American Express Credit Cards

There are several types of American Express cards for consumers and small business owners, including traditional rewards credit cards and charge cards that require payment in full each month. Among those two main types of Amex cards, there are offers with cash back rewards, rewards points, no annual fees, no foreign transaction fees and/or 0% introductory APRs. Some American Express cards are co-branded with airlines and hotel chains too.

The most common types of American Express cards are travel cards that do not charge foreign transaction fees. The American Express Platinum Card and the Hilton Honors American Express Card are two notable examples. Top representatives for some other Amex card types include Blue Cash Preferred (cash back), Amex EveryDay (0% intro APR) and Cash Magnet (no annual fee).

Although American Express cards fit into a wide range of categories, there’s nothing available for people with limited or bad credit. You’ll need good or excellent credit to have a good chance of getting approved for an American Express card, regardless of type.

The most common American Express benefits are special cash back rebates with popular retailers through Amex Offers and exclusive access to entertainment events. Many Amex cards also offer benefits like travel insurance, rental car insurance, extended warranties, purchase protection, return protection and more. Certain cards might have less traditional perks, too, like airport lounge access or account credits for certain types of purchases.

Other benefits of having an American Express card include 24/7 customer service, a hotline for assistance when you’re traveling abroad, and free expedited shipping on replacement cards. Plus, Amex gives you the chance to get your card number instantly after approval so you can start using it online before the card comes in the mail.

9 Best American Express Benefits:

Amex Offers

Cash back rebates for spending a certain amount of money at select merchants that rotate. Available on all Amex credit cards.

American Express Experiences

Access to special ticket presales and cardmember-only entertainment events. Available on all Amex credit cards.

Baggage insurance

Covers luggage lost or damaged on a common carrier (plane, train, boat, etc.) when the fare is paid for with an eligible American Express card. Available on over 30 Amex cards.

Trip delay insurance

Reimburses essential purchases you need to make (e.g. clothes, toiletries, food, lodging) when a trip you paid for with an eligible Amex card is delayed for at least 6 - 12 hours, depending on the card. Available on around 20 cards.

Trip cancellation/interruption insurance

Typically covers $10,000 per trip and $20,000 per year for trips cancelled or cut short by unforeseen circumstances. The trip must be paid for with an eligible Amex card (more than 10 cards are eligible).

Rental car insurance

Provides $50,000 to $75,000 per rental in coverage for vehicles rented with an eligible Amex card, when you decline the rental agency’s insurance. Available on over 60 cards.

Purchase protection

Reimburses the cardholder for items that were purchased with an eligible Amex card and damaged or stolen within 90 days. Available on over 60 cards.

Return protection

Pays for items bought with an eligible Amex card when the merchant refuses a return within 90 days of the purchase date. Available on over 15 cards.

Extended warranty

Adds up to a year to the existing manufacturer’s warranty on items purchased with an eligible Amex card. Available on over 45 cards.

While there are a lot of American Express benefits, they vary from card to card, so it’s important to read your card’s benefits guide for the full details. Finally, it’s also important to touch on the cool factor that Amex cards can have. Many people see American Express cards as prestigious, which makes sense considering the fact that they tend to offer high rewards rates and require good or excellent credit. In addition, several Amex credit cards are metal rather than plastic, which may impress others when you make a purchase.

You can submit an American Express credit card application online or by phone, at 1-800-223-2670. To apply for an American Express credit card online, click the “Apply Now” button next to the card you want to apply for, then enter the requested personal and financial information, review the card’s terms, and submit the application.

To submit an American Express credit card application by phone:

1. Call American Express at 1-800-223-2670.
2. Say “Apply” when prompted.
3. Answer whether the card will be for “Business” or “Personal” use.
4. Connect with an American Express representative who will help you fill out your application.
5. Provide personal information. This includes your name, email address, date of birth, mobile phone number, home address and Social Security number.
6. Provide financial information. This includes your total annual income, your non-taxable annual income (if applicable) and the sources of your income.
7. Submit your American Express credit card application.

Once you send in your American Express credit card application, you will likely get an instant decision, though it could take a few days or even a few weeks to hear back in some cases. If your application is approved, you should receive your card in the mail within 7 to 10 business days. And if you don’t hear back right away, you can check your application status online anytime.

It's harder to get an American Express card than it is to get a credit card from many other major issuers simply because all of Amex's credit card offers require good or excellent credit for approval. But American Express isn't the only credit card company to target people in the highest tiers of the credit score scale. Barclaycard and Chase do too, for example. And if you're fortunate enough to have good credit or better, an American Express credit card will be no harder to get than any other credit card.

The easiest American Express cards to get are those that require a minimum of good credit for approval, as opposed to excellent credit only. You may also want to target cards that are co-branded with companies such as Delta and Hilton as well as offers with lower annual fees. Co-branded cards often have relatively high approval rates to accommodate more fans of the brand (e.g. Hilton) in question. And some of Amex's premium cards for big-spenders, which can be relatively difficult to get, have high fees.

Easiest American Express Cards to Get:

• Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
• The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express
• Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card
• Hilton Honors American Express Card

Of course, American Express also evaluates each applicant's income and debt obligations to make sure they can afford monthly bill payments on a new line of credit. But there isn't much information available about Amex's standards in those regards, and you shouldn't expect them to differ too much from other credit card companies' policies.

You can check your latest credit score for free on WalletHub and then track your progress with free daily updates.

American Express isn’t a Visa or a Mastercard. It’s a separate company. American Express, Visa and Mastercard are three of the four major card networks, the other being Discover. A credit card never has two networks, so you’ll never see an American Express Visa card or an American Express Mastercard. Furthermore, lots of the credit cards on the Amex network are actually issued by American Express itself. The rest come from the likes of Bank of America, USAA, Citibank and BBVA Compass. Visa and Mastercard, on the other hand, don’t issue any of the cards on their networks or any of the others.

