The thing that kills both the Gold and the Platinum for me are the endless coupons. It's just one more thing I had to keep up with (before I canceled them both). I'd much prefer to have a lower AF AND "club privileges" from the Amex Platinum (hotel status, airport lounges, etc) than deal with, "If you happened to spend money at these two dozen places then the Amex is actually paying YOU $100/yr." It's just a PITA. If they raised the fee to $10,000 but, if you added all the coupons up to $10,100 and had to jump through all of those hoops, would you still do it? "I'm eating at McDonalds once a month because they have a deal with Amex Platinum and I get $10 back each month which equates to $120 off my $10K AF." - That's where this is going - you just have to keep multiplying the coupons out. Let me have the Platinum for $500 with no coupons but with "club benefits" like airport lounges, hotel status, car rental status, etc. and I'd be on board. They're basically using advertising (coupons) to pay for the card.
So you would be willing to pay $500 for a platinum that gives everything it already offers? Just don't use the coupons then. Your argument doesn't make sense when you're saying its a PITA to save 120 dollars but aren't willing to pay the $195 difference between your hypothetical $500 AF and the $695 its already at. Also of course I wouldn't go out my way to save $120 on a $10K AF but that's only 1.2% of the annual fee. Its more comparable to say you are going out of your way to save $2K on your $10K AF since that's more akin to the coupons you get. I don't try to be an Amex shill, I just follow where the money is. If it doesn't work for me at some point, I'm cancelling. But it seems you are going more with your emotions than your wallet. And that's okay too.
I rather lower fee and no airport lounge. Now airport lounge is always so crowded I can't even get in with my platinum, so it's just a useless feature now
in order for the cards to make sense, with the credits to offset the fee- these have to be spending categories you are already spending money in. Otherwise, its not worth it to spend "more" just to get to use the credits.
There is a significant hassle factor, you have to remember, have I used Grubhub? How about Uber, Dunkin? If you mess up “breakage”. I don’t like fighting my way back out of negative value
Or… it fits your spending. - I order from an Indian place once a month that takes Uber Eats and doesn’t up-charge on pickup. I don’t do delivery anyway. - Same deal on a pizza place that takes GrubHub. - I don’t hate Dunks. - One of our favorite restaurants is on Resy. For right now, the card does its job.
I downgraded back to Green and got a prorated annual fee even though I had paid the $250 back in March. I want to get the EveryDay card again and then use it in conjunction with the Blue Business Plus to make a budget trifecta. I don't value the Platinum since I live near an internation airport that has no lounges.
The coupon book here will have Amex Gold card holders spending more than they normally do in the long-run. Whenever you have to change your behavior to use these credits, you already lose. Yes you can say "well you get $50 semi-annually for Resy which helps you pay for it" but the problem is you still end up spending more than you normally would. If I don't use Resy, I spend $0 every 6 months. Suddenly, if I HAVE to use Resy to get my coupon, I am most definitely spending at least $50 (in a fancy restaurant that would have costed $100 if it weren't for the $50 credit) every six months. Yes I am getting $50 back, but I am still spending $50 on something I wouldn't normally get. It's the same thing with Dunkin' Donuts. I would argue the old Amex Gold was much better because I can see Uber Credit and Dining Credit as "hey I am already using these services, so this card supplements my normal behavior" at a much lower annual fee of $250. At the end of the day, Amex is couponing because it's to get people to funnel more cash into Amex, and I cannot justify this new iteration as "keeper card".
I was going to cancel earlier this year but they gave me a retention offer. I know a lot of people hate the update but for me it actually pushed me back in the positive expected value. Luckily I live in LA with tons of viable options to use the resy credit. The dunkin donuts is an added bonus. I saw on reddit that the credit works to add funds to your wallet easier to stack up like that.
Can confirm using amex gold to add funds to dunkin card works, already received my $7 credit yesterday. This is great cuz essentially it turns the $84 credit into a $84 gift card that does not expire
@heisferdy I used to have the Green card. I canceled it for the blue cash everyday card. I also have the Hilton Aspire, surpass, and honors Amex cards. I also have the Chase trifecta and I plan on getting the Venture X this November after I cancel my Gold card
not a big deal, amex gold has so many credits, you don't have to use all of them for the card to make sense. i am lucky to be able to use all of them very easily, so i am a happy camper with recent changes.
@@jdubb4113 Additonally this works thru Apple Pay as well, so need to input your card info to the app. Just reload it every month and use your dunkin card whenever you travel. Dunkin is hella popular in airports across USA.
I love the AMEX Gold card. I make full use of the 4x categories with about $600 - $700 / month in groceries and about $1,000 / month on dining. I have already used the new Resy credit. I live in LA where there are a ton of Resy options; and Resy has become my go-to tool for our weekend dining adventures. So, making full use of the other $240 in credits, I will get full value and then some when the new annual fee hits next year (for me). The Gold card is the main workhorse of my set up.
@@jrs89 Deposits and reservations are not required. As long as the restaurant is featured in Rest, you are good to go. Just enroll in the benefit and pay with your Gold card. Restaurants that require a deposit with a. reservation are annoying. I get why they do it, but still it is annoying. Thankfully, there are quite a few options in LA where I can avoid those establishments - when I need to make a reservation. That being said, I do recommend you check out the benefit on the AMEX site just to confirm I did not err in my explanation.
