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About AMEX Credit Cards
AMEX can arguably be said to have the most diverse product lineup among all credit card issuers, with everything from no annual fee cards to cards with a $895 annual fee, and even Black Cards with annual fees in the thousands that are available only by invitation. Its cards also cover travel, daily life, business, dining, and more. Even statement credits come in many forms and apply to a wide range of merchants. On the co-branded side, AMEX also has many partners: Delta, Hilton, and Marriott each have more than one co-branded card, giving different types of users plenty of choices. Overall, AMEX is still very solid when it comes to service quality, and its perks are generally quite generous. If you can make good use of those benefits, the returns can be very high.
This article introduces which AMEX cards are worth applying for. One quick reminder: some cards may not have elevated welcome offers right now, so you may want to wait for a better bonus before applying.
AMEX Own Cards
A defining feature of AMEX is that many cards come in both a no annual fee version and an annual fee version. No annual fee cards usually have lower cashback rates, while annual fee cards usually have higher cashback rates and include benefits such as statement credits.
No Annual Fee
Holding one AMEX card is enough to enjoy AMEX benefits such as AMEX Offers, a free credit score, purchase protection, and more, so we generally recommend having at least one. However, AMEX’s own no annual fee cards Everyday and Cash Magnent are now discontinued, leaving only one no annual fee proprietary card.
- A solid supermarket and online shopping card. For a no annual fee card, it offers excellent value. It also often comes with a pretty good welcome bonus, making it well worth considering for beginners or for people who want to avoid annual fees.
AMEX Blue Cash Everyday Credit Card
3% cash back at supermarkets; no annual fee! Now includes up to $260 in annual credits!
- Welcome bonus: Up to $200 cash back (spend $2,000 in the first 6 months)
- Rewards: 3% cash back at supermarkets, online shopping, and gas stations (on up to $6,000 in purchases per year in each category), 1% on all other purchases
- Redemption: Can be redeemed directly for cash back; discounted gift card redemptions are sometimes available
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
Annual Fee Cards
AMEX’s own annual fee cards come in many flavors. Some stand out for their strong cashback rates, while others are especially compelling because of their statement credits and perks. In short, AMEX helped pioneer the credit card "coupon book" model.
- This card offers a significant boost to supermarket cashback and also adds streaming cashback. It still earns cashback, so you can compare it with the no annual fee version and decide whether the annual fee version is worth getting.
AMEX Blue Cash Preferred Credit Card
6% cash back at supermarkets and on streaming services! Added $84 annual credit!
- Welcome bonus: $300 after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Rewards: 6% at supermarkets (up to $6,000); 6% on streaming services; 3% on transit and gas; 1% on everything else
- Redemption: Can be redeemed for cash back directly; discounted gift card redemptions occasionally available
- Annual fee: $95（First year waived）
- Apply now>>
- This card earns very strong points rewards on supermarkets and dining, and it also has Uber credits that can help offset the annual fee
High rewards on groceries and dining, plus $300+ in annual statement credits
- Welcome bonus: Up to 100,000 Membership Rewards (spend $4,000 in 6 months)
- Rewards: Dining, supermarkets 4x; airfare, amextravel.com 3x; all other purchases 1x
- Redemption: Can be redeemed for gift cards, cash, and travel; best value comes from airline mile transfers
- Annual fee: $325
- Apply now>>
- This card is basically one of AMEX’s star products. It comes with a huge number of benefits and statement credits. If you can use them all, it’s a fantastic card; if not, it may just be a card you get for the welcome bonus and then move on from
Up to $2,600 in annual statement credits; plus a wide range of premium perks!
- Welcome bonus: Up to 175,000 Membership Rewards (spend $12,000 in 6 months)
- Rewards: 5x on airfare and select hotel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
- Redemption: Transfer 1:1 to many airline miles and hotel points programs
- Annual fee: $895（Changes for existing cardholders in 2026）
- Apply now>>
Airline Co-Branded Cards
AMEX mainly has a long-term, stable partnership with Delta, and it has launched three tiers of co-branded credit cards for that partnership. The following two are the most suitable for general applicants. Both offer strong value and can be worth keeping long term. If you do not want to keep an annual fee card, you can downgrade to the no annual fee Delta Blue, or simply close the card
First two checked bags free; Delta flight perks, plus $100 hotel reimbursement each year
- Welcome bonus: Up to 80,000 miles (spend $2,000 in six months)
- Rewards: Delta purchases, supermarkets, restaurants 2x; everything else 1x
- Redemption: Redeem for Delta flights and SkyTeam partner award tickets; 15% off redemptions
- Annual fee: $150（Annual fee waived for the first year）
- Apply now>>
First two checked bags free; $390 in annual reimbursement + a companion ticket, solid Delta perks
- Welcome bonus: 80,000 miles (spend $4,000 in 6 months) + 20,000 miles (spend another $2,000 in 6 months)
- Rewards: Delta purchases, hotel purchases 3x, restaurants and supermarkets 2x, everything else 1x
- Redemption: Can be redeemed for Delta flights and SkyTeam partner flight tickets; redemptions get 15% off
- Annual fee: $350（Some legacy cardholders: $250）
- Apply now>>
Hotel Co-Branded Cards
AMEX’s hotel partners are Marriott and Hilton, and Hilton is now an exclusive partner. Several of these cards—especially Aspire—are very much worth applying for and holding long term. If you can fully use the statement credits, this card can more than pay for itself while also giving you Hilton’s top-tier elite status.
