American Express Credit Card Guide
American Express is the 2nd largest credit card issuer, with over $1 trillion of transactions processed each year. Amex pioneered the first membership rewards program and was the first card issuer to offer transfer partners back in the early 1990s.
Amex was also one of the first credit card issuers to enter the premium credit card market. Offering their first Gold Card in 1966 and their first Platinum card in 1984. You may have even heard of the infamous Amex Black Card, which is an ultra-exclusive invite-only card Amex offers to its top spenders.
Today, Amex is still known for its premium card offerings and its rewards programs. Currently offering 15+ cards across several travel categories. In this guide, we’ll walk you through each level of Amex cards, from the most popular travel rewards cards to airline and hotel co-branded options.
Ultra-Premium: Amex Platinum Card
The Platinum Card®
The Platinum Card® from American Express is possibly the most premium travel card on the market. Offering premium lounge access, travel credits and can transfer into over a dozen travel partners.
Annual Fee
$695
Credit Score Range
740 – 850
Welcome Offer
150,000 points
- 5x points on flights and hotels booked through American Express Travel
- 1x on all other purchases
- $200 Annual Hotel Credit via Amex Travel
- $240 Digital Entertainment Credit
- $20 back each month on multiple streaming sites and news providers
- $155 Walmart+ Credit
- $200 Uber Cash
- $200 Airline Fee Credit
- $100 in annual statement credits from Saks Fifth Avenue
- $300 Equinox Credit
- $189 CLEAR Plus Credit
- Up to $25 Soul Cycle monthly credit
- No foreign transaction fees
- Comprehensive Travel and Purchase Coverage
- 150k point welcome offer (After $8k spend within 6 months of account opening)
The Platinum card rewards rate are nothing to ride home about especially for its exponential annual fee. But if you can take advantage of the cards plethora of other benefits in statement credits and premium access, this card can more than pay for itself and have you traveling in luxury wherever you go!
The Amex Platinum Card in 2024 is pound-for-pound the most premium travel card on the market.
However, it’s unlike most other premium travel cards on the market. With most travel cards, the rewards you earn for your spending are the signature feature. Such as getting 3x or 4x on dining out or on groceries.
The Amex Platinum however only offers 5X points on eligible flights and hotel stays booked through Amex Travel and just 1x on everything else. So why pay the sky-high annual fee of $695? For its seemingly never-ending statement credits, automatic upgrades, and other premium services.
Here’s a list of all the credits currently available on the Platinum card:
- Up to $200 Hotel credit
- You must pre-book via Amex FHR or The Hotel Collection, which requires a two-night minimum stay, via Amex Travel
- Up to $200 Uber Cash yearly credit US only (enrollment required)
- $15 a month towards Uber, $35 in December, must link your account
- Up to $300 Equinox credit (enrollment required)
- Up to $240 Digital Entertainment Credit (enrollment required)
- Get up to $20 per month at Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, SiriusXM, and The Wall Street Journal.
- Up to $189 Clear Plus credit (enrollment required)
- Up to $200 airline incidental credit (enrollment required)
- Up to $100 global entry or $85 TSA Pre credit (enrollment required)
- Up to $12.95 + tax / month Walmart+ membership
- Walmart+ members receive unlimited free shipping with no order minimum on items shipped by Walmart.com, free delivery from stores, as well as mobile and contactless check-out to make shopping faster.
- Up to $25 Soul Cycle monthly credit
- Platinum Card Members will receive a $300 statement credit every time they purchase a SoulCycle At-Home Bike, up to 15x per calendar year.
- An Equinox+ membership is required to purchase a SoulCycle at-home bike and access SoulCycle content.
- Must charge full price of bike in one transaction. Shipping available in the contiguous U.S. only.
- This stacks on top of the $25/month Equinox+ statement credit.
Combined these credits are worth over $1,800, over 2.5 times the cost of the annual fee! In addition to all these annual credits Amex also offers 16 travel transfer partners:
In case this still isn’t enough benefits for you the Amex Platinum card offers one of the best lounge access programs in The Global Lounge Collection. With complimentary access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer on the market.
