American Express is one of the most popular card issuers for consumers and small business owners. The issuer offers a variety of credit cards that earn miles, points and cash back. Plus, new cardholders may qualify for a 0% intro APR offer and other valuable benefits, depending on the card for which they apply. American Express offers cards for every budget, ranging from cards with no annual fee to premium cards with annual fees of up to $695 per year.

One of the major benefits of American Express cards is that many of them offer versions for both consumers and small business owners. With these cards, you can earn rewards for your personal and business expenses. Then, you can combine them into one bucket to accelerate your earnings. With some cards, you can even transfer your rewards to an American Express travel partner, including Delta Air Lines and Hilton Honors.

Getting an American Express credit card can be a good move for consumers and business owners alike. American Express offers credit cards that match the spending patterns, budget and lifestyle of almost anyone. In addition to earning miles, points or cash back, its cards offer valuable perks and annual credits that help to justify their annual fees.

• Make sure you can qualify for an American Express credit card

  Your application for an American Express card can be declined if you have a less-than-great credit score. American Express primarily focuses on customers with stronger credit backgrounds. If you’re just getting started with credit or your credit score is poor or fair, you may need to improve your score to increase your approval odds.

    Don’t know your credit score? Sign up for an account at LendingTree to get your free credit score and recommendations to boost your score.

  FICO Score	VantageScore
  300-579 is poor credit 580-669 is fair credit 670-739 is good credit 740-799 is very good credit 800-850 is exceptional credit	300-499 is very poor credit 500-600 is poor credit 601-660 is fair credit 661-780 is good credit 781-850 is excellent credit

• Decide what type of credit card you want

  American Express offers cards with a variety of benefits, rewards, annual fees and other features. You can narrow down the choices by considering which features are most important to you.

  What type of user are you?	Choose a …
  You want to earn points that you can use with any hotel or airline.	General travel card (American Express® Gold Card)
  You want the simplest, most flexible rewards possible.	Cash back credit card (Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express)
  You're collecting miles with a particular airline or could use perks such as free checked bags and lounge access.	Airline credit card (Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card)
  You frequently stay at a hotel chain and could use perks such as elite status and free hotel night certificates.	Hotel credit card (Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card)
  You're trying to pay down a balance on another credit card.	Balance transfer credit card (American Express Cash Magnet® Card)
  You want to finance a large purchase.	0% APR credit card (American Express Cash Magnet® Card)
  You need a card to make purchases for your small business.	Business card (The Business Platinum Card® from American Express)

  The information related to the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card and American Express Cash Magnet® Card has been independently collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication.

• Find rewards that match your spending patterns

  Rewards credit cards typically offer bonus categories with higher earnings for select categories. Review your spending patterns and select a card with bonus categories that are relevant to your spending.

  Popular bonus categories	Best cards
  Dining	American Express® Gold Card
  Gas	Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express Hilton Honors American Express Card Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
  Groceries	American Express® Gold Card Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card Hilton Honors American Express Card Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express
  Travel	American Express® Green Card

  The information related to the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express, The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express and American Express® Green Card has been independently collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication.

• Decide if you want to pay an annual fee

  While some experts may recommend that you avoid paying annual fees on credit cards, this advice is a bit outdated. The better approach is to review a credit card’s earning power, annual credits and other benefits to determine if the annual fee is worth it.

  Credit cards that earn or save money on items you were going to buy anyway easily justify paying an annual fee. For example, if you check bags when flying, paying an annual fee for a card that waives checked bag fees can save considerable money.

  The Delta SkyMiles^® Gold American Express Card has a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99. It includes the first checked bag free for you and up to eight companions traveling on the same reservation. With Delta charging $30 per bag each way, you can cover the annual fee very quickly.

  To see rates & fees for Delta SkyMiles^® Gold American Express Card please click here.

• Consider other card benefits

  While many cardholders focus on a card’s welcome bonus and earning power, other benefits can be much more valuable. Here are a few benefits that the best American Express credit cards offer and examples of cards that include each benefit.

  • No foreign transaction fees: When making international purchases, some cards charge foreign transaction fees of up to 3%. The Hilton Honors American Express Card does not charge foreign transaction fees.

    To see rates & fees for Hilton Honors American Express Card please click here.

