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American Express Green Card — Full Review [2023]

Jarrod West's image
Jarrod West

Jarrod West

Senior Content Contributor

Countries Visited: 21U.S. States Visited: 24

Boasting a portfolio of over 20 cards, Jarrod has been an expert in the points and miles space for over 6 years. He earns and redeems over 1 million points per year and his work has been featured in o...
Edited by: Kellie Jez

Kellie Jez

Director of Operations & Compliance

Countries Visited: 10U.S. States Visited: 20

Kellie’s professional experience has led her to a deep passion for compliance, data reporting, and process improvement. Kellie’s learned the ins and outs of the points and miles world and leads UP’s c...

We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

American Express® Green Card

American Express® Green Card

U.P. Rating
The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.
4.25
  • 40,000 points

  • $150

  • See Pay Over Time APR

  • Good to Excellent (670-850)

American Express® Green Card

This card can provide a great way to accumulate Membership Rewards points on eligible travel, transit, and at restaurants.

U.P. Rating
The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.
4.25
Summary

The American Express® Green Card is an excellent all-around travel rewards card thanks to earning 3x Membership Rewards® points on eligible travel and transit purchases and at restaurants, access to American Express transfer partners, and a reasonable annual fee.

Card Details

Card Snapshot

Welcome Bonus & Info

  • Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your American Express® Green Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on travel including airfare, hotels, cruises, tours, car rentals, campgrounds, and vacation rentals.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® Points on transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the US.
  • $189 CLEAR Plus Credit: Receive up to $189 per calendar year in statement credits when you pay for your CLEAR Plus membership (subject to auto-renewal) with the American Express® Green Card.
  • $100 LoungeBuddy: No airport lounge membership? No problem! Purchase lounge access through the LoungeBuddy app using the American Express® Green Card and receive up to $100 in statement credits annually.
  • Payment Flexibility: When it comes to paying your bill, you have options. You can always pay in full. You also have the flexibility to carry a balance with interest or use Plan It® to split up large purchases into monthly payments with a fixed fee, up to your Pay Over Time Limit. You may be able to keep spending beyond your limit – you’ll just need to pay for any new purchases in full when your bill is due.
  • Trip Delay Insurance: If a round-trip is paid for entirely with your Eligible Card and a covered reason delays your trip more than 12 hours, Trip Delay Insurance can help reimburse certain additional expenses purchased on the same Eligible Card, up to $300 per trip, maximum 2 claims per eligible account per 12 consecutive month period. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees: No matter where you’re traveling, when you use your American Express® Green Card there are no foreign transaction fees.
  • $150 annual fee.
  • Terms Apply.
Pros & Cons

Pros

  • 3x points per $1 spent at restaurants worldwide, on all eligible travel purchases, and transit purchases
  • Up to $189 per calendar year in statement credits after you pay for a CLEAR® Plus membership with the Card.
  • Up to $100 in statement credits annually when you purchase airport lounge access through LoungeBuddy with the Card.
  • Access to American Express transfer partners
  • No foreign transaction fees

Cons

  • annual fee
  • No elite benefits like airport lounge access or hotel elite status
More Reads

Great Card If

  • You love to travel and dine out at restaurants
  • You can make good use of the annual credits for CLEAR Plus and LoungeBuddy
  • You want a card with flexible redemption options
  • You want a card with no foreign transaction fees

Don’t Get If

  • You prefer a card with no annual fee
  • You seldom dine out and prefer cooking at home
  • You don’t enjoy traveling or are unable to travel
  • You prefer a card with more travel benefits like airport lounge access or hotel elite status

Amex Green Card — Is It Worth It?

The Amex Green card is one of the best American Express Cards and is great for frequent travelers who enjoy dining out and can regularly take advantage of the card’s perks and benefits.

For example, the card helps to elevate your travel experiences by providing you with an up to $189 statement credit for a CLEAR Plus membership, and up to $100 in LoungeBuddy credits.

When you combine those travel benefits with 3x Membership Rewards points per $1 spent on all eligible travel purchases, it makes for a very compelling option for consumers, especially when pairing it alongside other cards that earn Membership Rewards points card such as the American Express® Gold Card or The Platinum Card® from American Express.

Amex Green Card Travel Benefits

  • CLEAR uses unique attributes, such as eyes or fingerprints, to digitally verify identity to help its members move faster through security at select airports nationwide. Receive up to $189 per calendar year in statement credits for CLEAR Plus, when you pay for a CLEAR Plus membership (subject to auto-renewal) with the Amex Green card.
  • Use the Amex Green card to purchase airport lounge access through LoungeBuddy to any of the lounges in the LoungeBuddy network — no memberships, elite statuses, or first class tickets required. You’ll receive up to $100 in statement credits per year on your LoungeBuddy purchases.

Best Ways To Earn and Redeem Your Amex Membership Rewards Points

The Amex Green Card is great at earning points thanks to its multiple 3x bonus categories. That said, there are lots of other great ways to earn Amex Membership Rewards points to help you add to your stash.

Once you’ve built up a nice stash of points, you’ll want to read up on the best ways to redeem Amex Membership Rewards points for max value, so you can start planning out your future trips.

Our favorite way to redeem points is towards high-value redemptions like first and business class flights for pennies of their standard cost. If you want to learn how to make these redemptions, too, then read through our guide to the American Express transfer partners and how to use them!

Alternative Cards to the Amex Green Card

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card also offers 3x points per $1 spent on all travel and dining purchases, and the Chase definition of travel is just as broad as it is with the Amex Green card.

The card includes a $300 annual travel credit, offers better lounge benefits via a Priority Pass membership, and has better travel protection.

If this all sounds compelling then the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is definitely worthy of considering. For a more detailed look at these 2 cards, check out our head-to-head comparison: Amex Green card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

There’s a lot to love about the Capital One Venture card. Airline transfer partners, a statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee, and 2x on all other purchases.

If the majority of your daily spending comes from purchases outside of dining and travel categories, then the Capital One Venture card might be a great option for you.

Learn more in our detailed comparison of these 2 cards: Amex Green card vs. Capital One Venture card

We’ve also compared the Amex Green Card to these other popular cards:

The information regarding the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the American Express® Green Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.

About Jarrod West

Boasting a portfolio of over 20 cards, Jarrod has been an expert in the points and miles space for over 6 years. He earns and redeems over 1 million points per year and his work has been featured in outlets like The New York Times.

Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.

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