The Platinum card also offers complimentary premium status at Hertz (President’s Circle), Avis Preferred Plus, and National Executive.
In addition to some of the best trip delay and trip cancellation/interruption insurance on the market. If a round-trip is paid for entirely with your Platinum Card and a covered reason delays your trip more than 6 hours, Trip Delay Insurance can help reimburse certain additional expenses purchased with your Platinum Card, up to $500 per trip.
Also, if a covered reason cancels or interrupts your trip, Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance can help reimburse your non-refundable expenses purchased with the same Platinum Card, up to $10,000 per trip and up to $20,000 per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period.
This is truly a mind-boggling amount of benefits you can get from one card! And that’s not even taking into account the 150k point welcome offer which can bring over an additional $1.5k worth of value!
If you’re like me and can take advantage of most if not all the annual credits and other travel perks this card can be a no-brainer to have as the star in your wallet! The only thing holding it back is its lack of good reward rates on high-spend categories. But this is where pairing the Platinum card with another Amex offering makes the Amex program one of the best on the market today!
Premium: Amex Gold Card
American Express® Gold Card
The American Express® Gold Card is one of the best point earners on the market today. When you combine those points with the card’s other great travel benefits and credits you get one of the best travel cards on the market!
Annual Fee
$250
Credit Score Range
670 – 850
Welcome Offer
90,000 points
- 4x points on Restaurants including takeout and delivery
- 4x points on groceries up to $25k in purchased every year
- 3x points on flights and hotels booked through American Express Travel
- 1x on all other purchases
- $120 Dining Credit
- Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar, and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash
- Add your Card to your Uber account and you’ll automatically get $10 in Uber Cash each month for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S.
- $100 experience credit with a 2-night minimum stay when you book The Hotel Collection through Amex Travel
- No foreign transaction fees
- 90k point welcome offer (After $6k spend within 6 months of account opening)
The Amex Gold Card is one of the best cards for everyday spending with its high rewards rate on main categories like groceries and dining out. If you can take advantage of its offered monthly credits it makes the Amex Gold a no brainer!
American Express revamped its Gold card in 2018 and is still one of the best travel cards in 2024! The Amex Gold card is one of the best cards for everyday spending as it earns 4x points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. It also earns 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year).
If you’re like me who finds yourself ordering delivery at least once a week you can easily take advantage of the $240 credits. Sign-up is required but you can earn $10 in Uber Cash monthly and a $10 monthly statement credit for several restaurants:
- Grubhub
- The Cheesecake Factory
- Goldbelly
- Wine.com
- Milk Bar
- select Shake Shack locations
For anyone considering the Amex Platinum or who currently holds the Platinum card, I would highly recommend holding the Gold Card as well. This allows you to take advantage of all the great credit and benefits of the Platinum Card but you can put the majority of your spending on the Gold Card taking advantage of its great rewards rate on dining out and groceries.
Or if the Platinum isn’t for you the Gold Card is a great option on its own. If you can take advantage of the monthly credits it all but wipes out the annual fee. While being able to earn high rewards on key spending categories. The Amex Gold Card also allows you to take advantage of the same transfer partners as the Platinum card!
Now Amex still has one other travel card for those who don’t care for the various food credits. And as a pure travel card, it may be the best deal of the bunch!
Mid-Market: Amex Green Card
American Express® Green Card
The American Express® Green Card is the entry-level travel card in Amex’s line. For a much more reasonable $150 annual fee you can get some great rewards rates and travel perks.
Annual Fee
$150
Credit Score Range
670 – 850
Welcome Offer
40,000 points
- 3x points on Restaurants including takeout and delivery
- 3x points on transit including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways
- 3x points on travel including flights, hotels, tours, campgrounds, and vacation rentals
- 1x on all other purchases
- $100 LoungeBuddy Credit
- $189 CLEAR Plus Credit
- No foreign transaction fees
- 40k point welcome offer (After $3k spend within 6 months of account opening)
The Amex Green Card is one of the best cards for frequent travelers who don’t care about flying first class or hanging out in lounges. It also has some of the best rewards rates on key travel categories such taxis and public transportation.