For a bit of background, card networks control where cards can be used and help process transactions. They also determine the fees merchants must pay when a consumer uses a card with their logo on it. And they provide cardholders with additional benefits like travel insurance and purchase protection. American Express is quite different from Visa and Mastercard, though.

American Express vs Visa and Mastercard:

• American Express issues credit cards (as does Discover). Visa and Mastercard do not. So Amex actually has a lot more control over the cards on its network, at least in terms of interest rates, fees and rewards.
• Visa and Mastercard are accepted at more than 11 million U.S. merchant locations. American Express added 1.6 million U.S. merchant locations in 2018, for a total of more than 10 million.
• Amex cards work in about 160 countries and territories. Visa and Mastercard are both accepted in over 200.
• Some credit card issuers have American Express, Visa and Mastercard offers. Those issuers include Bank of America, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo.
• Chase, Barclays and Capital One issue Visa and Mastercard credit cards but not Amex cards.
• PNC and TD Bank only offer Visa cards, and you may find banks that are exclusive to Mastercard, too.
• American Express is the only card network that offers charge cards – credit cards that require you to pay the balance in full every month.
• American Express’s fraud liability policy is excellent, while Mastercard and Visa provide good coverage, according to WalletHub’s research.

So American Express doesn’t have the acceptance and reach of Mastercard or Visa. But it’s the go-to network for charge cards. And there are credit card offers on each network that could serve you well.

Best American Express, Visa & Mastercard Credit Cards:

To learn more, check out WalletHub’s guide on credit card companies and card networks as well as our editors’ picks for the best credit cards on the market.

The American Express credit score requirements are 700 or higher for all Amex credit cards, as of October 2020. That means American Express applicants need either good or excellent credit to get approved for a card. As a result, Amex cards are a bit difficult for the average person to get, but are attainable for people who build a history of responsible credit use.

If you’d like to get a better idea of whether you meet the American Express card credit score requirement, you can use Amex’s online pre-qualification tool. It will show you which Amex cards you’re likely to be approved for. Pre-qualification has no impact on your credit.

Keep in mind that unlike some issuers, Amex doesn’t really cater at all to bad or fair credit. In the past, people with bad credit could get approved for a secured card on the American Express network, but not anymore.

Also, while your credit score is one of the biggest factors that determines whether you get approved or denied for an American Express card, there are plenty of other things Amex considers, too. Amex will look at your existing debts, income, recent credit inquiries, open accounts and more when evaluating your application.

The USAA Secured American Express Card is the easiest American Express card to get. It’s issued by USAA, but it’s on the Amex card network, which means you can use it anywhere Amex is accepted. It’s also available to people with bad credit, unlike anything Amex offers. None of the credit cards issued by American Express is especially easy to get because they all require a minimum of good credit. That means a score between 660 and 720, although a score of 700+ will give you the best chance. 

The USAA Secured Card is available to people with bad credit, but it has an important restriction: You or a member of your family must have served in the U.S. military. I’ll fill you in on a few more important details below.

Here’s what you should know about the easiest American Express card to get:

• Name:USAA Secured American Express Card
• Issuer: USAA
• Card Network: American Express
• Approval Requirements: You can get this card with bad credit, but you need be affiliated with the U.S. armed services or have a family member who is. USAA will also consider your income, expenses and debt.
• Annual Fee: $35
• Deposit: $250 to $5,000. Held in a CD that earns you interest. Serves as your credit limit. 
• Rewards: None
• APR: 11.15% to 21.15%, based on credit worthiness. You’ll have the same APR for purchases, cash advances and balance transfers.

The easiest American Express credit card to get is the USAA Secured Card, so long as you’re eligible for USAA products. Ifyou’re not, you might want to focus on one of the Amex cards that require good credit, like the Amex EveryDay Credit Card. And if you don’t get have good credit right now, consider a card from an issuer like Capital One, which has offers for people of all credit levels.

You can make an American Express credit card payment online, over the phone, by mail, or via the American Express app. To pay your Amex bill online or with the app, just login to your Amex account, click “Make a Payment,” and add your bank account and routing number to make the payment.

Once you pay online, the payment will post to your account within 24-36 hours. If you made a payment, but it hasn’t posted to your account after 36 hours, you can check the status of the payment by logging into your account online. Go to the “Payments” section in the navigation bar, and scroll down to “Payment History.” Here, you’ll be able to see a list of your recent payments and whether they are pending or posted.

Making an Amex credit card payment over the phone is also an option. Call American Express at 800-472-9297, enter your Amex credit card number, and follow the prompts to complete a payment.

If you still prefer to mail a payment, you can send a payment by check or money order made payable to American Express. Just make sure to include your account number on the front of your check or money order. Send payment to: American Express / P.O. Box 650448 / Dallas, TX 75265-0448. For overnight payment processing, send to American Express / Attn: Express Mail Remittance Processing / 20500 Belshaw Ave. / Carson, CA 90746.

American Express credit card customer service is available 24/7 by phone at 1-800-528-4800. Cardholders can also contact Amex customer service online by logging in to their American Express account and clicking the blue “Chat” box in the bottom right corner. This will open Amex’s chat function, which will allow card members to speak with an American Express representative.

Most Amex cards also have unique customer service phone numbers listed on the back of the card. In general, calling one of the American Express customer service numbers is the quickest and easiest way to ask questions about your Amex credit card.

American Express is not accepted everywhere because American Express charges merchants higher fees than Visa, Mastercard.

This makes retailers like Costco, independently owned boutiques, and many family stores shy away from accepting your American Express card.