This was originally a 101 Flash post. Since there was a lot of discussion, it has been expanded into a full article.

【2021.2 Update 2】Some blogs previously believed that after changing the card design, you could no longer see the reimbursement progress and might lose the airline incidental reimbursement. We also added a warning that it might affect reimbursement. Based on testing by readers in our WeChat reader group, however, it turns out that the progress is no longer visible whether you change the design or not, and those who switched to the Rose Gold design still received reimbursement normally. HT: WeChat reader Renwoxing and others

By the way, even if you can no longer see the reimbursement progress now, if you need to change your airline selection, you can still contact customer service to change it manually. It is recommended to wait 24-48h before making a purchase.

【2021.2 Update】The Rose Gold design is back! (Rose Gold) You can now choose the card design when applying. Only AMEX official links (including Refer links) let you choose the card color. The all-time-high Resy offer (60,000+$250) comes with the regular Gold design (note: if you apply now, there is no airline reimbursement anymore), but you can apply through Resy first and then Chat with customer service to request a replacement card. Existing cardholders can also directly Chat to request a card design change. I strongly recommend switching to the Rose Gold version, because Rose Gold has a hidden benefit (see below). Of course, this hidden Bug could be fixed by AMEX at any time.

Note: At the moment, replacement cards do not seem very stable and may cause the airline reimbursement to disappear. If you want to switch, it may be best to wait for a while.

【2021.1 Update】I previously received upgrade offers for Green->Gold and Green-> Platinum. I have now completed the Green->Gold upgrade (the 15K bonus has also posted), and I can still continue upgrading to Platinum (25,000 bonus), as shown below:

AMEX upgrade bonuses generally prohibit you from closing the card or downgrading within a year. However, the Terms do not prohibit you from upgrading again. You can absolutely make two consecutive jumps.

If you upgrade now and hold it for only one year, before canceling you can get airline $200*2 (do not abuse refunds), Saks $50*3, PayPal $180, and $215 in Uber reimbursement, for a total of $945. That value is far higher than the $550 annual fee. Even without an upgrade bonus, it still seems pretty good. If you received a 25,000 MR upgrade bonus, then it is even more of a no-brainer.

If you have never had the Platinum card before, remember to first get the 100,000+10x welcome offer and then do the upgrade afterward; the two do not conflict. Before upgrading, remember to use up the Gold airline reimbursement first.

With two consecutive upgrades, you can get 15,000+25,000=40,000 MR + a lot of additional reimbursement, which is quite impressive. I have not tried this myself, so DP reports are welcome.

【Below is the original 101 Flash from December 22, 2020】

The answer is yes. Although this card is a bit flashy (especially when held by men), it is very worthwhile to keep long term, and I strongly do not recommend switching back to the regular Gold design.

This hidden benefit may not be what you expect. In AMEX's system, Rose Gold apparently does not count as holding a Gold card. This mainly shows up when a lower-tier card is upgraded to the Gold design. This DP comes from KUKU personally:

  • You hold the Rose Gold card, and at the same time you have held AMEX Green for one year already (or nearly one year)
  • Then AMEX Green can definitely receive an AMEX Gold upgrade offer

Conversely:

  • You hold the regular Gold card, and at the same time you have held AMEX Green for one year already (or nearly one year)
  • Then AMEX Green definitely cannot receive an AMEX Gold upgrade offer

Recent upgrade links:

The highest AMEX Gold upgrade bonus is 40,000 MR, while AMEX Platinum can go as high as 60,000 MR. Considering that AMEX Gold only has airline incidental reimbursement left for this year and next year, if you are eligible to upgrade, it may be worth considering. As for the Platinum upgrade, you might as well pass for now and wait for 60,000.

Next time the Rose Gold design is available, do not hesitate—switch right away!