@@jrs89 Hello. You do not need a reservation to take advantage of the credit. As long as the restaurant is featured on Resy, you are good to go. Not sure where you live, but here in LA we have a ton of options. And establishments that require a cc or even a deposit to hold a reservation are annoying. I understand why they do it, but it is still annoying. I do recommend checking the fine print on the AMEX site just in case I erred, but that was my experience. All the best.
@@dhiyaesmail1297 Af only $150. You don’t get credits for Uber, DD, etc but if you don’t really use those then, I think it’s fine. If you have a Chase SR card it’s the equivalent to a gold card.
My initial reaction was to close the card, but I live the SF Bay area and I spend a lot on food. Annoying to use multiple credits, but will keep it for now.
I live in Connecticut where there is a Dunkin on just about every corner, 2 within a mile of my house. Also, one of my favorite restaurants is on Resy. The only negative for me was the elimination of Shake Shack, so now it's Cheesecake Factory. I was contemplating cancelling the card when I first saw the fee increase, but after finding that I am able to use all $424 with not much effort, definitely keeping.👑
First off, the white gold design is sweet! Before the annual fee increase I was able to use all credits which brought the cost of holding the card down $10. Now with the new credits my cost to hold the card is down to $1, without using Resy. Unfortunately the closest Resy restaurant from me is a whopping 16 miles away! I travel once in a while and I'll probably be able to use it a couple of times a year. With car rentals, hotels & airfare, I still make out good holding the Amex Gold.
There are no Resy restaurants in my area, I hate Dunkin, and they took away the only restaurant at which I used the dining credit (Shake Shack). RIP AmEx Gold 👑
👑 1 - Love the revamp. I'd happily pay $325 for them to pay me back $99 just to keep the card 2 - All the credits are super useful for someone from NY. I'm a Starbucks guy, but $7 = 2 free coffees. I'd take 2 free coffees anytime in a month 3 - Spend a lot on dining (especially when traveling). Gold card provides a ton of value for me
We appreciate your opinion cause you try to be fair with who this works and doesn’t work for. A lot of UA-camrs are dismissing it as soon as they saw the annual price increase. It still makes sense for a lot of people. You also forgot to add that you can use the Dunkin credit to load money on the Dunkin app so if you are ever near a Dunkin when you’re traveling, you can use the credit then.
👑 curious to hear what your fave coffee order at Dunkin’ is. Excited to try out the new credits and to get the White Gold version. Sad the Shake Shack credit’s going away though ☹️
👑 Hawaii resident here. I don't know if the coffee bags you showed in the video were actually what you purchased, but in my opinion, skip the blends. Whether or not you think the coffee itself is worth it is a separate debate, but if you're going to pay a premium, don't bother with 10% or 25% Kona mixed with mostly cheaper coffee. Just pay more for 100% Kona coffee instead. It's not that much more expensive, and actually a better deal for the premium coffee if you do the math. Think about it like mixing one bag of 100% Kona with 3 bags of cheap coffee for a 25% blend, or one bag of Kona with 9 bags of cheap coffee for a 10% blend. There's actually legislation in the works to require 51% Kona or more in order to label it as Kona coffee at all. Kauai coffee doesn't get the same level of name recognition, but in my opinion it's also quite good, and not as expensive as Kona.
I switched to the AMEX cash preferred card from the Gold and I love it. $0 for the first year and $95 each year after with a $84 Disney plus credit. Which if you have Disney plus it basically gives it to you for free every year, which also cancels out the price of the card. You get 6% cash back on all grocery purchases 6% cash back on streaming (not all that useful) 3% cash back on gas Unfortunately it’s not a great restaurant card like the gold but the grocery purchase is much better and this card gets money back for gas.
This will probably be a great card for me once I finish grad school but right now the idea of spending more than like $50 a month on restaurants is laughable 😭
Great post. Can you clarify this as Amex is not responding -- Does the Resy credit require that you dine at the restaurant or can it be a pick up order from a Resy listed restaurant?
My small city does not have an Uber service. You simply just drive everywhere., Resy restaurants are 30 minutes away, and there's no Dunkin. We do have a FIVE guys. So I don't get at least $300 of the discount coupons. I have cards that are 1x lower than the Amex gold when it comes to groceries and gas and none of them have an annual fee.
It is better to first calculate what needs to be spent to break even ($325) assuming each point is worth 1 cent. The credit (coupons) should be secondary and should be thought of as bonus as they are not equally cash equivalent (you are forced to spend given each coupon has a maturity).
Just got off the phone cancelling my gold business. Somehow the customer service for amen went downhill. Remember the change of 4x category for Amex gold business? The rep started arguing with me that shipping was never part of the 4x. Anyway, not worth it.
What I've found with the Amex Gold is that the multipliers are kinda irrelevant as I am almost always working on a SUB for a new card. I do enjoy the dining credits though, as I actually rarely eat out and they give me an excuse to take a night off from cooking from time to time.
👑 been following you for many years! Just booked Park Hyatt beaver creek with UR points this week! This will be our 2nd park Hyatt with the 1st being Paris Vendome also with UR points thanks sebby!
I have zero issue getting full use out of every major credit this card has and I’m talking normal spend. I live in Philadelphia and I travel internationally and domestically a good deal and so I take Uber, I also order out a few times per month so using Uber Eats or GrubHub is something I’ll use anyway even if I was using my Savor One to pay. The Resy credit is super easy for me to use like that one I’m excited about because some of my favorite restaurants are on there. And I like basic coffee and a breakfast sandwich at Dunkin which is everywhere in my city. I just feel that I make a lot back in points with the Gold and it’s by far my most used card. The Platinum on the other hand I might cancel that bad boy and just rock out with my Venture X since I usually fly out of IAD or JFK and rarely out of PHL.
