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Compare the benefits of the AMEX Green vs the AMEX Gold and calculate total Membership Rewards Points based on spend, point value, and point transfers.
All information about The American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by The Point Calculator and has not been reviewed by the issuer. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
The American Express Green Card and American Express® Gold Card are two of the top cards in the AMEX Membership Rewards Program.
The AMEX Green Card is centered around those who travel as it offers the bonus categories of travel and dining while also offering benefits such as $100 in CLEAR credits and $100 in LoungeBuddy credits.
The AMEX Gold Card is more focused on your everyday spend with categories like restaurant and U.S. supermarkets along with $120 in dining credits and $120 in Uber Cash.
Both cards provide a way to earn lots of valuable points assuming you can put them to use to make the annual fees worth paying.
The AMEX Green Card and AMEX Gold Card both earn Membership Rewards Points which is flexible rewards currency best used towards travel.
Neither card grants any bonus value to points, so you'll get the same value out of your points no matter which card you own.
When redeeming Membership Rewards Points, you can obtain the easiest value of 1 cent per point using them towards airfare on amextravel.com. Any redemption that gives you lower than 1 cent per point is considered to be bad redemption value.
The table below shows the average value you'll be able to get out of your points with the AMEX Green Card and AMEX Gold Card.
AMEX Points Value
Redemption
Average Value Per Point
Point Transfers To Partners
1.2 to 2+ Cents
Airfare via American Express Travel
1 Cent
Other AMEX Travel
0.7 Cents
Pay With Points At Checkout
0.7 Cents
Gift Cards
0.5 to 1 Cent
Statement Credit
0.6 Cents
The best use of Membership Rewards Points will come from transferring points to AMEX's travel partners and redeeming them for travel. This gives you the chance to redeem points for more than the average 1 cent per point in value.
Membership Rewards Points can be transferred to 20 partners.
Airline miles have an average value of 1.2 to 1.5 cents each, so transferring your Membership Rewards Points to frequent flyer programs is the easy route to take if you're looking for more than 1 cent per point in value. You can obtain even higher value with some First and Business class redemptions!
You can also obtain some solid value out of transferring your points to hotel partners — primarily Marriott Bonvoy. Marriott Bonvoy Points have an average value of 0.7 cents per point, but they have many sweet spots in their program that can net you over 1 cent per point.
Comparing Earning Rates
The AMEX Green Card earns bonus points on dining and travel while the AMEX Gold Card earns bonus points on dining, U.S. supermarket purchases, and airfare. If you're big on travel and dining, it can make sense to pair both of these cards together.
AMEX Green vs AMEX Gold Categories
AMEX Green Card
3 Membership Rewards Points per $1 spent on travel and transit, and at restaurants
1 Membership Rewards Point per $1 spent on everything else
AMEX Gold Card
4 Membership Rewards Points per $1 spent at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per calendar year) and restaurants
3 Membership Rewards Points per $1 spent on airfare booked direct or through American Express Travel
1 Membership Rewards Point per $1 spent on everything else
The AMEX Green and AMEX Gold Card both feature restaurant/dining as an overlapping category. The better option in terms of points will be the AMEX Gold Card since you're earn an additional point per $1 spent.
Since the AMEX Green Card features general travel purchases as a category, airfare can be considered to be an overlapping category. If you frequently travel, the AMEX Green will be the better option just because it covers many subcategories of travel.
One big plus to the AMEX Gold Card is the 4 Membership Rewards Points per $1 you earn on U.S. supermarket spend. Many supermarkets offer gift cards which means you can easily earn 4x on categories you wouldn't normally be able to.
For example, I can go to my local Giant Eagle or Meijer and buy a $200 Kohl's Gift Card or $100 AutoZone Gift Card. This would be equal to me earning 4X at either of these retailers since I can use the gift card to checkout as normal in-store or online.
This can add a significant amount of value to the AMEX Gold Card if you don't mind buying gift cards. Do note that the U.S. supermarket category is capped at $25,000 in purchases per calendar year.
Comparing Benefits
The AMEX Green Card features $200 in annual credits while the AMEX Gold Card features $240 in annual credits. If you're able to use the credits offered on either card, you can easily make up for the annual fees that both cards have and squeeze more overall value out of these cards.
AMEX Green Card vs AMEX Gold Card Benefits
AMEX Green Card
$100 CLEAR Credit: Get up to $100 back when you use your card to pay for CLEAR Membership
$100 LoungeBuddy: Get up to $100 back when you use your card to pay for lounge access through LoungeBuddy
AMEX Gold Card
$120 Dining Credit: Receive up to $120 in dining credits annual with the American Express Gold Card. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you use the card to pay at select retailers. (Enrollment Required)
$120 Uber Cash: Receive up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with the American Express Gold Card. You'll automatically get $10 in Uber Cash each month that you can use towards with Uber rides or Uber Eats orders in the U.S. (Enrollment Required)
The Hotel Collection: As an American Express Gold Card member, you will be able to book hotels through The Hotel Collection with American Express Travel. When booking at least a two-consecutive night stay, you'll receive a $100 hotel credit, to spend on qualifying dining, spa and resort activities (qualifying activities vary by property) and a room upgrade upon arrival, when available
The AMEX Green Card and AMEX Gold Card also features several standard AMEX benefits found on most of their cards which includes complimentary ShopRunner Membership, access to AMEX Offers, and AMEX Entertainment access. You'll also receive some insurance and purchase coverage such as car rental loss and damage insurance, extended warranty, and purchase protection.
Point Calculator
Calculate how many points you can earn with the AMEX Green Card and AMEX Gold Card side by side based on your spend. You'll also be able to calculate the average cash value of the points earned, the transfer of points to partners, and the cash value of each card.