The American Express Green Card provides a compelling offering in the mid-tier travel category. With 3 points per dollar on broader travel, restaurants, and transit.
The Green card is great for travelers who don’t stick to the stereotypical means of travel by flying or staying in hotels. The Amex Green card comes with a loose definition of travel for a reason to include not only airfare and hotels but also car rentals, tour operators, travel agencies, campsites, and more. The same goes for its transit category which includes ride-hailing, buses, taxis, metros, subways, tolls, and more.
While this is Amex’s entry level travel card it still comes with a fairly large fee at $150. The Green card doesn’t come with all the dining credits of the Gold or Platinum but it does come with two other travel perks that nearly double the cost of the annual fee:
- $189 CLEAR Plus Credit: Receive up to $189 per calendar year in statement credits when you pay for your CLEAR Plus membership (subject to auto-renewal) with the American Express® Green Card.
- $100 LoungeBuddy: No airport lounge membership? No problem! Purchase lounge access through the LoungeBuddy app using the American Express® Green Card and receive up to $100 in statement credits annually.
However, the welcome offer is low for a $150 annual fee card. But, the best part is that the Amex Green Card can also access the same transfer partners as the Platinum and Gold cards! Allowing you to gain points fast with its great travel rewards rates without wasting money on dining credits if that’s not your style.
What do you think? Let us know your favorite Amex Travel card in the comments!
American Express Business Cards
American Express is a known leader when it comes to business credit cards, with many great options for business owners. American Express offers some of the best business credit cards on the market. Additionally, Amex offers a variety of business cards that fit many different business needs.
This includes business owners looking for a premium solution like The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, business owners looking to maximize large expenses with the American Express® Business Gold Card, and those looking for a simple, no-annual-fee card like The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express.
Beyond the benefits specific to each card, many Amex business cards offer helpful business tools that may include a pay-over-time option, no preset spending limit, the ability to add employee cards for a reduced or no additional fee, easy connection to partners like QuickBooks and Bill.com, and more.
No preset spending limit means your spending limit is flexible. Unlike a traditional card with a set limit, the amount you can spend adapts to factors such as your purchase, payment, and credit history.
Be sure to check out our full list of the best Amex Business Cards of 2024!
American Express Co-Branded Credit Cards
American Express offers a range of co-branded credit cards in partnership with major travel and hospitality brands such as Hilton, Marriott, and Delta. These co-branded cards provide cardholders with unique benefits, rewards, and perks tailored to the respective brand’s offerings.
The American Express Hilton Honors co-branded credit cards cater to travelers who frequent Hilton hotels and resorts. Cardholders typically earn Hilton Honors points for every dollar spent, which can be redeemed for hotel stays, upgrades, and other travel-related expenses. Additionally, these cards often include complimentary Hilton Honors elite status, offering perks like room upgrades, late checkout, and bonus points.
For those who prefer Marriott hotels and properties, American Express offers co-branded credit cards in partnership with Marriott Bonvoy. These cards come with various benefits, including Marriott Bonvoy points for every purchase, complimentary elite status, and free nights at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels. Cardholders can maximize their rewards by using these cards for both everyday spending and travel-related expenses.
For frequent flyers with Delta Air Lines, American Express offers co-branded credit cards that provide exclusive benefits and rewards. These cards typically offer Delta SkyMiles for every dollar spent, along with perks such as priority boarding, free checked bags, and access to Delta Sky Club lounges. Cardholders can use their accumulated miles to book flights, upgrade seat classes, or redeem for other travel-related expenses within the Delta network.
Check out our full review on Amex Co-Branded card options here!
Other Useful Amex Information
- Sign Up Rules
- You can have as many as FIVE American Express cards open at the same time. This includes personal cards as well as business cards.
