Card guide · Membership Rewards
Amex Green
Card guide overview
A travel card built around broad 3X categories and CLEAR credit—at a higher fee than the competition.
Key card attributes
| Issuing bank | Reward currency | Currency type | Network | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Express | Membership Rewards | Flexible, transferable travel points | American Express | $150 |
Closest alternatives
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- Capital One Venture
- Citi Strata Premier
- Wells Fargo Autograph Journey
- Bilt Obsidian
At a glance
The card in three decisions.
Amex Green is the entry point to the Membership Rewards ecosystem—the same transfer partners as Platinum and Gold, just with a narrower earning structure and lighter benefit package. Its 3X categories cover travel, transit, and dining worldwide, which is broader than most mid-tier competitors. The $219 annual CLEAR credit is distinctive: no other card at this fee level offers one.
But the keeper case is narrow. American Express Gold or Chase Sapphire Preferred are stronger options in most scenarios—both earn more where it counts and come with richer benefit packages. The reasons to keep Green are specific: you want CLEAR Plus, your transit and broad travel spending is high enough to out-earn the alternatives, or you need it as the entry point to Amex's welcome bonus ladder before moving up to Gold or Platinum. With one credit and no travel protections, it earns its 2/5—workable for the right person, not a general recommendation.
Best fit
Urban travelers who want CLEAR and broad 3X earning
Especially relevant if you take transit regularly, dine out often and already value CLEAR at close to its $219 list price.
Current timing
40K is above the tracked 30K standard—but well below 60K
The public offer sits in the middle: better than baseline, but only two-thirds of the tracked maximum.
Main watchout
Amex Gold or CSP beat it in almost every scenario
Gold earns 4X on dining/groceries with a $100 effective fee. CSP has primary rental coverage and a hotel credit at $95. Green only wins with heavy transit spending or CLEAR.
Current & historical offer
40K is above standard, below the tracked maximum.
We compare public points offers with public points offers. Referral, branch, targeted and mixed cash-plus-points offers are outside this ladder. Amex may show different offers to different applicants.
Timing assessment
Not the best, not the worst—a middle-ground offer.
40K is 10,000 above the tracked 30K standard and comes with a forgiving 6-month spend window. If the card fits your spending now, this is a reasonable time to apply. If you can wait, history suggests 50K–60K windows appear periodically.
Why someone may still wait
The difference between 40K and 60K is real money.
At a conservative 1.5 cents per MR point, 20,000 additional points is roughly $300. Since Amex may only show one welcome bonus per lifetime, waiting for a stronger offer can make sense if you are not in a hurry.
Card benefits
The CLEAR credit stands alone; protections are thin.
The tiers are a Points Brief editorial assessment of decision importance and rarity among comparable mid-tier travel cards—not labels supplied by American Express.
Tier 1 · Rare differentiators
Benefits uncommon enough at this fee level to influence the card decision.
CLEAR Plus credit
Up to $219 in annual statement credits for a CLEAR Plus membership charged to the card. No other card in the $95–$150 range offers a CLEAR credit—it is normally reserved for premium $550+ cards.
- Credit applies after you sign up and pay for CLEAR Plus with the Green card.
- CLEAR membership is subject to auto-renewal; the credit covers the annual fee.
- Available at select airports, stadiums and entertainment venues nationwide.
Know the limits: Know the limits: CLEAR is only useful if you fly from airports where it operates. It speeds up the ID checkpoint, not the security screening itself—you still need TSA PreCheck for the faster lane. If you would not pay for CLEAR otherwise, the credit's practical value is lower than $219.
Broad travel and transit earning
Travel includes airfare, hotels, tours, campgrounds, car rentals, cruises and vacation rentals. Transit covers trains, buses, ferries, subways and more. Dining is worldwide including takeout and delivery.
- Travel 3X applies to a wider range of merchants than most mid-tier travel cards.
- Transit 3X is rare—most competitors do not have a dedicated transit category.
- Dining 3X matches CSP and beats Venture's 2X.
Know the limits: Know the tradeoff: 3X is strong, but at $150 the card costs $55 more per year than CSP, Venture or Strata Premier. You need to spend meaningfully in these categories to overcome the fee difference through earning alone.
Tier 2 · Strong, but available on some peers
Meaningful value with visible restrictions or available elsewhere.
Full access Membership Rewards transfer partners
Green earns the same transferable MR points as Platinum and Gold—all Amex airline and hotel partners are available, including ANA, Aeroplan, Flying Blue, Virgin Atlantic and Hilton.
No other $150 card gives you access to the full Amex MR transfer network. Transfer ratios are generally 1:1 for airlines. Transfers are final.
