AMEX Green Card Introduction: Temporarily Discontinued

This card has quietly been removed from the official website, and the application link is dead too. The card has actually been around for a long time, so it probably won’t be permanently discontinued outright. I expect AMEX to make changes to this card, since compared with AMEX GoldPlatinum, this card has very little significance. Hopefully it will be changed to have no annual fee, giving everyone a no-annual-fee option for transferring points.

I’ve added it to the discontinued card roundup

• Discontinued U.S. Credit Card Collection

AMEX Green Card Introduction

Benefit Breakdown

• Using Clear
  • Clear overview and reimbursement guide
  • Sign-up usually only requires a valid driver’s license, and does not ask for visa type or nationality, but readers should use their own judgment
  • If you have Hertz President Circle, you can get a 4-month free Clear trial. Or if you are a UA or Delta credit card holder (you do not need to use the co-branded card), the annual fee is $109. Readers can explore the details on their own. Thanks to reader xhl1212
  • There is a $20 cash back offer for Clear on TopCashback, which stacks nicely.

Built-in AMEX Card Perks

• AMEX offer: Amazon $20 back on $20 spend, Walmart $15-$5, phone bill $75-$10. Generous AMEX often sends cardholders great offers, letting you earn cash rewards while you spend. See also: Recent good AMEX Offers, Summary of past good AMEX Offers, AMEX Offer explained
• Small Business Day: Every year, AMEX credit cards can take part in the Small Business Day event, which offers extra rewards at participating merchants. See: Small Business Day event introduction
• Free ShopRunner membership: Enjoy free two-day shipping from many online stores. For details, see the official website
• Extended warranty: Items purchased in full with an AMEX card automatically get their manufacturer warranty extended by one year
• Free report: Cardholders can check their EX credit bureau credit score for free. See: Free credit score comparison

Drawbacks

• This is a Charge card, so the balance must be paid in full after the statement closes, otherwise the interest is extremely high

Introduction to the Points Program

• Points Value: The average value is 1.5c/p, so 100 MR = $1.5 (Points Value & Analysis)
• Direct Redemption: Redeem travel through amextravel.com at 1c/p (without a premium card); redeem eligible flights through amextravel.com at 1.54c/p (with Business Platinum); redeem for cash in an investment account at 1.1c/p (with Schwab Platinum).
• Points Transfers: Transfer 1:1 to ANA miles (good for round-trip US-China flights and round-the-world tickets); transfer 1:1 to British Airways miles (good for China-Japan routes and short-haul domestic US redemptions); transfer 1:1 to Air Canada miles (good for US-China business class awards and infant tickets); transfer 1:1 to Delta (good for business class, and can also redeem any Delta flight at 1c/p).
• Points Features: All MR points earned by one person are pooled into a single account and can be used directly. As long as you still have at least one MR-earning card open, all MR points will remain valid; be sure to use them up before closing all of your cards. Nearly all MR-earning cards allow you to transfer MR points to airline miles or hotel points. MR points can be transferred to airline or hotel accounts in an authorized user's name.
• My Take: The most common use of MR is transferring to airline miles, mainly ANA, Air Canada, Delta, and British Airways. Delta can help cover SkyTeam options; ANA and AC can selectively cover Star Alliance options; BA can be used for some oneworld awards. Among these, ANA is especially valuable for US-China economy, business, and first class awards. AC and Delta are also good for covering domestic US flights, while BA is best for nonstop domestic US flights. Hotel transfers are a weak spot for MR, and none are really worth transferring to. As for booking hotels or flights directly through AMEX Travel, you usually only get 1 cent per point in value, so I generally do not recommend it. Cash back and gift cards also max out at only 1 cent per point. Therefore, the final valuation is 1.7c, mainly considering the broad airline partner coverage, mostly instant transfer times (ANA takes 2-3 days; others are instant), and the value of these airline miles. The weaknesses are that MR is not very useful for hotel redemptions, and direct airfare bookings do not provide strong value either.
• Detailed Analysis: Membership Rewards Guide >>

My Thoughts:

After the benefits update, this card now covers travel and dining, and 3x Membership Rewards points instantly make it a travel credit card.

In addition, this card still has some potential value. Since this is the entry-level Charge card, it may be upgraded in the future to the AMEX Premier Rewards Gold Card or the AMEX Platinum Card. In general, upgrades come with a 25,000-60,000 point sign-up bonus, and for people who have already received those sign-up bonuses, the upgrade bonus can still sometimes be earned again. AMEX also has Pay Over Time Enroll, which can offer 10,000 points in a targeted promotion, so if you hold this card, keep an eye out for targeted upgrade and Pay Over Time offers.

If you plan to keep it for a second year, upgrading to the AMEX Premier Rewards Gold Card is also a good option, because after subtracting the various credits and reimbursements, the effective annual fee is lower.

Application

This card is a Charge card with a relatively low barrier to approval, so it is easy to get approved for.

• AMEX official application status check link
• For the same AMEX credit card, the public welcome bonus is generally available only once (once-per-lifetime restriction)
• You can call the reconsideration line (800-528-4800, 877-399-3083, 866-314-0237) to speed up credit card approval or request a review of a denied application.
• AMEX limits you to 4 credit cards and 10 charge cards total.
• You can apply for a total of two AMEX credit cards every 90 days, excluding charge cards.
• After you submit your application, a pop-up may appear telling you that you are not eligible for the welcome bonus. In that case, it is usually best not to continue with the application (detailed analysis)
• More about applying for AMEX credit cards

Application Link:

• AMEX Green Card