Best American Express Credit Cards: Elevate Your Rewards Game The Motley Fool

Best for luxury perks: American Express Platinum Card®
• Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. The 6% at U.S. supermarkets alone is huge -- spend $500 a month on groceries, and that's $360 back per year. Then, pick the card that offers your preferred rewards currency along with sufficiently lucrative benefits and earning rates based on your typical spending habits.
Comparing the best American Express credit cards
A $0 annual fee (see rates and fees), and a three-months-longer 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers (15 months vs. 12 months). If its features fit your lifestyle, it's one of the most valuable travel rewards cards you'll find. But with a hefty $895 annual fee (see rates and fees), this card is only worth it if you can take full advantage of its benefits, making this card either an amazing deal or far too expensiv


One unique aspect of travel credit cards is the protections you can get as a cardholder when you travel. These benefits can help you offset the annual fee and save money each time you travel. Many travel rewards credit cards — especially the most premium cards with high annual fees — really shine when it comes to added perks and benefits. To make an annual fee worth it for you, make sure you can get enough out of the rewards and benefits each year to outweigh the cost — without spending more than you otherwise would or can afford.
Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful® Credit CardLinks to product pa


Fortunately, both cards offer good value when redeeming for travel, transferring points to travel partners, and offering additional redemption choices. Points earned from the Amex Platinum and the Sapphire Reserve can be redeemed for nontravel redemptions such as cash back, statement credits and gift cards, but these redemptions generally yield poor value. If the Amex Platinum statement credits apply to you, it's worth it; otherwise, the Sapphire Reserve credits are easier to use. Chase also partners with World of Hyatt, one of the best hotel loyalty programs for affordable redemptions at luxury properties. However, both issuers offer numerous opportunities for lucrative redemptions that can be made even better with the help of transfer bonuses. The Chase Sapphire Reserve also offers more than $1,000 worth of travel credits and perks, but you only receive complimentary elite status with two hotel programs, and some benefits require you to reach the $75,000 spending threshold.
TSA PreCheck and Global Entry Credits
Although the Sapphire Reserve has better transfer ratios, the Amex Platinum has more partners, including some not found with other issuers. Meanwhile, Amex Membership Rewards has 20 transfer partners, though not all are worthwhile. Chase provides an additional bonus for booking through the Chase Travel portal, thanks to Points Boost. The Amex Platinum destiny mastercard reviews clearly offers more lifestyle-oriented statement credits, but many of these credits don't mean much to every cardmember, and cardmembers wind up going out of their way to use them just because the card offers them. Additionally, Amex provides up to $25 in monthly statement credits for streaming services (enrollment required).
Redeeming points on the Amex Platinum vs. Sapphire Reser


Empty checkboxCompareCompare the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Cardbutton disabledCompareCompare the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit CardOpens compare popup dialog Plus, earn 35,000 bonus points after spending a total of $4,000 in the first 6 months from account opening for a total of 125,000 bonus points. Earn 90,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. Empty checkboxCompareCompare the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Cardbutton disabledCompareCompare the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit CardOpens compare popup dialog
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit CardLinks to product page
Earn 3x points on dining at restaurants including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out. Premium dining & travel rewards Earn 5x total points on travel purchased through Chase TravelSM, excluding hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit. For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. With high annual fees and a wide range of benefits, the key is focusing on the features you'll use most — whether that's lounge access, statement credits or rewards earnin

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit CardLinks to product page
Even if you travel only once or twice per year, you can accumulate points throughout the year to offset your airfare and hotel costs when you do go on a trip. They might not be worth it if you don’t travel enough to take advantage of perks like travel credits, lounge access, or upgrades. Unlike some other rewards cards, like cash-back credit cards, travel cards are more likely to carry annual fees in exchange for their high rewards rates and annual benefits. The spending thresholds to earn your welcome destiny mastercard reviews bonus can be high, so you may want to plan your application around your next trip. Be sure to compare different travel card options to find the combination of annual fee, rewards, benefits, and sign-up bonus that works best for your travel plans and spending. Travel rewards credit cards can make a great addition to your wallet, even if you only travel a few times per yea