Put in what you genuinely spend on dining and groceries, and which of the monthly credits you would actually use, and this calculator tells you whether the Gold clears its annual fee for your situation.
Unlike the Platinum, the Gold justifies itself mainly through earning rather than benefits. Its elevated rates on restaurants and US supermarkets are the reason to hold it, and for a household that spends heavily in both categories the points pile up fast enough that the fee stops being the interesting question. The corollary is that if your spending is spread thinly across categories the Gold is a poor fit, and a flat-rate card will beat it without the annual charge.
The bonus category runs on merchant codes, not on what you put in the basket. Warehouse clubs and large discount retailers typically do not code as supermarkets even though most of your grocery bill goes through them, and the category is generally limited to US merchants. Check how the shops you actually use are coded before you assume the multiplier applies, because this is where projected value and real value most often diverge.
The Gold's dining and delivery credits are tied to named merchants and reset each month, so an unused month is simply gone. Count them at what you would spend anyway. If claiming a credit means ordering delivery you did not want from a restaurant you do not like, the honest value is closer to zero than to face value, and the calculator should reflect that rather than the advertised total.
Gold earns Membership Rewards, so everything that makes those points valuable applies here too: transfers to Aeroplan, Flying Blue, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Emirates, Singapore KrisFlyer and others, at a rate that beats cash-out several times over when you use them well. Many people run the Gold for earning and hold a second Amex for the benefits, pooling into one Membership Rewards balance. Check the transfer bonus tracker before moving any of it.