Who should (and who shouldn’t) get the Amex Green?

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The American Express® Green Card has been around for some time, but now refreshed with some exciting travel perks and benefits, it’s one of the best American Express cards on the market. The information for the Amex Green Card has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.          

Have you ever been stuck in a long security line at the airport, even with TSA PreCheck? The Amex Green Card offers an annual statement credit on a membership to CLEAR which can get you through security more quickly. Have you ever had to pay to get into an airport lounge? Daily lounge passes can be expensive but the Amex Green Card also offers statement credits on LoungeBuddy purchases.

You can read our review of the Amex Green Card here but, depending on your spending and travel patterns, there are some unique perks that can make the card a valuable addition to your wallet.

Here’s an in-depth look at who should, and who shouldn’t, consider picking up the card.

Key benefits 

Along with a refreshed set of perks, the redesigned Amex Green Card is offering a welcome bonus of 45,000 Amex Membership Rewards points after you spend $2,000 on purchases on the card in your first six months.

The value of Amex points depends on how you redeem them, but you’ll generally get the best value by transferring them to the majority of Amex travel partners. There you can get potentially 7+ cents per point in value.

Apart from the welcome bonus, the Amex Green Card also offers the following:

• Up to $100 in statement credits each year when you use your card to pay for a CLEAR membership
• Up to $100 in LoungeBuddy statement credits per year
• 3 Amex Membership Rewards points per dollar on travel and worldwide restaurant purchases
• Terms Apply

For those perks, the card carries an annual fee of $150 (see rates and fees). Remember, though, that the welcome bonus alone could be worth two or three times that annual fee, depending on how you redeem your points.

Who should get the card 

Travelers who frequent airports with CLEAR

The Amex Green Card offers up to $100 in statement credits each year when you use your card to pay for a CLEAR membership.

If you don’t like waiting in long security lines at the airport, you’ve probably considered TSA PreCheck. But depending on the airport and time of year, sometimes even the TSA PreCheck lines can have a long wait.

That’s where CLEAR comes into play. It’s a private security program designed to get you expedited security at select airports. An annual membership to CLEAR costs $179, although there are ways to get a discounted membership. For example, Delta SkyMiles members are eligible for discounted CLEAR rates and pay no more than $119. When you combine that with a $100 statement credit by paying with your Amex Green Card, it effectively reduces the membership fee to just $19 per year.

You can check here to see the list of airports and venues where CLEAR is currently available.

Travelers looking for occasional access to airport lounges

One of the unique perks of the Amex Green Card is its offer of up to $100 in LoungeBuddy statement credits per year.

You can purchase individual visits to a particular airport lounge through the LoungeBuddy mobile app. These visits typically cost anywhere between $20 and $50, depending on the lounge.

If you are likely to visit airport lounges only a few times in a year, the $100 in statement credits should be enough to cover your fees. 

Those who travel and eat out frequently

You can earn 3 Amex Membership Rewards points on travel and dining. If you eat out frequently and travel often, you can quickly rack up a ton of points with the Amex Green Card.

Who shouldn’t get the card

Frequent travelers looking for premium perks

If you fly often and are looking for top-notch benefits, there are plenty of other cards that have a lot more to offer in premium travel perks.

Some of the best Amex cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express ($695 annual fee; see rates and fees), for instance, offer much better airport lounge access with Priority Pass, Centurion, Delta SkyClub, and AirSpace. And you get unlimited access, unlike the $100 LoungeBuddy statement credits on the Amex Green Card. (Enrollment required).

Travelers who don’t fly through airports with CLEAR

CLEAR is an amazing program that stacks with TSA PreCheck to get you through security lines incredibly fast. The only downside is that it’s not available in every airport. If you find yourself flying out of airports without CLEAR, you might not be able to take advantage of this perk often enough to make it worthwhile.

Click here to see the list of airports and venues CLEAR is currently available.

Those who don’t eat out a lot

One of the best ways to earn more points, aside from the welcome bonus, is to put all of your travel and dining purchases on the card. That’s because the Amex Green Card earns 3 Membership Rewards points per dollar on these categories. Needless to say, if you don’t eat out frequently or put much travel spending on the card, it may not offer good long-term value for you.

Bottom line 

The refreshed Amex Green Card can be a great addition to your wallet depending on your travel and spending patterns. In particular, this can be a great card for you if you frequently fly through airports that have CLEAR, or if you eat out and make a lot of travel purchases, or if you find yourself only needing occasional access to an airport lounge.

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For rates and fees of the Amex Green Card, click here.

For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum card, click here.