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Quick Answer

The Amex Gold Card costs €20 a month (€240 a year, as of August 2026) in Germany, comes as a metal card in gold or rose gold, and hands back up to around €430 a year in mobility and shopping credits (up to €20/month SIXT+, 2 x €25 SIXT rent, €5/month FREENOW, 2 x €40 Lodenfrey). Add 1 Membership Rewards point per euro, travel insurance for the family and GHA Discovery Gold status, but no lounge access and no Hilton or Marriott status. It only pays off if you actually use the credits; otherwise the American Express Card at €60 (free from year two once you spend €9,000) is the better points card. Welcome bonus: up to €200 in statement credit direct from Amex, or up to 50,000 points through a referral.

The short version

Everyone obsesses over the Platinum, and a lot of reviews online still describe the Amex Gold as a “small card for €144 with a free first year.” That hasn’t been true since 2026. The Amex Gold Card now costs €20 a month, so €240 a year, with no free first year, but it’s a metal card with fixed credits attached. That makes it no longer the automatic best-value pick; it’s a card that pays off for a specific type of spender. If you run a SIXT+ car subscription, occasionally rent a car and take FREENOW taxis around town, you get the €240 back through the credits and still earn points on top. If you’d use none of that, the American Express Card at €60 is the better deal, and frequent flyers belong on the Platinum. Here’s the honest Amex Gold review with the numbers verified August 18, 2026, straight from Amex’s own product page.

What changed with the Amex Gold in 2026?

Three things older reviews (including our own earlier version of this page) still get wrong:

  1. The fee: €20 a month instead of €12 a month, so €240 instead of €144 a year. The first year is no longer waived.
  2. The card itself: the Amex Gold is now a metal card, available in gold or rose gold.
  3. What you get back: fixed mobility and shopping credits (SIXT+, SIXT rent, FREENOW, Lodenfrey), GHA Discovery Gold status, and a welcome bonus paid either as statement credit direct from Amex or as points through a referral.

In short: the Gold got more expensive, but also richer in credits. Whether that’s a good trade for you depends entirely on whether you’ll actually spend the credits.

What you actually get

  • 1 Membership Rewards point per euro on every purchase, no category fine print. It’s the same points currency as the Platinum, so your points pool toward the same flights, airline transfers (Flying Blue, Etihad Guest, Qatar Avios, Emirates and others; Miles & More is not a partner) and hotel redemptions.
  • Up to around €430 a year in credits: SIXT+, SIXT rent, FREENOW and Lodenfrey, broken down above. Unused credits expire; a FREENOW month you skip is gone.
  • GHA Discovery Gold status at Global Hotel Alliance properties (Anantara, Kempinski, Pan Pacific and others).
  • A travel insurance package for you and your family when the trip is paid on the card.
  • A 90-day return policy on purchases the retailer won’t take back, plus Amex Offers, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
  • One supplementary card included, useful for a partner so combined spend lands on one points account.

Is the Amex Gold worth €240 a year? The honest math

  • You use the credits fully: a SIXT+ car subscription (up to €240/year), one SIXT rent booking a year (2 x €25), a few FREENOW rides a month (€60/year) and one Lodenfrey purchase (2 x €40) add up to around €430. The Gold effectively costs you nothing, you still earn 1 point per euro on all your spending, and you get family travel insurance and the 90-day return policy. That’s a good deal.
  • You only use FREENOW and the rental car: around €110 in credits against a €240 fee, netting €130 a year for points, insurance and the metal card. Reasonable if you run €20,000+ a year through the card and redeem points well (50,000 points is worth around €250 through Amex Travel, often more via airline transfers).
  • You don’t drive, don’t take taxis, don’t shop at Lodenfrey: then you’re paying €240 a year for points with no lounge access and no hotel status. That’s too much. The American Express Card earns the same Membership Rewards points for €60 a year, and free from year two once you spend €9,000.

My advice from this Amex Gold review: tally your last three months of mobility spend. If it regularly clears €25 a month on taxis, a car subscription or rentals, the Gold is right. If it doesn’t, take the American Express Card and put the €180 difference toward a flight instead.

What the Amex Gold can’t do

No lounge access, no Hilton Honors or Marriott Bonvoy status, no travel or dining credit the way the Platinum has. If lounges and hotel status are the whole point of an Amex for you, that’s a Platinum job. And like every German Amex, the Gold charges a 2% foreign transaction fee on non-euro purchases and 4% (minimum €5) for ATM cash, plus the usual acceptance gaps at small merchants at home and abroad. Carry a no-fee Revolut card for foreign currency, cash and the stands that only take Visa or Mastercard.

