American Express Credit Cards Review

• Tweet

• Tweet

Founded all the way back in 1850 (even before Dough Roller was born!), American Express has spent the better part of 160 years providing financial services to consumers and businesses.  Strangely, AMEX started out as an express mail service and did not make its way into the financial industry until 1882 by opening up a money order business.

Today, American Express is best known for its line of charge cards and credit cards to both consumers and small businesses.  Year in and year out, American Express is voted as the favorite issuer of consumers (by a landslide no less), and even though most of its cards charge an annual fee, the card rewards more than make up for the cost.

Below you will find an up-to-date list of AMEX’s most popular credit cards as well as some of their diamond in the rough products.  I consider these to be the best of what they offer, but if you think otherwise, please let me know.

American Express Consumer Cards

American Express® Premier Rewards Gold Card
	Earn More: earn 25K Membership Rewards® points after you spend $2K during your first three months of Card membership; earn 15K points after you spend $30,000 within one calendar year Earn Fast: 3X points for flights booked with airlines, 2X points at US gas stations and US supermarkets, 1X points on other purchases. Terms and limitations apply. Use points for gift cards for dining, entertainment, and to shop over 300 of some of your favorite brands Access to Benefits: Baggage Insurance Plan* when you travel, and shop with confidence with Extended Warranty* and Return Protection.*Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company Book two consecutive hotel nights through American Express Travel and receive $75 back at checkout. Restrictions may apply $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $175 Terms and Restrictions Apply
Intro APR Intro APR Period Regular APR Annual Fee Balance Transfer Credit Needed N/A N/A N/A Introductory annual fee of $0 for the first year, then $175 N/A Excellent Credit

American Express® Gold Card
	Access to Exclusive Benefits: Baggage Insurance Plan* when you travel, and shop with confidence with Extended Warranty* and Return Protection Use points for gift cards for dining, entertainment, and to shop over 300 of some of your favorite merchants Get discounts and low rates at hotels and resorts, plus a $75 hotel credit when you book through Gold Hotel Collection $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $125 Terms and Restrictions Apply
Intro APR Intro APR Period Regular APR Annual Fee Balance Transfer Credit Needed N/A N/A N/A Introductory annual fee of $0 for the first year, then $125 N/A Excellent Credit

Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
	Earn 100 Reward Dollars after you make $1,000 in purchases in the first three months of Cardmembership. Earn Cash Back: 3% at US supermarkets, up to $6,000 per year in purchases, 2% at US gas stations & select US dept stores, 1% on other purchases. Terms and limitations apply. Simple and Straightforward: With the Blue Cash Everyday Card, you can start earning cash back. No rotating reward categories. No enrollment required. Simple and Straightforward: With the Blue Cash Everyday Card, you can start earning cash back. No rotating reward categories. No enrollment required. No annual fee, 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months. After that, your APR will be a variable rate, currently 12.99%-21.99% with flexibility to pay over time. Terms and Restrictions Apply.
Intro APR Intro APR Period Regular APR Annual Fee Balance Transfer Credit Needed 0% 12 months 12.99%-21.99% (Variable) $0 Yes Excellent Credit

The Platinum Card® from American Express
	Earn 25K Membership Rewards® points after you spend $2,000 during your first three months of Card membership Premium travel benefits: access over 600 lounges worldwide when you enroll in Priority PassTM Select, no foreign transaction fees, bypass airport arrival lines with Global Entry Receive up to $200 annually in a statement credit with the airline of your choice to use towards baggage fees, flight-change fees, in-flight food and beverage purchases and more 24/7 Platinum Card® Concierge service for assistance with reservations, travel, gifts, and more Entertainment benefits: get Advance Tickets before the public and access once in a lifetime events with By Invitation Only® Terms and restrictions apply
Intro APR Intro APR Period Regular APR Annual Fee Balance Transfer Credit Needed N/A N/A N/A $450 N/A Excellent Credit

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
	Earn 150 Reward Dollars after you make $1,000 in purchases in the first three months of Cardmembership. Earn Cash Back: 6% US supermarkets up to $6,000 per year in purchases, 3% US gas stations & select US dept stores, 1% other purchases. Terms and limitations apply. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit. Simple and Straightforward: With the Blue Cash Preferred Card, you can start earning cash back. No rotating reward categories. No enrollment required. Terms and Restrictions Apply.
Intro APR Intro APR Period Regular APR Annual Fee Balance Transfer Credit Needed 0% 12 months 12.99%-21.99% (Variable) $75 Yes Excellent Credit

Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express
	Bonus Miles: earn 30,000 bonus miles toward Award Travel after you spend $500 on the Card within the first three months of Cardmembership. Earn As You Spend: Get 2X miles on Delta purchases and 1X miles for all other eligible dollars spent. Check your first bag free on every Delta flight - that's a savings of up to $200 per round trip for a family of four Premium Travel Perks: Settle in sooner with Priority Boarding, and enjoy the skies with 20% in-flight savings to use toward meals, beverages, and movies awarded as a statement credit. $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95. Terms and Restrictions Apply.
Intro APR Intro APR Period Regular APR Annual Fee Balance Transfer Credit Needed None None 15.24%-19.24% (Variable) $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 No Excellent Credit

Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express
	Starpoints® bonus: earn up to 25,000 bonus points: 10,000 after your first purchase and another 15,000 after you spend $5,000 within the first 6 months of Cardmembership That's enough for a weekend getaway to a Category 4 Hotel like the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa Free Hotel Nights: redeem Starpoints at over 1,100 hotels in nearly 100 countries worldwide - with no blackout dates Free Flights: redeem Starpoints on over 350 airlines with SPG Flights - with no blackout dates Get 5,000 bonus Starpoints after you transfer 20,000 Starpoints to a frequent flyer program with more than 30 airlines No limits on the number of Starpoints you can earn $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $65 Terms and Restrictions Apply.
Intro APR Intro APR Period Regular APR Annual Fee Balance Transfer Credit Needed None None 15.24%-19.24% (Variable) $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $65 Yes Excellent Credit

TrueEarnings® Card from Costco and American Express
	3% Cash back at US gas stations and on gasoline at Costco up to $4,000 per year in purchases, then 1% 2% cash back at U.S. restaurants; 2% cash back on eligible travel purchases, including at Costco; 1% cash back on other purchases, including at Costco Terms and limitations apply; You will receive your cash back annually in the form of a reward coupon The Two-In-One Card: it's an American Express® Card and Costco membership card, with no annual fee for Costco members Cardmembership offers access to benefits such as Global Assist and Purchase Protection* *Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company Terms and restrictions apply.
Intro APR Intro APR Period Regular APR Annual Fee Balance Transfer Credit Needed 0% 6 months 15.24% (Variable) No Annual Fee with your paid Costco Membership Yes Excellent Credit

American Express  Business Cards

SimplyCash® Business Card from American Express
	With no annual membership fee, it's a smart choice for your business Automatic cash back - cash back is earned on eligible purchases and automatically credited to your statement 5% at U.S. office supply stores & on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers 3% at U.S. gas stations 1% on other purchases Up to $12,000 in purchases in each 5% and 3% category per rebate year, then 1%. Terms and limitations apply
Intro APR Intro APR Period Regular APR Annual Fee Balance Transfer Credit Needed 0% 6-12 months 12.24%-19.24% (Variable) $0 N/A Excellent Credit

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express OPEN
	Limited Time Offer: Get 25,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $5,000 in the first three months of Card membership Enroll and select a qualifying airline to receive up to $200 annually in statement credits for incidental fees, such as checked bags and in-flight refreshments, charged by the airline 20% Travel Bonus when using Membership Rewards® Pay with Points Take advantage of 40 premium benefits to help power your business Complimentary access to 600+ participating airport lounges through Priority Pass™ Select Business Platinum Concierge is like your own assistant, ready to help you with just about anything personal or professional, 24 hours a day Purchasing power that can adjust as your business evolves Terms & Restrictions Apply*
Intro APR Intro APR Period Regular APR Annual Fee Balance Transfer Credit Needed N/A N/A N/A $450 N/A Excellent Credit

The Plum Card® from American Express OPEN
	Flexible Payment Options: Get a 1.5% discount for paying early or up to 60 days to pay without interest, or both each month. Do Business On Your Terms $0 introductory annual fee for your first year, then $250. No annual fee for Additional Cards Terms & Restrictions Apply
Intro APR Intro APR Period Regular APR Annual Fee Balance Transfer Credit Needed N/A N/A N/A $0 1st year, then $250 N/A Excellent Credit

The Business Gold Rewards Card® from American Express OPEN
	Earn 50,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $5,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 3 months of Card membership†. Earn points even faster to get more rewards for your business. 3X points on airfare purchased from airlines. 2X points at US gas stations. Up to $100,000 in each category per year, then 1 point. Terms and limitations apply. Reduce travel costs, show appreciation for employees and clients, and offset everyday expenses by using points to get something back and grow your business. $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $175. †Apply online to qualify for this offer. See offer terms for details.
Intro APR Intro APR Period Regular APR Annual Fee Balance Transfer Credit Needed N/A N/A N/A $0 1st year, then $175 N/A Excellent Credit

Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express
	Earn up to 25,000 Starpoints®: Receive 10K after your first purchase, and another 15K when you spend $5,000 in 6 months-enough for up to 6 free nights at a Category 1 or 2 hotel Get 1 Starpoint® for every dollar of eligible purchases. Redeem Starpoints at over 1,000 hotels and resorts in nearly 100 countries, and for flights on more than 350 airlines through SPG Flights. No blackout dates. $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $65 Terms & restrictions apply.
Intro APR Intro APR Period Regular APR Annual Fee Balance Transfer Credit Needed N/A N/A 15.24%-19.24% (Variable) $0 1st year, then $65 N/A Excellent Credit

Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by American Express. Opinions expressed here are authors alone, not those of American Express, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. This site may be compensated through American Express Affiliate Program.

• Bio
• Google+
• LinkedIn
• Latest Posts

Rob Berger

Rob founded the Dough Roller in 2007. A litigation attorney in the securities industry, he lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, their two teenagers, and the family mascot, a shih tzu named Sophie.

+Rob Berger

Latest posts by Rob Berger (see all)

• Sunday Morning Roundup: Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder Meeting - May 12, 2013
• KAIKU Visa Prepaid Card Review - May 11, 2013
• Why Tesla Stock Should Not Electrify You - May 9, 2013