American Express Gold Rewards Card

One of Amex's iconic products, the American Express Gold Rewards Card is in many ways a "lite" version of the famous Platinum Card. The Gold Rewards Card comes with many of the same features and fees, albeit scaled down for those who many not be able to take advantage of everything the Platinum Card has to offer.

While there may be better options for everyday earning rates and other benefits, the Gold Rewards Card is a good choice if you want a modest amount of premium perks without paying full premium annual fees.

Not only does the Gold Rewards Card come with a generous welcome bonus, it's a good card to use on a daily basis for earning rewards. You'll earn:

• 2 MR per dollar spent at gas stations, grocery stores, and drugstores 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 Amex Travel Online
• 1 MR per dollar spent everywhere else

This is one of the only credit cards in the market that offers an accelerated earn rate for shopping at drugstores. If you have a large amount of spend at drugstores, the American Express Gold Rewards Card can be a worthwhile addition to your wallet.

Again, using our valuation of MR points at 2.2 cents per point, you're looking at a 4.4% return on the 2x categories, and a 2.2% return on everything else.

Charge your travel purchases to your Gold card, and you'll automatically enjoy a wide array of coverage, including:

• Emergency medical insurance: Up to $5 million of coverage for the first 15 days of your out-of-province trip, for travellers under age 65.
• Trip cancellation: Up to $1,500 of coverage per insured person, to a maximum of $3,000 for all insured persons on the same covered trip.
• Trip interruption insurance: Up to $1,500 of coverage per insured person, to a maximum of $6,000 for all insured persons on the same covered trip.
• Flight delay insurance: Up to $500 (aggregate maximum with Baggage Delay insurance), for food, accommodation and items purchased within 48 hours when your flight is delayed 4+ hours.
• Baggage delay insurance: Up to $500 (aggregate maximum with Flight Delay insurance), for items purchased within 4 days of arrival when your baggage is delayed 6+ hours. (Note: this is different from lost and stolen baggage insurance, which doesn't cover delays)
• Lost or stolen baggage insurance: Up to $500 of coverage total for all insured persons.
• Hotel burglary insurance: Up to $500 coverage for stolen items (excluding cash).
• Travel accident insurance: Up to $500,000 of Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance.
• Car rental theft and damage insurance: Comprehensive coverage for up to 48 consecutive days for cars with an MSRP of up to $85,000.

Additionally, the card also offers Purchase Security and Extended Warranty Protection, covering most eligible items you’ve purchased with your Gold card up to $1,000 should they be stolen or damaged within 90 days of purchase, as well as an extended one-year warranty period compared to the manufacturer’s warranty.