Despite its iconic look, in recent years, the American Express Green Card has been well overshadowed by the Gold and Platinum cards. That remained true even after a refresh in 2023 and some stellar offers along the way. Now, it looks as though the card could be in for an even bigger overhaul.
First, rumors of a Green Card refresh have been circulating for some time — mostly just because of the timeline Amex has used for its other cards. On top of that, though, the Green Card lost one of its main benefits when it did away with the $100 LoungeBuddy credit. Meanwhile, the card’s other credit, which covers the cost of an annual CLEAR+ membership, continues to rise along with that service’s pricing.
However, it looks as though Amex won’t simply be updating the existing Green card but effectively introducing a new one. A few weeks ago, reports surfaced that current members were informed that the name of their card would be changing to the Classic Green Card. Then, this week, American Express pulled the Green Card from the site. Now, the URL (discoverable on search engines) forwards to the main credit card landing page.
So what could a reimagined American Express Green Card have to offer? Honestly, I don’t have any idea. I thought that the previous version was actually a pretty decent companion to the Amex Platinum card as it offered a broad 3x Travel and Transit category as well as 3x on Dining. Then again, the fact that the no-annual-fee Wells Fargo Autograph card features those same categories could be putting a damper on the $150 card. In fact, that’s a big reason why I decided to cancel my Green card last year.
Speaking of the annual fee, it seems likely that Amex will cook up a card that commands a slightly higher annual fee. Now that the Amex Gold Card is $325, I think a $195 to $250 annual fee would still fit into the lineup. And, naturally, I suspect that fee will be offset by some credits, since that’s been Amex’s playbook for a while now.
Ultimately, while I’m not in need of another American Express card personally, I am very curious to see what the company’s plans for the Green Card (or whatever they end up calling it) are. And, in the event it does end up being a solid card that can help me earn more Membership Rewards points while getting value from whatever credits it offers, I guess I’d at least consider picking it up — especially if I’d be eligible for another welcome bonus. So, here’s hoping they dish out the details soon.