CNET’S PICK
American Express Green Card®
2.2/5
Rating Breakdown 2.2 Welcome Bonus 2.0 Rewards Program 2.0 Value for Money 2.0 Benefits 3.0 Fees and APR 2.5 How We Rate Rewards / Travel Cards We rate credit cards using our Rewards / Travel methodology for cards tailored to earning rewards. We focus on each card’s reward potential, the value you get compared to the card’s cost, the benefits and the card’s rates and fees. Credit card issuers have no say or influence in our ratings. How we rate credit cards
4.3/10
CNET rates credit cards by comparing their offers to those of their categorical competitors. Each card is individually evaluated through a formula which reflects the standards and expectations of the contemporary market. Credit card issuers have no say or influence in our ratings. How we rate credit cards
Intro Offer
Earn 40,000 points Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your American Express Green Card® within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
Rewards Rate
1x – 3x Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on travel including airfare, hotels, cruises, tours, car rentals, campgrounds, and vacation rentals.; Earn 3X Membership Rewards® Points on transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways.; Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the US.; Earn 1X Membership Rewards® points on all other purchases.
Rec. Credit
670 – 850 Good – Excellent Recommended Credit: Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application. A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
APR
21.24% – 29.24% (Variable)
Rating Breakdown 2.2
Welcome Bonus 2.0
Rewards Program 2.0
Value for Money 2.0
Benefits 3.0
Fees and APR 2.5
How We Rate Rewards / Travel Cards
We rate credit cards using our Rewards / Travel methodology for cards tailored to earning rewards. We focus on each card’s reward potential, the value you get compared to the card’s cost, the benefits and the card’s rates and fees. Credit card issuers have no say or influence in our ratings. How we rate credit cards
Card Details
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- N/A Intro Purchase APR
- N/A Regular APR
- 21.24% – 29.24% (Variable) Balance Transfer Fee
- N/A
Rewards Rates
3x
Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on travel including airfare, hotels, cruises, tours, car rentals, campgrounds, and vacation rentals.
3x
Earn 3X Membership Rewards® Points on transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways.
3x
Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the US.
1x
Earn 1X Membership Rewards® points on all other purchases.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more
Rating Breakdown 2.2
Welcome Bonus 2.0
Rewards Program 2.0
Value for Money 2.0
Benefits 3.0
Fees and APR 2.5
How We Rate Rewards / Travel Cards
We rate credit cards using our Rewards / Travel methodology for cards tailored to earning rewards. We focus on each card’s reward potential, the value you get compared to the card’s cost, the benefits and the card’s rates and fees. Credit card issuers have no say or influence in our ratings. How we rate credit cards
Card Details
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- N/A Intro Purchase APR
- N/A Regular APR
- 21.24% – 29.24% (Variable) Balance Transfer Fee
- N/A
Rewards Rates
3x
Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on travel including airfare, hotels, cruises, tours, car rentals, campgrounds, and vacation rentals.
3x
Earn 3X Membership Rewards® Points on transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways.
3x
Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the US.
1x
Earn 1X Membership Rewards® points on all other purchases.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more
All information about the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
The American Express Green Card is designed for people who fly regularly but don’t have a preferred airline. Amex’s Membership Rewards® points program makes this card most effective for redeeming rewards for flights booked through American Express Travel, which is less restrictive than the offerings of most co-branded airline credit cards. It features a welcome offer that’s lower than what’s available from most competitors, but with a spending threshold that’s potentially easier to meet -- you have a full six months from the date of account opening to spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your card to earn the 40,000 Membership Rewards points.
Still, its $150 annual fee is higher than the $95 you’ll pay for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which remains our favorite travel credit card overall due to its rewards program and redemption flexibility.
While the Green Card’s reward rates are competitive on first glance, this card is best used to redeem your rewards as flights due to the nature of Amex’s Membership Rewards® points.
You earn Membership Rewards points on each of your purchases with the Amex Green Card. This branded currency steers cardholders toward travel redemptions -- rather than more general statement credits -- by offering the highest redemption value for flights booked through American Express’s own travel-booking platform, American Express Travel.
Otherwise, this card features a decent welcome offer and a handful of travel-related credits and protections in case the unexpected happens on a trip.
Rewards and redemption
The key to this rewards program is in the redemption: you can maximize the impact of your Membership Rewards by booking flights through American Express Travel. Though you can redeem points for statement credits and other types of rewards, you’ll get less value. Check out the chart for a breakdown of how point values stack up.