I totally get why these changes suck for people on the west coast, but as someone who works in Boston, and who goes out ot places on the Resy list regularly, these changes are awesome. I buy a dunkin coffee once a week as it is. I won't need to change my habits at all but will get $184 in additional credits for a $75 additional fee. This card was already a big contributor in my wallet between the existing credits and the 4x. Plus as a corporate advantage member, the annual fee is reduced by $100 for me. With the new changes , it has become the single most valuable card in my wallet.
👑👑 good video Sebby. What would your thoughts be in canceling this card when new annual fee starts and just using a mixture of freedom flex and ink cash (to buy gift cards at 5x) and getting your groceries that way? If you can buy gift cards on separate days and stack up a few grand...then use freedom flex for whatever quarter is 5x in groceries....wouldn't that work?
I just started using the debit cards I get at Staples with the CIBC for groceries, and it's a good strategy so far. I was going 50/50 between the debit cards and Gold card just to keep a good balance of UR/MR, but with this change to the Gold I'll probably drop it.
👑 I think the update isn't bad especially the resy credit. Funny enough Keeper's is one of my go to restaurants about twice a year 😅. Really considering the card as with a family of 4 restaurants and groceries add up quick. I just get lazy with the github and Uber eat price comps but I do take out at least 2-3 times a month so should be an easy win.
Just got my white gold replacement card. I think I liked the rose gold that I previously had slightly better. But P2 got their rose gold as AU through a 10k MR bonus offer. No dunkin close to me so it's a bit annoying to have to go way out of my way to get the credit.
I suspect many of your viewers may already take into account the below in their own personal calculations, but for folks newer into the world of credit cards, the following might be helpful information re: the Amex Gold calculator. I get the ease of simply calculating yearly restaurant spend. It's clean and simple. But not all restaurants accept Amex, so I think the restaurant spend question in the calculator may overvalue the 4% benefit if the user isn't adjusting for this. This is less likely to be an issue for grocery store spend (although it still may be). The other thing I'll note is the 4% benefit should be compared to the next best thing in the wallet. For me, I have the Costco Citi credit card, which gives 3% on restaurants. So the added value, for me, for restaurant spend with this card, is 1%, not 4%. (I get that the value of a Amex point is greater than Costco Citi cash back, so a user should probably factor that in as well.) These may be too complicated to build into the calculator, but I do think some notation about the nuances may be helpful for people newer to this.
I can see the Capital One Savor One card getting more attention with the recent annual fee hike on the Amex Gold card. Lots of potential with that card for no annual fee.
I recently got the gold card but actually realizing if I should have gotten the blue card instead… don’t really eat out unless it’s Chick-fil-A … can I could some suggestions on what to do ?
Wow get this. I went to my local Five Guys and I thought the guy charged me three times because the receipt wasn't printing and I swiped three times all approved. A girl comes over and says we don't take American Express, I go what, but you have a big promo with Amex.
@@paquitojhs I tried to call the number on the back of the card, but you can't get pass the automated robot. I'll still try to call in to get some comps of some type.
Is the 20% in statement credits on restaurants in the first 6 months considered a SUB or just the 60/90 K points? I already have the platinum and ineligible for lower tier card SUBs.
In Northern California I often go to local coffee shops cause I'm a bit of a snob. There aren't any Dunkins around here and their locations are kinda random. I wouldn't rather have a $5 sbux credit since theyre everywhere and easy to use.
Clarifying point. For existing members, the fee change is when again? Sept or October? So if our annual fee comes up before then, then we’re grandfathered in for another year with the old rate right?
Could you recommend a card which gives the better lounge access, have most points for regular household buys like grocery and other merchandise and the least annual fee, dinning and travel expenses will be of the lowest priority. The points acquired could be either for travel or cashback
These changes surprisingly work out for myself. Have a Dunkin on my way to work and a five guys is about a 10 minute drive from work. Uber credits I use for chipotle that’s down the street from my gym I go to. Luckily I’m able to get massive value from this card still.
I'm in the same boat. I can use the Uber Eats and GrubHub credits and the Dunkin credit. I would use $324 in credits between all 3 so my effective annual fee would be $1. The rest would be supermarket and dining purchases on the card. The only thing that would have me to cancel would be coupon fatigue. I will if Capital One approves me for the SavorOne even if its for Good credit to replace the Gold card and then I would either if I don't get a good retention offer, the Gold will either be downgraded back to Green or canceled and my points will be safe because of the Blue Business Plus. I have no use for Resy and the Hotel credit.
Why is Amex gold considered a travel credit card but the Uber credit is only for the US? It should work if you are overseas. I have been active duty and I get the annual fee waved but I haven’t used any of the credits in three years
For me I would prefer more on DD since I go there daily,wish it was higher. My Uber cash I use 6 months out of the year (if that much) so would like to swap them.
What is your preferred airline and do the airports you routinely fly out of have a lounge within Chase’s network? My Airline of choice is Delta so for me it makes more sense to have the Amex Platinum. My strategy is Amex Platinum and the Chase Sapphire Preferred. I’m canceling my Gold Card once the new AF hits.
What’s your strategy for getting the most out of the 4X points on dining and groceries? Do you pair this card with others to cover different spending categories?