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Credit Cards
Use this section to add credit cards to the calculator. You can search for a card or go through our top recommendations for each category.
Once you select a card, you'll be shown the details of the card. Any link you click on in the details will open up in a new tab, so you will not lose your calculations.
Clicking on Add Selected Card will add it to the calculator.
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Add a credit card to compare side by side based on spend, benefits and fees.
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Family Cards
These cards are part of the same family and generally earn the same type of rewards.
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Travel Cards
Travel credit cards are great for building rewards redeemable towards a wide variety of travel including airfare, hotels, car rentals, cruises, and more. Most travel cards also offer a range of benefits that can make your trips more enjoyable and save you money.
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Cash Back Cards
Cash back is one of the most flexible form of rewards and most easy to understand. Rewards earned are worth face value and they can be used towards almost anything.
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Business Cards
Put money back into your business by earning cash back, points, or miles on business expenses. Many cards also offer travel insurance, purchase protection, and more.
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Airline Cards
These are the best credit cards if you're looking to use rewards towards award flights. Some of these cards also offer various benefits such as lounge access the ability to earn qualifying miles through spending.
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Hotel Cards
If you're looking to use rewards towards free nights at hotels, these are the best cards for you. Many of these cards also offer great benefits such as annual free nights, complimentary elite status, and more.
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No Annual Fee
If you're looking to minimize your immediate costs while still earning plenty of value, you may want to consider a credit card with no annual fee. Some of these cards also offer lower interest rates and balance transfer offers.
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Intro Bonus:
Annual Fee:
Authorized User Fee:
Bonus Categories:
Loyalty & Memberships
Loyalty: When adding hotel rewards cards (and a select few others) you'll be able to factor in the points earned from elite status. If a card offers complimentary status, the proper status will be selected by default.
Loyalty is reflected by a blue LOY image. Adding a card with loyalty attached to it will add it to the calculator. It becomes its own entity once added to the calculator and can be removed independent of the card that added it.
Membership: If a card offers any kind of bonus rewards based on your membership in a program, the option will be listed here. Do note that some options calculate automatically.
Welcome Bonus: Any welcome bonuses that changes the earning rates of a card will also be listed here. This allows you to toggle the bonus on or off.
Category Spending
Use this section to enter how much you plan on spending either monthly or yearly across different categories for each card listed.
You can click on the option button for access to a lot of useful tools you can use to quickly adjust spending for the calculator.
Change the order of the categories in the Category Spending section. This has an impact on cards that have spend limits and bonus caps on categories.
Resets all fields in the Category Spending section for all columns. Also clears all saved spend values that carry from calculator to calculator.
Add Categories
Search for categories and click 'Add Category' to add it to the calculator. If you want to be more specific, you can specify domestic or international spend.
Type at least 3 characters.
Currently Selected:
Spend Region:
Category Spending Total
The amount of rewards earned from card spending.
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Rewards & Bonuses
If a card earns bonus points, miles, or cash back, it will be listed here. You'll be able to edit or toggle on/off most bonuses listed here.
Do note that some bonuses may be automatically calculated based on spend entered in the Category Spending section.
If you want to factor in an intro or welcome bonus, you can also do that here by entering it in the Extra Value field. You can click on View Offers when applicable to see current sign up bonuses for all top credit cards by category.
Extra Value
Use this field to add additional rewards to include in the calculation such as an intro or signup bonus.
Extra Value
Use this field to add additional rewards to include in the calculation such as an intro or signup bonus.
Extra Value
Use this field to add additional rewards to include in the calculation such as an intro or signup bonus.
Rewards & Bonus Total
The amount of rewards earned from card bonuses.
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Total Rewards & Cash Value
This is the total of all points, miles, and cash back earned between Loyalty & Memberships, Category Spending, and Rewards & Bonuses.
You can view the average value of the rewards based on popular redemptions and the transfer of rewards to partners (where applicable).
This is how much we value the rewards earned with the card on average based on our valuations. Cards that may offer bonus/additional value are reflected here.
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Transfers To Partners
Redemptions to do with transferring rewards to partner loyalty programs and redeeming them for high value (when applicable). These redemption values typically require knowledge of the best transfer partners.
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Cash Back, Statement Credits
Redemptions to do with turning your rewards into cash back or using it as a statement credit to offset purchases made to the card.
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Travel
Redemptions to do with using your rewards towards travel such as airfare, hotels, and car rentals (not including transfers to partners).
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Gift Cards
Redemptions to do with using your rewards towards the purchase of gift cards.
Enter how much you value a single rewards point or mile in cents or regional currency equivalent (X.XX). The value of cash back cannot be changed.
Rewards Cash Value
The average cash value of rewards earned in the Grand Total section based on the set Currency Worth.
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Monetary Bonuses
This section lists all monetary bonuses. This includes annual credits and top-tier benefits that can offer great monetary value.
If there's a perk or benefit missing that you find valuable, you can add how much you value it in the Extra Cash Value field.
Extra Cash Value
Use this field to add additional cash value to the calculations.
Extra Cash Value
Use this field to add additional cash value to the calculations.
Extra Cash Value
Use this field to add additional cash value to the calculations.
Total Cash Value
The total cash value of all listed benefits plus the cash value of rewards earned.
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Fees
With great benefits comes great annual fees. If a card has a fee that you have to pay annually (or monthly in rare cases), it will be listed here. You have the ability to change it.
If the card charges a fee for adding authorized users, it will also appear in this section.
Annual Fee
This is the fee you must pay annually to have the card.
Authorized User Fee
This is the cost to add additional users or supplemental cards to the account. Enter total amount of authorized users.
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Total Card Value
This is the total cash value of each listed card when factoring in all rewards and all fees.
