Contents [Hide]
About AMEX Credit Cards
AMEX arguably has the most diverse lineup of products among all credit card issuers. It offers everything from no annual fee cards to cards with a $695 annual fee, and even invite-only Black Cards with annual fees in the thousands. Its cards also cover a wide range of needs, including travel, everyday spending, business, dining, and more. Even its statement credits come in many forms and apply across a variety 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 fully use those benefits, the value can be very high.
In this article, we’ll introduce which AMEX cards are worth applying for. One quick reminder: some cards may not have elevated welcome offers right now, so it may make sense to wait for a better bonus before applying.
AMEX Core Cards
One characteristic of AMEX is that many of its cards come in both a no annual fee version and an annual fee version. The no annual fee cards usually have lower cashback rates, while the annual fee versions usually offer higher rewards rates plus benefits such as statement credits.
No Annual Fee
AMEX has several no annual fee cards, and holding just one is enough to access AMEX benefits such as AMEX Offers, a free credit score, purchase protection, and more. So in general, we recommend having at least one. Below are a few that I think are worth keeping long term.
- 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 prefer 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>>
- Although this card’s supermarket cashback rate is not especially high, simply holding it keeps your AMEX Membership Rewards points from expiring, and those points can also be transferred to airline and hotel partners.
2.4x points at supermarkets; no annual fee!
- Welcome bonus: 10,000 Membership Rewards (spend $1,000 in 3 months)
- Rewards: Up to 2.4x at supermarkets, up to 1.2x on other purchases (requires 20+ purchases per month)
- Redemption: Redeem for gift cards, cash, and travel; best value when transferred to airline miles
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
- A standalone 1.5% cashback card. If you don’t want to think about which card to use for different spending categories, just get this one.
1.5% cash back on all purchases; no annual fee
- Rewards: 1.5% cash back on all purchases
- Redemption: Redeem for cash
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
Annual Fee Cards
AMEX’s own annual fee cards come in many flavors. Some stand out for their strong rewards rates, while others are especially compelling because of their benefits and statement credits. In short, AMEX was one of the pioneers of the credit card “coupon book” model.
- This card offers a significant boost on supermarket cashback and also adds streaming rewards. It still earns cashback, so you can compare it with the no annual fee version and decide whether the annual fee is worth paying.
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 is a good fit for people who make a lot of transactions. If you are more interested in points, this can be a strong everyday card that covers supermarkets and all other spending.
AMEX EveryDay Preferred Credit Card
A great grocery card: 4.5x at supermarkets, 3x at gas stations, and 1.5x on all other purchases!
- Welcome bonus: 15,000-30,000 Membership Rewards (spend $2,000 in 3 months) [Need to use browser incognito mode to check]
- Rewards: 4.5x at supermarkets, 3x at gas stations, and 1.5x on all other purchases (with 30 or more transactions per month); otherwise 3x, 2x, and 1x
- Redemption: Points can be redeemed for gift cards, cash, or travel; transferring to airline miles offers the best value
- Annual fee: $95
- Apply now>>
- This card earns very strong points rewards on supermarkets and dining, and it also has benefits such as 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 is basically AMEX’s flagship card. It comes with a huge number of benefits and statement credits. If you can use them all, it can feel like an amazing card; if not, it may be the kind of card you keep only long enough to earn the welcome bonus and then move on.
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’s main long-term airline partnership is 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 the 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 attractive. It directly provides Marriott Platinum status and an 85,000-point free night certificate each year. If you can stay a few nights annually, it can be well worth keeping for the 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: 100,000 Marriott points (spend $6,000 in 6 months) + 50,000 (spend another $2,000 in 6 months)
- 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 Core Cards
AMEX’s own business credit cards are also very good. Their welcome bonuses are especially strong, and their rewards structures and benefits are also well designed. Here are a few that I think are a good fit for many 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>>
Co-Branded Cards
Among the co-branded business cards, Delta cards are probably the most worth getting. The Amazon card can also make sense if you spend a lot there, especially since AMEX is relatively generous with approvals and credit limits. The Hilton business card is a bit disappointing because it does not come with a free night certificate, so it is generally not worth getting just for its own sake.
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 Amazon Business Business Credit Card
5% cash back at Amazon and Whole Foods; no annual fee!
- Welcome bonus: $200 Amazon GC (free when you open the card; $125 for non-Prime)
- Rewards: 5% at Amazon, Whole Foods, and AWS; 2% at restaurants, gas stations, and wireless phone services; 1% on everything else
- Redemption: Cash back
- Annual fee: $0
- 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 block people who appear to be applying only 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.