The American Express® Gold Card offers several dining-related benefits, including a potential $120 annual Dining Credit and elevated Membership Rewards® points on eligible restaurant purchases. These benefits can provide significant value for cardmembers who regularly dine at participating establishments.
For an overview of the Gold Card's other rewards, credits and features, see: American Express Gold Card Benefits, Rewards & Perks.
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The Gold Card offers up to $10 in monthly statement credits when you use the Card for eligible purchases at participating dining merchants. Enrollment is required.
Using the full monthly credit can provide up to $120 in annual value. The credit is based on eligible purchases and does not simply appear as a general-purpose cash credit.
The current Gold Card Dining Credit can be used for eligible purchases at participating merchants, including:
Eligible merchants and qualifying purchases are subject to the terms of the benefit. Enrollment is also required before you can receive the statement credits.
The benefit provides up to $10 in statement credits each month when the enrolled Gold Card is used for qualifying purchases. If you make an eligible purchase for less than $10, the credit is based on the qualifying purchase rather than automatically providing the full $10.
The monthly benefit does not simply accumulate indefinitely. Unused monthly credit generally cannot be carried forward to increase the following month's credit.
The Gold Card's dining benefits go beyond the monthly statement credit. Cardmembers can also earn 4X Membership Rewards points per dollar on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year. After that annual limit, eligible restaurant purchases earn 1X points for the remainder of the year.
This combination of a dining credit and elevated rewards earning can make the Gold Card particularly useful for people who regularly spend money at restaurants.
The Dining Credit is a statement credit for qualifying purchases rather than a discount that automatically removes a fixed amount from every restaurant bill. The purchase must meet the requirements of the benefit, and enrollment is required.
For example, an eligible purchase of $10 or more in a month can potentially generate the full $10 monthly credit, subject to the applicable terms.
The Gold Card has a $325 annual fee. If you use the full $10 monthly Dining Credit, the potential annual value is $120.
That credit does not cover the entire annual fee by itself, but it can reduce the effective cost of the Card when combined with other benefits that you would actually use.
The important consideration is whether these are purchases you would normally make. A credit generally provides more practical value when you would have spent the money anyway.
The American Express Gold Card offers both a $120 potential annual Dining Credit and 4X Membership Rewards points on eligible restaurant purchases. For people who regularly dine at participating merchants, these benefits can provide meaningful ongoing value.
Because enrollment and other requirements apply, review the terms of the benefit before relying on the credit. The value of the Gold Card ultimately depends on how naturally its dining benefits fit into your normal spending.
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The card offers that appear on this site are from companies from which Gettingacreditcard.com may receive compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). Gettingacreditcard.com does not include all card companies or all card offers available in the marketplace.