Name: American Express® Gold Card
Brand: American Express

Quick summary

The Points Guy marks its 10th anniversary, reflecting on its growth from a personal blog to a leading travel and loyalty resource with over 100 employees.
Staff members share personal stories about the company's early days, rapid expansion and the evolution of its mission to help travelers maximize points and miles.
The organization highlights its charitable efforts, having raised $4 million for various causes, and its commitment to launching new technology like an upcoming app.
Contributors emphasize the brand's transformation into an authoritative voice in the travel industry, offering in-depth guidance on loyalty programs and travel strategies.

What to consider

The Points Guy has expanded internationally, including a UK launch, and now delivers content across multiple platforms.
The company is shifting toward more personalized content and technology-driven tools to enhance the travel experience.
TPG's editorial team continues to adapt to changes in the travel landscape while maintaining a focus on accessible travel for all.

What you'll miss from the article

Personal insights from long-time staff about TPG's evolution, behind-the-scenes anecdotes and a look at the future direction of the brand.

Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.

It’s hard to believe The Points Guy is celebrating 10 years!

On June 7, 2010, Brian Kelly wrote his first blog post for The Points Guy, while working a corporate job at Morgan Stanley. In the decade since, you, the readers, have followed along as he left that role to devote all his time to The Points Guy, hired dozens of the brightest minds in points, travel and aviation and assembled a team of tech and data experts.

For more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.

But to fully appreciate the anniversary, it's important to hear from the TPG staffers who have been here from the beginning. This has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Related: The Points Guy turns 10

Brian Kelly, The Points Guy

It's kind of funny that I started this website from my apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, with a hope and a dream of helping people travel. It was June 2010 and the economy had just started to turn around after the great recession. Even though I never lost my job, I was always able to travel really well thanks to my points and my friends and family members were always like, "how do you do that?"

That's why I started The Points Guy to help get people traveling again, especially those who didn't have the financial resources to do it. Because I don't believe that travel is just for the ultra-wealthy. In fact, I don't even think first class is, I love seeing and hearing from our readers who are hardworking everyday people who have been able to achieve incredible, incredible experiences because of their miles and points.

I want to travel to be more meaningful. I want to continue using travel to help others, like we do with Rainbow Railroad and Peace Jam. I'm so proud of the fact that we've raised $4 million for amazing charities and hope that we can greatly increase that over the next 10 years. So, you know, the future of TPG will still be content, but it's also going to be technology and getting our app out later this year, to help people maximize everything about their points of miles and travel and to get them the right content. So I'm so proud of the team and where we've grown.

Kate O’Brien, Director of Business Development

Seeing TPG hit its 10th anniversary is amazing, and I feel so lucky to have been along for the wild ride from the beginning.

Although I officially started working for TPG eight years ago, Brian and I are first cousins, and he had sent our family prototypes of the original website that I was able to weigh in on. I could have never imagined that his award booking idea would evolve into what the business is today.

In the early days, we worked out of Brian’s West Village apartment where I got to have a hand in a bit of everything like writing posts, filming content for the site, managing all of Brian’s travel and most importantly taking care of the newest TPG family member Miles, the French Bulldog when Brian went out of town.

Being such a small team for years forced us to be scrappy and allowed me to gain experience in all aspects of the business while also getting to take amazing trips – truly a dream for a recent college grad! I’m so proud of what we have built – we have grown an incredible team of 100+ employees, expanded our audience across several different channels, and continue to evolve the brand and our unique offerings each day. All the while, we are having FUN doing it, and I’m so excited to see what we can accomplish in the next ten years!

Zach Honig, Editor-at-Large

I can’t believe it’s been ten years! I’ve been with TPG for more than half of that time, having joined as editor-in-chief in April 2015. It’s hard to believe there were just five employees at the time: Founder and CEO Brian Kelly; Kate O’Brien, our director of business development; Leigh Rowan, our former COO, and Ryan Gaines, our news manager at the time.

The five of us shared a tiny WeWork office, and worked day in and out to build the team. Since then, we’ve seen tremendous growth, with an editorial team I could never have dreamed of five years ago, and some of the world’s greatest minds in social media, video production, marketing, product development, and SEO. I’ve also had the opportunity to travel the world many times over, flying in incredible first-class suites scoring four nights on a private island in the Philippines, and even flying 333,000 miles in a single year, all thanks to TPG!

Emily McNutt, Global News Editor

When I think of The Points Guy as the blog when I first started versus the travel company that we are now, I can’t help but feel proud. We’ve grown from a single-person blog to a one-hundred-plus person organization, bringing together some of the brightest minds in travel and aviation journalism, design, marketing, business development and more.

I’ve been especially proud of how the team has continuously adapted to the ever-changing travel landscape but staying true to our core of helping people to travel in ways they never thought possible. If you would have told me five years ago — when I first started at TPG — that the company would be what it is today, I don’t think I’d recognize it. And that’s in the best way possible.

