Act Quickly: Earn $600 (or More) Back After Spending $6,000 With This Credit Card

The American Express® Gold Card isn't exactly cheap, with a $250 annual fee (see rates and fees). However, it has an excellent rewards program and several key perks that could make the card pay for itself for the right consumer.

Not only does the Amex Gold Card have some excellent perks, but it also has a generous welcome bonus and gives card members a lot of time to reach the required spending threshold. In this article, we'll discuss the American Express® Gold Card's welcome bonus, perks, and whether it could be a good choice for you.

A generous welcome offer with lots of time to earn it

The American Express® Gold Card is part of the American Express Membership Rewards program and earns rewards in the form of Membership Rewards points.

New card members can earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points bonus points after spending $6,000 on the card (terms apply). But unlike many other cards in this class, which only allow three months to reach the spending requirement, American Express® Gold Card members have 6 months. So, if you open an account and spend $1,000 per month for the first six months, you'll get 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points bonus points -- plus whatever standard rewards you would earn for your spending. More on that in the next section.

The standard redemption rate for Membership Rewards points is $0.01, making the bonus worth $600. However, the points can be transferred to a list of partner airlines, usually at a 1:1 ratio, and depending on how you ultimately redeem them, you might be able to get significantly more value if you use it toward travel bookings. It's not uncommon for people with flexible travel plans to get $0.02 or more in value per frequent flyer mile.

Valuable rewards and perks

For starters, the American Express® Gold Card has one of the best rewards programs in its class. It earns 4X points per $1 spent at restaurants as well as at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 in purchases per year), which makes it one of the top cards in both categories (terms apply).

The American Express® Gold Card also earns 3X points per $1 on flights booked directly through airlines or with Amex Travel (terms apply).

Beyond the rewards program, there are some other interesting perks that could help justify the card's annual fee:

• $10 per month ($120 per year) in statement credits toward certain restaurants and food delivery services.
• $10 per month ($120 per year) in Uber cash to use on rides or Uber Eats orders.
• $100 onsite experience credit when you book certain hotel stays of two nights or more through Amex Travel.
• Terms apply; enrollment may be required

There are also numerous travel and purchase protections, which is a major strength of many American Express card products. These include perks like extended warranty protection, rental car insurance, and baggage insurance (terms apply).

Is the American Express® Gold Card right for you?

Of course, any card with an annual fee is only worth it if you make good use of its features and benefits. With that in mind, if the features discussed above sound like something you'd take advantage of, the American Express® Gold Card could be a good addition to your wallet. And the welcome offer makes it even more attractive.