  • Lounge access: Having airport lounge access provides an oasis within airport terminals. Many of these lounges provide complimentary drinks, food, Wi-Fi and other benefits that enhance travel. Access to more than 1,400 lounges is included with The Platinum Card^® from American Express.
  • Travel credits: Travel credits cover the cost of eligible travel expenses up to a stated maximum annual amount. The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express includes up to a $200 airline fee credit and reimburses CLEAR application fees of $189 when using the card to pay for these charges (enrollment required).
  • Travel protections: Unexpected events such as canceled or delayed flights and lost bags can interrupt your travel plans. The Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card protects against trip delays, rental car damage and lost or stolen bags.
  • Purchase protection: If your items are stolen or accidentally damaged shortly after purchase, this coverage reimburses you. The American Express® Green Card covers your purchases for up to 90 days at up to $1,000 per item ($50,000 per year).
  • Return protection: When a merchant won’t accept a returned item, return protection reimburses you for eligible purchases The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express covers up to $300 per eligible item ($1,000 per year) within 90 days of purchase.
  • Extended warranty: This coverage adds an extra year to eligible manufacturers’ warranties without requiring you to purchase an extended warranty from the retailer. The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card adds up to one year on eligible warranties of five years or less.
  The information related to the American Express® Green Card and The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express has been independently collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication.

American Express Membership Rewards are flexible points that can be redeemed in multiple ways. All Membership Rewards points earned from eligible American Express cards are automatically pooled into one account, so you don’t need to manually transfer them between accounts. If you have a small business, the Membership Rewards points from your linked personal and business cards also pool into one account.

Your points can be used in multiple ways, including booking travel with Amex Travel, shopping at Amazon, buying gift cards or getting statement credits. Each redemption option has a different point value. This means some options have lower values, while others are higher. Generally, transferring points to airline and hotel partners offers the highest value return for your points.

Membership Rewards redemption options

• Transfer strategically to the right travel partner: ~2.2 cents
• Get a flight, hotel, car rental, vacation package or cruise through the Membership Rewards portal: 0.75-1 cent
• Use Amex points on Amazon.com: 0.7-1 cent
• Redeem points for gift cards: 0.5-1.1 cents
• Redeem points for statement credits: 0.6 cents
• Buy merchandise with points: 0.5 cents
• Donate points to charity: 0.7 cents

 

Membership Rewards cards

You’ll find a large variety of personal and business cards that earn Membership Rewards points. Some of these, such as the American Express Blue Business Plus Credit Card, make great partners with other Membership Rewards cards.

• The Platinum Card^® from American Express
• American Express^® Gold Card
• American Express® Green Card
• The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express
• American Express^® Business Gold Card
• Business Green Rewards Card from American Express
• The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express
• The Blue Business^® Plus Credit Card from American Express

American Express travel partners

American Express allows you to transfer points to a large list of hotel and airline programs, including major American carrier Delta Air Lines. While most American Express transfer partners are on a 1:1 basis, not all miles and points are created equally. In some cases, you’ll receive a much higher value by selecting one transfer partner over another.

American Express offers periodic transfer promotions for which you’ll receive bonus rewards when transferring to select partners. These bonuses can greatly reduce the number of points you need to transfer to book an award flight or hotel reservation.

Also, keep in mind that point transfers are permanent. Once you transfer points to a partner, you cannot unwind that transfer.

When you’re ready to apply for an American Express credit card, use these tips to increase your approval odds.

1. Know your credit score. American Express requires a minimum credit score of 660 for most of its cards. Check your score ahead of time to avoid applying if your score is too low.
2. Boost your credit. If your credit score is too low for the American Express card you want, take steps to increase your score. Paying down balances is a quick way to lower your utilization and boost your score.
3. Gather your personal information. You’ll need your personal information, such as date of birth, Social Security number and income, to apply for an American Express card. Assemble this information before applying so you can quickly complete your application.
4. Get preapproved. Applicants can use the American Express “Apply with Confidence” tool to see which card they are preapproved for. Preapproval does not affect your credit score unless you finalize your application.
5. Use the welcome offer qualification tool. One of the greatest benefits of applying for a new card is the welcome offer you can earn. American Express has a welcome offer qualification tool that warns applicants if they are ineligible for a bonus on the card for which they are applying.

How many American Express cards can you have?

Many American Express cardholders report being limited to five credit cards at one time. Some cards, such as The Platinum Card^® from American Express or American Express^® Gold Card, and corporate cards are not included in this total.

If you apply for a new American Express credit card and are at the limit, you could be declined for the new card. Alternatively, you may ask the reconsideration department to close an existing card in order to get approved for the new card.

To select the best American Express credit cards, our credit card experts compared the leading cards offered on the American Express website and LendingTree.com, including cash back cards, business cards, travel cards and more.

Although we primarily focused on American Express-branded cards, we also considered American Express co-branded credit cards.

We then chose our top picks based on a variety of factors, like rewards rates, welcome offers, annual fees and introductory purchase APRs. Additionally, we looked at the benefits offered by each card, such as travel credits, travel protections and complimentary lounge access.