American Express® Green Review
Overview
The Amex Green is a genuinely strong card for one reason that matters more than people give it credit for: it earns Membership Rewards points, not just cash back. A lot of Amex cards only hand you cash back, so having one that actually builds real, transferable Amex points is what makes this worth talking about, and it is a solid way to get your foot in the door of the Amex ecosystem.
The catch is the annual fee. At $150 it runs higher than the $95 that is pretty standard for a card at this level, so you are paying a little extra out of the gate. Whether that is fine comes down to whether you will actually use the earn rates and the welcome bonus, and for the right person, you will.
Think twice if: you would rather jump straight to the Gold, or the $150 fee outweighs what you would realistically earn in a year.
Our 4.0 out of 5 rating
Each score weighs the rewards rate, value after the annual fee, welcome offer, points flexibility, and perks, with every point valued at a flat 1 cent. This is our editorial assessment to help you compare cards, not a guarantee of approval or of the value you will get.
Rewards: how it earns
The earn rates are where this card is actually strong. You get 3x on travel, 3x on transit, and 3x at restaurants worldwide, three categories most people put real money into. It is not a card that earns everywhere at a high rate, but if your spending lands in those buckets, the points pile up fast. It also throws in a free CLEAR Plus membership, which is a nice touch, though I will be honest, it does not move the needle for most people. TSA PreCheck is more useful and far more common, so do not buy this card for CLEAR.
| Category | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dining and restaurants | 3x | Bonus category |
| Travel | 3x | Bonus category |
| Transit and rideshare | 3x | Bonus category |
| Groceries | 1x | Base rate |
| Gas | 1x | Base rate |
| Streaming | 1x | Base rate |
| Everything else | 1x | Everything else |
Every point and mile above is valued at a flat 1 cent, the same honest standard we use for every card. Run your own spending through the calculator to see what this card would actually return for you.
Pros and cons
- Earns transferable Amex Membership Rewards points, not just cash back
- Strong 3x on travel, transit, and dining worldwide
- Welcome bonus works out to a roughly 13 to 14 percent return on the required spend
- A lower-commitment way to get started in the Amex ecosystem
- Free CLEAR Plus membership
- The $150 annual fee is higher than the roughly $95 standard for this tier
- CLEAR Plus does not help most people; TSA PreCheck is more useful
- The fee eats into the welcome bonus, leaving about $250 net in year one
- If you spend more, the Gold is probably the better pick
The welcome bonus
The welcome bonus is the real reason to grab this card early. Spend $3,000 in the first six months and you get 40,000 Membership Rewards points, which I value at a flat 1 cent each, so that is about $400 back. On $3,000 of spend that is roughly a 13 to 14 percent return, which is excellent. The one thing to keep in mind is that the $150 fee takes a bite out of it, so in practice you are really netting closer to $250 that first year, still a strong start.
Is it worth the annual fee?
The $150 fee is the honest knock against this card. It is higher than the $95 you would pay on a lot of comparable cards, so it has to earn its keep. In year one the welcome bonus covers it easily, but after that you need to actually be spending in travel, transit, and dining for the 3x to justify holding it. If you are, it is fine. If you are not, it is the kind of fee that quietly outweighs what you get back.
First-year value vs ongoing value
| Welcome bonus | 40,000 Membership Rewards® Points |
| To earn it | $3,000 in 6 months |
| Est. first-year value* | $851 |
| Est. ongoing value / yr* | $451 |
The welcome bonus makes year one the high point: roughly $851 in value once you count the bonus, this card’s rewards, and its credits, minus the $150 fee. After that, the honest figure is about $451 a year, so judge whether it earns its keep on the ongoing number, not the first-year headline.
*First-year value counts the welcome bonus, estimated rewards, and annual credits, minus the annual fee; ongoing value is a typical year after. Every point at a flat 1 cent, on average spending.
Benefits and protections
Beyond the rewards, the perks and protections worth knowing about include:
- Transfer points to 20+ airline and hotel partners at 1:1
- Up to $199 CLEAR Plus credit annually
- No foreign transaction fees
- Car rental loss and damage insurance
- Trip delay and baggage insurance
Statement credits
- $199 CLEAR Plus credit
Ecosystem and transfer partners
The American Express® Green earns Membership Rewards, one of the more valuable currencies in rewards because of where the points can go. You can move points 1 to 1 to 10 airline and hotel partners: Delta SkyMiles, British Airways, Air France/KLM, Singapore Airlines, ANA, Avianca LifeMiles, Emirates Skywards, Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, and The Leading Hotels of the World. As a hub card, this is the one you route points through before transferring out. The sweet spots are usually premium-cabin flights and high-end hotel nights, where a single point can be worth well more than the 1 cent we value it at here.
Airline partners: Delta SkyMiles, British Airways, Air France/KLM, Singapore Airlines, ANA, Avianca LifeMiles, Emirates Skywards, The Leading Hotels of the World.
Stop guessing at point values. Look up the real mileage price and live seat availability for a specific flight.
Search award flights on seats.aero →Hotel partners: Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors.
Look up the live points price and availability for a specific hotel stay before you book.
Search award stays on rooms.aero →Who should get it, and who should skip it
I would point this card at someone who is not spending a huge amount yet but wants to start building transferable Amex points and pick up a good welcome bonus to get going. As a first step into the Amex ecosystem, it does the job well.
That said, part of me would just tell you to start with the Gold, since it earns more where most people actually spend. But if you want a lighter entry point into Amex and the Green’s categories fit how you live, it is a smart first card.
How it compares
If the American Express® Green is not quite the right fit, these related cards are worth weighing against it:
Frequently asked questions
Best-card guides featuring this card
Offer details verified against issuer sources as of July 2026. Editorial opinions are our own. Cardocrat values all points at a flat 1 cent and never inflates redemptions.
