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American Express offers a smorgasbord of credit cards designed to appeal to a range of personal preferences: If you prefer cash back on grocery purchases, for instance, there is an AmEx card for you. If your tastes veer more toward luxury travel, the issuer has a card for you, too.
American Express cardholders enjoy high rewards and a flexible points system (on the cards that participate in it), as well as perks like a ShopRunner subscription for online shopping (enrollment required). The main downside is that American Express is less universally accepted than other networks such as Visa and Mastercard.
Finding the right AmEx card for you starts with some basic questions:
Do you have good credit?
If the answer is no, then your American Express options are limited. AmEx cards offer high rewards and generally require at least good credit. If you currently have poor or average credit, then you may want to consider looking at a different issuer that offers options for a more diverse range of credit scores.
Do you prefer cash back or points you can apply toward travel?
American Express cards fall into two main categories:
- Those that earn cash back.* Examples include the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express and Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express.
- Those that earn Membership Rewards points. Examples include the American Express® Gold Card and American Express® Green Card.
Narrowing down which type of rewards you are interested in can help you find the right one.
Are you willing to pay an annual fee?
While some American Express cards such as the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express don't charge an annual fee, many of the higher reward AmEx cards do, and sometimes a high one: the American Express Platinum Card®, for example, charges an annual fee of $895.
Where do you spend the most money?
Different AmEx cards offer bonus categories on different types of spending: Some more heavily reward grocery spending while others prioritize travel or restaurant spending. The right card for you will match up with where you tend to spend more of your money.
Finding the right American Express card for you
Our pick for cash back
Rewards:
- 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 in spending per year.
- 6% back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
- 3% back on transit and U.S. gas stations.
- 1% back on everything else.
- Terms Apply (see rates and fees).
Welcome offer: You may be eligible for as high as $300 cash back after spending $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in the first 6 months. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Cash back is received as Reward Dollars, redeemable for statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout. Terms Apply.
Annual fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95. Terms apply.
Why we like it: The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express offers a hard-to-beat 6% back on U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 in spending per year in addition to its other rewards, and for households that spend a lot on food, that’s valuable. The cash back is flexible and the card also comes with a welcome offer. All of those benefits add up to make the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express a hugely appealing option. Terms apply.
Drawbacks: The card does come with an annual fee after the first year, which is a turn-off for some cardholders. The cap on rewards earned at U.S. supermarket is also limiting for those who spend more than that.
Our pick for no-annual-fee cash back
Rewards:
- 3% back at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations and U.S. online retail purchases on up to $6,000 spent per year (then 1%).
- 1% back on all other purchases.
- Terms Apply (see rates and fees).
Welcome offer: You may be eligible for as high as $200 cash back after spending $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in the first 6 months. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Cash back is received as Reward Dollars, redeemable for statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout. Terms Apply.
Annual fee: $0. Terms apply.
Why we like it: Like the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express rewards grocery spending. Its rewards rate is lower, but it also doesn’t charge an annual fee. With U.S. gas stations and U.S. online retail purchases also earning bonus rewards, it’s a card that offers a lot of flexibility for families who appreciate the ease of earning (and spending) cash back. Terms apply.
Drawbacks: The rewards rates are lower than other cards (but it also lacks an annual fee).
Our pick for foodies
Rewards:
- 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible travel booked through amextravel.com.
- 4 points per dollar spent at restaurants on up to $50,000 in purchases per year.
- 4 points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 in purchases per year.
- 3 points per dollar spent for flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express.
- 1 point per dollar spent on other eligible purchases.
- Terms apply (see rates and fees).
Welcome offer: You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted. Terms Apply.
Annual fee: $325. Terms apply.
Why we like it: The high rewards rate for spending on restaurants as well as grocery stores means that you earn points at a fast clip whether you’re enjoying fine dining or cooking at home. Membership Rewards points are worth about 0.5 cents to 1 cent each depending on how you redeem them, with travel and gift card redemptions generally offering the highest value. The card also offers annual credits, including up to a $120 annual dining credit, which helps offset the annual fee (terms apply). Enrollment is required, and the $120 comes from $10 monthly credits. Terms apply.
Drawbacks: The relatively high annual fee may scare away some potential cardholders, but if your spending aligns with the bonus categories, you can more than earn back the value of that fee.
Our pick for travel
Rewards:
- Earn 3 Membership Rewards points per $1 spent on travel, including airfare, hotels, cruises, car rentals, campgrounds, trains, taxis, ridesharing, tours, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, subways, third-party travel sites and amextravel.com.
- Earn 3 points per $1 spent at restaurants worldwide.
- Earn 1 point per $1 everywhere else.
- Terms Apply (see rates and fees)
Welcome offer:
Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
Annual fee: $150. Terms apply.
Why we like it: The travel rewards on this card are all-encompassing, covering a diverse array of transportation, including subway fare and cruises, as well as the more traditional airfare and hotel expenses. Regardless of how you like to travel, this card will reward you for doing so. Plus, when you're eating at restaurants, whether locally or on the road, you pick up bonus points. Terms apply.
Drawbacks: The card does come with an annual fee. Note also, those who are loyal to a particular hotel or airline may want to consider AmEx co-branded cards such as Hilton Honors American Express Card or Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card. And if you prefer to pay a higher annual fee for luxury perks, then read on.
Our pick for luxury perks
Rewards:
- 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express, on up to $500,000 spent per year.
- 5 points per dollar on prepaid hotels booked through American Express.
- 2 points per dollar on other eligible travel expenses booked through American Express.
- 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.
- Terms Apply (see rates and fees).
Welcome offer: You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $12,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Terms apply.
Annual fee: $895. Terms apply.
Why we like it: If you spend a lot on travel and want premium perks — and are willing to pay for them in the form of a huge annual fee — then the American Express Platinum Card® could be for you. You earn big rewards and also enjoy luxury perks such as statement credits, airport lounge access and hotel upgrades. Terms apply.
Drawbacks: That big annual fee isn’t for everyone.
*Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
All information about the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by NerdWallet. The American Express® Green Card is no longer available through NerdWallet.
To view rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, see this page.
To view rates and fees of the American Express Platinum Card®, see this page.
To view rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, see this page.
To view rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, see this page.
