If you have it in mind to apply for the Amex Gold Card, you’ll want to consider doing that right away. You may remember that last year it was announced than a monthly $10 Uber credit would be replacing the $100 annual airline incidental fee credit, but that during 2021 existing cardholders would get both benefits. Unfortunately, thanks to an eagle-eyed commenter at Doctor of Credit, we now know that 2/3/21 is the last day to apply and select an airline for the 2021 airline incidental credit on the Amex Gold card. Based on the terms, those who apply on or after 2/4/21 will not receive an airline incidental credit.
The terms in question from from the bottom of the Frequently Asked Questions about the new Amex Gold card Uber credit. Under the question, “When is the Airline Fee Credit being removed from American Express Gold Cards?”, the answer explicitly states (bold is mine for emphasis):
For American Express Gold Card Members who opened accounts before February 4, 2021, the $100 Airline Fee Credit will no longer be available after December 31, 2021. Card Members who opened accounts on or after February 4, 2021 are not eligible for the Airline Fee Credit.
That’s a huge bummer for anyone who intended to wait for a while to open the Gold card as this will significantly affect its first-year value. If you apply before 2/4/21, you’ll get the following benefits by 12/31/21:
- $100 airline incidental credit
- Up to $110 in Uber credits ($10 per month each month through the rest of this year)
- Up to $110 in credits valid for select restaurants, GrubHub, and Boxed.com purchases
If you wait until 2/4/21 or later, you will miss out on the airline fee credit.
To be clear, the airline fee credit is going away for all cardholders on 12/31/21 since the Uber credit is meant to replace it, but it is disappointing to see new cardholders cut out from the overlap. This is a possibility that I guessed might happen during a Frequent Miler on the Air discussion last year because Amex had said that the credits would overlap in 2021 for existing cardholders but I guessed that they may not continue to offer the airline credit for new cardholders all year long. I’m disappointed to have been right about that.
The current best publicly-available offer for the Gold Card is listed on our Best Offers page and our Amex Gold Card page. That offer comes with up to $250 in dining credits and as such is better than any other offer we’ve seen on the Gold card. See the details below and click the card name to go to our Amex Gold Card page for more information and a link to apply:
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
75K Points + 20% back on dining ⓘ Non-Affiliate 75K points after $6K in purchases in the first 6 months + 20% back on dining for 12months ($250 maximum total cashback). Terms apply. (Rates & Fees)$250 Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. Recent better offer: 90K after $4K in the first 6 months + 20% back at restaurants for the first 12 months up to $250 back [Expired 6/8/22] FM Mini Review: This card offers an awesome return on US supermarket and worldwide dining spend, putting it at or near the top-of-class in both categories. Dining credits and Uber / Uber Eats credits go a long way towards reducing the sting of this card's annual fee. Earning rate: 3X points for flights booked with airlines or on amextravel.com ✦ 4x points at US Supermarkets (up to $25K in purchases, then 1x) ✦ 4x at restaurants worldwide ✦ 1X points on other purchases. Terms apply. (Rates & Fees) Card Info: Amex Pay Over Time Card issued by Amex. This card has no foreign transaction fees. Noteworthy perks: Up to $10 in statement credits monthly with participating dining partners (Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar, Shake Shack, Seamless/Grubhub, Cheesecake Factory) ✦ $10 monthly Uber or Uber Eats credit (use it or lose it each month) ✦ $100 hotel credit on qualifying charges on stays of 2 nights or longer, plus a room upgrade upon arrival, if available with The Hotel Collection at americanexpress.com/hc ✦ Enrollment required for select benefits. |
Also keep in mind that if someone in your household has the ability to refer you and receive a large referral bonus (some cardholders have seen referral offers as high as 30K or even 35K Membership Rewards points), you may find the referral offer that can also be as high as 60K points after minimum spending requirements could be superior for your family. Either way, I think that this loss makes the card worth considering now if you are confident that you’ll find a use for the airline fee credit by the end of this year. For more on how to use it, see Amex airline fee reimbursements: What still works?.
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