I’ve carried American Express credit cards for years. It started with the iconic Green American Express many years ago. Since then I’ve carried the Gold card, Platinum Card, TrueEarnings CostCo card (no longer available), and the Blue Cash Preferred card. Yes, I’m an Amex fan.
Today Amex offers a wide variety of cards with excellent rewards. It offers top notch travel rewards, cash back, and even 0% introductory rate offers on balance transfers and purchases. The list below starts with consumer cards, followed by Amex business credit cards.
American Express Personal Credit Cards
Editor’s Pick: My favorite consumer Amex card is the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express. With cash back of up to 6%, the $95 annual fee is well worth the cost. The $300 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new card in your first 3 months helps, too.
Not sure if you qualify for a credit card? With just your name, address, email, and last 4 digits of your social security number, you can see if you qualify for some of the top credit cards available today. And best of all, it won’t affect your credit score.
- Limited Time Offer: $300 statement credit after you spend $3,000 on purchases with the card in the first 6 months.
- Earn Cash Back: 6% at U.S. supermarkets up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), and 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions including Spotify, Netflix, Hulu, HBO, ShowTime, Pandora, Apple Music, Amazon Music or Video (Does not include Prime membership).
- Earn 3% at U.S. gas stations and on transit including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more.
- 1% on all other purchases. Terms and limitations apply.
- Annual Fee: $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95
- 0% APR on purchases for 12 months
- Terms Apply
- Welcome Offer: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $4,000 within your first 6 months.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards points at restaurants worldwide. This includes takeout and delivery, as well as Uber Eats.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X).
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
- 1X points on other purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash: Add your Gold card to your Uber account and each month you’ll get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S.
- $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to $10 in statement credits each month when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factor, Ruth’s Chris, Boxed, and participating Shake Shacks. Enrollment required.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees, making this an excellent card for international travel.
- Annual Fee: $250.
- Rose Gold is back. Choose between Gold or Rose Gold.
- Terms Apply.
- Welcome Offer: Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors bonus Points after spending $2,000 within your first 3 months.
- 12X Bonus: Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your card directly with a participating hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio.
- 6X Bonus: Earn 6X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your card at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations.
- 3X Bonus: Earn 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your card.
- Spend $40,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn Hilton Honors Diamond status through the end of the next calendar year.
- Earn a Weekend Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
- Terms Apply
- Welcome Offer: Earn
60,00075,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $5,000 on purchases with the card in the first 6 months. - Earn 10x points on eligible purchases on your new Card at U.S. Gas Stations and U.S. Supermarkets, on up to $15,000 in combined purchases, during your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- 5X Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel. Beginning 1/1/2021, the 5X rewards is capped at $500,000 on these purchases annually.
- 5X Membership Rewards points on eligible hotels booked on amextravel.com.
- 1X Membership Rewards points on all other purchases.
- Up to $200 Airline Fee Credit
- Up to $200 Uber savings every year
- Up to $100 annual Saks Fifth Avenue credit
- Annual fee: $550
- Terms Apply.
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 70,000 Bonus Miles after you make $2,000 in purchases on your new card within your first 3 months months.
- Earn a $100 Delta Flight Credit after you spend $10,000 in purchases on the card in a calendar year.
- Earn 2 miles for every dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta.
- Earn 1 mile for every eligible dollar spent on purchases.
- Check your first bag free on Delta flights
- Priority Boarding.
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99.
- Terms Apply
- Welcome Offer: Earn 10,000 bonus miles after spending $500 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Offer expires 4/1/2020.
- 2 Miles Rewards: Earn 2 miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide and on purchases made directly with Delta.
- 1 Mile Rewards: Earn 1 mile on every eligible dollar spent on purchases.
- Receive a 20% In-Flight Savings in the form of a statement credit after you use your Card on eligible Delta in-flight purchases of food, beverages, and audio headsets.
- No foreign transaction fees
- No Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply
- Welcome Offer: Earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 within your first 3 months.
- Earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for every dollar of eligible purchases charged directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Honors portfolio of brands.
- Earn 5X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for every dollar of eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations.
- Earn 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your card.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status with your Card.
- No Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- Welcome Offer: Earn a $150 statement credit after you spend $1,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
- Unlimited 1.5% Cash Back on your purchases.
- Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be easily redeemed for statement credits, gift cards, and merchandise.
- 0% for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable rate.
- No Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
American Express Business Credit Cards
Editor’s Pick:For Amex business cards, I give the top pick to the SimplyCash® Business Card from American Express. As a small business owner, I know the value of 5% cash back on office supplies and wireless. Add to that 3% cash back on a category of your choice and no annual fee, and this card is a clear winner.
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 100,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy points after spending $5,000 within the first 3 months. Also earn up to $150 back in statement credits on eligible purchases made on your new Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 5/12/21.
- Earn up to $150 back in the form of statement credits on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of card membership.
- Earn 6x points at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
- Earn 4x points at U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations, U.S. purchases on shipping, and wireless telephone services purchased from U.S. service providers
- Earn 2x points on all other eligible purchases
- Receive 1 Free Night Award each year after your Card account anniversary you can use at a participating hotel.
