- There are great rewards credit cards from many different issuers, but American Express remains a popular and prestigious company, offering some of the most competitive products.
- The Platinum Card® from American Express is the best card offered, thanks to generous benefits like lounge access and statement credits almost fully offset the annual fee. Plus, it has useful perks and solid rewards on flights.
- For example, you can get more than $2,000 of value from the card in your first year.
- If the Platinum Card's annual fee is a deal-breaker, you may want to consider the American Express® Gold Card or the American Express® Green Card instead.
- Read more personal finance coverage.
No matter your lifestyle and your priorities, American Express has a credit or charge card to match. Amex is most famous for its travel connections and premium "experiential" offerings like concierge service, but it also offers credit cards with other perks and lower annual fees.
Whether you want a cash-back card or one that earns frequent flyer miles or hotel points, Amex has you covered. Its cards also offer various benefits like travel insurance and purchase protection.
If you're looking for the best Amex card for you, here are the ones you should consider.
Keep in mind that we're focusing on the rewards and perks that make these credit cards great options, not things like interest rates and late fees, which will far outweigh the value of any points or miles. It's important to practice financial discipline when using credit cards by paying your balances in full each month, making payments on time, and only spending what you can afford to pay back.
Here are the best Amex cards in 2019:
- Platinum Card from American Express: Best Amex card overall, if you travel
- American Express Gold Card: Best Amex card for dining rewards
- Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: Best cash-back Amex card
- American Express Green Card: Best Amex travel card with a moderate annual fee
- Best Amex card for families: Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express
- Best no-annual-fee Amex card: Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express
- Best Amex card with a low intro APR: Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
SEE ALSO: All our credit card reviews — from cash-back to travel rewards to business cards — in one place
The best Amex card overall
Why you'll love it: The Platinum Card offers incredibly valuable benefits, perks, and rewards, and is a must-have for any frequent traveler.
Welcome offer: 60,000 points (after you spend $5,000 in the first three months)
At $550, the Platinum Card has one of the highest annual fees of any mainstream card. However, as long as you're willing to float it up front, you can get way more value back from the card — for instance, it's possible to get more than $2,000 in value from it during your first year.
The Platinum Card earns American Express Membership Rewards points, which can be redeemed for travel, merchandise, or more. However, the best option is to transfer them to a frequent flyer partner.
The card offers 5 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline, as well as flights and pre-paid hotels booked through Amex Travel. It earns 1x point on everything else. It also offers up to $200 in Uber credits each cardmember year, as well as up to $200 in airline credits each calendar year — if you open the card mid-year, it's possible to earn that twice in your first cardmember year.
The card comes with a number of perks, including access to more than 1,200 airport lounges within the Priority Pass network, as well as Delta Sky Clubs and proprietary American Express Centurion Lounges. It also offers complimentary Gold elite status with Marriott and Hilton hotels, as well as up to $100 per year in shopping credits at Saks Fifth Avenue, access to special events, and other perks at hotels.
The annual fee may turn a lot of people off from this card, but if you can get past that, the return it offers is tough to beat.
Pros: Valuable perks, useful benefits, possible to get outsized value
Cons: High annual fee — even though you can make it back, and more, you'll still have to float that at first
Click here to learn more about the Platinum Card.
The best Amex card for dining rewards
Why you'll love it: The Amex Gold Card has a lower annual fee than the Platinum Card, but it offers stellar rewards on dining and groceries and solid benefits.
Welcome offer: 35,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend $4,000 in the first three months.
American Express recently launched a massive reboot of its Premier Rewards Gold card, or "PRG," rebranding it as the American Express Gold Card, releasing a new metal design, and totally overhauling the rewards and benefits on the card.
Right now, this is one of best cards available for dining, unless you're only interested in cash back, rather than potentially more valuable rewards points, and unless you find yourself abroad at restaurants often.