AMEX Hilton Honors Credit Card
No annual fee
- Welcome bonus: 80,000 Hilton points (spend $2,000 within six months)
- Rewards: 7x on Hilton hotel purchases, 5x at supermarkets, restaurants, and gas stations, 3x on all other purchases
- Redemption: Redeemable at Hilton properties worldwide
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
AMEX Hilton Surpass Credit Card
Complimentary Hilton Gold status + $200 hotel statement credits!
- Welcome bonus: 130,000 Hilton points ($3,000 spend in six months)
- Rewards: 12x at Hilton hotels, 6x at supermarkets, restaurants, and gas stations, 3x on all other purchases
- Redemption: Redeemable at Hilton properties worldwide
- Annual fee: $150
- Apply now>>
AMEX Hilton Aspire Credit Card
Complimentary top-tier Hilton Diamond status! Up to $600 in annual airline and hotel credits, plus a free night reward every year!
- Welcome bonus: 150,000 Hilton points (spend $6,000 in six months)
- Rewards: 14x on Hilton hotel purchases, 7x on flights, dining, and car rentals, and 3x on all other purchases
- Redemption: Redeemable at Hilton properties worldwide
- Annual fee: $550
- Apply now>>
- This Marriott co-branded card is also very worth applying for. It gives you Marriott Platinum status directly and an 85,000-point free night certificate each year. If you can stay a few nights every year, it is well worth keeping long term
AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Credit Card
Complimentary Marriott Platinum Elite status; annual 85k free night certificate and up to $300 in dining statement credits each year
- Welcome bonus: 150,000 Marriott points + $250 (six months spending $6,000)
- Rewards: 6x at SPG/Marriott/Ritz-Carlton hotels, 3x on airfare and dining, 2x on everything else
- Redemption: Redeemable at SPG/Marriott/Ritz-Carlton properties, or transfer to airline miles at up to a 3:1.25 ratio
- Annual fee: $650
- Apply now>>
Business Credit Cards
AMEX Own Cards
AMEX’s own business credit cards are also very good. Their welcome bonuses are especially strong, and their rewards and benefits are also very well designed. Here are a few that I think are a good fit for most people.
Automatically earn 4x points, plus up to $240 in annual shipping statement credits
- Welcome bonus: Up to 200,000 Membership Rewards (spend $15,000 in 3 months)
- Rewards: Earn 4x on your top two spending categories, including: transit, wireless phone services, electronic goods, advertising, gas stations, and computer hardware/software/cloud solutions (on the first $15k in purchases, then 1x thereafter)
- Redemption: Redeem for gift cards, cash, and travel; transfers to airline miles offer the best value
- Annual fee: $375
- Apply now>>
Over $1,300 in annual statement credits; comes with a large set of premium benefits!
- Welcome bonus: Up to 300,000 Membership Rewards (spend $20,000 in 3 months)
- Rewards: 5x on flights and select hotel purchases; 1.5x on purchases of $5,000 or more; 1x on everything else
- Redemption: Transfer 1:1 to many airline miles and hotel points programs; get 35% points back when redeeming for eligible flights
- Annual fee: $895（Changes for existing cardholders in 2026）
- Apply now>>
AMEX Graphite Business Business Credit Card
Huge welcome bonus, plus an easy 2% cash back on everyday spending!
- Welcome bonus: $1,500 (spend $50,000 in six months)
- Rewards: 5% on flights and hotels booked through AMEX Travel; 2% on everything else
- Redemption: Redeem directly for cash
- Annual fee: $295
- Apply now>>
Co-Branded Cards
Among co-branded cards, Delta and Hilton are the ones most worth applying for, serving as a complement to points earning.
AMEX Gold Delta Business Credit Card
First two checked bags free; Delta flight perks, $150 hotel reimbursement each year
- Welcome bonus: 60,000 Delta miles (spend $4,000 in the first 6 months)
- Rewards: Delta purchases, supermarkets, restaurants, shipping, advertising 2x; other purchases 1x
- Redemption: Can be redeemed for Delta flights and SkyTeam partner flights; redemptions get 15% off
- Annual fee: $150（No annual fee for the first year）
- Apply now>>
AMEX Platinum Delta Business Card
First two checked bags free; $440 in annual statement credits + one companion ticket, a card with generous Delta business benefits
- Welcome bonus: 70,000 Delta miles (spend $6,000 in first 6 months)
- Rewards: 3x on Delta purchases and hotel purchases; 2x on restaurants and supermarkets; 1.5x on transportation, shipping, and large single purchases; 1x on everything else
- Redemption: Can be redeemed for Delta flights and SkyTeam partner airline tickets
- Annual fee: $350（$250 for some existing cardmembers）
- Apply now>>
AMEX Hilton Business Credit Card
Complimentary Hilton Gold status + up to $240 in hotel credits each year + premium car rental status
- Welcome bonus: 130,000 Hilton points (spend $6,000 in six months)
- Rewards: 12x on Hilton hotel purchases; 5x on other purchases (on the first $100k in purchases, then 3x)
- Redemption: Redeemable at Hilton properties worldwide
- Annual fee: $195
- Apply now>>
Applying
AMEX is relatively easy to apply for, and its welcome bonus policy is generally once per card per lifetime, meaning each card’s bonus can be earned separately, but only once in your lifetime for that specific card. That said, AMEX’s recent pop-up warning may automatically deny people who are applying specifically for the welcome bonus, so that is something to watch out for. AMEX also limits the total number of its own credit cards you can hold, so if you cannot open another one, you may want to consider closing one first.