- Enjoy complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status.
- Earn Gold Elite status after spending $35,000 on eligible purchases on your card in a calendar year.
- Annual fee is $125
- Welcome Offer: Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases in the first 3 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 12X at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio
- Earn 6X on Select Business & Travel Purchases
- Earn 3X Everywhere Else. Terms & Limitations Apply.
- Enjoy complimentary Gold status with your Hilton Honors Business Card.
- Earn a Weekend Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 in purchases on your card in a calendar year.
- Earn another Weekend Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend an additional $45,000 in purchases on your card in the same calendar year.
- Enjoy 10 free airport lounge visits each year once enrolled in complimentary Priority Pass(TM) Select membership, which offers access to over 1,300 lounges in over 140 countries.
- Terms apply.
- Early Payoff Discount: Get a 1.5% discount when you pay early, with no cap on what you can earn back.
- Take up to 60 days to pay with no interest, if you pay your minimum due.
- Additional Employee Cards at no annual fee – and an early pay discount on employee spending.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Introductory annual fee of $0 for the first year, then $250
- Terms & Restrictions Apply.
- Earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%.
- Cash back earned is automatically credited to your statement.
- Spend beyond your credit limit with Expanded Buying Power.
- The amount you can spend above your credit limit is not unlimited. It adjusts with your use of the card, your payment history, credit record, financial resources known to us and other factors.
- 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a variable rate based on your creditworthiness and other factors as determined at the time of account opening.
- No Annual Fee
- Terms Apply
- Earn 2X points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners.
- 2X applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter.
- 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months, then a variable rate based on your creditworthiness and other factors as determined at the time of account opening.
- No Annual Fee
- Terms Apply
- Welcome Offer: Earn up to 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on qualifying purchases within your first 3 months of card membership.
- Rewards:
- Get 5X Membership Rewards points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com.
- Get 50% more Membership Rewards points on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more.
- 35% Airline Bonus: Use Membership Rewards Pay with Points for all or part of a flight with your selected qualifying airline, and you can get 35% of the points back, up to 500,000 bonus points per calendar year.
- Get 35% points back on all First and Business class flights, with all airlines available through American Express Travel.
- Terms Apply
- Welcome Offer: Earn 70,000 bonus points after spending $10,000 within your first 3 months.
- $300 Statement Credit: Good on eligible U.S. advertising and U.S. shipping purchases. Terms and cap apply.
- REWARDS: Get 4X Membership Rewards® points on the 2 select categories where your business spent the most each month (applies to the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these 2 categories each calendar year).*
- BONUS: Get 25% points back after you use points for all or part of an eligible flight booked with Amex Travel, up to 250,000 points back per calendar year.*
- A flexible payment option to help manage cash flow on purchases of $100 or more.*
- Connect to Quickbooks, access SpendManager?, receive a Year-End Summary, and more.*
- Add EMPLOYEE CARDS with a no annual fee option. Earn rewards on employee purchases and track employee expenses with spending limits, alerts, and summary reports.*
- *Terms Apply
- Earn 80,000 bonus miles, 20,000 Medallion(R) Qualification Miles (MQMs) and a $200 statement credit after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new card in your first 3 months. Offer expires 4/28/2021
- With Status Boost, earn 15,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $30,000 in purchases on your card in a calendar year, up to 4x per year getting you closer to Medallion Status.
- Throughout 2021 earn an additional 3,750 MQMs after making $30,000 in purchases, up to 4x. That’s in addition to the 15,000 MQMs that you would earn with Status Boost.
- Earn 3 Miles per dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta.
- Earn 1 mile on every eligible dollar spent on purchases.
- Pay no foreign transaction fees when you spend overseas.
- Complimentary Delta Sky Club(R) Access.
- Terms and limitations apply
- Welcome Bonus: Earn 70,000 bonus miles and a $50 statement credit after spending $2,000 within your first 3 months.
- After you spend $10,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you will earn a $100 Delta Flight Credit to use toward future travel.
- Rewards: Earn 2 Miles on every dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta, U.S. purchases for advertising in select media, U.S. shipping purchases, and on dining at restaurants. Earn 1 mile on every eligible dollar spent on purchases.
- Enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding
- No foreign transaction fees when you spend overseas.
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99.
- Terms and limitations apply
- Welcome Offer: Earn 90,000 bonus miles and a $100 statement credit after spending $3,000 within your first 3 months months. Offer ends 4/28/2021
- Rewards:
- Earn 3 Miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta.
- Earn 1 mile on every eligible dollar spent on purchases.
- Check your first bag for free.
- Priority Boarding.
- Miles don’t expire.
- With Status Boost, earn 10,000 Medallion(R) Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $25,000 in purchases on your card in a calendar year, up to 2x per year getting you closer to Medallion Status.
- Throughout 2021 earn an additional 2,500 MQMs after making $25,000 in purchases, up to 2x. That’s in addition to the 10,000 MQMs that you would earn with Status Boost.
- Terms and limitations apply
- $250 annual fee
