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American Express offers several of the best credit cards in the market for earning cash back, rewards points, airline miles, and hotel rewards points. Review the best American Express credit cards and calculate which cards can earn you the most rewards and best return based on your spend.
Whether you're looking for travel rewards, cash back, hotel points, or airline miles, American Express more than likely has a credit card that fits the bill.
American Express credit cards offer a ton of superb benefits which includes extended warranty, return protection, purchase protection, lounge access, transferable rewards points, and more.
This page details our top picks for the best American Express credit cards from our partners. You can use the calculator to estimate which American Express credit cards can earn you the best average return on your spend.
The cards on this page are updated periodically. New cards are introduced from time to time and the benefits of current cards could change at any time.
You can use our Credit Card Finder Tool to search by spend across all credit cards in our database.
Card Overview: The Platinum Card is one of the best credit cards on the market and one of my all-time favorite credit cards for luxury travel benefits.
The most known benefit of the card is the American Express Global Lounge Collection which grants access to American Express Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass Lounges, Delta SkyClub Lounges (when flying Delta), Airspace Lounges, and Escape Lounges.
Other benefits include up to $100 in statement credits towards Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, $200 in Uber credits, access to the Hotel Collection which grants $100 in hotel credit on stays, complimentary elite status with both Hilton and Marriott, and much more.
In terms of rewards, this card will earn you 5X points on flights booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel, and 5X points on hotels booked with American Express Travel. (The 5X points earning rate applies to up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year). All other purchases ran across The Platinum Card will earn you 1X. (Enrollments required for select benefits).
Worth The Fee? The Platinum Card has a $695 annual fee which can be hard to swallow, but if you take advantage of the benefits the card has to offer, you can easily squeeze significant value out of the card that can make it worth the fee.
This includes the $500 in annual credits, extensive lounge access, excellent purchase protection and travel insurance benefits, and many other elite travel benefits offered.
Another big benefit of this card is that authorized users also receive most of the benefits offered on the card which can add even more value to the card.
Card Overview: The American Express Gold Card is known for it's exceptional return for those who love to dine out at restaurants and shop at supermarkets.
It earns 4X points on both restaurant and U.S. supermarket purchases along with 3X points on airfare purchases directly with the airline or through American Express Travel and 1X points on all other purchases.
It comes with $120 in annual Uber credits and $120 in annual dining credits with both sets of credits being split up into $10 per month (enrollment required).
Worth The Fee? The American Express Gold Card has an annual fee of $250.
If you're able to fully use the $120 in annual Uber credit and $120 in annual dining credit, you'll bring the overall cost of this card down to $10 which is well worth the earning rates that this card offers.
Since you're earning at a high rate of 4X on restaurant and U.S. supermarket purchases, it will not take long to rack up a large amount of points which can be redeemed for a value of 1 cent each towards airfare or transfer to AMEX's airline and hotel partners.
Card Overview: If you're looking for the best cash back credit card for dining at restaurants and supermarket spend, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is the one.
It earns 6% cash back on up to $6,000 in annual U.S. supermarket purchases (then 1%), 6% back on U.S. streaming services, 3% back on transit and U.S. gas station purchases, and 1% back on everything else.
The Blue Cash Preferred pretty much dominates the U.S. supermarket category in the credit card market and is the best option if you want the best return on your spend.
Worth The Fee? The Blue Cash Preferred Card is easily worth the fee if you spend $300 or more at U.S. supermarkets and that's not even counting the other categories featured on the card.
It's not hard to get $95 in value between the high earning rates and the standard AMEX benefits (such as AMEX Offers) that this card offers.
Card Overview: If you spend less than $300 on U.S. grocery and you still want to earn a great return on your supermarket spending, you'll want to check out the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express.
The card earns 3% cash back on up to $6,000 in U.S. supermarket purchases (then 1%), 2% cash back at U.S. gas stations and U.S. department stores, and 1% back on all other purchases.
It's one of the best no-annual fee credit cards for U.S. supermarket spend and one of the best no-annual fee credit cards in general.
Worth It? If you spend less than $300 per month on U.S. grocery purchases, the Blue Cash Everyday Card will be a good fit. If you spend more than that, you'll earn a better return with the Blue Cash Preferred Card.
Card Overview: The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card is the best option if you want to top-tier benefits with Marriott.
The card offers a free night annually with a value of up to 50,000 Points, complimentary Marriott Gold Elite status, up to a $100 hotel credit on 2+ day bookings at Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis, Priority Pass Select membership, and up to $300 in statement credits each year for eligible purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy Hotels.
