American Express® Green Card Review: An Underrated Travel Rewards Card?

The American Express® Green Card may not be as popular as other Amex travel credit cards, but it has plenty of redeeming qualities. The card offers a $189 credit toward CLEAR Plus membership annually, along with up to $100 in credits toward LoungeBuddy airport lounge visits each year*. If you use these benefits regularly, that’s more than enough to make up for this card’s $150 annual fee.

Its best feature may be its 3X earning rate on a wide variety of purchases, including travel, transit and dining worldwide. This along with a substantial welcome offer for new cardmembers can add up to a lot of points in your first year.

However, if you’re already sold on the value of Amex’s Membership Rewards program, you may find that it makes more sense to go with the American Express^® Gold Card or The Platinum Card^® from American Express.

Not the right card for you? Check out our other top travel credit cards.

• Annual fee: $150
• Regular purchase APR: See Pay Over Time APR
• Foreign transaction fee: $0
• Welcome offer: Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Rewards: Earn 3X Membership Rewards® Points on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the US. Also earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on travel including airfare, hotels, cruises, tours, car rentals, campgrounds, and vacation rentals. Additionally, earn 3X Membership Rewards® Points on transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways and 1X points on other Purchases.
• Other benefits: $189 CLEAR Plus credit*, up to $100 LoungeBuddy credit*, rental car insurance¹, baggage insurance plan², extended warranty³, purchase protection³
• Recommended credit: Good / Excellent

• Welcome offer (3.6 out of 5 stars)

  New cardmembers can earn 40,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. This is a fair-sized offer for a mid-range travel card. Considering American Express Membership Rewards value can reach 2 cents per point (approximately) when transferred to airline and hotel partners for a premium redemption, this offer is worth around $800.

  However, if your goal is to score a large sign-up bonus for free travel, you can find similarly priced cards with larger offers, like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card.

  Who’s eligible to apply? According to Amex, you may not be eligible for this offer if you have had this card in the past, or if you have had The Platinum Card^® from American Express, the Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley, the Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Charles Schwab or the American Express^® Gold Card. You may also be ineligible if you have had any previous versions of these cards.

  That said, American Express notifies you when you apply if you’re ineligible for a welcome offer, and gives you a chance to cancel before a hard inquiry is performed.

• Earning points (4.8 out of 5 stars)

  The American Express® Green Card offers a generous earning rate that applies to travel purchases, dining and transit. It’s also worth noting that travel doesn’t have to be purchased through AmexTravel.com to earn bonus rewards in this category.

  How many points can you earn? Earn 3X Membership Rewards® Points on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the US. Also earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on travel including airfare, hotels, cruises, tours, car rentals, campgrounds, and vacation rentals. Additionally, earn 3X Membership Rewards® Points on transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways and 1X points on other Purchases.

  Still, there are more rewarding travel cards, including the American Express^® Gold Card. For a higher $325 annual fee (see rates & fees), you can earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants (on up to $50,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X), Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X). Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point on all other eligible purchases. Terms Apply. If you want to earn the most points for travel, the American Express^® Gold Card may be the better option.

  Rewards earned per $1 spent*

  • The American Express^® Gold Card: $0.046
  • Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: $0.043
  • Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: $0.037
  • Chase Sapphire Reserve^®: $0.037
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card: $0.035
  • American Express® Green Card: $0.035
  • Citi Strata Premier^℠ Card: $0.033

  *Based on LendingTree’s value methodology

• Redeeming points (4 out of 5 stars)

  A major advantage of American Express Membership Rewards points is their versatility. You can redeem points for travel, cash back, statement credits, gift cards, merchandise and more.

  If you want the flexibility to fly with any airline, Membership Rewards points are one of your best bets. You’ll get 1 cent per point on travel with any airline through the Amex Membership Rewards portal, with no blackout dates or restrictions.

  Redemption option	Estimated value
  Transfer points to airline and hotel loyalty programs	Depends on program (around 2 cents on average)
  Book flights through the Amex Travel portal	1 cent
  Book hotels through the Amex Travel portal	0.7 cents
  Redeem for gift cards	0.5 to 1 cent
  Shop with points	0.5 cents
  Pay with your points at checkout	0.7 to 1 cents
  Cover your card charges and receive a statement credit	0.6 cents

  You can also transfer Membership Rewards points, mostly at a 1:1 ratio, to 15+ hotel and airline loyalty programs. Point transfers give you the potential to get more value for each point, especially if you use points for a luxury hotel stay or a premium airfare redemption. If you want to stretch your points as far as possible, the American Express® Green Card is a good card to have.

