A Guide for Your American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card

American Express has plenty of great card options that can appeal to different individuals. Some may say that the Premier Rewards Gold Card has been overshadowed by better cards, and that may very well be true. But it just so happens that the Premier Rewards Gold Card still has a host of unique rewards that are still relevant and appealing—they shouldn’t be ignored or taken for granted.

While this card can benefit most people, it might be more appealing to those who are looking for a card that allows transferable membership rewards points. This feature isn’t particularly easy to find, and it just so happens that this lowly American Express has the benefit. With the Premier Rewards Gold Card, you can transfer points you’ve accumulated from everyday purchases and from select bonus categories. This credit card may have a substantial annual fee for some, but it also has an equal substantial amount of benefits. You should also know that the annual fee of $195 is waived during the first year. Also, remember that while $195 might be more than what other cards would charge, other American Express cards charge double or more of that amount. The annual fee for the Amex Business Platinum is $450 and for the Personal Amex Platinum, it takes $550.

Bonuses

New Premier Rewards Gold card applicants can get a hefty amount of points right off the bat. If a new cardmember spends $2,000 within the first three months of card activation, he or she will automatically get 25,000 Membership rewards points. This roughly translates to approximately $475. There’s also a possibility for getting even more rewards—up to 50,000 Members Rewards points—after spending the same amount money. Just this amount of points alone is equivalent to $950 in welcome bonuses—almost half of what you’re spending to begin with.

The Premier Rewards Gold Card also doesn’t have a cap on any of its bonus categories. This only means more rewards for you, as you can earn twice or three times the points on any and all eligible purchases. There’s absolutely no cash value limit.

There are three different earn ratings that’s equivalent to applicable purchases. Starting at the top, if you use the Premier Rewards Gold Card to book flights directly with the airline, you’ll be earning three times the Membership Rewards points. This means you’ll have to skip Expedia and Priceline when planning your getaway. This benefit is equal to about a 5.7% return—something that’s not so bad considering the breadth of this card.

Next, when you use your card at U.S. restaurants, gas stations, and supermarkets, you’ll earn twice the Membership Rewards points. For a 3.8% return, you shouldn’t hesitate to use your card each time you dine out or get gas. This can rack up fairly quickly, especially if you eat out a lot or drive a lot. For families, it can get pretty useful as well with shopping at supermarkets. If you have plenty of supermarket shopping to do, your Premier Rewards Gold Card will easily rack up points fast as well. The only drawback to this bonus is the fact that it only applies to the U.S. market. You won’t get your double points internationally.

Finally, you get a Membership Rewards point for using your Premier Rewards Gold Card to purchase everything else. No matter what you buy, you’ll still be accumulating points.

Rewards and Perks

Here comes the best part about this card and possibly the reason to get it or hold on to one if you’ve already got it: transferability. All the Membership Rewards points that you’ve earned from using your Premier Rewards Gold card can be transferred to 20 different travel partners or redeemed for airfare and hotel costs through Amex’s Travel department. Most suggest to transfer to partners, however, to make the most out of your points.

These travel partners include some pretty familiar company names such as Delta SkyMiles, JetBlue TrueBlue, Hilton Honors, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, and Emirates Skywards among a few others.

Apart from this feature, the Premier Rewards Gold card will also give you the following:

• $100 annual airline credit
• 2x points when booking a stay through the Amex Hotel Collection
• Baggage insurance

All in all, the Premier Rewards Gold card is not just a card you can pick up and toss away. The more you use this card, the more you’ll understand its benefits, especially for the avid traveler. You’ll love the flexibility of this card more than anything, and since it’s so easy to redeem rewards with this card, you’ll find yourself using it more than you anticipated.