The electrocatalytic activity of nanoporous gold film (NPGF) toward methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) upon Pd deposition is studied. Pd(theta)NPGFs (where, theta stands for the surface coverage of Pd on NPGF: 0.07, 0.19, 0.37 and 0.59) are prepared via surface engineering of NPGF using underpotential deposition (UPD) and galvanic replacement method. The SEM images confirm that the NPGF retains its high porosity after surface covering with different amounts of Pd. EDX data also present the rising trends of Cu and consequently, Pd amounts by increasing theta. The Pd(theta)NPGFs exhibit superior electrocatalytic activity compared to Pd(bulk)NPGF and Pd(bulk)CuNPGF, which approach a maximum efficiency for Pd(0.59)NPGF. Pd(bulk)CuNPGF also shows an enhanced electrocatalytic activity compared to Pd(bulk)NPGF. Copyright (C) 2011, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.