In 2019, Amex revamped the American Express® Green Card and turned it into a solid mid-tier credit card. This new travel-centric version comes with a 45,000 point sign-up bonus after meeting the minimum spending requirements. Plus you can offset some of the $150 annual fee with perks like a $100 CLEAR® credit and $100 LoungeBuddy credit.
After the revamp, the card’s annual fee increased from $95 to $150. However, the other changes were all positive and the card now provides much more value to go along with the increased fee. The bonus categories went from 2x points only on purchases through AmexTravel.com to 3x points on all travel, transit and restaurants worldwide. Add in the travel credits, elimination of foreign transaction fees and a nice sign-up bonus, and this card has become a real winner.
Who is this card for?
This makeup of this card lends itself to people who like to eat out and travel for work, pleasure or both. It may be geared toward the younger crowd, but anyone who pays for a CLEAR membership and/or wants airport lounge access can get great value from the card.
You can apply for the American Express® Green Card here.
Card Features
Charge Card vs. Credit Card
Unlike a credit card where you can carry a statement balance from one month to the next, the American Express® Green Card is a charge card; you need to pay off your balance each statement period.
One of the most important features of charge cards is that they have no preset spending limit. This means that there is no hard limit placed on how much money you can spend on credit.
Bonus Offer
You’ll earn 45,000 bonus points after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first three months. Plus, you can earn bonus points for every referral that applies using your unique link and is approved for the card (up to a maximum of 55,000 points per year).
Annual Fee
The card comes with a $150 annual fee. While it’s higher than the $95 fee on the previous version of the card, if you maximize the annual travel credits, the card will more than paid for itself.
Earning Rates
The American Express® Green Card is geared towards earning bonuses on travel and dining expenses.
- 3x points per $1 spent on dining
- 3x points per $1 spent on travel and transit
- 1x points per $1 on all other spending
What’s great about the travel and transit categories are how broad they are. They include everything from airfare, hotel, car rentals, tours, and travel agencies to ride shares, buses, taxis, trains, tolls and more.
Redeeming Points
The flexibility of American Express Membership Rewards® points is evident when it’s time to redeem for travel. You can book travel through American Express Travel, which is an online travel agency booking site similar to Expedia or Orbitz. It comes with superior customer service more in line with what an American Express cardholder would expect.
American Express Travel isn’t your only option, however. You can often get even greater value by transferring points to any of their 19 airline partners or 3 hotel partners and really maximize your points!
For example, 25,000 Amex Membership Rewards points are enough for a round-trip coach award trip to Hawaii from many West Coast hubs.
One thing to be aware of is that when transferring your points for airline miles, you’ll notice that transfer ratios vary depending on the frequent flyer program you’re transferring points to. So just be sure that you’re getting good value before you transfer points because you can’t get them back once they’re gone!
For more information on Amex’s flexible points program, check out The Complete Guide to American Express Membership Rewards®.
Card Benefits
$100 CLEAR® Credit
Each calendar year, you can get up to $100 in statement credits when you pay for your CLEAR® membership with your card. The regular rate for a CLEAR membership is $179 per year, so the credit covers a little over half of the total cost.
$100 LoungeBuddy Credit
LoungeBuddy is an app that allows you to purchase one-time lounge passes on demand. If you pay with your Green card, you can receive up to $100 in statement credits per calendar year. Lounge access starts at $25 per visit, so it’s possible to get up to four visits per year for free.
Amex Offers
Amex Offers is a free program that saves you money or earns you points on shopping, dining and more. You choose offers from brands you love and get discounts in the form of statement credits or as extra points.
To redeem an offer, simply select the offer you want to add to your card. Then use your card to pay and see the savings or points add up on your statement.
Trip Delay Reimbursement
If your common carrier travel is delayed more than 12 hours or requires an overnight stay, you and your family are covered for non-reimbursed expenses, such as meals and lodging, up to $300 per trip.
Baggage Insurance Plan
If your luggage is lost, stolen or damaged when you’re traveling and you purchased your ticket with the Green Card, you’ll be provided coverage for up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage.
No Foreign Transaction Fees
For those who travel internationally, this card does not charge foreign transaction fees.
Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver (CDW)
You can get primary rental car insurance with the card when you enroll in the American Express Premium Car Rental Protection program for up to 42 days. This is optional and you must opt-in to get the primary coverage.
If you don’t opt in, coverage is secondary to your own personal coverage. Your rental car is covered up to $50,000 for damage caused by an accident, natural disaster or if the car is vandalized or stolen. For a complete description of the rental loss and damage coverage, check out the card’s Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance guide.
The vast majority of credit cards offer some type of coverage when it comes to auto rentals. However, there are two different coverage categories (primary and secondary) and knowing the difference is key. Secondary coverage is what most credit cards offer and it applies after your own personal auto insurance policy. Typically it means that your auto insurer pays the claim, but the card will reimburse your deductible and potentially other costs not covered by your personal policy.
There are only six consumer credit cards that offer primary auto rental CDW coverage:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred®
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- United℠ Explorer Card
- United Quest Card
- United Club Infinite Card
- Capital One Venture X Card
Purchase Protection
This benefit covers your new purchases for 90 days against damage or theft up to $1,000 per occurrence and $50,000 per calendar year. As always, make sure you read the fine print for benefit terms and conditions. But you’ll sleep easy knowing your new, big purchases are covered.
Extended Warranty Protection
With this benefit, you can extend the time period of the U.S. manufacturer’s warranty by one additional year. This applies to eligible warranties of five years or less.
Who should look for another card?
This is a mid-tier card with a $150 annual fee. If that’s too high or you won’t utilize the travel credits, there are many other mid-tier credit cards available. To help you decide, compare the annual fees, annual credits and the earnings rates on some of the most popular cards to see which may best fit your lifestyle. It’s also worth exploring each card’s flexible points ecosystem since they’re not all the same.
A few to consider are the Chase Sapphire Preferred®, Citi Premier®, and Capital One® Venture® Rewards cards. All three of those cards have annual fees of $95 and earn transferable points.
One last card to consider is the American Express® Gold Card. It has a higher annual fee ($250), but it also has dining perks that offset most of that each year. This food-centric card has an amazing earnings rates of 4x points on dining and groceries. If you don’t spend much on travel, the Gold Card may provide better long term benefits.
| Card Card | Welcome Offer | Annual Fee and Offsets | Earnings Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Express® Green Card | 40,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 6 months | $150 ($189 CLEAR credit and $100 LoungeBuddy credit) | 3x points on dining, travel and transit |
| American Express® Gold Card | 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months | $250 ($240 annual dining credits) | 4x points on dining and groceries |
| Capital One® Venture® Rewards | 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months | $95 ($100 Global Entry or TSA Pre✓® Credit once every 4 years) | 2x points on all purchases |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred® | 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months | $95 ($50 hotel credit for stays purchased through the Chase Travel Portal) | 3x points on dining and online grocery and 2x points on travel |
| Citi Strata Premier℠ Card | 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months | $95 ($100 hotel credit for stays purchased through Citi Travel) | 3x points on air travel, hotels, dining, grocery, gas and EV charging |
Bottom Line
With last year’s revamp, the American Express® Green Card is a much more competitive offering. While the $150 annual fee is higher than most comparable cards, if you can utilize the $200 travel credits, the card can more than pay for itself.
The Green Card also earns flexible Amex Membership Rewards® points that can be transferred to 22 travel partners, for some really wonderful redemption options.
If you can make the most of the annual credits and your spending centers on travel and dining, the American Express® Green Card is worth serious consideration.
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