Credit Card News
American Express Green Card Unveils Best-Ever Welcome Offer
Those looking to do some traveling this summer and who want to earn rewards in the process may have a new top card pick to consider. Today, American Express announced a new welcome bonus for its iconic Green Card that just happens to be the best-ever offer for the card.
Now, new cardholders can earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $3,000 in purchases on the card during their first six months. On top of that, customers can earn 20% back on eligible travel and transit purchases during that same timeframe. This reward is capped at a total of $200, meaning cardholders would need to spend at least $1,000 in eligible purchases in order to maximize their return.
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Moving beyond the offer itself, the Amex Green Card has a number of other perks as well. Starting with the rewards, cardholders can earn 3 Amex Membership Rewards points per dollar spend on travel purchases including flights, hotels, vacation rentals, and more. Additionally, the card earns 3x points on transit purchases (including trains, busses, ferries, etc.), 3x on restaurant purchases worldwide, and 3x on takeout and delivery purchases in the United States. All other purchases earn 1x points.
Although the American Express Green Card does carry an annual fee of $150, it also offers cardholders some key credits. First, customers can earn up to $189 per calendar year in statement credit for CLEAR. This amount means that cardholders can cover the entire cost of an annual membership for the service, which helps travelers save time at airport security by verifying their identity via biometrics. Additionally, the Green card offers up to $100 per year in statement credit for LoungeBuddy.
My thoughts:
Quite honestly, this new Green Card offer is nearing no-brainer territory for anyone considering such a card. Speaking specifically to the bonus offer, the 60,000 MR points puts it on par with what the Platinum Card‘s standard offer was (prior to that card’s 2021 refresh and price hike, mind you). Add in the $200 statement credit potential and this is a super solid deal.
On the low end, those who max out the statement credit and choose to cash out their Membership Rewards points for a statement credit would be looking at $560. Meanwhile, for those willing to transfer their points to travel partners may see their value per point reach 2¢ or more, placing the value of this offer at $1,400.
As for the rest of what the card has to offer, with an annual fee of $150, the $189 CLEAR credit alone makes up for the cost even before the $100 LoungeBuddy credit is factored in. Elsewhere, the 3x categories for dining and generic travel make it a solid card on its own or even as a companion to the Platinum Card (which offers 5x on more restrictive travel categories, such as flights booked directly or via Amex Travel and hotels booked via Amex). For all of those reasons, I think this is a great pick-up — especially ahead of the summer travel season’s kick-off.
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