The Gold Card earns 4x points at restaurants worldwide and on up to $25,000 per year at US supermarkets (and 1x point after that), 3x points on flights booked directly with the airline, and 1x point on everything else. Based on the fact that you can easily redeem Membership Rewards points for more than 1 cent of value each, that makes this the highest-earning card for everything food-related.
The Gold Card offers up to a $100 airline fee credit each calendar year, and adds up to $120 of dining credits — split into $10 each month — at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Ruth's Steak House, or participating Shake Shack locations.
New card members — those who haven't previously had the Premier Rewards Gold — can earn a welcome bonus of 35,000 points when they spend $4,000 in the first three months.
While it's difficult to assign an exact value to Membership Rewards points, The Points Guy subjectively estimates each point as worth 2 cents. That makes the welcome bonus worth $700. Even without factoring in the annual credit benefits, that's more than enough to make up for the card's $250 annual fee.
Check out our full review of the Amex Gold card for more details.
Pros: Stellar rewards on dining and groceries, useful benefits, lower annual fee than the Platinum Card.
Cons: High annual fee compared to some other cards.
Click here to learn more about the Amex Gold card.
The best cash-back Amex card
Why you'll love it: The Blue Cash Preferred earns cash back quickly at a great rate.
Welcome offer: $250 statement credit (after you spend $1,000 in the first three months)
If you're less excited about earning Membership Rewards points — which can be valuable, but also tricky to redeem — and want to stick with cash back, the Blue Cash Preferred is the best option, despite its $95 annual fee.
Amex recently announced a refresh to the card. New and existing cardholders can now earn 6% cash back on select US streaming services and 3% back on all transit. That's in addition to the existing categories of 6% cash back at US supermarkets on up to $6,000 in purchases per year (and 1% after that), 3% back at US gas stations, and 1% cash back on everything else.
Like the EveryDay cards, the Blue Cash Preferred offers a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 months, before switching to a variable 14.49–25.49% APR.
The Blue Cash Preferred comes with a handful of travel and purchase protections as well. Cash back comes in the form of a statement credit, so effectively you can use it to "erase" purchases.
Pros: Bonus cash back on useful categories, easy to earn enough cash back to offset the annual fee, introductory APR
Cons: High annual fee for a cash-back card
Click here to learn more about the Blue Cash Preferred card.
The best Amex card for travel with a moderate annual fee
Why you'll love it: The Amex Green card earns bonus points on travel and dining — two very popular spending categories — and offers up to $200 in annual statement credits.
Welcome offer: 30,000 points (after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first three months). Plus, if you apply by January 15, 2020, get up to $100 in statement credits toward any eligible purchase made with Away luggage in the first three months.
The Amex Green card recently got a complete makeover, which saw it go from a card with very limited bonus categories to a top option for earning Membership Rewards points on travel and dining.
Now, you'll earn 3 points per dollar on all eligible travel, which includes everything from subway fare to hotels to flights. You'll also earn 3 points per dollar at restaurants worlwide. In terms of points-earning, this puts the Amex Green card on par with the Chase Sapphire Reserve, which also offers 3x points in these spending categories.
Other new benefits include up to $100 in statement credits toward CLEAR membership each year, and up to $100 in statement credits per year toward LoungeBuddy purchases (for airport lounge access).
The Amex Green card now has a $150 annual fee, but that's still relatively moderate, especially if you factor in those two annual statement credits (and three — if you apply by January 15, 2020, to get up to $100 toward an eligible Away luggage purchase).
Pros: Great rewards for travel and dining, generous annual statement credits considering the annual fee
Cons: Annual fee recently increased, annual statement credit for CLEAR doesn't cover the full cost of membership
The best Amex card for families
Why you'll love it: The EveryDay Preferred earns bonus points at US grocery stores and gas stations, making it a strong product for families and others who spend a lot in these categories.
Welcome offer: 15,000 points (after you spend $1,000 in the first three months)
The EveryDay Preferred is a strong option for anyone looking for a Membership Rewards card, but who's not interested in a premium card like the Platinum or the Amex Gold. It also has a strong points-earning scheme and a lower annual fee of $95.