On top of those great benefits, the card earns 6X points on eligible purchases at hotels particiapting in the Marriott Bonvoy program, 3X points at U.S. restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines, and 2X points on all other purchases.
Worth The Fee? The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card has an annual fee of $450, but this can easily be covered between the $300 annual credit and the free night award.
The free night award alone has an average value of around $350 in which that value can be higher or lower depending on where you use it at.
If you frequent St. Regis or Ritz-Carlton hotels, you'll be able to enjoy a $100 hotel credit on 2-day or longer bookings which can add great value to the card as well.
Priority Pass also holds some significant value considering membership alone is quite pricey.
Overall, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card is worth picking up if you enjoy staying at Marriott, you are looking for some solid benefits, and you want an excellent free night award valued at up to 50,000 points.
Card Overview: Hilton offers a total of three personal credit cards and the best well-rounded card in the bunch is the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card. It's the hands down best option if you're looking for great benefits and a superb earning rate on your spending at a standard annual fee.
The card offers complimentary Hilton Honors Gold, 10 complimentary Priority Pass visits, and the ability to spend your way to both a Weekend Night Reward and Hilton Honors Diamond status (enrollments required for select benefits).
It earns 12X points on Hilton spend, 6X on U.S. restaurant, U.S. supermarket, and U.S. gas station spend, and 3X on all other purchases.
Worth The Fee? The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card has an annual fee of $95.
If you frequently stay at Hilton and you use this card to pay for your stays, you'll easily make accumulate a significant amount of Hilton Honors Points that can more than make up for the fee.
If you don't have Hilton Gold status or Priority Pass membership, both of those benefits also adds some great value to the card.
Card Overview: If you're don't stay at Hilton often, but you want to build Hilton Honors Points on your spending, the Hilton Honors American Express Card will be the best option.
This no-annual fee credit card earns 7X at Hilton properties, 5X on U.S. restaurant, U.S. supermarket, and U.S. gas stations, and 3X on everything else.
It grants complimentary Hilton Honors Silver which grants you some bonus points on your stays and gives you access to Hilton's 5th Night Free benefit.
Worth It? If you stay at Hilton once or twice a year, you can't go wrong with the no-annual fee Hilton Honors American Express Card. You'll easily be able to build up Hilton Honors points that you can redeem towards free night redemptions.
Card Overview: The Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card is the best entry-level card for Delta.
If you fly Delta even once or twice a year, this card could save you hundreds thanks to it's First Checked Bag Free benefit which applies to you and up to 8 others traveling on the same reservation.
Along with saving money, you'll also be earning SkyMiles at a rate of 2X on Delta purchases and restaurant purchases made worldwide and 1X on all other purchases.
Worth The Fee? The Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card has no annual fee the first year which is great considering the value you can squeeze out between the intro bonus and benefits of the card.
In my opinion, the main reason to pick up this card is to save on checked bags. If you don't have Delta Medallion Status or you normally have to pay for bags, this card can save you hundreds per year depending on how often you fly.
Checked bags with Delta will run you around $30 per direction, per person. As long as this card is attached to your SkyMiles account, you and up to 8 others traveling with you will get the first checked bag free.
The first year that I had this card, it saved me and my family $650 on checked bag fee which is great considering the card only has an annual fee of $95 after the first year.
Card Overview: If you frequently fly Delta, you'll want to take it up a notch with the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card. It features pretty much all the benefits of the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card along with a bunch of extra benefits.
This card offers a pretty lengthy list of benefits, but the most notable benefit is the annual Main Cabin Companion Pass. This pass allows you to take a companion on a flight with you in Main Cabin for just the cost of taxes and fees.
The card also allows you to earn Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) and Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) waiver by running heavy spend through it during the calendar year.
The earnings rates for the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card is 3X on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels, 2X at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets, and 1X on all other purchases.
Worth The Fee? The Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card has an annual fee of $250, but you can easily make up for that fee with the annual Main Cabin Companion Pass depending on where you're flying to.
If you're flying medium- to long-haul, you should be able to get $250 or more in value out of the companion pass annually. The pass is extremely easy to use as long as you plan your trip out a few months in advance.
The Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card also offers the First Checked Bag Free perks for you and up to 8 others traveling on the same reservation. With bags costing $30 (or more) per direction, per person, this benefit add significant value to the card.
