American Express Green Card: Is it Misunderstood?
Fast Facts:
Made from reclaimed plastic
"Member Since" on card is translucent and looks great in the light
Launched in 1969
Welcome Offer: 40,000 Membership Rewards Points for $2,000 spend in 6 months
Potential Incognito offer: 45k MR points for $2,000 spend in 6 months
Annual Fee: $150
Credits:
$189 Clear Credit
This is enough for you and someone else in your family! DO NOT pay full price for Clear. Clear has partnerships with both Delta and United that reduce the price of Clear to $119 just by joining either of their loyalty programs and are free to join. You can also add someone to your Clear plan for another $60.
$100 Loungebuddy Credit
Loungebuddy is a network of lounges and is owned by American Express. As advertised, you can purchase lounge access to any lounge on the site starting at $25 for a 3 hour stay in the lounge. In reality, you will be hard pressed to find a lounge that is under $40 for a 3 hour stay. Not all lounges are on Loungebuddy, but, for example, if you book a Delta lounge, you do not need to be flying Delta to get into the lounge, which could be a perk.
Virgin Atlantic Lounge in IAD- $65 for 3 hours
Multipliers
3x Restaurants- including takeout and delivery in the US.
3x Travel- airfare, cruises, hotels, tours, car rentals and more.
3x Transit- trains, buses, ferries, subways and more.
1x everything else.
Who is this card for?
I believe that this card is marketed toward the "modern millennial", anyone who earns a decent wage and works in a large city.
Although, anyone that spends a moderate amount on transit and restaurants daily will find this to be a great card without a crazy annual fee.
We cannot ignore the annual fee though- if you do not fly enough to make sense of the Clear credit or use the Lounge buddy credit, there are better cards out there.
I think anyone that spends a lot on transit and or travel and can use the Clear credit will find this to be a nice addition to their wallet.
Main Competitor
With 2x on travel and 3x on dining (typically more extensive than what AMEX has for restaurants), and with a cheaper annual fee of $95, this card may work better for your spending habits.