How does the Amex Gold dining credit work?

Yes, bars do count as restaurants for credit cards most of the time, especially when the bar serves food. If a bar is classified as a restaurant based on its merchant category code (MCC), that bar will always count as part of the credit card’s dining rewards category.

If the bar is classified as a “drinking place” instead, the bar will only count as a restaurant if the credit card’s dining rewards category includes the MCC for drinking places. Many dining rewards categories do include the MCC for drinking places, but it’s never a guarantee.… read full answer

Popular Credit Cards that Count Bars as Restaurants

• Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card
• Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
• U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite® Card
• Citi Premier® Card
• JetBlue Card

The easiest way to find out if a bar counts as a restaurant for your credit card is just to buy something at the bar. You can then check your credit card statement to see if the purchase got the dining category rewards rate or the base rewards rate. Alternatively, you can call the bar and ask what their merchant category code is, and then call the card issuer to ask whether that merchant category code is included in the credit card’s dining rewards category.

No, the Amex Gold card does not offer lounge access. Unlike the Amex Gold card, The Platinum Card® from American Express has a true airport lounge benefit as one of its standard perks.

When to Prioritize Lounge Access

Though the Amex Gold card does not have a traditional lounge access benefit, it’s also a lot cheaper than most cards that offer this benefit. The Amex Gold card’s annual fee is $250 while, for example, the American Express Platinum card’s is $695.… read full answer

That said, if you’re an extremely frequent traveler and use airport lounges on a regular basis, it’s worth getting a credit card with free Global Lounge Collection access. It would cost thousands of dollars to buy unlimited access to all of those lounge brands individually.

The Amex Gold card Grubhub credit is worth up to $10 per month, and up to $120 per year, for enrolled cardholders who make Grubhub purchases with this card. In addition to Grubhub, Amex Gold card’s dining credit applies to purchases from The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations.

The primary cardholder must enroll in the program to receive statement credits for Grubhub and other dining purchases. To enroll, log in to your Amex Gold card account on the American Express website and click “Benefits” at the top. In the far-left column, find the $120 dining credit benefit listed, and click “Enroll.” When you’re enrolled, you can expect a statement credit for up to $10 per month, 2-4 weeks after you make a qualifying purchase from Grubhub.