- 1-in-5 Rule: The 1-in-5 rule limits card approvals to one every five days.
- 2-in-90 Rule: American Express restricts card approvals to no more than two within 90 days. You’ll want to coordinate this restriction with the 1-in-5 rule to increase your odds of being approved for multiple Amex cards.
- Welcome Bonus Rules
- American Express restricts each card’s welcome bonus so that it can only be earned by one per person, per lifetime. In other words, if you apply for and earn the welcome bonus on the American Express® Gold Card, that’s it. You can’t earn that bonus again. You can still apply for the card again at some point down the line, but you won’t be eligible to earn another welcome bonus.
An expansion to the once-per-lifetime rule is being rolled out across some families of Amex credit cards. In simple terms, Amex will most likely disqualify you from receiving the welcome offer on lower-tier cards if you’ve previously held the higher-tier cards within the same card family.
For example, if you previously held or currently hold the Amex Platinum and earned a welcome bonus you may be ineligible to earn a welcome bonus on the Amex Gold or Green Cards.
- However, if you move up the chain you’re still eligible. Such as holding the Gold card and then applying for the Platinum you will be eligible for a welcome bonus. So be sure to work your way up if planning on getting multiple Amex cards in the same family!
My Optimal Strategy & Tips
I have two optimal strategies when it comes to the Amex family of cards. It comes down to how you would want to use your points and if you can make use of multiple credits the premium Amex travel cards offer.
American Express Trifecta
If for example, you live near a Delta hub, say Atlanta or Boston, and prefer to stay with Hilton Brand Hotels the Amex family is perfect for you. Delta and Hilton are both transfer partners with Amex but are not affiliated with any other major credit card issuer.
And if you would have no issue using the Uber, Equinox, and various other dining credits with your normal spending the Amex family of cards would be a great fit for you!
So earning as many Amex points as possible is what I would prioritize. My optimal Amex strategy for this would be doing the coined “Amex Trifecta” which is a strategic combination of three Amex cards that is extremely popular with rewards enthusiasts:
- The first card to get would be the American Express Gold Card. For a $250 annual fee, you receive 4X Rewards points at restaurants (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.); 4X points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per year).
- After you earn the Welcome Bonus on the Gold card I would turn to the American Express Platinum Card. This card will come with all the travel perks and credits we mentioned earlier and allow you to earn 5x on flights and 5x on hotels booked through Amex Travel.
- Rounding out the trifecta would be The Blue Business Plus Credit Card. Which offers 2X points on up to $50,000 in purchases per year.
This 3 card strategy allows you to maximize all of your spending to earn as many Amex points as possible.
However, The Amex Trifecta isn’t for everyone. The trifecta comes with a huge $945 price tag in annual fees. Now it does offer thousands of dollars in credits and other perks but if you can’t use all or most of them this strategy wouldn’t make much sense. This is where bringing in a Capital One or Chase card can help fill the gap for a much lower annual fee!
Pairing with Capital One and/or Chase Cards
If you want to lower the annual fee hit or can’t take advantage of all the credits the Amex Platinum provides. Pairing the Amex Gold and either the Venture X from Capital One or the Chase Sapphire Preferred could be for you!
- Capital One Venture X: The Venture X does have a large $450 fee. But it comes with a $300 travel credit and 10k points annually which all but wipes out the annual fee. You’re then left with a card that earns you 2x points on all other purchases. Put your grocery and dining out spending on the Amex Gold and the rest on the Venture X!
- Chase Sapphire Preferred: The CSP has a much lower annual fee of just $95 for anyone looking to reduce the fees they’re paying (it also comes with a $50 hotel credit to reduce the hit even further). The CSP will allow you to earn 2x on all travel purchases. Chase also offers free cards, such as the Chase Freedom Unlimited which allows you to earn 1.5x on all purchases for no annual fee!
Both Capital One and Chase are great families of credit cards that also open up additional transfer partners! Be sure to read our full reviews on both of these great credit card providers!