  American Express® Green Card transfer partners

  Aer Lingus AerClub (1:1) Aeromexico Premier (1:1.6) Air Canada Aeroplan (1:1) Air France/KLM Flying Blue (1:1) ANA Mileage Club (1:1) Avianca LifeMiles (1:1) British Airways Executive Club (Avios) (1:1) Cathay Pacific AsiaMiles (1:1) Delta SkyMiles (1:1) Emirates Skywards (1:1) Etihad Guest: (1:1)

  Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles (1:1) Iberia Avios (1:1) JetBlue TrueBlue (2.5:2) Qantas Frequent Flyer (1:1) Qatar Airways Privilege Club (1:1) Singapore KrisFlyer (1:1) Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1) Choice Privileges (1:1) Hilton Honors (1:2) Marriott Bonvoy (1:1)

  Unfortunately, most Membership Rewards redemptions outside of travel — including cash back — are worth less than 1 cent. If you plan to redeem rewards for statement credits or merchandise, for example, you’ll probably be better off with a cash back credit card.

  → Learn more about redeeming Membership Rewards points

• Other benefits (3 out of 5 stars)

  The American Express® Green Card offers additional perks that can more than make up for its annual fee each year, including more than $200 worth of travel credits. It also includes a decent suite of travel and purchase protections. But, it lacks premium travel benefits like airport lounge access. If you travel heavily and enjoy luxury travel perks, you should consider cards like The Platinum Card^® from American Express, the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® or the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.

  • $189 CLEAR Plus credit*: Get an annual credit for CLEAR Plus membership, which helps you move through security and TSA checkpoints faster at eligible airports.
  • Up to $100 LoungeBuddy credit*: This annual credit covers up to $100 worth of day passes into eligible LoungeBuddy airport lounges, which are located in airports throughout the world.
  • Trip delay insurance: Up to $300 per eligible trip on delays of 12 hours or longer. Cardholders are limited to two claims per 12-month period.
  • Car rental insurance: Get secondary auto rental coverage on eligible rental periods of up to 30 days. Coverage is worth up to $50,000 for damage or theft.¹
  • Baggage insurance: Up to $1,250 for carry-on luggage and up to $500 for checked baggage. Travel with a common carrier must be charged to the card for coverage to apply.²
  • Purchase protection: Get protection against damage or theft of eligible purchases with your card, up to $1,000 per purchase (annual limit of $50,000).
  • Extended warranty: Adds an additional year of warranty coverage to items that come with a manufacturer’s warranty of five years or less, up to $10,000 per purchase and up to $50,000 per card.

  *Enrollment required for these benefits.

  → See the best credit cards for travel insurance

The American Express^® Gold Card can be a more rewarding option for people who spend a lot on food and airfare each year, even with its higher annual fee of $325. This card lets you earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants (on up to $50,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X), Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X). Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point on all other eligible purchases. Terms Apply. It earns Membership Rewards points, so you’ll have the same flexible redemption options as the American Express® Green Card.

Cardholders also get a few benefits that may be easier to use, including up to $120 in Uber cash toward U.S. rides and eats each year and up to $120 in dining credits at eligible eateries*. Note that both annual statement credits are given out in monthly increments of $10, so you have to utilize them often to get the full value.

*Enrollment required.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card will only set you back $95 per year with its annual fee, while offering a similarly flexible rewards program with the option to transfer points to Chase’s loyalty programs partners.

It’s a better option for earning points on everyday spending, with bonus categories like dining, online grocery purchases and select streaming services. It’s also the best card for those who prefer simpler redemption options, since you can redeem points for any travel purchase for 1 cent per point, or through Chase’s travel portal for a 25% bonus.

A huge sign-up bonus is available for cardholders within the first few months of account opening. It also includes a better set of travel protections, including primary car rental insurance, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, baggage delay insurance and trip delay coverage.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card annual fee is much higher at $395 (see rates & fees), but this card includes premium travel benefits. Cardmembers get a Priority Pass™ Select airport lounge membership, 10,000 anniversary bonus miles each year upon card renewal and a fee credit toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership. You’ll also get a $300 credit each year for Capital One travel purchases, which can make up for most of the annual fee (see rates & fees).

Its miles are more flexible than the American Express® Green Card, since you can redeem them for any travel purchase for a value of 1 cent per mile. You can also transfer points to Capital One’s airline and hotel partners, though — unlike the American Express® Green Card — that list doesn’t include any major U.S. airlines.

The American Express® Green Card is best for individuals who want to earn transferable points without paying more than $150 per year for the privilege. Cardholders who spend a lot on travel, transit and dining can also benefit from this card due to its generous rewards rate in these categories. Frequent travelers will also benefit from its CLEAR Plus and LoungeBuddy benefits*.

Just remember that there are other cards that earn Membership Rewards points with better rewards and benefits. The American Express^® Gold Card may also suit your needs better if you spend a lot on food and airfare. And, if you’re willing to pay $695 per year and you want all the luxury travel benefits you could possibly get, you can even consider The Platinum Card^® from American Express (see rates & fees).