Is the Amex Gold Card still worth it? See what has changed

It has long been a favorite of foodies, offering impressive rewards on select purchases at supermarkets and restaurants, as well as some dining perks to help cover the cost of the annual fee.

But recently, Amex made some changes that included raising the annual fee from $250 to $325. Whether you’re an existing cardholder or have been thinking about applying for a card for a while, here’s how to determine if the higher annual fee is worth it.

What has changed with the Amex Gold Card?

The new and improved version has an annual fee of $325, which is $75 more than the previous annual fee. While the new benefits are valuable enough to offset this increase, that’s really only true if you can make the most of them.

These are the new features:

• Resy credit: Every six months, you’ll earn up to $50 in credit toward purchases made at U.S. restaurants through the Resy app or Resy.com. This includes purchases made directly at U.S. restaurants that offer reservations on Resy.com and Resy.com—you don’t even need to make a reservation—as well as purchases made directly on Resy.com or the Resy app.

• Dunkin’ Credits: You can earn up to $7 in statement credit each month toward purchases at Dunkin’ Donuts.

Additional features of the Amex Gold Card

In addition to the new Resy and Dunkin’ credits, American Express has also updated its existing Dining Benefit, which gives you up to $10 in account credit for eligible restaurant purchases.

With the card revamp, Amex added Five Guys to the list of options, which also includes Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly and Wine.com.

You’ll also receive $10 in Uber Cash each month to use for Uber rides or Uber Eats delivery orders.

The card’s rewards program offers you:

• 4x in restaurants worldwide (up to $50,000 in sales per calendar year, then 1x)

• 4x in US supermarkets (up to $25,000 in sales per calendar year, then 1x)

• 3x on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com

• 2x on other eligible travel purchases booked through AmexTravel.com

• 1x on all other purchases

Is the card worth its annual fee?

With a $325 annual fee, you’d expect solid perks, and the card doesn’t disappoint. However, given the way the card’s benefits are structured, it can be difficult to get the most value out of the card.

Here is a quick reminder of the card balance:

• Up to $120 in dining credits annually, split into monthly installments of $10

• Up to $120 Uber Cash annually, split into monthly installments of $10

• Up to $100 Resy credit annually, split into semi-annual installments of $50

• Up to $84 Dunkin’ credit annually, split into monthly installments of $7

Combined, that adds up to a value of up to $424 per year, in addition to the rewards you earn by using the card for everyday purchases. That’s more than enough to cover the annual cost of the card, at least in theory.

However, due to the limits Amex places on its dining perks, you’ll need to keep an eye on your spending each month to make sure you’re maximizing their value.

Also, let’s say you don’t typically grab coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts on your morning commute and you don’t often take Uber. In that case, you may have to spend money you wouldn’t otherwise spend to get these perks.

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Ultimately, you’ll need to consider your spending and eating habits to decide if the card is worth it for you. While it’s worth it, figuring out how to make the most of the card’s benefits can be frustrating.

If your spending already matches the card’s benefits, or you can easily adjust your habits to make the card work, the annual fee may be well worth it—especially if you already spend a lot on and.

However, if you find that you are spending money just for a credit, the costs may outweigh the benefits in the long run.

This article was edited by Alicia Hahn

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