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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| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month