What counts as travel on the Amex Green card?
Editor's Note
The American Express® Green Card is a decent option for travel purchases.
New cardholders can now earn a welcome bonus of 40,000 bonus Membership Rewards points after they spend $3,000 on purchases on their new card in the first six months of card membership.
The Amex Green earns 3 points per dollar on travel, transit and dining at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. For all other purchases, you'll earn one point. Terms apply.
But exactly which purchases count as "travel" and earn 3 points per dollar? Here's what you need to know.
Related: The best time to apply for these 9 popular travel credit cards based on offer history
The information for the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
What counts as travel on the Amex Green card?
Here are the travel purchases that will earn bonus points, according to the Amex Green Card's terms:
- Car rentals
- Campgrounds
- Cruises
- Flights
- Hotels
- Third-party travel websites (i.e., Orbitz, Expedia, Priceline)
- Tours
- Travel booked through amextravel.com
- Vacation rentals (with exceptions—see below)
That's a pretty strong list — but let's see what purchases won't count as travel with your Amex Green card.
Related: Everything you need to know about Amex Travel
What doesn't count as travel on the Amex Green?
Amex's terms clearly specify that timeshare purchases will not count as travel.
Additionally, whether or not something counts as travel depends on how the merchant codes when you make your purchase. According to Amex's terms:
Merchants are assigned codes based on what they primarily sell. We group certain merchant codes into categories that are eligible for additional points. A purchase with a merchant will not earn additional points if the merchant's code is not included in an additional points category.
This won't be an issue for most purchases, but it could be, depending on where you make the transaction. For instance, if you purchased a tour ticket from a convenience store, it likely wouldn't code as travel and would not earn any bonus points.
Another common area of confusion when it comes to determining travel purchases is home-sharing and vacation rental sites such as Airbnb, Homeaway and VRBO.
These will usually code as travel and earn bonus points, but some TPG staffers and readers have reported inconsistent experiences with these purchases.
Related: 10 ways to use points to book vacation home rentals
Bottom line
The Amex Green Card has impressive bonus-earning on travel, transit and dining purchases. But before you put a big travel purchase on this card, ensure it falls under Amex's travel category and know that vacation rentals are hit-or-miss.
Fortunately, the travel category is broadly defined for the Amex Green card — great news for earning the most points possible.
Related: Amex Green full review
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