount.
INCREASED SIGN UP BONUS SPEND TIME: You have 6 months to spend the $4,000 on the card in order to get the 75,000 bonus Membership Rewards pooints. This is twice the normal 3 months that are allotted for the amount time allowed to meet the Sign Up Bonus required spend! Note the $200 Home Furnishing store statement credits is only the first 3 months.
Benefits:
Sign Up Bonuses:
Part 1: 75,000 Membership Rewards
The most recent public Sign Up Bonus for this card was 60,000 points for $4,000 spend in 3 months. Right now, American Express is offering 75,000 Membership Rewards points for the AmEx Gold Card. I value AmEx Membership Rewards Points at around 1.8 cents, so this a value of at least $1,300.
Part 2: $200 Statement Credits
I have not seen this offer of Statement Credits for U.S. Home Furnishing stores before – this just makes the 75,000 point offer that much better! Note though that you only 3 months to use the statement credits, unlike the 6 months that you have for the membership rewards points portion of the Sign Up Bonus offer.
Return on Spend
This is a very popular card for those that like to eat – that is because it earns a lot of Membership Rewards points for regular spend:
- 4x points at U.S. Supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year)
- 4x points on Restaurants, including takeout and delivery, worldwide
- 3x points on airlines and on amextravel.com
- 1x points on other eligible purchases
Given the above, and if you like to eat out a lot, or have a big family, or both, you have the opportunity to earn A LOT of points!
Credits, Credits, Credits
If you apply in the next couple of days, you can get $340 in credits
- $120 in Dining credits – $10/month at any of the following locations / apps: Boxed, Cheesecake Factory, Grubhub, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Seamless, and participating Shake Shack locations.
- $120 in Uber credits – $10/month that is good either for Uber and / or Uber Eats (NEW, as of 2/1/2021)
- $100 hotel credit for qualifying dining, spa, and resort activities when you book at least two consecutive nights with AmEx Travel at over 600 properties. Also, a room upgrade upon arrival, if available. Note: make sure you compare rates with other booking options to ensure you are getting a good deal.
Other Key Info:
Of course, with all those benefits, it does come at a cost (There Is No Such Thing As A Free Lunch afterall). The card does come with a $250 annual fee, not waived the first year. But if you can take advantage of the Dining and Uber credits, this becomes a keeper card for only $10/year card ($250 annual fee less the 2 x $120 credits for dining and Uber).
Other information to know:
- More Info: American Express Gold Card
- Expiration Date of Increased Offer: 5/5/2021
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- AmEx Offers … these can be very lucrative (worth hundreds of dollars a year)
- ShopRunner for free 2-day shipping and free returns from 100+ stores
- Baggage Insurance
- Extended Warranty
- Purchase Protection
My Thoughts:
When I wrote about the previous best offer for this card, I stated that “I just don’t see how they will make an even better Sign Up Bonus that accounts for the $100 airline incidental fee credit.” Well, I was proved wrong! With the $200 in statement credits, and the highest I’ve ever seen Sign Up Bonus of 75,000 MR points for only $4,000 spend in 6 months … this card is certainly worth considering. And if you find both the Uber / Uber Eats and GrubHub credits easy to use, it makes this card a long term keeper. The ability to get 4x at Grocery Stores and Dining for only a $10 net Annual Fee is just incredible. Given that the airline incidental fee credit is going away this year, and the Uber credit has already been added, there will not be a better time in the future to get the American Express Gold Card. I just don’t see how they will make an even better Sign Up Bonus that accounts for the $100 airline incidental fee credit.
Hacking the Deal:
New Uber Eats New Accounts: If you don’t already have an Uber Eats account, then you can get a $15 discount if your first order is $20 or more using my referral code. See “How do I apply a promo code?” to add the following:
- Uber Eats – eats-mikew47r1ue
New Grubhub Accounts: If you don’t already have a Grubhub account, then you can get a $10 discount if your first order is $15 or more using my referral link below. Note that the minimum $15 is before tax, tip, and fees.