American Express Green Card

The American Express Green Card is a no-frills starter card that can be good for those with a new or recovering credit file and want to start earning American Express Membership Rewards points along the way.

Bonuses & Fees

The American Express Green Card currently offers 10,000 Membership Rewards points upon spending $1,000 in the first three months as part of an elevated referral offer.

If you’re looking for a no-fee “keeper card” to support your credit history in the long run, this may well be an attractive offer. Supplementary cards are also free.

Earning Rewards

The Amex Green Card offers a basic earning rate of 1 MR point per dollar spent on all purchases. While the earning rate isn’t the most competitive, earning 1 MR point per dollar spent can still be better than some other entry-level cards offered by other banks.

The Amex Green Card is best-suited for those who are interested in collecting MR points while building up a relatively new credit file or restricting themselves to lower annual fees and credit limits.

Redeeming Rewards

The Membership Rewards program offers outstanding redemption opportunities as well. This is primarily because it’s a flexible, transferable rewards currency.

You can transfer your MR points at a 1:1 ratio to Aeroplan and British Airways Avios, as well as a host of other global frequent flyer programs (including Cathay Pacific Asia Miles and Air France KLM Flying Blue) at a 1:0.75 ratio. Moreover, you also have the option of converting points to Marriott Bonvoy at a 1:1.2 ratio for booking hotel stays.

Furthermore, you can redeem MR points directly for flights through the Amex Fixed Points Travel reward chart, although these are limited to round-trip flights departing from Canada.

Essentially, you can use a fixed amount of points towards the base ticket price of a regular cash ticket, up to a certain maximum. The number of points required and the maximum ticket price depends on the geographical region you are visiting (you can only book roundtrip flights that originate in Canada).

Lastly, you have the option of redeeming MR points directly against travel purchases at a rate of 1 cent per point (cpp), although this is typically not recommended, as the value pales in comparison to what you could get by booking flights through Aeroplan, Avios, or even the Fixed Points Travel chart.

Perks & Benefits

As a basic card no-fee card, the American Express Green Card  has no perks or benefits but you’ll still get to enjoy the perks of being an American Express cardholder, including Front of the Line event presale tickets, exclusive invites for American Express Experiences, and periodic Amex Offers for additional rebates and rewards on everyday spending.

Insurance Coverage

The American Express Green Card offers two types of basic insurance for cardholders, which is nice to see on a no-fee card:

• Buyer’s Assurance Protection Plan, which automatically doubles the manufacturer’s warranty on a new purchase, up to one year
• Purchase Protection Plan, which reimburses you for the cost of a purchase in the event of direct physical damage or theft within 90 days