💳 A Guide to Amex Credit Cards, Membership Rewards, Rules & More

💳 A Guide to Amex Credit Cards, Membership Rewards, Rules & More

American Express is one of the premium players in the world of points and miles, but with over 30 personal and business cards, it can be hard to figure out what actually makes sense for you. So here’s a breakdown of the entire Amex ecosystem, based on everything I’ve learned after earning millions of Amex points and holding over a dozen of their cards.

💳 The 30+ Amex Card Line Up 

First, let's explore Amex’s lineup of 30+ credit cards, including personal, business, cash back, and co-branded. I've also ranked these cards here from S to D tier based on a combination of welcome bonuses, point-earning potential, unique perks, and transfer/redemption value. 

🤑 Membership Rewards Cards

  • American Express® Green Card: Earns 3x on travel, transit, and dining, plus a $189 Clear Plus credit. Low annual fee card that covers many everyday spend categories and is easily, one of the most underrated cards in the Amex lineup.
  • Business Green Rewards Card: Earns 2x on Amex Travel purchases, 1x elsewhere. I think there are better choices for earning Membership Rewards.
  • American Express® Gold Card: My go-to card for groceries and dining. Earns 4x at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25K/year), plus 3x on flights. Comes with useful monthly credits that can offset the annual fee. One of the most rewarding cards I own.
  • The American Express® Business Gold Card: This card is great for businesses with high spend in bonus categories. It earns 4x on your top two categories from a list of common business expenses, up to $150K/year. Includes monthly credits and cell phone protection.
  • The Platinum Card® from American Express: I keep this card for the perks and lounge access. It earns 5x on flights and prepaid hotels through Amex Travel. Includes lounge access, elite status, travel protections, and lifestyle credits. 
  • American Express Platinum Card for Schwab: Same as the personal Platinum, but lets you cash out points at 1.10¢ each to a Schwab account. My pick if you want flexibility and value from points.
  • The Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley: Similar to Schwab, but allows 1.0¢ point redemptions and has a waived annual fee with eligible Morgan Stanley balances. Also includes a free authorized user which is a huge value if you qualify.
  • The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Earns 1.5x on large purchases and select business categories, 5x on Amex Travel. 35% point rebate on flights, premium travel perks.
  • The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express: No annual fee card that earns 2x Membership Rewards points on all purchases up to $50K/year. It’s perfect for everyday spending.

💸 Cash Back Cards

✈️ Delta Cards

🏨 Hilton Cards

🏨 Marriott Cards

📦 Amazon Cards

🌟 General Amex Card Benefits

Unless otherwise specified for a particular card, all Amex cards typically include.

  • Extended warranty protections and purchase protections.
  • No foreign transaction fees (except for the Blue Business Plus and Blue Cash Everyday/Preferred cards).
  • No authorized user fees (exceptions include Platinum and Delta Reserve cards).
  • Baggage insurance and secondary rental insurance for co-branded cards (Marriott, Hilton, Delta), and some premium cards.

🤩 Membership Rewards Program and Redemptions

The real power of Amex comes from its Membership Rewards program. If you’re earning these points, knowing the best ways to redeem them (and which to avoid) can make a huge difference in their value.

👍 Best Redemptions

  • Transferring points to airline and hotel partners (especially during bonuses).
  • Booking flights through the Amex Travel portal with the 35% rebate using the Business Platinum Card (1.54¢/point value).
  • Cashing out points via Schwab or Morgan Stanley Platinum cards (1.10¢ and 1.00¢ per point respectively).

👎 Worst Redemptions

  • Using points for Amazon or gift cards (typically 0.6¢ per point).
  • Statement credits or shopping redemptions.

🤝Transfer Partners

Amex has one of the largest and most valuable networks of transfer partners: 19 airline and 3 hotel transfer partners. These include Avios, Air France Flying Blue, Virgin Atlantic, and Air Canada Aeroplan. Delta and ANA can also be useful. Hilton can be valuable during transfer bonuses, while Marriott and Choice offer limited value.

Also, Amex frequently offers transfer bonuses to these partners, typically 17–25 per year. These can dramatically improve the value of your points when used for airline or hotel redemptions.

🔁 Moving Points Around

Unfortunately, Amex doesn’t let you move points between different people’s Amex accounts. However, you can transfer Membership Rewards points to a partner loyalty program in someone else’s name if they’ve been an authorized user or employee on your account for at least 90 days. You also can’t transfer points between consumer and business accounts or between different points currencies like MR and cash back.

📋 Card Application Rules

  • "Lifetime" Rule: Generally, you can't get a signup bonus more than once per card, unless you receive a targeted offer without "lifetime language". Amex often provides a pop-up warning if you're ineligible for a bonus.
  • Card Limits: Amex limits you to 10 charge cards (like Green, Gold, Platinum, Centurion, and Plum) and 5 credit cards (including co-branded cards and Blue Cash cards).
  • Family Rules: You generally cannot get a bonus for a lower-tier card if you've already had a premium version in the same "family" (e.g., Platinum bonus makes you ineligible for Gold or Green bonuses).
  • One-in-Five Rule: Can only be approved for one Amex credit card every five days (doesn't apply to charge cards).
  • Two-in-Ninety Rule: Can only be approved for two Amex credit cards every 90 days (doesn't apply to charge cards).
  • Product Changing: Allowed within a co-brand family (e.g., Delta Gold to Delta Platinum) but not between different categories (e.g., MR to cash back or Hilton). Cannot upgrade within the first year of having a card.

💳 Best Two-Card Combo

If you’re only going to hold two Amex cards, the best setup in my opinion is the American Express® Gold Card paired with The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express. The Gold earns 4x on groceries and dining (two major household spend categories) and comes with credits that can offset the fee if you use them right. The Blue Business Plus earns 2x on all purchases (up to $50K/year) and has no annual fee, making it perfect for everything else.

🔚 Final Thoughts

Overall, Amex has been one of the most rewarding programs in my wallet thanks to big signup bonuses, great perks, and a super flexible points program. Yes, the annual fees can be steep, and not every card is a keeper, but if you’re thoughtful about what you hold and how you redeem, there’s a ton of value to unlock.

 

Editor’s Note: The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.

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I love sharing my quest to optimize and upgrade my life. Previously I was Head of New Product Strategy at Wealthfront, co-founder and CEO of Grove (acquired by Wealthfront), co-founder of Milk (acquired by Google) and a Partner at GV, where I focused on seed and early stage investments.

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