Additional point: I forgot to mention this, but I"m moving to Downtown Seattle next week, and city living will lead to significant more spending in the Dining Category + easy organic value from the Credits so that was a huge reason as well. What are your thoughts on the Amex Gold? Let me know ⬇
It’s going to be interesting to see if you decide to live abroad for a few years. That’ll definitely change your strategy when it comes to your setup! Great points Matt! The Gold card is still a great MR point earner if you spend a lot of money on it for dining/groceries!
Absolutely! Living abroad would be my dream and I hope I can do so. Yeah, the Gold Card is going to serve me well with additional spending in Dining moving to Seattle. Thanks for watching Stan!
@@MattWelterOfficial I'm moving abroad hopefully permanently next year in September. Trying to finalize my setup and get rid of cards that cannot be used abroad. Ie ftf cards. Great video, and get why keeping the gold for the moment works for you.
Am I too late to be first? Nah…I’m never too late to be first. Nice to hear that your effective fee is close to $10, mine is closer to $70 (if I’m remembering correctly). Listen, getting referrals for the Gold card is pretty darn hard because of all of the different offers that Amex has that typically beat out my referral links, so I won’t even bother pushing it because I want everyone to get the best offer that’s available. Living internationally? That’s awesome pretty cool desire….one that I don’t have because I’m not adventurous 🤣.
That's absolutely fair about referrals- Yeah the effective fee is definitely a major part of the equation with the Credits and then the 2nd part to that is the Point Multipliers and how much spend is actually going on the Card consistently. Appreciate you watching CJ!
I travel out of the country quite often. And will never rely on Amex as a primary credit card or paying for emergency medical expenses. It's not commonly accepted internationally as compared to Visa or MC. Plus, you need to spend $6250 with dining and groceries to break even or justify the annual fee. And the multipliers will only apply for transactions within the USA. The Amex gold and platinum is too much work and not worth it.
That's very fair and if you live internationally, the Amex Gold Card definitely isn't the best Card for you as I mentioned in the video. Appreciate you watching!
I live in Japan and got the Amex gold. I use it daily eating out in restaurants. Its awesome cuz its widely accepted here other than mom and pop shop which most only accept cash. Since yen is so low. Eating out everyday is fairly cheap. Also it helps that being in the military i get fee waived. I dont like saying free cuz i paid for it with my service. If yall want the annual fee waived, military is always hiring!
Hey I’m actually going to study abroad in Japan this upcoming fall and debating whether or not to keep my gold card. I wouldn’t be able to utilize the Uber or Grubhub credits. I was thinking of downgrading to Green bc of the clear credit and the multipliers for ALL travel and transit which apparently works with Apple Pay and reloading your virtual icoca or suica card. I would ofc have to pay the $250 fee so what do you think?
@kadenfurigay3756 yea you can't use uber and the other dining credits here in Japan for the gold card. I usually just get my parents chipotle or something they want via uber eats to use the 120 uber credits but for the other 120 dining credits I just take an L. Since I get the fee waived that's probably it don't bother me as much. Green would be fine if it makes sense for you. As far as suica and pasmo since I have an American Sim (t mobile) I don't have access to having suica or pasmo in my apple pay I think it's different for students. However if you plan on getting a Japanese line (cell) then yes you can get it in your apple pay. Tap to pay is widely accepted specially in tokyo but as soon a you step out of other prefecture(state) they tend to be more cash only but tap and card do exist also but in my experience their footprint outside tokyo is very minimal. Have fun and good luck Japan is an amazing place to live in. And living here is where I met my Japanese wife my personal translator :)
@kadenfurigay3756 I use it cuz it works for me. I use it mainly on restaurants and grocery when shopping in th commissary. For credits I just use it to buy my mom chipotle or something via uber eats and the other dining credits I take an L. If my annual fees weren't waived I think amex green would be a good substitute living in Japan. That's the only don't. Good luck and enjoy Japan living here makes me not wanna leave lol
just started my 2nd year with the Gold, and so far its a keeper for me. i easily average at least $1200 per month on the gold card, so im solid even if i dont use all the credits. I also value MRs & URs above other currencies. So unless they nerf the card, it will be a keeper for me.
