How does the Amex Gold dining credit work?

The American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card’s credit limit actually varies from month to month. In other words, the card has no pre-set spending limit (NPSL). That doesn’t mean Amex PRG offers unlimited spending. Rather, Amex may adjust your spending limit over time, based largely on your payment history. But they won’t tell you when it changes, so you won’t know exactly what your limit is most of the time. … read full answer

NPSL is a common feature among charge cards such as Amex Premier Rewards Gold. You also have to pay a charge card’s balance in full every month to continue making purchases. But if you do so, and otherwise manage your finances responsibly, you may enjoy regular credit limit increases.

Here’s what affects American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card credit limits:

• Payment history. Pay in full every month and you may get additional purchasing power. Late payments will have the opposite effect.
• Spending habits. Amex will look at your spending during previous months when determining what to give you for the current month. Try to not to spend beyond your means or drastically increase the amount you spend from month to month.
• Income. Your income normally won’t change from month to month, but getting a raise or losing your job could affect your limit.
• Your credit score & report. Amex will regularly review your credit history, and red flags such as missed payments on other credit cards or loans will likely lead to a lower limit. So, you should keep tabs on it, too.

Along those same lines, Amex may not check your actual credit score every month, but you should. It’s a good general indicator of your financial performance. The same factors that lead to a higher credit score will likely lead to a higher limit. And the reverse is true, too.

Unfortunately, you can never be sure what your American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card credit limit will be, but you can at least predict whether it will go up or down based on these factors.

Ultimately, it is worth noting that this card is no longer available to new applicants, but this fact doesn’t impact existing cardholders.

The Amex Premier Rewards Gold benefits are good, but they aren’t necessarily worth the card’s $195 annual fee. You’ll get an initial bonus worth $250, along with a $100 annual airline fee credit and extra value for travel booking. But there are also several major drawbacks, including lower overseas acceptance, lack of airport lounge access and having to book travel through Amex.… read full answer

You’ll have to decide for yourself whether the total package is worth it, though. So let’s take a closer look at what Amex PRG brings to the table.

Here are the Amex Premier Rewards Gold benefits:

• Initial bonus. When you spend $2,000 within the first 3 months of account opening, you’ll get a 25,000 point bonus. But it’s only worth a maximum of $250, which is not all that impressive. Compare it to Chase Sapphire Preferred’s $625 initial bonus, for example.
• Extra points on travel. You get 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines; 2 points per dollar at US restaurants, US gas stations and US supermarkets; and 1 point per dollar on everything else. But the problem is that you might miss out on some cheap flights from third-party booking sites just to get extra points.
• Airline fee credit. Amex will pay for $100 of your airline fees every year. This includes expenses like extra/oversize baggage or rescheduling, but not airfare itself.
• Travel insurance/assistance. You get free insurance for lost/stolen/damaged baggage when you pay for transportation with your Amex Premier Rewards Gold. You’re also insured against rental car damage and theft. And Amex provides roadside assistance and an emergency help line 24/7.
• The Hotel Collection. You’ll get a $75 hotel credit and 2 points per dollar on your purchase when you book at least 2 consecutive nights with your Amex card at a participating hotel.
• First year annual fee waiver. You won’t pay anything for this card the first year, but it’s $195 per year after that.
• No foreign transaction fees. Although Amex won’t charge you more when you make purchases abroad or from foreign merchants online, Amex doesn’t have nearly as much international acceptance as Visa or Mastercard.

Amex Premier Rewards Gold’s benefits aren’t bad by any means. But they’re not the best for the price range, either. You’re missing out on perks that many comparable cards have, like travel accident insurance and free airport lounge access.

You can definitely find other cards that give you more for the same cost or less. Chase Sapphire Preferred offers a bigger bonus, better travel value, and more insurance for only $95 a year. And there are plenty of other options too, like Capital One Venture or Barclaycard Arrival Plus.