Amex Green Card Military: 40k Point Bonus

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All information about American Express Green Card has been collected independently by MilitaryMoneyManual.com

The American Express® Green Card has protections for active duty military servicemembers, military spouses, and Guard and Reserve on 30 day active orders.

American Express offers this amazing military discount to comply with the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act and Military Lending Act. This is the same policy for The Platinum Card® from American Express and American Express® Gold Card.

American Express® Green Card Military

American Express Green Card for Military: No Annual Fee!

American Express® Green Card
Learn how to apply on our partner's secure site

  • Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
  • Plus, earn 20% back on eligible travel and transit purchases made during your first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $200 back in the form of a statement credit.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on travel including airfare, hotels, cruises, tours, car rentals, campgrounds, and vacation rentals.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® Points on transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the US.
  • $189 CLEAR Plus Credit: Receive up to $189 per calendar year in statement credits when you pay for your CLEAR Plus membership (subject to auto-renewal) with the American Express® Green Card.
  • $100 LoungeBuddy: No airport lounge membership? No problem! Purchase lounge access through the LoungeBuddy app using the American Express(R) Green Card and receive up to $100 in statement credits annually.
  • Payment Flexibility: When it comes to paying your bill, you have options. You can always pay in full. You also have the flexibility to carry a balance with interest or use Plan It(R) to split up large purchases into monthly payments with a fixed fee, up to your Pay Over Time Limit. You may be able to keep spending beyond your limit – you'll just need to pay for any new purchases in full when your bill is due.
  • Trip Delay Insurance: If a round-trip is paid for entirely with your Eligible Card and a covered reason delays your trip more than 12 hours, Trip Delay Insurance can help reimburse certain additional expenses purchased on the same Eligible Card, up to $300 per trip, maximum 2 claims per eligible account per 12 consecutive month period. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees: No matter where you're traveling, when you use your American Express® Green Card there are no foreign transaction fees.
  • $150 annual fee *See more details about American Express protections for you and your spouse 
  • Terms Apply.
  • All information about American Express Green Card has been collected independently by MilitaryMoneymanual.com

You can verify your eligibility for military protections in the Military Lending Act Database before you apply to ensure you are listed as a “covered borrower”.

If you want to learn more about military credit cards, check out my free course: The Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course. It's 100% free and designed for absolute beginners to credit cards and military annual fee waivers.

I'll walk you through exactly which cards to apply for and how to make sure you never pay any annual fees if you are eligible for MLA benefits.

New Amex Green Card Review

The updated Amex Green card is a much more valuable card than the previous version. The new Amex Green Card offers much better bonus spending categories, an increased welcome bonus, and great annual perks.

Check out our podcast episode on why military servicemembers and their spouses should get an Amex Green card:

Amex Green Bonus Spending Categories

The new Amex Green spending bonus categories fit neatly underneath the American Express® Gold Card (review) and The Platinum Card® from American Express spending categories (terms apply).

With the revamped Green Card, you can earn 3 Amex points per $1 spent on all travel categories. This includes:

  • Flights (even through third party travel sites like Expedia and Google Flights)
  • Hotels (even through booking.com and Orbitz)
  • Transit like subway and busses
  • Rideshare and taxis like Lyft, Uber, and NYC Yellow Cab
  • Rental cars, including booking third party

You can also earn 3x Amex Membership Reward points per $1 spent on restaurants worldwide. This is similar to the earn rate for the Chase Sapphire Reserve (full CSR military review here).

However, you can do better than 3x Amex points with the Amex Gold Card, which earns 4x points on restaurants worldwide up to $50,000 per year. Read the full Amex Gold Card military review for more details.

Amex Green Card Welcome Bonus

The Green Card is welcome bonus is earn 40,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

This is highest welcome bonus I have seen offered for this card in recent years. Amex Membership Rewards points can be cashed out through the American Express Platinum Card® for Schwab card at 1.1 cents per point. At that rate, 60,000 points would be worth $660 cash.

However, you can get usually earn at least 2 cents per point when transferring to Amex hotel and airline partners. That would drive the bonus value up to $1,200.

I recently got 11 cents per point when transferring Amex points to All Nippon Airways (ANA) to fly first class from Hawaii to Toyko. That would make the 60,000 point welcome bonus worth over $6,600!

This is a rare redemption, but shows how you can get extravagant value from your flexible credit card points. Learn how to maximize your SCRA and MLA military credit card benefits in my 100% free, 5 day Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course.

Amex Green Card Annual Fee

The annual membership fee on the American Express® Green Card is $150. However, as a military servicemember, military spouse, or Guard and Reserve eligible for Military Lending Act benefits, you can still get this card, and all Amex cards, with no annual fee.

Amex Green Card Revamp and Update

The Amex Green card update now makes this card an excellent compliment to the Amex Gold and Amex Platinum.

With these 3 cards (Green, Gold, and Platinum) you have the Amex trifecta and can earn extra Amex Membership Reward points in multiple categories.

Military SCRA MLA AMEX Platinum
American Express Gold Card No Annual Fee for Military Upgrade to Platinum
American Express Green Card for Military: No Annual Fee!
  • 5x points on airfare booked directly with airline (Amex Platinum)
  • 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. (Amex Gold)
  • 4x Membership Rewards® points on purchases at restaurants worldwide up to $50,000 per year (Amex Gold)
  • 3x Membership Rewards® points on all other travel expenses like hotels, Lyft, Uber, rental cars, public transport, travel websites – Amex Green Card

Because the Green Card is a credit card, it does count against your 5 Amex credit card limit.

