The American Express Gold Card is a charge card for those who have good credit and can afford to pay the balance in full each month in order to avoid accumulating debt as often become the case with high balance and high interest rates. In addition, though the payment structure of the charge card is different from other unsecured credit cards, it has similar benefits and services.

The annual fee for the American Express Gold Card is $90 with an additional $35 for additional cardholders. For the first year, the primary cardholder fee is waived. The fee for cash advances is 3% with a minimum of $5 for Express Cash transactions.

For no additional fee, cardholders have access to the Membership Rewards Options program, which allows members the opportunity to earn points they can redeem for various products and services. Points are earned at the rate of one point per dollar with bonus points of two points per dollar for purchases at supermarkets, gas stations, drug stores, U.S. Postal Service, or when paying wireless phone bills. They have no expiration date or annual maximum, and the cardholder earns a bonus of 5,000 points on the first purchase.

Although the card has a high annual fee, those who are able to take advantage of all of the benefits of American Express membership may not be concerned with this.

Some of the benefits a cardholder can expect to receive from the American Express Gold Card include the following:

Online access to account information

Free shipping and handling from selected retailers and merchants

Financial statements at years end

Price protection services

Return protection

No cardholder liability for unauthorized Internet transactions

Extended warranty for purchases

Protection for purchases

Medical and legal referral services

Planning assistance for trips

Emergency assistance and travel-related services

Insurance for lost luggage

Emergency check-in service

Roadside assistance

Guarantee of hotel and motel reservations

Insurance for car rental

Emergency replacement of card

Travel accident insurance up to $100,000