Canceled my Gold card a few days ago. The Platinum may be next. The long line for the lounges and these mostly useless credits that you have to jump through hoops to use, just not worth it in my opinion.
i used to pay 99 dollars, the minute they raised it to 250 i cancelled . they tried to keep me for another year but i finally gave up and said i gave it a year and i did not use uber or fly anywere, so its a waste for me. sorry thanks, now i keep 250 in my pocket and use the amazon car for anything, i wish amex had points for amazon, that would be a game changer for real
Awww since I just got my card today, Aug 2024, did I miss out on the $50 Resy credit for the first half? Also, I'm new to Amex. I just got my Classic Gold card today, but I want a copy of both the Rose Gold and the White Gold. I was thinking, should I get the white gold and not activate it, then get a rose gold for an AU? In this way, I can have all three physical cards? Can I make myself an AU? lol
👑I just don’t see the point in an Amex setup anymore. Unless you need the lounges or access to ANA and Delta as partners, you can get pretty much everything they offer somewhere else for cheaper and without all the hoops
The biggest downside of Amex in general is surprisingly not the coupon book, it's the fact that pretty much nobody accepts Amex outside of the US. I took a trip sort of around the world for 5 months (15 countries Asia -> Europe -> Latin America) and the only places that accepted Amex were basically big hotel chains, American companies, or expensive places (e.g. high end restaurants). It's a shame because Amex does so many things well, but they ruin by charging merchants too much where nobody accepts it, and then making this stupid coupon book. It's actually upsetting 😆
👑 even though the resy credit, which is easy to use for me, would make it cheaper than the old fee, the fact theres no Dunkins in Washington makes you feel left out of the new benefits. I guess reloading gift cards or on an app is the new way of amex. 😂. Still a great earner card but there are more options/combinstions out there that cost less than 325 dollars that im starting to look into.
💳 Amex Gold Card Calculator: www.asksebby.com/credit-card-reviews/amex-gold-card
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The thing that kills both the Gold and the Platinum for me are the endless coupons.
It's just one more thing I had to keep up with (before I canceled them both). I'd much prefer to have a lower AF AND "club privileges" from the Amex Platinum (hotel status, airport lounges, etc) than deal with, "If you happened to spend money at these two dozen places then the Amex is actually paying YOU $100/yr." It's just a PITA. If they raised the fee to $10,000 but, if you added all the coupons up to $10,100 and had to jump through all of those hoops, would you still do it?
"I'm eating at McDonalds once a month because they have a deal with Amex Platinum and I get $10 back each month which equates to $120 off my $10K AF." - That's where this is going - you just have to keep multiplying the coupons out.
Let me have the Platinum for $500 with no coupons but with "club benefits" like airport lounges, hotel status, car rental status, etc. and I'd be on board.
They're basically using advertising (coupons) to pay for the card.
So you would be willing to pay $500 for a platinum that gives everything it already offers? Just don't use the coupons then. Your argument doesn't make sense when you're saying its a PITA to save 120 dollars but aren't willing to pay the $195 difference between your hypothetical $500 AF and the $695 its already at. Also of course I wouldn't go out my way to save $120 on a $10K AF but that's only 1.2% of the annual fee. Its more comparable to say you are going out of your way to save $2K on your $10K AF since that's more akin to the coupons you get.
I don't try to be an Amex shill, I just follow where the money is. If it doesn't work for me at some point, I'm cancelling. But it seems you are going more with your emotions than your wallet. And that's okay too.
I rather lower fee and no airport lounge. Now airport lounge is always so crowded I can't even get in with my platinum, so it's just a useless feature now
in order for the cards to make sense, with the credits to offset the fee- these have to be spending categories you are already spending money in. Otherwise, its not worth it to spend "more" just to get to use the credits.
Let’s be honest the credits just make you pay more on annoying little purchases every month from different platforms.
There is a significant hassle factor, you have to remember, have I used Grubhub? How about Uber, Dunkin? If you mess up “breakage”. I don’t like fighting my way back out of negative value
Or… it fits your spending.
- I order from an Indian place once a month that takes Uber Eats and doesn’t up-charge on pickup. I don’t do delivery anyway.
- Same deal on a pizza place that takes GrubHub.
- I don’t hate Dunks.
- One of our favorite restaurants is on Resy.
For right now, the card does its job.
I downgraded back to Green and got a prorated annual fee even though I had paid the $250 back in March. I want to get the EveryDay card again and then use it in conjunction with the Blue Business Plus to make a budget trifecta. I don't value the Platinum since I live near an internation airport that has no lounges.
The coupon book here will have Amex Gold card holders spending more than they normally do in the long-run.
Whenever you have to change your behavior to use these credits, you already lose.
Yes you can say "well you get $50 semi-annually for Resy which helps you pay for it" but the problem is you still end up spending more than you normally would.
If I don't use Resy, I spend $0 every 6 months.
Suddenly, if I HAVE to use Resy to get my coupon, I am most definitely spending at least $50 (in a fancy restaurant that would have costed $100 if it weren't for the $50 credit) every six months. Yes I am getting $50 back, but I am still spending $50 on something I wouldn't normally get.
It's the same thing with Dunkin' Donuts.
I would argue the old Amex Gold was much better because I can see Uber Credit and Dining Credit as "hey I am already using these services, so this card supplements my normal behavior" at a much lower annual fee of $250. At the end of the day, Amex is couponing because it's to get people to funnel more cash into Amex, and I cannot justify this new iteration as "keeper card".
I was going to cancel earlier this year but they gave me a retention offer. I know a lot of people hate the update but for me it actually pushed me back in the positive expected value. Luckily I live in LA with tons of viable options to use the resy credit. The dunkin donuts is an added bonus. I saw on reddit that the credit works to add funds to your wallet easier to stack up like that.