American Express limits the number of cards you can have, like the Amex Platinum to 10 cards per person. Amex also restricts its members to 5 credit cards. Some military servicemembers have over 10 Amex Platinum cards.

How to Get Amex Green Card SCRA Military Benefits Applied

SCRA is applied for Amex accounts opened before active duty service. If you get a SCRA denial letter, don't worry! You're probably good for MLA if you're already on active duty.

MLA is applied for Amex accounts opened while on active duty service. Amex MLA details here. Check your eligibility for Military Lending Act (MLA) benefits in the MLA database.

Is the Amex Green Card a Credit Card or Charge Card?

The October 2019 revamped American Express Green Card is changing from a charge card to a credit card. This is important because Amex only allows you to have 5 credit cards at a time with them.

Here is the statement from Amex on their new Green card:

Green from Amex is a credit card on which Card Members have no preset spending limit and can pay in full or carry a balance with interest on eligible charges, up to the Pay Over Time limit. The amount the Card Member spends above their Pay Over Time limit is included in full in their minimum due each month.

Amex Green Card Credit Card Statement
American Express Green Card for Military: No Annual Fee!

American Express® Green Card
Learn how to apply on our partner's secure site

  • Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
  • Plus, earn 20% back on eligible travel and transit purchases made during your first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $200 back in the form of a statement credit.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on travel including airfare, hotels, cruises, tours, car rentals, campgrounds, and vacation rentals.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® Points on transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the US.
  • $189 CLEAR Plus Credit: Receive up to $189 per calendar year in statement credits when you pay for your CLEAR Plus membership (subject to auto-renewal) with the American Express® Green Card.
  • $100 LoungeBuddy: No airport lounge membership? No problem! Purchase lounge access through the LoungeBuddy app using the American Express(R) Green Card and receive up to $100 in statement credits annually.
  • Payment Flexibility: When it comes to paying your bill, you have options. You can always pay in full. You also have the flexibility to carry a balance with interest or use Plan It(R) to split up large purchases into monthly payments with a fixed fee, up to your Pay Over Time Limit. You may be able to keep spending beyond your limit – you'll just need to pay for any new purchases in full when your bill is due.
  • Trip Delay Insurance: If a round-trip is paid for entirely with your Eligible Card and a covered reason delays your trip more than 12 hours, Trip Delay Insurance can help reimburse certain additional expenses purchased on the same Eligible Card, up to $300 per trip, maximum 2 claims per eligible account per 12 consecutive month period. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees: No matter where you're traveling, when you use your American Express® Green Card there are no foreign transaction fees.
  • $150 annual fee *See more details about American Express protections for you and your spouse 
  • Terms Apply.
  • All information about American Express Green Card has been collected independently by MilitaryMoneymanual.com

Upgrade Amex Green to Amex Platinum

One other interesting thing to note is that the Amex Green card can be upgraded to The Platinum Card® from American Express after 1 year of card membership. Learn how to upgrade Amex Green to Amex Platinum.

Sometimes Amex offers an upgrade bonus so you can earn more Membership Rewards points. You can re-open another Amex Green card after upgrading your account to an Amex Platinum card.

Adding additional Amex Platinum cards to your lineup stacks annual reccuring credits, such as the airline fee credit, Saks Fifth Avenue credit, and Uber and Uber Eats credit. Usually, you can have up to 10 Amex charge cards. When I was active duty, I had 8 Amex Platinum cards.

Amex Green Card FAQ

Is the Amex Green Card a Good Credit Card?

Yes, the new Amex Green Card is a great credit card if you travel or dine out for work or pleasure. The welcome bonus increased, the award categories fit in with other Amex Cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express and American Express® Gold Card, and they all have special military protections for US military.

Is the Amex Green Card a Credit Card or a Charge Card?

The October 2019 revamped American Express Green Card is changing from a charge card to a credit card. This is important because Amex only allows you to have 5 credit cards at a time with them and 10 charge cards.

12 thoughts on “Amex Green Card Military: 40k Point Bonus”

  1. Hi there,

    Do you know if the 3x points on transportation applies to transportation (ie. trains/busses) outside of the U.S.? I didn’t see anything distinguishing only CONUS in the terms. Also, it seems the bonus is only 40,000 points now, is there somewhere specific you can sign up to get the 60,000 welcome bonus? Thank you!

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Transportation 3x should work worldwide. Currently the bonus is 40,000 through my link, I’ll update it if I find a better one.

      Reply
    • Yes. The Amex Green is part of the Amex membership rewards family. It is treated as a “pay over time” or charge card upon application. But a credit card on your credit report.

      Reply
  2. Hi Spencer!
    If I have the Amex Platinum and want to apply for the Green card with the intention of upgrading it to a platinum after a year – I need to create a separate account, so can I refer myself for an additional bonus?

    Reply
    • Do NOT self refer. Amex will close all of your accounts. You can open a Green card and put it on a separate account to then upgrade it after one year.

      Reply
  3. Have you ever gotten a retention bonus offer for any cards that the annual fee is waived for? I found the updates to the Amex Green pretty underwhelming so I’m weighing my options with what to do with it.

    Reply
    • No, never received a retention bonus offer. AMEX Green is marketed as a credit card but still counts as a charge card for AMEX counting purposes. So it doesn’t count against your 5 AMEX card limit. I’d hold on to it and then upgrade to another AMEX Gold or AMEX Platinum card.

      Reply

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