Card Overview: The Business Platinum Card is one of the best business credit cards available when it comes to elite travel benefits.
It offers extensive airport lounge access, $200 in airline incidental credits, $200 in annual Dell credits, up to $100 towards Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, complimentary elite status with Hilton and Marriott, a 35% point rebate on airfare bookings, and much more (enrollments required for select benefits).
The Business Platinum Card earns rewards at a rate of 5X points on airfare and hotels booked through the American Express Travel portal. Large single purchases of $5,000 or more will earn you 1.5X points (an additional 0.5 points on the base card earning rate) and all other purchases will earn you 1X points.
Worth The Fee? The Business Platinum Card has a hefty $595 annual fee, but offers $400 in annual credits, extensive lounge access, complimentary status, and a long list of other benefits which can easily make the card worth the fee.
The card also offers a 35% point rebate on booked airfare which puts points back into your account and thus stretches your points, giving them more value overall (around 1.54 cents to be exact). If you're heavily invested in the Membership Rewards ecosystem and don't mind using points for airfare through AMEX Travel, this benefit alone makes the card worth having.
Card Overview: The American Express Business Gold Card earns an automatic 4X on the two select categories your business spent the most each month on up to $150,000 in spend during the calendar year. This means the card will automatically adjust to make sure you get the most out of your business spend.
In addition to an excellent return on your spend, the card also offers a 25% point rebate on airfare redemptions through American Express Travel. This puts points back into your account and thus bumps up the value of all Membership Rewards credit cards that you have if you typically redeem points for airfare through AMEX Travel.
Worth The Fee? The American Express Business Gold Card doesn't offer any annual credits, so you'll need to run spend through this card in order to make it worth picking up.
If your business spends heavy across any of the eligible 4X categories, it will not take long to make this card worth the annual fee as you'll be earning an average 4% return on your spend with the chance at a higher return when transferring points to AMEX's partners.
Card Overview: The Blue Business Plus Credit Card is the best credit card for small businesses looking to earn rewards on everyday spend.
It's also the best Membership Rewards credit card for miscellaneous purchases which is why lots of people use it as a personal/consumer credit card too.
It earns 2X points on the first $50,000 in purchases made during the calendar year (then 1X). On top of that, it has no annual fee which makes it one of the best credit cards for building up rewards with AMEX.
Worth It? With a 2X point earning and no annual fee, The Blue Business Plus Credit Card is one of the best credit cards for miscellaneous spend.
Pairing this with any business (or personal) credit card is the best way to maximize your points in the Membership Rewards program.
Card Overview: One of the top cash back credit cards for small businesses is the American Express Blue Business Cash Card.
It offers 2% cash back on the first $50,000 in purchases made during the calendar year, then 1%.
Cash back earned with the card is automatically applied to your statement, so you don't have to worry about keeping up with rewards.
Worth It? Whether you're using it for all business spend or pairing it with other credit cards and using it for miscellaneous spend, you can't go wrong with the American Express Blue Business Cash Card.
It has no annual fee with a 2% earning rate which makes it a great business credit card to have if you're looking for easy cash back.
| Credit Card | Best For | Annual Fee |
|---|---|---|
| The Platinum Card® from American Express | Lounge Access & Luxury Travel | $695 |
| American Express® Gold Card | Restaurants & Big Supermarket Spenders | $250 |
| Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express | Earning High Cash Back | $0 first year, then $95 |
| Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express | Supermarket Spending w/ No Annual Fee | $0 |
| Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card | Frequent Marriott Travelers | $450 |
| Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card | Hilton Travelers | $95 |
| Hilton Honors American Express Card | Hilton Rewards with No Annual Fee | $0 |
| Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card | Occasional Delta flyers | $0 first year, then $99 |
| Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card | Delta Benefits | $250 |
| The Business Platinum Card® from American Express | Lounge Access & Luxury Business Travel | $595 |
| American Express® Business Gold Card | Flexibility & Business Rewards | $295 |
| The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express | Travel Rewards For Small Businesses | $0 |
| American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card | Cash Back Rewards For Small Businesses | $0 |
Use the calculator to find out which American Express credit cards offer you the most rewards and best return based on your spend.
Results will be sorted by net return which is the average value of the rewards earned, plus annual credits, and minus annual fees.
Results will consist of top-rated American Express credit cards offered by our partners.
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These estimates are to help guide you towards making the best decision when it comes to picking up a rewards credit card. They should be used for illustrative purposes only.
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