Can confirm using amex gold to add funds to dunkin card works, already received my $7 credit yesterday. This is great cuz essentially it turns the $84 credit into a $84 gift card that does not expire
Canceling my Gold card in November before my annual fee post. I use the Savor One card daily
That's my plan. I'll cancel next year and switch to the Savor One.
Any consideration in downgrading to the Green card instead of cancelling?
@heisferdy I used to have the Green card. I canceled it for the blue cash everyday card. I also have the Hilton Aspire, surpass, and honors Amex cards. I also have the Chase trifecta and I plan on getting the Venture X this November after I cancel my Gold card
They are charging you up front first month for annual fee.
@@BTCSowhat annual fee usually post after your 1st statement close date
My man Sebs with the deep dive clip in the beginning. 😅
Haha, oops.
@@AskSebby Don't apologize for giving the audience what it wants :)
not a big deal, amex gold has so many credits, you don't have to use all of them for the card to make sense. i am lucky to be able to use all of them very easily, so i am a happy camper with recent changes.
Great info Sebby, thank you
4:10 👑 may want to mention the Uber Cash credit can also be used towards Lime scooter / e-bike rentals
Thank you again, Sebby! I applied and got approved for AMEX Gold just now using the link on your site
Thank you! Appreciate the support :)
RIP. Utah resident here. The current only Dunkin location is located on a military base. They will be adding another location soon, but still.👑
Buy $7 credit on the app every month. Use it on vacation
Where will the new location be?
@@jdubb4113 Additonally this works thru Apple Pay as well, so need to input your card info to the app. Just reload it every month and use your dunkin card whenever you travel. Dunkin is hella popular in airports across USA.
@@lancejones5983 I believe by the Black Sheep Bar.
@@jdubb4113 huge tip! Just did it, and hopefully it’ll work long term. Thank you!
I love the AMEX Gold card. I make full use of the 4x categories with about $600 - $700 / month in groceries and about $1,000 / month on dining. I have already used the new Resy credit. I live in LA where there are a ton of Resy options; and Resy has become my go-to tool for our weekend dining adventures. So, making full use of the other $240 in credits, I will get full value and then some when the new annual fee hits next year (for me). The Gold card is the main workhorse of my set up.
How do you use the Resy credit? It seems like it can only be used with a few restaurants that require a deposit for a reservation.
@@jrs89 Deposits and reservations are not required. As long as the restaurant is featured in Rest, you are good to go. Just enroll in the benefit and pay with your Gold card. Restaurants that require a deposit with a. reservation are annoying. I get why they do it, but still it is annoying. Thankfully, there are quite a few options in LA where I can avoid those establishments - when I need to make a reservation. That being said, I do recommend you check out the benefit on the AMEX site just to confirm I did not err in my explanation.
@@jrs89 Hello. You do not need a reservation to take advantage of the credit. As long as the restaurant is featured on Resy, you are good to go. Not sure where you live, but here in LA we have a ton of options. And establishments that require a cc or even a deposit to hold a reservation are annoying. I understand why they do it, but it is still annoying. I do recommend checking the fine print on the AMEX site just in case I erred, but that was my experience. All the best.
Downgraded to the green card this week and don’t regret it. The new annual fee can KMA 😘
Is the green card worth it?
@@dhiyaesmail1297Green is free
I'm prob downgrading nx spring too. Would cancel but don't wanna lose that credit history.
@@dhiyaesmail1297 Af only $150. You don’t get credits for Uber, DD, etc but if you don’t really use those then, I think it’s fine. If you have a Chase SR card it’s the equivalent to a gold card.
Seeing a Banh Mi for $12.50 made me very sad lol
It makes me very sad as well knowing it's only $5 in Houston or any other city.
@@AskSebby There are $5 banh mi in the TL
Prefer to avoid the TL 😅
@@AskSebbyThey’re like $10 here in Chicago, meeting you in the middle lol
Especially compared to $1-2 in Vietnam. Although they aren't giving American sized portions over there.
Just applied for the Amex gold card after seeing your review and got approved! Very helpful review 👑
Glad it was helpful!
My initial reaction was to close the card, but I live the SF Bay area and I spend a lot on food. Annoying to use multiple credits, but will keep it for now.
I live in Connecticut where there is a Dunkin on just about every corner, 2 within a mile of my house. Also, one of my favorite restaurants is on Resy. The only negative for me was the elimination of Shake Shack, so now it's Cheesecake Factory. I was contemplating cancelling the card when I first saw the fee increase, but after finding that I am able to use all $424 with not much effort, definitely keeping.👑
Nice!
First off, the white gold design is sweet! Before the annual fee increase I was able to use all credits which brought the cost of holding the card down $10. Now with the new credits my cost to hold the card is down to $1, without using Resy. Unfortunately the closest Resy restaurant from me is a whopping 16 miles away! I travel once in a while and I'll probably be able to use it a couple of times a year. With car rentals, hotels & airfare, I still make out good holding the Amex Gold.
There are no Resy restaurants in my area, I hate Dunkin, and they took away the only restaurant at which I used the dining credit (Shake Shack). RIP AmEx Gold 👑
👑
1 - Love the revamp. I'd happily pay $325 for them to pay me back $99 just to keep the card
2 - All the credits are super useful for someone from NY. I'm a Starbucks guy, but $7 = 2 free coffees. I'd take 2 free coffees anytime in a month
3 - Spend a lot on dining (especially when traveling). Gold card provides a ton of value for me
We appreciate your opinion cause you try to be fair with who this works and doesn’t work for. A lot of UA-camrs are dismissing it as soon as they saw the annual price increase. It still makes sense for a lot of people. You also forgot to add that you can use the Dunkin credit to load money on the Dunkin app so if you are ever near a Dunkin when you’re traveling, you can use the credit then.
