American Express Green Card review 2024: Palatable price for the perks

For a $150 annual fee (terms apply), this travel rewards card earns high rewards on travel and dining and comes with enough perks to satisfy regular travelers who don’t want to pay a premium price for a card.

American Express® Green Card basics

• Annual fee: $150. 
• Welcome bonus: 40,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $3,000 in purchases in the first six months of card membership.
• Rewards: 3 points per $1 at restaurants, 3 points per $1 on travel including flights, hotels, transit, taxis, tours, and ridesharing services and 1 point per $1 on other purchases. 
• Regular APR: See terms for Pay Over Time eligibility and program details.
• Other perks and benefits: annual up to $189 CLEAR® Plus statement credit, annual up to $100 LoungeBuddy statement credit, trip delay insurance¹, car rental loss and damage insurance², and baggage insurance³. Enrollment is required for select benefits. 
• Does the issuer offer a preapproval tool? Yes. 
• Recommended credit score: Good to excellent.

Pros

• Rewards structure: Cardholders earn bonus points in popular spending categories like dining and travel. 
• Membership Rewards: The card earns flexible Membership Rewards points, which are redeemable in several ways. 
• Credits: The Amex® Green Card has valuable statement credits for CLEAR® Plus membership and LoungeBuddy. Enrollment is required.
• International use: The card does not charge foreign transaction fees. 

Cons

• Expensive annual fee: At $150, the annual fee is higher than many travel rewards cards offering similar benefits.
• Pay Over Time: You can opt to use the card’s Pay Over Time feature on eligible purchases, but it carries a high APR. 
• Lack of consistent lounge access: Although the American Express® Green Card * The information for the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. offers an annual up to $100 LoungeBuddy statement credit, that’s likely only enough to cover a few visits. Frequent air travelers may prefer a card that offers unlimited lounge access.

American Express Green Card review

The American Express® Green Card * The information for the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. is ideal for travelers looking for entry into the American Express Membership Rewards program, one of the most flexible loyalty rewards programs. Without airport lounge access and other premium perks, it’s not a luxury travel rewards card. However, in the right wallet, it offers enough value with its travel benefits and rewards-earning potential.

With a $150 annual price tag, it’s not for casual travelers or those who won’t take advantage of the card’s travel benefits. The Green from Amex includes perks like an annual up to $189 CLEAR Plus statement credit, an annual up to $100 LoungeBuddy statement credit, secondary car rental loss and damage insurance, baggage insurance and other travel protections.

Ideally, it’s for those who spend considerable money at restaurants and on transit and travel purchases throughout the year. If you don’t want to pay the mid-level annual fee, other travel rewards cards may be a better fit. 

American Express Green card rewards

Cardholders earn:

• 3 points per $1 at restaurants.
• 3 points per $1 on travel including flights, hotels, transit, taxis, tours and ridesharing services.
• 1 point per $1 on other purchases.

Eligible cardholders can earn a welcome bonus of 40,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $3,000 in purchases in the first six months of card membership.

One of the biggest perks of the American Express® Green Card * The information for the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. is entry into the Membership Rewards program. Amex’s versatile rewards program offers cardholders various ways to redeem points earned with the card. Redemption options include travel booked through amextravel.com, paying with points at popular online retailers, statement credits, gift cards, merchandise and upgrades on select partner airlines. 

Redemption values vary depending on the option you choose. Often you get the best value by transferring your points to one of American Express’ travel partners, which include airlines like Emirates, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Delta Air Lines. 

American Express Green Card rewards potential

Using government data and other publicly available information, we estimate that a household  likely to get this card has an annual income of $84,352 and would charge $25,087 a year to a card.

Based on that sample household spending, here’s the rewards you could earn from the American Express Green Card:

SPENDING CATEGORY	SPENDING AMOUNT	POINTS PER DOLLAR	POINTS EARNED
Dining	$3,526	3 points	10,578 points
Transit	$781	3 points	2,343 points
Travel	$2,941	3 points	8,823 points
Other	$17,839	1 point	17,839 points
TOTAL	$25,087		39,583 points

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The cardholder in this example earns a grand total of 39,583 in rewards annually, which is worth $395.83 if used to book flights through Amex. If the points were used to book prepaid hotels, prepaid rental cars, cruises or vacations, the rewards would be worth $277.08 at 0.7 cents a point. When redeemed as a statement credit, the value of a point is 0.6 cents so the 39,583 points would be worth $237.50.

Like many rewards cards, the American Express® Green Card * The information for the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. holds the most value in its first year for cardholders that qualify for the card’s hefty welcome bonus offer. 

American Express Green Card APR 

You can opt to use American Express® Green Card * The information for the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. ‘s Pay Over Time feature on eligible purchases, which are subject to a variable APR based on creditworthiness.

How the American Express Green Card compares to other travel rewards cards 

American Express® Green Card * The information for the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Another option for flexible travel rewards is the $95-annual-fee Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. Cardholders gain access to Chase Ultimate Rewards®, another versatile loyalty rewards program. Eligible cardholders can earn a generous welcome bonus of 60,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.

The Sapphire Preferred card earns 5 points per $1 on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3 points per $1 on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2 points per $1 on all other travel purchases and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. Those points are worth 25% more when redeemed for travel through the Chase travel portal or can be transferred at potentially greater value to more than a dozen of Chase’s travel loyalty partners.

A major factor in choosing between these two cards (the American Express® Green Card * The information for the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card) is if you want to participate in the Chase Ultimate Rewards program or the American Express Membership Rewards® program. 

American Express Green Card vs. Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card * The information for the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Another top travel rewards choice is the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card * The information for the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. . The card carries a lower annual fee, at $95. It earns 2 points per $1 on travel and dining purchases and 1.5 points per $1 on other purchases.

The Premium Rewards card features a welcome offer of 60,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening. Like the American Express® Green Card * The information for the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. , this Bank of America card offers access to several travel and purchase protections and monthly FICO score access. 

American Express Green Card vs. American Express® Gold Card

American Express offers several premium travel rewards cards. One such offering is the American Express® Gold Card (terms apply, rates & fees). The Gold card has a higher price tag than the American Express® Green Card * The information for the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. with a $250 annual fee but comes with better features and perks. 

There’s a welcome bonus of 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months of card membership. The Gold card also has higher bonus spending rates earning 4 Membership Rewards points per $1 at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., 4 points per $1 at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1 point), 3 points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express travel and 1 point per $1 on other eligible purchases. 

The Gold card includes up to $120 in Uber Cash annually and an up to $120 annual dining statement on eligible purchases credit that can compensate for the annual fee if fully utilized. The card must be added in the Uber app to receive Uber Cash benefit and enrollment is required for select benefits. 

Should you get the American Express Green Card?

The American Express® Green Card * The information for the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. is a worthy travel rewards card for frequent travelers who want some benefits but not a sky-high price tag. It offers enough earning power and benefits to justify the card’s annual fee as long as your spending and travel habits align. 

The card’s Pay Over Time APR could lead to expensive interest charges. And while it comes with access to a bevy of travel protections and perks, there are comparable travel rewards cards with lower annual fees to consider. 

Want to compare more travel credit cards? See the best travel rewards cards

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

^{For rates and fees for the American Express® Gold Card please visit this page.}

^{¹Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.}

^{²Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.}

^{³Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.}

^{⁴Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.}

^{⁵Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.}