Nice! Love that perspective, you don't have to absolutely completely maximize the Credits to still get positive value if you have significant spend in the 4x categories.
Remember, you're mostly getting your af back with those credits. I like the gold card too, but I am tire of the monthly management of too many cards. Unless I am offered a very good retention offer, I won't miss the gold card. I already have to manage the business versions of the gold card, the CSR, the AMEXP business, and the Aspire. I am also getting ready to manage the monthly demands of the Delta cards I want to hold to for Delta Gold status, that is going to be a serious grime.
Yeah I totally get that Lewis. The monthly management with Amex Credits in general can certainly be annoying. However, if you use those Credits organically and don't even have to think about it, then there typically is less monthly management with it. You definitely have a lot of annual fees to manage so I don't blame you at all. Appreciate you watching!
I am trying to determine if I will keep the AmEx Gold or upgrade the CSP to the CSR. I have the AmEx Blue Business Plus so if I decide to cancel the AmEx Gold I can move all of my AmEx points to the BBP. I am still considering adding the Platinum next year as we plan to travel more internationally.
Nice! Sounds like you have some major plans on the horizon! The Plat will be a great add to pair with your international travel and I'd say the Gold would be worth it to keep open if your effective fee is being lowered enough with the Credits, along with additional significant spending on the Card. Really appreciate you watching!
The trend is definitely negative when it comes to the gold card. I’d love to see a video talking about trends within the cc community (cancelling the gold, upgrading to the CSR, product changing to the Ritz, etc). Great video Matt!
I had the Amex Gold card for less than a year. The signing bonus of 90,000 pts was amazing, but after that the benefits really didn't seem to make sense for my spending habits. I think a cashback card with no annual fee will benefit me best for now. I may reopen the gold card if my Fiancé and I spend more when we are married, but right now it just doesn't make sense for the AF. I'm sure there will be a different card we could utilize better in the future.
A Chipotle stop before the basketball game is a necessary haha. I think there's better cards out there, but the referrals are an important factor for keeping the card open
I’m on the fence with the card. We do spend quite a bit on food since I have hungry teenage sons. I have the business gold so I’m used to using that one credit a month from Grubhub. I’m gonna hold off to see what the new AF will be and what kind of offsets we get. Thanks Matt!
Matt!!! You know how I feel about my Amex Gold. Im right there with you brother. I will not cancel mine either. You and I are very similar. I get max value from mine organically too. I dont go out of my way to get use of the credits. Good stuff man.
It's Goldie! Unless the effective annual fee requirements get super crazy; I will always have a spot for her in my wallet! ❤ Matt is defending the rightful honor of such a distinguished CC! 🎉🎉
I feel that way about the Amex Business Gold, not so much about the personal Amex Gold. There is no travel value to warrant the premium AF on the personal Amex Gold imo especially with the possible AF increase.
Interesting video. First time on your channel and liked your content. What is the best Amex travel credit card for maximum sign up bonuses and the overall value? Never had any Amex card before. Thanks
Thanks so much! Appreciate the kind words! From a pure value standpoint especially considering the welcome offer I’d go with a card like the Amex Plat or Hilton Aspire!
Thank you so much for the suggestion. I was more leaning towards following the trends of opening Green, Gold and Platinum to get all bonuses. What are your thoughts?
@@living4foodntravel Of course! Welcome offers are always the best way to get the most amount of value & following that order Green, Gold, Platinum keeps you out of the Amex Family Language restrictions so I think that's a great plan!
I don't think it's worth it to cancel it before the AF raise. If you AF posts this month you may as well keep it at the $250AF and take advantage of the $325 benefits at the cheaper price point when they come out.
