When I’m paying for food, I don’t think twice. I always reach for the American Express® Gold Card.
It’s easily the most food-focused card in my wallet, earning 4x points at restaurants worldwide (up to $50,000 per year, then 1x) and U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year, then 1x), the 2 categories I spend a lot on with a family.
But what really adds up over time isn ’t just the points, it’s the mix of dining credits, Dunkin’ runs, and monthly Uber Cash that offset a big chunk of that $325 annual fee (rates & fees).
Just by using it the way I normally would, I clear $300 back each year on food purchases pretty easily, and more often, it’s closer to $400. Here’s exactly how I make that happen without overthinking it.
Amex Gold Card Overview
Before getting into the dining credits and how I actually squeeze real value out of my food spending, let’s take a quick look at the Amex Gold card as a whole.
You first start off with a welcome offer as high as 100,000 points:
- Apply and find out if you’re eligible for as high as 100,000 points after spending $8,000 in eligible purchases in the first 6 months. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.
Then you earn up to 5x American Express Membership Rewards points:
- 5x points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- 4x points at restaurants worldwide (up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1x)
- 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per calendar year, then 1x)
- 3x points on flights purchased directly with the airline or at AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines
- 2x points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com
- 1x points on all other purchases
For example, earning 4x points equates to an 8.8% return on spending, based on our valuation of Amex Membership Rewards points at 2.2 cents apiece.
Additionally, the Amex Gold card gives you access to The Hotel Collection, which can add nice value on eligible stays of 2 nights or more — including a property credit of up to $100 and a room upgrade when available.
Lastly, the card has no foreign transaction fees to worry about (rates & fees) and no additional authorized user fee to add up to 5 cards, then a $35 annual fee per card after that (rates & fees).
What You’re Actually Getting Each Year
Here’s what the Amex Gold card actually offers for statement credits tied to food and everyday spending:
- Up to $120 in annual dining credits, which are broken into monthly statement credits of up to $10 when you use your Amex Gold card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Buffalo Wild Wings, Wonder, and Five Guys
- Up to $100 Resy credit redeemable at any U.S. Resy restaurant and other eligible Resy purchases (distributed as up to $50 semiannually)
- Up to $84 Dunkin’ credit redeemable at U.S. Dunkin’ locations (distributed as up to $7 per month)
- Up to $120 in annual Uber Cash, issued as $10 monthly in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S. when you add your Amex Gold card to your account, though you can use any Amex card as your payment method
Altogether, that’s up to $424 in total annual value. Note that enrollment is required for some benefits, so make sure you’re enrolled to get the most out of your card’s benefits.
1. $10 Monthly Dining Credit
For me, this one is pretty straightforward. Cardholders can earn up to $10 in dining statement credits each month with partners like Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Buffalo Wild Wings, Wonder, and Five Guys (enrollment required).
My kids are obsessed with The Cheesecake Factory. I usually try to avoid chain restaurants when I can, but this is one that always hits — and we happen to have one close to home. So about once a month, we go for a family meal, and I use the Amex Gold card to trigger that $10 credit.
If we don’t go, I’ll just place a quick Grubhub order, which makes it easy to still use the credit without stressing it.
And with more options now — especially Buffalo Wild Wings and Wonder — it feels a lot more flexible, even if Cheesecake Factory is still my go-to. Over time, that’s an easy way to chip away at the full $120 each year.
2. Up to $100 Annual Resy Dining Credit
Living in South Florida, I probably have one of the easiest setups to maximize this credit.
There’s no shortage of restaurants on Resy — everything from casual neighborhood spots to higher-end places we’d go to anyway. And since this is an annual credit of up to $100 split into 2 $50 credits during the year, it’s pretty easy to work into a couple of meals without overthinking it (as long as you’ve enrolled your card).
In my case, this usually goes toward a dinner with my wife or a family meal out. It’s not something I plan around — it just naturally happens. I’ve also noticed the credit tends to post pretty quickly, often faster than some of the other monthly credits tied to the card.
Image Credit: Juan Ruiz
To make things even sweeter (and easier), you don’t actually need to book through Resy for the credit to trigger. As long as the restaurant is affiliated with Resy and codes correctly, you can simply dine there and pay with your Amex Gold card, and the credit applies.
I still make reservations when it makes sense, especially at busier spots, but it’s not a requirement, which makes this credit much simpler to use than people think.
3. Up to $7 Monthly Dunkin’ Credit
I wasn’t going out of my way for Dunkin’ before this credit existed, but now it fits right into my routine.
Since there’s a Dunkin’ along my daily school drop-off route, it’s easy to stop in quickly without going out of my way. Most days, it’s just a quick coffee run — I’ll grab one for myself and bring one back for my wife.
That $7 monthly credit, after enrollment, is actually pretty easy to maximize — it basically covers 2 regular coffees, so I end up using the full amount each month without thinking about it.
4. $120 in Annual Uber Cash
Out of all the credits, this is the one I consistently max out without even trying. The Amex Gold card gives me $10 in Uber Cash per month, which works for both rides and Uber Eats. In my case, I almost always use it for Uber Eats.
With a family, there are plenty of nights where cooking just isn’t happening. Additionally, my wife and I both work from home, and on days when we’re focused, I just place a quick Uber Eats order for lunch — and just like that, the $10 credit is used.
While it’s not technically a dining credit, I almost always use it for food instead of ride-hailing, so for me, it effectively works the same way. That’s what makes this one so easy — I don’t have to go anywhere, I can just order from my phone and it’s taken care of.
Final Thoughts
The Amex Gold card is already one of the strongest cards for earning points on food, and that’s usually what draws people in. For me, though, it really comes down to how it fits into my everyday spending.
Between the up-to-$120 monthly dining credit at certain merchants, Uber Cash, Resy credits, and Dunkin’ runs, I’m getting well over $400 back each year — all from things I’d be doing anyway or that naturally fit into my routine.