Amex Green Card 2026: Is the $150 Fee Worth It?

The American Express Green Card is worth its $150 annual fee mainly if you already pay for CLEAR Plus, whose statement credit of up to $209 is the only credit in the card's benefit list. Green earns 3X points on travel, transit and restaurants worldwide. Amex's card comparison listed that fee on October 10, 2026.

FinanceRadar data: across the 65 credit cards we verify, the average annual fee is $135, and 36 of them (55%) charge none, as of October 10, 2026 (credit card statistics). Green's fee sits $15 above that average and far below the $895 top of our range. The useful question is not whether a fee is high. It is whether the card returns more to you than it costs.

What the Green card includes

Amex lists seven benefits for the Green card on its comparison page: Amex Special Ticket Access, the CLEAR Plus credit, Global Assist Hotline, Membership Rewards Pay with Points, no foreign transaction fees, Pay Over Time, and Plan It. Only the CLEAR Plus credit arrives as a statement credit. The no foreign transaction fee saves money only on purchases made abroad, and Pay Over Time costs money the moment you carry a balance.

Global Assist Hotline covers emergencies more than 100 miles from home, so it matters to people who travel. Plan It lets you split purchases of $100 or more into equal monthly installments, each with a fixed fee. Treat the list as conveniences around one credit, not as a stack of perks.

Green's 3X categories name no annual cap

The earn rates are simple. Amex lists 3X on travel, transit and restaurants worldwide, and 1X on everything else. The tooltips for the three 3X categories name no annual cap.

That is a different shape from the cards Amex sells next to it. Gold earns 4X on restaurants worldwide up to $50,000 of spend a calendar year, and 4X at U.S. supermarkets up to $25,000. Platinum earns 5X on flights booked directly with airlines or through AmexTravel, up to $500,000 a year. Green gives up the top rate and the caps together. For a heavy spender in its three categories, that is a plus: every eligible dollar earns 3X.

A point is only worth what you redeem it for, and the Amex pages we read give no dollar value for a Membership Rewards point. Every figure below that turns points into money uses a value you choose, and the page labels it as an illustration.

The CLEAR Plus credit decides most cases

The CLEAR Plus credit pays up to $209 per calendar year toward a CLEAR Plus membership that you pay for with the Green card or the Platinum card, subject to the membership's auto-renewal. CLEAR's own page lists CLEAR Plus at $219 a year, so the credit leaves $10 for you to pay.

Run the numbers for a member who already pays for CLEAR Plus. Without the card, CLEAR costs $219. With Green, you pay the fee plus the $10 gap, $160 in total. That is $59 less in cash before any points, and the points then come on top. The comparison assumes you would buy CLEAR anyway. If you would not, the fee is a cost the credit never offsets.

Two rules decide whether the credit lands. The membership must be paid with the Green card or the Platinum card, not with another card, and the credit is capped per calendar year. A membership paid with another card earns no credit that year.

Without CLEAR, points have to carry the fee

If you do not use CLEAR, nothing on the card offsets the fee except points. Each dollar in the three 3X categories earns 2 points more than the 1X base. Break-even spend in dollars is $75 divided by your value per point, measured in dollars. At 1 cent a point, that is $7,500 a year.

These values are your assumptions, not Amex figures. At 2 cents, a household that puts $3,750 a year into travel, transit and restaurants clears the fee on points alone. At about $1,000 a year in those categories, a point would have to be worth 7.5 cents to pay the fee by itself, and less spending pushes that value higher. That is why the card is hard to justify without CLEAR. If the fee rules it out, the no-annual-fee guide lists the alternatives.

A quick test before you apply

Work through these in order, using your last 12 months of card spending.

1. Do you already pay for CLEAR Plus, or would you pay its full yearly price for it? If so, the credit covers most of the bill, and the CLEAR section above is your math.
2. If you do not use CLEAR, add up your spending on travel, transit and restaurants. If the total sits below your break-even at a value you can defend, the points will not cover the fee.
3. Check how often you spend abroad. The fee waiver helps only on those purchases, so a card used mostly at home earns it nothing.
4. Check whether you would carry a balance. If you would, skip the card, because interest on a carried balance can cancel out the points and the credit.

Who should get it, and who should skip it

Get it if you already pay for CLEAR Plus and put travel, transit or restaurant spending on the card. The CLEAR credit covers most of the membership, and the points are then extra.

Get it if you spend abroad often and want no foreign transaction fee on those purchases.

Skip it if you do not use CLEAR and your three 3X categories fall below break-even at a value you can defend.

Skip it if you want lounge access. Amex's comparison lists the Global Lounge Collection on the Platinum card, and the Green card's benefit list has none. The travel card guide compares the cards that do.

Skip it if you carry a balance. Pay Over Time charges interest at a rate Amex sets, and a carried balance can wipe out the points.

Green against Gold and Platinum

Gold is the step up for food and groceries. Its fee needs its credits to pay off, and our Gold fee math works through the caps. The Gold versus Platinum comparison sets the two higher-fee cards side by side. Platinum is a different purchase: its fee buys lounge access and 5X on flights, so only frequent flyers should compare it with Green. The Platinum fee math covers that case.

Green is the lowest-fee card of the three, and its CLEAR credit is what keeps its cost low for members. Gold and Platinum earn more in their categories, but they ask you to use more credits or pay more to get that earn.

Pay Over Time and interest

Pay Over Time lets you carry a balance with interest, at a rate Amex sets. Any charge left in that balance accrues interest. Read the APR in your offer before you carry a balance. If you pay the full statement balance each month, Pay Over Time costs nothing and the card costs only its fee.

How we checked

Green's fee, benefits and earn rates come from the card comparison on americanexpress.com, read on October 10, 2026. The Gold and Platinum fees come from their own pages, the Gold Card and the Platinum Card, on the same day. The CLEAR Plus price comes from CLEAR's CLEAR Plus page, checked the same day. The FinanceRadar figures come from our credit card statistics, last updated October 10, 2026.

We did not apply for the card. This page is general information, not personalized financial advice. Confirm the terms with American Express and CLEAR before you apply or enroll. Financeradar may earn a commission from some links (how we make money).

FAQ

Is the Amex Green Card worth the annual fee?

Only if you already pay for CLEAR Plus. The card's CLEAR credit covers up to $209 of a membership that costs $219 a year, which leaves $10 for you to pay. Without CLEAR, the fee needs about $3,750 a year of spending in travel, transit and restaurants at a value of 2 cents a point, or more spending at a lower value.

How much is the Amex Green Card in 2026?

American Express lists the annual fee at $150 on its card comparison as of October 10, 2026. Its benefit list shows no foreign transaction fees. Pay Over Time interest applies only when you carry a balance.

Does the Amex Green Card include lounge access?

No. Amex's comparison lists the Global Lounge Collection on the Platinum card, and the Green card's benefit list has none. The Gold card's comparison FAQ says it does not currently have lounge access either.

How does the CLEAR Plus credit on the Green Card work?

You pay for a CLEAR Plus membership with the Green card or the Platinum card, and Amex credits up to $209 a calendar year back to your statement. CLEAR lists CLEAR Plus at $219 a year, so you pay the remaining $10. A membership paid with another card earns no credit.

Should I choose the Amex Green or the Amex Gold?

Choose Green if you want the lower fee and already use CLEAR or travel and transit often. Its fee is $175 less than Gold's. Choose Gold if restaurants and U.S. supermarkets are large lines and you will use its dining, Uber Cash, Resy and Dunkin credits, since those credits are what can cover its $325 fee.

Cite this: FinanceRadar, "Amex Green Card 2026: Is the $150 Fee Worth It?", October 2026.