To put it in perspective, more than a year ago, I moved to London to help with the launch of TPG UK, our first-ever international outpost. From a single WeWork space in lower Manhattan that could barely fit our team of six to now an international brand, it’s something to be proud of. It’s important never to forget where the site was (like my first-ever story!) and what got it to the point we’re at now. And in between hundreds of thousands of miles flown, hundreds of nights in hotels and away from home and learning the ins and outs of loyalty programs and credit cards, I’ve managed to make some great friends and memories because of TPG. And, of course, none of that would be possible without the millions of people who read TPG every day. Thanks for coming along for the ride!

Nick Ellis, Travel Editor

When I started at TPG as an intern over four years ago, I could have never imagined that we would have grown from a single WeWork space with just one minifridge and a few desks to a travel brand with offices on both sides of the Atlantic with 100 employees.

As TPG celebrates its first decade, it’s amazing to see the transformation from a blog that published eight stories a day to a multimedia brand that has become the authoritative voice in the travel industry. Some of my fondest memories have been the incredible travel experiences I’ve had — like my first official TPG trip to Dakar, Senegal, while I was an intern. But what’s been even better is to have had the chance to work with such a great group of people who all share a passion for travel, and for helping others do it better and for less money.

I’ve had the chance to learn from some of the sharpest minds in the travel world, not just about points, miles and credit cards, but also about the world and all the different people who inhabit it. As The Points Guy goes into its 11th, I can’t wait to witness another transformation of this brand into one that will provide each and every traveler the resources they need to travel smarter, longer and cheaper. We couldn’t have gotten here without all of you, and get ready to come along on the journey of the next decade of TPG!

Katie Genter, Writer

Although my first anniversary as a full-time employee with TPG will occur later this June, my first article as a freelance contributor with TPG published in Nov. 2015: an economy review of a British Airways flight from London to Austin, TX.

In looking for a photo from late 2015 for this story, I rediscovered many photos from my travels around the time I started writing for TPG. It’s amazing how differently I travel now, as well as how much I’ve learned about points, miles, credit cards and elite status since 2015. But, like me, TPG has also evolved and grown significantly since 2015. The company jumped from a handful of full-time staff to over 100 full-time employees, hired some excellent editorial staff and has transitioned from a blog into a news and travel website.

Some of my best TPG memories resulted from spur of the moment decisions that probably wouldn’t happen in today’s TPG -- or at least wouldn’t happen quite so easily. For example, back in 2017, TPG had me on a plane less than 24 hours after the Middle East electronics ban was announced to get someone in the Middle East to experience first hand how the ban would be implemented. And, during a visit to the TPG office in late 2018, TPG decided to book me a stay at the Park Hyatt Beijing three nights later simply to see whether I’d get elite earning on an Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts stay that was booked online. Plus, we can’t forget flying as an AirMule in early 2018. The willingness to do crazy things for the story is part of what built TPG into a successful brand.

To me, TPG’s 10-year anniversary marks a move toward more personalized content, the release of the TPG app later this year, and a renewed focus on not only helping users earn miles but also spend miles. On a personal note, I’ll be shifting my focus at TPG from credit cards to points and miles -- and am excited for the opportunity to go deep on some programs and uncover new sweet spots. Combined with the TPG app, I hope TPG will be able to improve the redemption and travel experience for many travelers.

Nick Ewen, Points Lab Editor

It’s simply amazing to be celebrating 10 years of The Points Guy. As a road warrior, I started reading the site in 2010 and quickly found immense value from the strategies to maximize points and miles. When Brian announced that TPG was looking for contributors, I jumped at the opportunity, and I’ll never forget giddily reading my first, published post — on how to double-dip with Hilton HHonors (an option that’s since been removed, along with the second H in the program’s name).

Nick Ewen with new baby in Iceland's Blue Lagoon in 2015.

I’m thrilled to still be a part of the company, now as a full-time member of the editorial team. It’s been incredible to see the site grow and adapt over the years — with new team members, exciting initiatives, yet a maintained focus on our shared love of travel. More importantly, I am beyond excited for what’s still to come over the next 10 years (and beyond).

Nick Ewen on his 5th anniversary at the Hilton Labriz in the Seychelles.

TPG featured card

American Express® Gold Card

TPG editor's rating

Pros + cons

Pros

Valuable dining and food-related credits
Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
Multiple travel and purchase protections
No foreign transaction fees
Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)

Cons

Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits

More details

You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™.
Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App™, or purchased directly from airlines.
Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™ and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
$120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
$100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
$84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
$120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
Enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
Book two nights or more with The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™ and receive a $100* credit towards eligible charges at over 1,400 upscale hotels worldwide. *Eligible charges vary by property.
Book your travel through the Amex Travel App™ with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
No Foreign Transaction Fees.
Annual Fee is $325.
Terms Apply.