The card earns 3 points per dollar spent at US supermarkets (up to $6,000 each year — 1 point per dollar after that), 2x points at US gas stations, and 1x point on everything else. You can also get 2x points on reservations made through Amex Travel.
Best of all, if you make 30 or more purchases in a billing period, you'll earn a 50% bonus. That means that those little $3 and $4 charges for things like coffee or a snack can help you get a ton of points quickly.
The card also offers a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 months, before switching to a variable 14.49–24.49% APR. If you have a big purchase coming up and want some time to pay it off, but don't want to pay interest fees, this is a great option.
Pros: Low annual fee, strong rewards structure, earns valuable points, 50% bonus when you make at least 30 transactions in a billing period
Cons: Relatively low welcome offer
The best no-annual-fee Amex card
Why you'll love it: The Amex EveryDay has no annual fee, but still earns valuable bonus points.
Welcome offer: 10,000 points (after spending $1,000 in the first three months)
The Amex EveryDay is a no-annual-fee version, which still offers solid rewards. It earns 2x points at US supermarkets (again up to $6,000 of purchases per year, then 1x after that) and at AmexTravel.com, and 1x on everything else. It also offers 20% more points when you make 20 or more purchases in a billing period.
Like most Amex cards, it features a few travel and purchase protections, as well as access to the Amex Offers program.
While most people will be better off with the Preferred, the regular EveryDay is still a strong option — especially since there's no annual fee.
Pros: No annual fee, bonus points available.
Cons: Earns points slower than most cards with annual fees.
The best Amex card with a 0% intro APR
Why you'll love it: With cash back, no annual fee, and an introductory APR, the Blue Cash Everyday is the best option for paying off a big purchase over time.
Welcome offer: $150 statement credit (after spending $1,000 in the first three months)
The Blue Cash Everyday is similar to the Blue Cash Preferred, with a different earning structure and no annual fee.
The card earns a lower 3% cash back at US supermarkets on up to $6,000 each year — and 1% after that — 2% back at US gas stations and select department stores, and 1% cash back on everything else. While many people spend enough in the bonus categories to make the Blue Cash Preferred the better option, this remains a decent card for anyone who's strictly opposed to paying an annual fee.
If you're looking to make a major purchase and pay it off over time, like an appliance or an engagement ring, you can take advantage of the 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 months (after that, it reverts to a variable 14.49–25.49% APR). You'll earn cash back on the purchase, which you can put right towards paying it off.
Pros: No annual fee, introductory APR, solid cash-back earning rates
Cons: Lower cash-back earning rate than annual fee cards
Click here to learn more about the Blue Cash Everyday card.
Check out our guide to the best rewards credit cards
The best rewards credit cards in 2019
Credit cards with good rewards programs and great new member offers make it easier than ever to rack up a lot of points.
Since the 2016 launch of the Chase Sapphire Reserve by J.P. Morgan Chase, rewards credit cards have exploded into a mainstream obsession.
This was particularly evident among Millennials and Gen X-ers, as they jumped into the once-obscure world of credit card rewards and bonuses, drawn by the lure of high sign-up bonuses, special perks, and the opportunity to use points for free flights, hotel stays, and even first class tickets.
Now, more than two years after the debut of the Sapphire Reserve, what's the best move for someone seeking to boost their stock of credit card points and frequent flyer miles? Here are some of the top credit cards currently available, based on sign-up bonuses, rewards earned on everyday spending, benefits, and overall value.
Here are our top picks for the best rewards credit cards in 2019:
- Chase Sapphire Reserve: Best overall rewards credit card
- Platinum Card® from American Express: Best luxury travel benefits
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: Best beginner travel rewards card
- Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card: Simplest to use
- American Express Gold Card: Best for rewards on dining and groceries
- Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express: Best cash-back rewards
- Chase Freedom Unlimited: Best no-annual-fee rewards credit card
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