Amex Green Card review

  • Joseph Hostetler

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    American Express refreshed the American Express® Green Card with benefits that can save you time and money on your next trip. The card now ranks among the best American Express cards on the market. The information for the Amex Green Card has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.          

    It offers statement credits toward a CLEAR membership, LoungeBuddy and the ability to earn lots of valuable Membership Rewards points on travel-related purchases like hotels, subways and restaurants — perks you expect from the top travel credit cards.

    Let’s dive into the details of what the Amex Green Card has to offer.

    With the Amex Green Card you’ll be treated to unique perks like statement credits to CLEAR and LoungeBuddy. (Photo by Jacob Lund/Shutterstock)

     Amex Green Card review

    Current bonus

    You can earn 45,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $2,000 on purchases on your new Amex Green Card in your first six months of card membership.

    Membership Rewards points are flexible and can also be redeemed a number of other ways, though they aren’t the best ways to use American Express points:

    Benefits and perks

    The Amex Green Card carries an annual fee of $150 (see rates & fees) but with it comes a slew of benefits.

    Up to $100 annual statement credit for CLEAR

    You can receive up to $100 per year in statement credits when you use your Amex Green Card to pay for your CLEAR® membership.

    CLEAR gets you through security faster by using biometrics (like your fingerprints) to quickly identify who you are. You won’t have to present your ID or boarding pass to the TSA agent at the podium. Simply enter the designated CLEAR lanes to validate your identity at a kiosk and then you’ll be escorted to the front of the TSA security line.

    CLEAR is currently available in a number of airports across the U.S. as well as at select sports stadiums. And CLEAR stacks with TSA PreCheck and Global Entry, which can save you even more time.

    CLEAR generally costs $15 per month (billed annually, $179 per year), but with this statement credit from the Amex Green Card, its net cost is $79 per year. And if you’re a Delta SkyMiles or United MileagePlus member (which anybody can become for free), you can purchase CLEAR for $119 a year, meaning the price effectively becomes $19 per year with the Amex Green.

    Here is our review of CLEAR.

    With the Amex Green Card, you’ll receive up to a $100 statement credit each year when you use your card to pay for CLEAR to avoid long lines at the airport. (Photo by Arina P. Habich/Shutterstock)

    Up to $100 annual statement credit for LoungeBuddy

    LoungeBuddy is available as a mobile app and allows you to find and pay for access to airport lounges worldwide. Relax before your flight, have free food and drinks and even enjoy spas and shower facilities at some locations.

    Many of the best travel credit cards include lounge access as a perk. But if you come across a lounge whose membership is not included with your card, there’s a good chance you can pay for access directly through the LoungeBuddy mobile app.

    And with the Amex Green card, you’ll receive up to $100 in statement credits per year on your LoungeBuddy purchases.

    No foreign transaction fees

     Some cards charge you 3% of all purchases you make internationally, known as foreign transaction fees. The card dropped these fees with its refresh last year. (see rates & fees)

    How to earn points with the Amex Green Card

    With the Amex Green Card you can earn points for your everyday purchases with multiple bonus categories. The card is great if you want to earn bonus points for dining at restaurants or travel-related purchases.

    You’ll earn 3 Membership Rewards points per dollar on all things travel, from subway swipes and window seats to hotel stays and city tours. Specifically, Amex says these purchases will qualify for earning bonus points on “airfare, hotels, cruises, car rentals, campgrounds, trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, tours, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, subways, on third party travel websites, and on amextravel.com.” That’s a pretty wide variety of transactions and can make it easy to start racking up some serious points.

    If you enjoy eating out, you can also earn 3 Membership Rewards points per dollar at restaurants.

    The Amex Green’s broad bonus categories make it one of the best cards for earning points.

    Is the annual fee worth it?

    The card carries an annual fee of $150, but if you travel frequently enough to take advantage of perks like LoungeBuddy or CLEAR membership, it’s worth considering. And when you add in the broad 3x bonus categories, you can earn a lot of points, which can help offset the annual fee.

    The 45,000 Membership Rewards points after meeting minimum spending requirements also vastly outweighs the card annual fee for at least the first year.

    Cards similar to the Amex Green Card

    The Amex Green card is great for travelers who can take advantage of its perks, like the statement credits for CLEAR and LoungeBuddy for airport lounge access. But the following Amex cards may also be of interest to you:

    American Express® Gold Card: This card has a higher annual fee of $250 (see rates & fees) but also comes with a few more benefits. You can earn an intro bonus of 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first six months of account opening, and earn 4 points per dollar at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar), and more.

    Here is our review of the Amex Gold card.

    The Platinum Card® from American Express: If you’re looking for premium travel perks, this is the card for you. You’ll receive up a $200 annual credit for incidental fees on a selected airline, up to $200 in Uber credits per year, up to $100 credit for Saks Fifth Avenue per calendar year, complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status and more. This card has a $695 annual fee (see rates & fees). Enrollment required for select benefits.

    Here is our review of the American Express Platinum.

    Bottom line

    The Amex Green Card has some unique benefits that can save you time and money on your travels, perks like the statement credit of up to $100 each for LoungeBuddy purchases and your CLEAR membership.

    You can earn 45,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $2,000 on purchases on your new card in your first six months. The card does carry an annual fee of $150, but if you’re able to take advantage of the card’s benefits throughout the year, you should easily come out ahead.

    For rates and fees of the Amex Green card, click here.

    For rates and fees of the Amex Gold card, click here.

    For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum card, click here

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    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)
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