Membership Rewards Points values for Amex Green Card
| Redemption method | Value |
|---|---|
| Statement credit | 1 point = 0.6 cents |
| Amazon (pay with points at checkout) | 1 point = 0.7 cents |
| Flights (booked through American Express Travel) | 1 point = 1 cent |
| Prepaid rental cars (booked through American Express Travel) | 1 point = 0.7 cents |
| Prepaid hotels (booked through American Express Travel) | 1 point = 0.7 cents |
| Gift cards | 1 point = up to 1 cent |
So, a 3x rewards rate would net a 3% return if you’re using your points for flights booked through American Express Travel (amextravel.com); a 2.1% return on prepaid rental cars and hotels booked through American Express Travel; and 1.8% return as a statement credit.
With the Amex Green Card, you earn 3x Membership Rewards points for restaurants, transit and travel, and 1x points on other purchases.
Transit includes trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways.
Travel includes airfare, hotels, cruises, tours, car rentals, campgrounds, travel purchases on third party travel websites, and travel purchases on amextravel.com.
Welcome offer
You can earn 40,000 Membership Rewards points if you spend $3,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months of card membership. This is less than the American Express® Gold Card’s welcome offer -- but you can earn it for $3,000 less.
Again, this card incentivizes redeeming rewards for flights. If you redeem your welcome offer for flights booked through American Express Travel, it’s worth $400. If you opt for a more general redemption with a statement credit, the welcome offer is worth only $240.
Travel benefits
While many premium travel cards offer credits for either TSA Precheck or Global Entry, the Amex Green Card offers up to a $199 statement credit for CLEAR® Plus each calendar year, a program that expedites members through security screenings at select airports (subject to auto-renewal).
You can also take advantage of up to a $100 statement credit for airport lounge access each year. You have to book airport lounge access through LoungeBuddy, an airport lounge network, with your Amex Green Card to earn this credit.
Otherwise, this card offers a fairly standard assortment of travel features. It does not charge foreign transaction fees, so you can use it abroad without paying the 3% fee some cards charge for overseas transactions. And it includes trip delay insurance**, car rental loss and damage insurance** and a baggage insurance plan**.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Alternative cards
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
While the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card also encourages cardholders to use its own travel booking platform, Chase Travel℠, it also gives them alternative paths.
The annual fee is $95. You earn 5x points on travel booked through Chase Travel, 2x points on all other travel, and 3x points on a handful of other categories. The points are worth 1 cent when redeemed for statement credits -- significantly more than Membership Rewards points. And if you choose to redeem your points for travel booked through Chase Travel, you’ll get a 25% boost, for 1.25 cents per point.
Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
The Citi Strata Premier Card is a good alternative if you want your travel credit card to be more well-rounded. This card earns 10x points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com. Plus, the Strata Premier card offers the same flagship rate on some everyday bonus categories -- 3x ThankYou® Points -- including supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations, restaurants, air travel and other hotel purchases. ThankYou® Points are worth 1 cent when you redeem for gift cards or if you redeem them for statement credits specifically through thankyou.com, and you don’t have to restrict yourself to booking through an issuer portal.
For more information about the welcome bonus and other features, see our full review of the Citi Strata Premier Card.
How American Express Green Card® compares to other cards
CNET’S PICK
Earn 40,000 points Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your American Express Green Card® within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
- $150
- 21.24% – 29.24% (Variable)
- N/A
- Good – Excellent
1x – 3x Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on travel including airfare, hotels, cruises, tours, car rentals, campgrounds, and vacation rentals.; Earn 3X Membership Rewards® Points on transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways.; Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the US.; Earn 1X Membership Rewards® points on all other purchases.
Annual fee
APR
Intro Purchase APR
Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
60,000 bonus points Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
- $95
- 21.49% – 28.49% Variable
- N/A
- Good – Excellent
1x – 5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠.; 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries.; 2x on all other travel purchases.; 1x on all other purchases.
Annual fee
APR
Intro Purchase APR
Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
70,000 bonus points Earn 70,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $700 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com
- $95
- 21.24% – 29.24% (Variable)
- N/A
- Good – Excellent
1x – 10x Earn 10 points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.; Earn 3 points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas and EV Charging Stations.; Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
Annual fee
APR
Intro Purchase APR
Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
FAQs
Clear registers your face or fingerprints as your identification for faster processing through airport security. Select airports offer designated lanes for Clear customers, where they are led to the front of the physical screening line after they are scanned in. For more information, see our analysis on the differences between Clear, TSA Precheck and Global Entry.
You’ll want to compare your own spending habits to a card’s benefits. Superimpose the rewards rates on your own budget and look into the fine print of the card perks you might use before determining if an annual fee is worth it. For some examples, see our breakdown on how to tell if a credit card’s annual fee is worth it.
Amex Travel works similarly to any other third-party booking platform, such as Priceline or Expedia. You can search destinations and dates for flights, hotels, rental cars and cruises. You can book with your credit card or you can pay directly with your Membership Rewards points through your Amex Green Card.
**Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.
The editorial content on this page is based solely on objective, independent assessments by our writers and is not influenced by advertising or partnerships. It has not been provided or commissioned by any third party. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products or services offered by our partners.