Presale Amex special ticket access
Access to Amex Presale Tickets and Amex Reserved Tickets for select events across sports, music and more. Card members can also get on-site perks at select events.
While supplies last; not all seats may be offered. This is available across most Amex cards—it is not exclusive to Green—but it is a benefit competitors do not offer.
Varied Amex Offers
Card members can add targeted offers from select brands to earn extra rewards or statement credits on qualifying purchases. Enrollment required.
Offers vary by card member and can include meaningful savings on travel, dining and shopping. Chase and Citi have similar programs, so this is not unique to Amex.
Tier 3 · Expected travel-card basics
Useful protections and services that should not drive the decision alone.
No foreign transaction fees Travel baseline
No issuer foreign-transaction fee on purchases made abroad. Standard among travel cards at this level.
Secondary car rental coverage Amex standard
Secondary coverage for eligible theft and collision damage; pay for the full rental with the card and decline the CDW. Not primary—coordinates with your own policy first.
Baggage insurance plan Amex standard
Coverage for eligible lost, damaged or stolen baggage on covered trips purchased with the card. Terms and exclusions apply.
Purchase protection Amex standard
Eligible purchases covered for damage or theft within 90 days; up to $1,000 per occurrence / $50,000 per calendar year. Terms apply.
Extended warranty Amex standard
Extends eligible manufacturer warranties of 5 years or fewer by up to one additional year. Terms and exclusions apply.
Travel accident insurance Amex standard
Coverage for eligible loss of life or limb while traveling on a common carrier when the fare is charged to the card. Terms apply.
Global Assist Hotline Referral service
24/7 access to medical, legal, financial and travel emergency assistance coordination. Card members are responsible for third-party service costs.
Send & Split Venmo/PayPal
Send money and split purchases with other Amex card members via Venmo and PayPal. Enrollment required. Terms apply.
Comparison method: General consumer travel cards in the $95–$150 annual-fee range, including Chase Sapphire Preferred, Capital One Venture, Citi Strata Premier and Wells Fargo Autograph Journey; official public pages reviewed in July 2026. A public page's silence is not proof that a competing benefit does not exist.
Earning rates
3X across travel, transit and dining does the heavy lifting.
Rates shown are total Membership Rewards points per dollar on eligible purchases. Merchant coding and Amex's current terms control.
Travel worldwide
Airfare, hotels, tours, campgrounds, car rentals, cruises, vacation rentals and more. Broadly defined—includes purchases many competitors classify as general spend.
Transit worldwide
Trains, buses, ferries, subways, tolls, rideshares and more. A dedicated transit category is rare among mid-tier travel cards.
Dining at restaurants worldwide
Includes takeout and delivery in the US. Matches CSP's dining rate and exceeds Venture's flat 2X.
All other eligible purchases
One point per dollar on purchases not eligible for a higher rate. Terms and limitations apply.
Credit interaction: Credit interaction: CLEAR membership fees eligible for the $219 credit earn points at the standard 1X rate. Amex Offers rewards post separately from the base earning structure above. MR points are worth an estimated 1.5–2.0 cents each when transferred to airline partners for premium redemptions.
Transfer partners
Amex's network is broad; most airlines transfer at 1:1.
Membership Rewards points transfer to participating airline and hotel programs. Partners without a shown ratio transfer at the standard 1:1.
Important exceptions
1:0.8JetBlue transfer ratio
Most partners are 1:1; JetBlue, Hilton and a few hotels differ.
Seventeen of the eighteen airline partners transfer at the standard 1,000 Membership Rewards = 1,000 miles ratio. JetBlue transfers at 1:0.8. Among hotels, Hilton transfers at 1:2, Marriott at 1:1, and Choice at 1:1. Domestic U.S. airline transfers (e.g., Delta, JetBlue) incur a $0.0006-per-point excise tax offset fee, capped at $99.
Distinctive direct access
Programs that define the Amex ecosystem or are rarely found in other transferable currencies.
- ANA Mileage Club
- Avianca LifeMiles
- Delta SkyMiles
- Emirates Skywards
Popular international options
Commonly used programs with broad alliance or international redemption reach; most at 1:1.
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France–KLM Flying Blue
- British Airways Club
- Singapore KrisFlyer
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Additional airline programs
Useful in narrower itineraries or when transfer bonuses are active.
- Aer Lingus
- Aeroméxico
- Cathay Pacific
- Etihad Guest
- Hawaiian Airlines
- Iberia Plus
- JetBlue 1:0.8
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
Hotel programs
Ratios vary; compare transfer value with Amex Travel pricing and cash rates before moving points.
- Choice Privileges
- Hilton Honors Aspire 1:2
- Marriott Bonvoy
Sources and methodology
Sources for this page
- Last checked: July 20, 2026
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