👑 curious to hear what your fave coffee order at Dunkin’ is.
Excited to try out the new credits and to get the White Gold version.
Sad the Shake Shack credit’s going away though ☹️
Their coffee is really good. I just get the regular blend on a daily basis, and it's about 3$ for an xl or large.
If you're a coffee drinker, Buy a bag of ground coffee per month.
👑 Hawaii resident here. I don't know if the coffee bags you showed in the video were actually what you purchased, but in my opinion, skip the blends. Whether or not you think the coffee itself is worth it is a separate debate, but if you're going to pay a premium, don't bother with 10% or 25% Kona mixed with mostly cheaper coffee. Just pay more for 100% Kona coffee instead. It's not that much more expensive, and actually a better deal for the premium coffee if you do the math. Think about it like mixing one bag of 100% Kona with 3 bags of cheap coffee for a 25% blend, or one bag of Kona with 9 bags of cheap coffee for a 10% blend. There's actually legislation in the works to require 51% Kona or more in order to label it as Kona coffee at all.
Kauai coffee doesn't get the same level of name recognition, but in my opinion it's also quite good, and not as expensive as Kona.
Thanks for the tip! We ended up going with the 100% Kona coffee :)
@@AskSebby Good, glad to hear it!
I switched to the AMEX cash preferred card from the Gold and I love it. $0 for the first year and $95 each year after with a $84 Disney plus credit. Which if you have Disney plus it basically gives it to you for free every year, which also cancels out the price of the card.
You get 6% cash back on all grocery purchases
6% cash back on streaming (not all that useful)
3% cash back on gas
Unfortunately it’s not a great restaurant card like the gold but the grocery purchase is much better and this card gets money back for gas.
This will probably be a great card for me once I finish grad school but right now the idea of spending more than like $50 a month on restaurants is laughable 😭
Great post. Can you clarify this as Amex is not responding -- Does the Resy credit require that you dine at the restaurant or can it be a pick up order from a Resy listed restaurant?
Based on the various videos I have watched, It doesn’t matter, it can literally even be a gift card to that place as long as they are listed on resy 🫡
I feel this card is made for people that live in NYC. (Resy, Dunkin, Uber…)
A keeper card for me.
Easy win for me. The resy credits effectively decreased my annual fee by $25.
Thanks Amex
My small city does not have an Uber service. You simply just drive everywhere., Resy restaurants are 30 minutes away, and there's no Dunkin. We do have a FIVE guys. So I don't get at least $300 of the discount coupons. I have cards that are 1x lower than the Amex gold when it comes to groceries and gas and none of them have an annual fee.
I think Dunkin is a negative add on. Nothing from Dunkin is on the healthy side.
Even if you don't care about eating healthy, Dunkin' doughnuts are barely edible. I'd rather eat a nasty Krispy Kreme over Dunkin'.
I benefit from it , it’s close to home and I drink coffee every morning.
👑 I’m on the fence on keeping it or canceling
👑Thanks, Sebby! I'm working through whether keeping the Gold is worth it for me in year 2 and beyond right now and this is really helpful!
I hope you had a better experience at the Prince than I did. They didn’t seem to care about the issues in our room.
What kills this card for me is not having a yearly travel credit. The 20% on restaurants should be yearly as well.
I’m strongly thinking about canceling don’t eat out as much as I do. Wish you can save the monthly credit
What counts as a "US Grocery Store?" Are discount stores like Aldi and Lidl included?
I like the new upgrade and the card design. I got two Dunkin and two five guys near me so easy to justify the AF. Still the 👑 of food card.
It is better to first calculate what needs to be spent to break even ($325) assuming each point is worth 1 cent. The credit (coupons) should be secondary and should be thought of as bonus as they are not equally cash equivalent (you are forced to spend given each coupon has a maturity).
I'm cancelling my Gold before the next annual fee is due. I switched to BCP for groceries/streaming.
They renewed my fee but its at the old $250 rate. Im surprised. 😮
Just got off the phone cancelling my gold business. Somehow the customer service for amen went downhill. Remember the change of 4x category for Amex gold business? The rep started arguing with me that shipping was never part of the 4x. Anyway, not worth it.
What I've found with the Amex Gold is that the multipliers are kinda irrelevant as I am almost always working on a SUB for a new card. I do enjoy the dining credits though, as I actually rarely eat out and they give me an excuse to take a night off from cooking from time to time.
👑 been following you for many years! Just booked Park Hyatt beaver creek with UR points this week! This will be our 2nd park Hyatt with the 1st being Paris Vendome also with UR points thanks sebby!
Awesome!
I have zero issue getting full use out of every major credit this card has and I’m talking normal spend. I live in Philadelphia and I travel internationally and domestically a good deal and so I take Uber, I also order out a few times per month so using Uber Eats or GrubHub is something I’ll use anyway even if I was using my Savor One to pay. The Resy credit is super easy for me to use like that one I’m excited about because some of my favorite restaurants are on there. And I like basic coffee and a breakfast sandwich at Dunkin which is everywhere in my city. I just feel that I make a lot back in points with the Gold and it’s by far my most used card. The Platinum on the other hand I might cancel that bad boy and just rock out with my Venture X since I usually fly out of IAD or JFK and rarely out of PHL.
