The American Express Green Card became the American Express Classic Green Card on August 20, 2026. It stopped accepting new applications almost a month earlier, on July 23, when Amex pulled the product page from its website.

If you hold the card, nothing about it has changed except the name. Amex told cardholders there are no changes to benefits, services, rewards structure, or the overall membership experience at this time. The card in your wallet earns what it earned last month.

What Actually Happened, and When

Three dates matter.

June 2026. Amex notified existing cardholders that the Green Card would be renamed the Classic Green Card, effective August 20.

July 23, 2026. The Green Card disappeared from americanexpress.com. New applications closed. This was not announced separately; it was noticed when the page stopped resolving.

August 20, 2026. The rename took effect.

The sequence is the tell. Issuers do not usually rename a card and close it to new applicants in the same cycle unless the name is being freed up for something else. Adding "Classic" to an existing product is what you do when a non-classic version is coming.

What Has Not Changed

For current cardholders, the answer really is nothing yet:

  • Annual fee stays at $150
  • Earning stays at 3x points on travel, 3x on dining at restaurants, 3x on transit, and 1x on everything else
  • CLEAR Plus credit worth up to $209 annually
  • No foreign transaction fees

Amex's language is worth reading precisely, though. "No changes at this time" is a statement about the present, not a commitment about the future. A card closed to new applicants is a card the issuer has stopped investing in, and the usual path from here is either a quiet benefits reduction at renewal or an invitation to move to whatever replaces it.

Nothing in the announcement says either of those is coming. Nothing rules them out.

If You Want the Card

You cannot apply for it. You may still be able to get it.

Reporting indicates the Classic Green remains available as a product change for eligible existing American Express cardholders. That is the standard mechanism for reaching a closed product: you call Amex and ask to convert an existing card rather than applying fresh.

Two things to know before trying. A product change does not usually come with a welcome bonus, so if the 40,000-point offer the Green Card previously carried was your reason for wanting it, that reason is gone. And converting a card you already hold means giving up whatever that card was doing for you, which is only worth it if the Green's 3x on travel, dining, and transit genuinely beats it for your spending.

For most people it will not. The Green sat in an awkward spot even before this: $150 for 3x categories that other cards cover at the same rate or better, without lounge access to justify the fee. Our walkthrough of Amex Platinum benefits covers the tier above it, and if you are weighing a move between Amex products, downgrading a Platinum to a Gold walks through how product changes actually work.

What Comes Next Is Not Known

Amex has not announced a replacement, and this is where most coverage gets ahead of itself.

Reporting has speculated that a refreshed Green will carry a higher annual fee in the $195 to $250 range, swap the flat 3x on travel for a higher multiplier on Amex Travel bookings, and add supermarket and gas categories. That is speculation, not an announcement. It is a reasonable read of how Amex has refreshed other cards recently, and it is consistent with the "Classic" rename freeing up the plain "Green" name. It is not confirmed, and no launch date has been given.

Treat any specific numbers you see about the next Green Card, including those, as unconfirmed until Amex says so.

What to Do

If you hold the card and like it: do nothing. Your benefits are intact and the rename is cosmetic. Watch your renewal notice, because that is where a benefits change would surface first, and it would arrive with the fee.

If you hold the card and were ambivalent: this is a reasonable moment to reassess rather than renew out of habit. A $150 fee for 3x on travel, dining and transit is beatable, and a product closed to new applicants is unlikely to get better. You can see the full earning breakdown on our Amex Green Card page.

If you wanted to apply: you have missed the window for a fresh application with a welcome bonus. Waiting for the replacement is the better play than converting an existing card to reach a discontinued one. If you need a travel card now, our 2026 travel card guide covers what is actually open.

If you are holding out for the new version: there is nothing to hold out for yet, because nothing has been announced. Do not leave a card application slot open indefinitely for a product with no confirmed launch date.

The Short Version

The Green Card did not get worse. It got renamed and closed to new applicants, which is usually the setup for a successor rather than a wind-down of the franchise. Existing cardholders keep everything for now. Prospective applicants are out of luck until Amex shows what comes next, and anyone telling you what that will cost or earn is guessing.

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