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American Express (Gold) Card Experience Report
In the world of credit cards, there are many offers that seem tempting at first glance. But which card actually offers the best price-performance ratio? The American Express Gold Card, in short Amex Gold, advertises a variety of benefits, especially for travel enthusiasts. But what can the expensive premium credit card really do?
Now learn all about the Core features, advantages, disadvantages, benefits and feesto get a comprehensive overview. This will help you decide whether this card is the right one for you. In this test report, you will learn everything about the Amex Gold Card, even for those for whom the credit card is not worthwhile!
The Amex Gold Card is a product of American Express, one of the world's leading financial services companies. It was specially developed for customers who value Special services and advantages lay. In doing so, it describes itself as the "ideal travel map".
With numerous additional benefits, it promises carefree travel, shopping discounts and a comprehensive insurance package.
At first glance, the Amex Gold Card Switzerland offers impressive benefits:
Despite the impressive advantages, there are also downsides. The most serious Disadvantages are reflected in the fees. The main card has a Very high annual fee (CHF 300) after the first year of use.
The additional card also has a high annual fee (CHF 150). Compared to Visa and Mastercard, there are fewer points of acceptance in Europe and Switzerland in particular.
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The Amex Gold Card offers a monthly invoice and integrated Mobile Payment Solutions. With the Swisscard app and the digital service, you always have an overview of your spending.
Thanks to 3D-Secure and other security features such as SMS TAN and PIN entry your transactions are secure. Contactless payments are also possible, and the Goldkarte Switzerland is also usable worldwide. Another plus: you can withdraw cash worldwide and have access to round-the-clock customer service.
| Designation | American Express Gold Credit Card |
| Settlement | Monthly |
| Additional card | Optional |
| Instalment facility | Not available |
| Security | 3D-Secure, PIN, SMS-TAN |
| Region | Usable worldwide |
Compared to the free Mastercard from Cembra or the free Visa from Migros, the American Express Gold has an large scope of services. Many services are free of charge and already included in the annual fee. And as with any credit card, you can also take advantage of additional services for which a fee is charged.
In the list below you can see all services and additional benefits at a glance:
The marketing for American Express focuses in particular on people who travel a lot. Accordingly, the Credit card with travel services such as the Gold Travel Service, airline and hotel programmes and access to numerous airport lounges.
These travel services come with the Gold Travel Service really come into their own. For example, you can communicate your plans and preferences over the phone. The booking service will then select the right airlines, hotels and airports to get the most out of your Amex Gold Card.
The advice of the Gold Travel Service is free of charge, each booking (whether flight, hotel, ticket etc.) costs CHF 20.
The insurance policies of the American Express Gold are also broader than those of many other credit cards and again optimised for the most common needs of travellers. There is a Accident insurance for means of transport, foreign health and travel comfort insurance and a Personal Assistance Service.
Added to this are inclusive services such as the Shopping and goods return insurance and an extended warranty.
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Bonus programmes are now standard with credit cards, including the American Express Gold Card. There are Rewards Points in the Membership Bonus Programmewhich you can then exchange for rewards, miles and other offers.
Added to this is a Bonus programme for travellers: American Express Selects. This is a special selection of shops, restaurants, travel and entertainment with special conditions for American Express members. The selection in the bonus programme is mostly expensive and therefore it is questionable whether the deals are really deals.
Membership Rewards is the Amex bonus programme where you can Collect points every time you use your card. These points do not expire and you can use them exchange them for rewards, air miles or even bookings. You get 1 point for every franc you spend. A few shops also accept these points as payment currency.
YesYou can earn the starting bonus of 30,000 Membership Rewards points. Convert to air miles immediately and book a discounted flight with it. In extremely rare cases, you will find a flight that you can pay for entirely with the starting bonus. After using your credit card, you can cancel it with a clear conscience and enjoy your cheap trip.
Services for which a charge is made include the Gold Travel Service, the Travel cancellation and interruption insurance, Rental car comprehensive insurance and some other insurances.
The fee structure of the Amex Gold Card is clearly geared towards the premium segment. The high fees reflect the premium nature of the map, which, however, makes them Unattractive for everyday use makes.
Here is a Overview with the most important fees:
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
| Annual fee | 1st year free, then CHF 300 |
| Annual fee additional card | CHF 150 |
| Foreign currency fee | 2,50 % |
| Annual interest for partial payment | Partial payment not included |
| Cash withdrawal in CHF | 4.00 %, min. CHF 5.- |
| Monthly statement in paper form | CHF 1.95 |
| Monthly statement in the app | Not available |
| Fee for telephone service | CHF 0 |
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The Amex Gold Card uses 3D-Secure and the standard security systems such as SMS TAN and PIN entryto secure transactions. 3D-Secure is an authentication procedure for online payments with credit cards. It offers additional protection against fraud by asking you to enter a security code (SMS, 2-factor authentication or an additional PIN) for each transaction.
As "ideal travel card with many additional services for carefree travelling". the American Express Gold focuses on a specific target group. This target group is clearly different from the target group of the Certo! One Mastercard and Swisscard Cashback Duo.
Nevertheless, it is worth taking a look at the Comparison table of all 3 credit cards for Swiss:
| American Express Gold Card | Certo! One Mastercard | Swisscard Cashback Duo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cashback | CHF 1 = 1 point in the Rewards Programme | 1 % and 0.33 % as real money | 1 % with Amex, 0.25 % with Mastercard and Visa |
| Payout | No direct payout | Quarterly | Annual |
| Insurance | 7 Inclusive insurances | Travel and Shopping Insurance | Return of goods insurance |
| Annual fee | 1st year free, then CHF 300 | CHF 0 | CHF 0 |
| Additional card fee | CHF 150 | CHF 0 | CHF 0 |
| mobile payment | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Foreign currency fees | 2,5 % | 1,5 % | 2,5 % |
| Exchange rate premium | 2 % | 1,5 % | Day & currency dependent, added to foreign currency fees |
| Cash withdrawal abroad | 4%, min. CHF 5 | 3.75% + 1.5% handling fee, min. CHF 10 | 3.75%, min. CHF 10 |
It is clear from the table that the American Express Gold is not made for everyday domestic use. The extensive insurance benefits are aimed at mainly to people who travel a lot.
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Although the American Express Gold Card significantly more inclusive services than other credit cards have to offer, it is not made for everyone. The situation and your own needs and plans should be big decision criteria for you.
For example, if you are planning a sabbatical and want to spend a lot of time abroad, you should take a closer look at the card. If you collect enough points during your travels, you may be able to fly to the next location free of charge or exchange your points for a room in a hotel. Here, the high fees of the credit card could be put into perspective, and also the Gold Travel Service * could offer you a corresponding comfort.
Plan your Amex Gold usage very carefully! If necessary, you can cleverly avoid the annual fees by cancelling beforehand and switching to another card, for example.
However, if you're a points hunter looking for cashback, then the American Express is a poor choice. Better for cashback would be the Certo! One or about the Swisscard Credit card.