The Bonuses

The American Express Gold Rewards Card offers a bonus of up to 30,000 Membership Rewards points after spending at least $1,500 on the card within the first three months, when you apply via a referral link.

By applying through this channel, you’ll earn 25,000 MR points upon spending $1,500 in the first three months, as well as 5,000 MR points upon adding a supplementary card at the time of application.

The annual fee of $150 is not waived.

(If you have membership with CPA Canada, then you can apply via the special CPA offer to enjoy a $150 statement credit upon meeting the minimum spending, which effectively makes the card free for the first year.)

Furthermore, as a cardholder, you’ll earn 5,000 MR points for every referral you make to any card in the Membership Rewards family, up to a maximum of 75,000 MR points per calendar year.

As for supplementary cards, the first supplementary card can be added for free (and you ought to do so at the time of application in order to unlock the extra 5,000 MR points); however, additional supplementary cards will cost you $50 apiece.

Earning Rewards

Not only does the Gold Rewards Card come with a good signup bonus, it’s a great card to use on a daily basis as well for earning rewards. You’ll earn:

• 2 MR per dollar spent at gas stations, grocery stores, and drug stores in Canada

• 2 MR per dollar spent on travel purchases (flights, hotels, car rentals, vacations, cruises, etc.)

  • Earn 1 additional MR per dollar spent when booking your hotel or car rental through American Express Travel

• 1 MR per dollar spent everywhere else

Keep in mind that gas stations, grocery stores, and drug stores often sell gift cards for other stores that normally belong in the “everywhere else” category. You can effectively earn 2 MR per dollar spent on many purchases that normally fall into “everywhere else” by buying these gift cards and using them towards purchases that would normally earn 1 MR per dollar spent. This can be especially lucrative when purchasing big-ticket items, such as appliances, electronics, and furniture!

Insurance Coverage

Charge your travel purchases to your American Express Gold Rewards Card, and you’ll automatically enjoy a wide array of coverage, such as:

• Emergency medical insurance, for the first 15 days of each out-of-province trip, up to a maximum of $5,000,000 per insured person under 65

• Lost, stolen, or damaged baggage insurance, up to $500 per trip

• Travel accident insurance, up to $500,000, for you, your spouse, and any dependent children under 23

Additional coverage includes protection against trip interruption, car rental theft and damage, flight delay, and hotel burglary.

The card also offers the Buyer’s Assurance Protection Plan, which doubles the manufacturer’s warranty on any item charged to the card for up to one additional year, as well as the Purchase Protection Plan, which automatically insures your purchases against accidental theft and damage.