American Express Credit Card Reviews

The Blue Cash Preferred annual fee is $0 intro 1st yr, $95 after. Starting the second year, the card is roughly 5 times more expensive than the average credit card's annual fee: about $20. Blue Cash Preferred's rewards help cover the cost. Its standard $300 initial bonus is equal to more than three annual fees. And at 6% cash back up to $6,000 spent per year, the card's supermarket rewards alone can total as much as $360, or nearly four annual fees.

By the way, there's also a Blue Cash card with no annual fee – Amex Blue Cash Everyday. It's not quite as rewarding, but it's still great for people who don't spend enough for the Blue Cash Preferred annual fee to be worth it.

The best American Express Platinum travel benefits are the card's initial bonus of 75,000 points for spending $5,000 in the first 6 months, its $200 annual airline fee credit, and complimentary Gold Status in the Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy loyalty programs. Plus, you get 5 points per $1 spent on flights and hotels booked through American Express Travel. And to top it off, there's a $15 monthly Uber credit, no foreign transaction fee, and baggage and travel insurance.

Amex Platinum is a hybrid card, which means you'll have to pay the balance in full every month. Plus, it has a $550 annual fee. So you should make sure that you will take advantage of as many American Express Platinum travel benefits as possible to get your money's worth.

Notable American Express Platinum Travel Benefits

Annual Airline Credit: $200 per year for baggage fees, in-flight meals and other airline incidentals. You can't use the credit for airfare or upgrades.

Credits for Uber Rides: Up to $15 in credits for Uber rides each month, plus a bonus $20 in December ($35 total). The credits expire at the end of each month, so be sure to use them.

Complimentary Hotel Status: Cardholders can join Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy as Gold-level members for free. Members get complimentary room upgrades and more opportunities to earn free nights.

Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Credit: Credit for the $100 Global Entry application fee or the $85 TSA PreCheck application fee, once every four years. Both services expedite airport screening.

Baggage Insurance: Pays up to $2,000 in replacement costs for checked baggage that gets lost and up to $3,000 for carry-on luggage.

Car Rental Insurance: Covers eligible rental vehicles for up to 30 consecutive days against damage and theft up to a maximum of $75,000. Does not cover intoxicated/reckless driving, damage to other vehicles or personal injuries.

Global Lounge Collection: Lets you access over 1,000 airport lounges in 120 countries for free.

Fine Hotels & Resorts: Extra benefits when you book certain accommodations, like free room upgrades, free daily breakfast for two people, free Wi-Fi, and unique amenities depending on the location.

Initial Bonus: 75,000 points for spending $5,000 within 6 months. Points do not expire as long as the account remains open.

Reward Points for Travel Purchases: Earn 5 points for every $1 spent on flights or hotels booked through AmexTravel.com.

Despite all of the American Express Platinum travel benefits, the $550 annual fee might still be too much for you. There are some other good options, fortunately. One is Chase Sapphire Preferred. You'll earn 60,000 points when you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months, and the annual fee is just $95.

To add an Amex Platinum authorized user, log in to your online account and click “Add an Additional Cardmember” (under the “Amex & Offers & Benefits” menu). Enter the authorized user's full name, birthdate and Social Security number (SSN). The birthdate and SSN are optional at first, but Amex must receive this information within 60 days or they will cancel the user's card. You can also add an authorized user to Amex Platinum by calling 1 (800) 528-4800. Once added, the authorized user will receive their card in the mail in about 7-10 business days.

The Amex Platinum authorized user annual fee is $175. That's on top of the card's $550 annual fee for the primary cardholder. The $175 fee covers up to three authorized users, so you can add two more authorized users and not pay extra. For the fourth and subsequent authorized users, the fee is $175 per card. You can also add up to 99 “Gold card” users for no annual fee. This Gold card is not the same as the Amex Gold card. It offers the same earning rates as Amex Platinum, but has fewer perks.

As the primary cardholder, you can set an Amex Platinum authorized user's spending limit as low as $200. Each authorized user must be over the age of 13. Once the user turns 18, Amex will report their account activity to the major credit bureaus every month. Any late or missed payments or other negative activity will affect the authorized user's credit along with your own. You or the authorized user may contact customer service at any time to remove the user from the Platinum account.

The best Amex Business Platinum benefits are 85,000 points for spending $15,000 in the first 3 months, 5 points per $1 spent on flights and hotels, and access to 1,200 airport lounges worldwide. Other benefits include trip cancellation and interruption insurance, rental car insurance, and baggage insurance. And there's a perk that gives 35% of redeemed points back with a selected airline (or any airline for first class and business class flights).

Some Amex Business Platinum benefits aren't exactly for everyone. Presumably, not every Amex Business Platinum cardholder will take advantage of the 20% discount on flights with the Delta Private Jet program. But all worldwide travelers will enjoy the lack of foreign transaction fees and the complimentary Priority Pass Select membership, which gets you and up to two guests into Priority Pass lounges for free.

The benefits list for Amex Platinum is long, but the card is only worth its $595 annual fee if you use these benefits often. Some of the top American Express Business Platinum benefits include:

Airline fee credit: $200 per year in statement credits for airline charges like baggage fees and in-flight refreshments. Applies to one airline selected by cardholder.

TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit: Statement credit for the cost of applying for TSA Pre-check ($85) OR Global Entry ($100) every 4-4.5 years.

Hotel perks: Staying at one of the 900+ Amex partner hotels provides perks like late checkout, hotel credits and complimentary room upgrades.

Airport lounge access: Access to over 1,200 airport lounges around the world with the American Express Global Lounge collection.

35% redemption bonus: 35% of redeemed points back when used at one selected airline. 35% back on all first class/business class flights regardless of airline.

Trip cancellation and interruption insurance: Up to $10,000 in compensation per covered trip ($20,000 per year) for cancellation or interruption of you or a family member's travel plans due to accidental injury or illness, bad weather, hijacking, jury duty, or damage to your primary residence.

Rental car insurance: Covers theft and collision damage for the first 30 days of a rental. Coverage is up to $75,000. Must charge the rental to Amex Business Platinum and decline the rental company's insurance.

Baggage insurance: Up to $3,000 per person per trip if baggage gets lost, stolen, or damaged while traveling. Coverage applies to cardholder, spouse and dependent children under 23. The whole reservation must be charged.

Those aren't the only Amex Business Platinum benefits. But they are the most broadly useful. Most of the other perks are special experiences without a clear dollar value. For example, there's preferred seating at concerts. Or, there are services that very few people need, like private jet bookings.

To use an American Express companion ticket, book a flight with a Delta SkyMiles Platinum or Reserve Amex card through Delta's redemption portal. You can access the redemption portal by logging into your SkyMiles account or entering the 8-digit code included in your American Express companion ticket notification e-mail. Once entered, you can begin searching for flights scheduled for before the expiration date on your companion ticket.

An American Express companion ticket, as offered through Delta SkyMiles, is essentially a 2-for-1 certificate for a round-trip domestic flight within the continental U.S. on a Delta-operated flight. The companion ticket allows you to bring a guest traveler when you purchase the first ticket at the regular fare.

You'll receive one complimentary pass after you've had an eligible SkyMiles credit card for at least 12 months. You'll then earn another companion ticket every year, as long as you pay the card's annual fee.

Bear in mind, though, that the companion ticket isn't entirely free. You will have to pay up to $75 in taxes and surcharges when you redeem your companion ticket.