The honest tradeoffs

Pros
  • Up to around €430/year in SIXT, FREENOW and Lodenfrey credits, more than the fee
  • 1 Membership Rewards point per euro, the same points currency as the Platinum
  • Metal card in gold or rose gold with family travel insurance and a 90-day return policy
  • Up to 50,000 points welcome bonus through referral
  • GHA Discovery Gold status and 1 supplementary card included
Cons
  • €240 a year, no more free first year
  • Credits only pay off if you actually use SIXT, FREENOW and Lodenfrey
  • No lounge access, no Hilton or Marriott status
  • 2% foreign transaction fee and acceptance gaps, needs a backup card

If lounges and hotel status were the whole point for you, the Gold won’t scratch that itch; that’s a Platinum job. And like every Amex, acceptance abroad has gaps, so carry a no-fee Revolut card for the shops and stalls that only take Visa or Mastercard.

Welcome bonus: €200 in statement credit or up to 50,000 points

Apply for the Amex Gold directly at americanexpress.com and you get up to €200 in statement credit: €80 after €3,000 spent in the first six months plus €120 after a further €2,000. Through a referral, the same spend thresholds instead earn up to 50,000 Membership Rewards points (20,000 after €3,000 plus 30,000 after a further €2,000). Even valued conservatively at €0.005 per point (vouchers or Amex Travel), 50,000 points is worth around €250, more with a good airline transfer, so the points are almost always the better deal than the statement credit. The button below is my referral link; I earn points for it too, which is the disclosure.

Who should get it (and who shouldn’t)

Get the Gold if you regularly spend on car subscriptions, rental cars or taxis and want points without a premium fee. Skip it if lounges and hotel status are the goal (go Platinum), or if you won’t use SIXT, FREENOW or Lodenfrey at all (take the American Express Card at €60, or the free Payback). Still torn? Read Amex Platinum vs Gold.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Amex Gold worth it?

Only if you actually use the new credits. The Amex Gold Card costs €20 a month (€240 a year) and hands back up to around €430 a year in mobility and shopping credits (up to €20/month SIXT+, 2 x €25 SIXT rent, €5/month FREENOW, 2 x €40 Lodenfrey). If you already use a car subscription, rental cars and taxis, the Gold is effectively free and you still earn 1 Membership Rewards point per euro. If you’d use none of that, you’re paying €240 for points with no lounge access and no hotel status, and the American Express Card at €60 (free from year two once you spend €9,000) is the smarter points card.

How much is the Amex Gold annual fee?

€20 a month, so €240 a year, billed monthly (as of August 2026). Until 2025 the Amex Gold cost around €144 a year and the first year was often free; neither applies anymore since the relaunch as a metal card. There’s no free first year today, but there’s up to €200 in statement credit, or up to 50,000 Membership Rewards points through a referral.

What’s the difference between the Amex Gold and Platinum?

The Amex Gold (€20/month) has no lounge access and no hotel status with Hilton or Marriott, but it does bundle up to around €430 in mobility and shopping credits, GHA Discovery Gold status and a travel insurance package for your family. The Amex Platinum (€60/month, €720/year) brings 1,550+ lounges, hotel status and €650 a year in credits. Take the Gold if you use car subscriptions, taxis and rental cars and rarely fly; take the Platinum if you fly ten or more times a year.

Does the Amex Gold earn the same points as the Platinum?

Yes. The Amex Gold earns 1 Membership Rewards point per euro spent, the same points currency as the Platinum. Points pool toward the same redemptions: around €0.004 per point paying with points, €0.005 for vouchers and Amex Travel, and often more transferring to airline programs like Flying Blue, Etihad Guest or Qatar Avios. Miles & More is not a transfer partner.

Does the Amex Gold include lounge access?

No. Lounge access is a Platinum perk. The Amex Gold also carries no hotel status with Hilton Honors or Marriott Bonvoy, only GHA Discovery Gold status. If airport lounges are the main thing you want, the Gold isn’t a substitute; step up to the Platinum or pair the Gold with a separate lounge solution.

How big is the Amex Gold welcome bonus?

Applying directly at American Express gets you up to €200 in statement credit: €80 after €3,000 spent in the first 6 months plus €120 after a further €2,000. Through a referral, the same spend thresholds instead earn up to 50,000 Membership Rewards points (20,000 after €3,000 plus 30,000 after a further €2,000). The bonus is for new cardholders only, meaning no primary Amex Gold card in the last 18 months.

Verdict

The Gold is still the card I’d hand most people before I’d hand them a Platinum, but only if you’ll actually spend the SIXT, FREENOW and Lodenfrey credits; that’s what makes the €240 fee disappear. Same points as the Platinum, a fraction of the fee, and a metal card with real travel insurance. If your mobility spend clears the bar, apply through my referral link below, and if it doesn’t, the American Express Card or the Platinum is the better fit. See the whole lineup, Amex and beyond, in our credit cards guide.

View the Amex Gold Up to 50,000 Membership Rewards points