I totally get why these changes suck for people on the west coast, but as someone who works in Boston, and who goes out ot places on the Resy list regularly, these changes are awesome. I buy a dunkin coffee once a week as it is. I won't need to change my habits at all but will get $184 in additional credits for a $75 additional fee.
This card was already a big contributor in my wallet between the existing credits and the 4x. Plus as a corporate advantage member, the annual fee is reduced by $100 for me. With the new changes , it has become the single most valuable card in my wallet.
Since the Amex gold is a charge card, if I cancel it, will it lower my credit score?
👑👑 good video Sebby. What would your thoughts be in canceling this card when new annual fee starts and just using a mixture of freedom flex and ink cash (to buy gift cards at 5x) and getting your groceries that way? If you can buy gift cards on separate days and stack up a few grand...then use freedom flex for whatever quarter is 5x in groceries....wouldn't that work?
I just started using the debit cards I get at Staples with the CIBC for groceries, and it's a good strategy so far. I was going 50/50 between the debit cards and Gold card just to keep a good balance of UR/MR, but with this change to the Gold I'll probably drop it.
👑 I think the update isn't bad especially the resy credit. Funny enough Keeper's is one of my go to restaurants about twice a year 😅. Really considering the card as with a family of 4 restaurants and groceries add up quick. I just get lazy with the github and Uber eat price comps but I do take out at least 2-3 times a month so should be an easy win.
Just got my white gold replacement card. I think I liked the rose gold that I previously had slightly better. But P2 got their rose gold as AU through a 10k MR bonus offer.
No dunkin close to me so it's a bit annoying to have to go way out of my way to get the credit.
The credits seem a little redundant if you have the Amex Platinum
If you live in the city, most will be able to utilize the credits from both cards.
The $15 uber credit from the Plat, stacks with this $10 credit. Making it a useful $25 per month.
Honestly the 3x grocery/dining cards with no annual fees are much easier to keep up with and it’s a 1x difference per year…
I suspect many of your viewers may already take into account the below in their own personal calculations, but for folks newer into the world of credit cards, the following might be helpful information re: the Amex Gold calculator.
I get the ease of simply calculating yearly restaurant spend. It's clean and simple. But not all restaurants accept Amex, so I think the restaurant spend question in the calculator may overvalue the 4% benefit if the user isn't adjusting for this. This is less likely to be an issue for grocery store spend (although it still may be).
The other thing I'll note is the 4% benefit should be compared to the next best thing in the wallet. For me, I have the Costco Citi credit card, which gives 3% on restaurants. So the added value, for me, for restaurant spend with this card, is 1%, not 4%. (I get that the value of a Amex point is greater than Costco Citi cash back, so a user should probably factor that in as well.)
These may be too complicated to build into the calculator, but I do think some notation about the nuances may be helpful for people newer to this.
Just got the card before the AF increase. We’ll see if it works for me or if I get monthly credit fatigue.
I'm out. I'll be applying for the Savor One in September to pair with my Venture X. I'm all credited out
I think I will be keeping as seen a few LA options where $50 resy can help offset fee
I can see the Capital One Savor One card getting more attention with the recent annual fee hike on the Amex Gold card. Lots of potential with that card for no annual fee.
I recently got the gold card but actually realizing if I should have gotten the blue card instead… don’t really eat out unless it’s Chick-fil-A … can I could some suggestions on what to do ?
The calculator was very helpful… worth the sub now.
Wow get this. I went to my local Five Guys and I thought the guy charged me three times because the receipt wasn't printing and I swiped three times all approved. A girl comes over and says we don't take American Express, I go what, but you have a big promo with Amex.
What ended up happening with that?
@@paquitojhs I tried to call the number on the back of the card, but you can't get pass the automated robot. I'll still try to call in to get some comps of some type.
@@dino5254If you order via their app, it accepts AMEX. The $10 credit works too.
I just used my Gold card today at my local Five Guys and it worked.
@@davidw2739 I wonder if Amex has a fine print disclaimer saying at participating locations
Is the 20% in statement credits on restaurants in the first 6 months considered a SUB or just the 60/90 K points? I already have the platinum and ineligible for lower tier card SUBs.
In Northern California I often go to local coffee shops cause I'm a bit of a snob. There aren't any Dunkins around here and their locations are kinda random. I wouldn't rather have a $5 sbux credit since theyre everywhere and easy to use.
How do I add the Five Guys deal to my Gold Card. It does not show up as an option
The card revamp turned this from a good card for me to a no-brainer must-have card.
Can you purchase Gift Cards at Grocery Stores as part of your $6K minimum spending requirement for the sign up bonus?
Clarifying point. For existing members, the fee change is when again? Sept or October? So if our annual fee comes up before then, then we’re grandfathered in for another year with the old rate right?
@@henryh4468 new fee kicks in for renewals on or after Oct 1 2024
So if your card renewal is before then you have another year at $250 AF.
My opinion what float your boat don't make other people's boat sink to each his own
Could you recommend a card which gives the better lounge access, have most points for regular household buys like grocery and other merchandise and the least annual fee, dinning and travel expenses will be of the lowest priority. The points acquired could be either for travel or cashback
Really depends on the airport you're based out of and the lounges they have there. For ex: you're out of luck for any lounges if it's ORD or PDX.
@@AskSebby seatac primarily, but the priority lounge is pretty mediocre and the centurion needs a high annual platinum card
These changes surprisingly work out for myself. Have a Dunkin on my way to work and a five guys is about a 10 minute drive from work. Uber credits I use for chipotle that’s down the street from my gym I go to. Luckily I’m able to get massive value from this card still.
Why doesn't anyone add on the Membership Rewards fee when discussing the Gold Card
Key question: are these expenses parts of your regular routine, or new ones? Now make your decision.
My family and I only use the food credits so it's $324 of credits vs the $325 annual fee. Not to mention the 4x points we get on food and dining.
I'm in the same boat. I can use the Uber Eats and GrubHub credits and the Dunkin credit. I would use $324 in credits between all 3 so my effective annual fee would be $1. The rest would be supermarket and dining purchases on the card. The only thing that would have me to cancel would be coupon fatigue. I will if Capital One approves me for the SavorOne even if its for Good credit to replace the Gold card and then I would either if I don't get a good retention offer, the Gold will either be downgraded back to Green or canceled and my points will be safe because of the Blue Business Plus. I have no use for Resy and the Hotel credit.
How often do Restaurants - Bars & Cafe earn 1X not 4X? How do we tell in advance?
Why is Amex gold considered a travel credit card but the Uber credit is only for the US? It should work if you are overseas. I have been active duty and I get the annual fee waved but I haven’t used any of the credits in three years
This is what exactly is happening to me. I uber everywhere in my current city and not getting any credits towards it 😢
For me I would prefer more on DD since I go there daily,wish it was higher. My Uber cash I use 6 months out of the year (if that much) so would like to swap them.
Keeper for me I'm a foodie and I frequent dunkin so no brainer for me
Works for me, right now. Resy/Dunkin is useless to me. I am considering (about 2 years out) if I go back to platinum or CSR for travel.
What is your preferred airline and do the airports you routinely fly out of have a lounge within Chase’s network? My Airline of choice is Delta so for me it makes more sense to have the Amex Platinum. My strategy is Amex Platinum and the Chase Sapphire Preferred. I’m canceling my Gold Card once the new AF hits.
@@michaelnash2972 I downgraded my platinum to gold for now. Delta was my air but I am rethinking that, lol. I’m a year out from deciding.
What’s your strategy for getting the most out of the 4X points on dining and groceries? Do you pair this card with others to cover different spending categories?
Brenda's French Soul Food has the best biscuit in the game
Value aside, I got my "white gold" card today. It's underwhelming IMO. The digital images look better than the actual card does.
👑 I like the changes aside from the increase AF of course 😀 but it still fits my normal spending so I'm still in
When does new benefit kicks in?
Info point I was hoping for: What’s my downgrade option(s) because of the annual fee increase? If any. Great vid as usual!
Amex Green Card
Canceled my Gold card a few days ago. The Platinum may be next. The long line for the lounges and these mostly useless credits that you have to jump through hoops to use, just not worth it in my opinion.
I’m keeping my Platinum but just got the Chase Sapphire Preferred to ultimately replace my Amex Gold card.
i used to pay 99 dollars, the minute they raised it to 250 i cancelled . they tried to keep me for another year but i finally gave up and said i gave it a year and i did not use uber or fly anywere, so its a waste for me. sorry thanks, now i keep 250 in my pocket and use the amazon car for anything, i wish amex had points for amazon, that would be a game changer for real
Was on the fence but got found a 100k pt offer and 20% deal so it was too hard to pass even if it's only for a year. Plus that sweet white gold
BILT + Hilton Surpass, or Savor One is 👑
👑 Sadly my first premium Amex card was the Platinum so with the new bonus rules, I'll likely never apply for this card 😮
Giddy with excitement to cancel my amex this November
Awww since I just got my card today, Aug 2024, did I miss out on the $50 Resy credit for the first half?
Also, I'm new to Amex. I just got my Classic Gold card today, but I want a copy of both the Rose Gold and the White Gold. I was thinking, should I get the white gold and not activate it, then get a rose gold for an AU? In this way, I can have all three physical cards? Can I make myself an AU? lol
Keeping my new Amex Gold year one with the $250 AF, I’ll reevaluate in year two as I have the Amex Business Gold as well! ✊💳
There's a dunkin like 6 minutes away from me so I got preeetty lucky lol
👑 staying for the new design alone, white gold is 🔥
Can you do one for the Amex Business Gold as well please
On the list!
Will splitting the bill with player two at resy restaurant trigger both credits?
Yes
👑I just don’t see the point in an Amex setup anymore. Unless you need the lounges or access to ANA and Delta as partners, you can get pretty much everything they offer somewhere else for cheaper and without all the hoops
The biggest downside of Amex in general is surprisingly not the coupon book, it's the fact that pretty much nobody accepts Amex outside of the US. I took a trip sort of around the world for 5 months (15 countries Asia -> Europe -> Latin America) and the only places that accepted Amex were basically big hotel chains, American companies, or expensive places (e.g. high end restaurants). It's a shame because Amex does so many things well, but they ruin by charging merchants too much where nobody accepts it, and then making this stupid coupon book. It's actually upsetting 😆
I will be keeping the card until my AF hits the new rate. I will miss the cutoff so 1 more year for me
Well, just had Dunkin and the donuts are not that great. Almost 9 bucks for half a dozen so the credit didn't cover them all. No bueno
👑 even though the resy credit, which is easy to use for me, would make it cheaper than the old fee, the fact theres no Dunkins in Washington makes you feel left out of the new benefits. I guess reloading gift cards or on an app is the new way of amex. 😂. Still a great earner card but there are more options/combinstions out there that cost less than 325 dollars that im starting to look into.