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How to Use AmEx Pay With Points to Book Travel

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Table of Contents

Which cards are eligible for Pay With Points

What travel purchases are eligible for pay with points, how to pay with points, which cards offer a pay with points airline bonus, american express pay with points, recapped.

One of the many ways to redeem Membership Rewards points is to pay for travel through the American Express Travel portal. Whether it's to book flights, hotels, cars, cruises or vacations, you can use the AmEx Pay With Points option. However, the redemption rate varies depending on the type of travel you book and the AmEx card you use to Pay With Points.

Complicating things further, certain cards are eligible for bonus points when cardmembers use Pay With Points on AmEx Travel — making this an even more attractive redemption option for eligible cardmembers. But this valuable points rebate has important limitations and caps.

As you can see, there's a lot to keep in mind. Let's dive into the details of how you can redeem Membership Rewards points for travel through the AmEx Travel Pay With Points option.

» Learn more: AmEx Membership Rewards: How to earn and use them

All American Express cards that earn Membership Rewards points are eligible to use Pay With Points to redeem points through AmEx Travel. Eligible Membership Rewards cards include:

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express — including a 35% Airline Bonus.

American Express® Business Gold Card — including a 25% Airline Bonus.

The Platinum Card® from American Express .

American Express® Gold Card .

American Express® Green Card .

The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express .

Amex EveryDay® Credit Card .

Business Green Rewards Card from American Express .

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express .

Blue from American Express® — at reduced redemption rates.

Terms apply.

American Express cardmembers can use Pay With Points to pay for the following types of travel booked through AmEx Travel:

Prepaid hotels — including Fine Hotels & Resorts on eligible cards.

Prepaid rental cars.

Vacation packages.

How many AmEx points for a flight?

Much like other dynamic pricing model travel rewards programs, the amount of Membership Rewards points needed for a flight will vary based on your flight preferences and card type.

The AmEx Pay With Points value depends on the type of travel you book using Pay With Points. On almost all Membership Rewards cards — excluding the Blue from American Express® card — you'll get 1 cent per point in value per point redeemed for flights and 0.7 cents per point toward other travel redemptions.

The Platinum Card® from American Express and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express cardmembers also get 1 cent per point toward Fine Hotels & Resorts bookings.

» Learn more: The best AmEx cards

1. Login and input travel details

To use your Membership Rewards points to Pay With Points, start by logging into your AmEx account at American Express Travel . Choose the type of travel you want to book. Enter your travel details and then click the search button.

2. See what trips you can afford with your points stash

AmEx Travel will price the results in both US dollars and points. The points rate won't factor in any bonus points you might qualify for — as this benefit is a points rebate, not a discount. \

So, you'll need to have enough points in your account to pay the full price of the trip. Then, if you booked a qualifying flight, you'll get a points rebate 6-10 weeks after booking the flight.

3. Select your payment plan and book

After selecting your travel plans, enter the traveler(s) information, request seats and consider AmEx's additional insurance products .

Finally, AmEx will present four payment options:

Use Only Points.

Use Points + Card.

Use Only Your Card.

Monthly Installments with Plan It®.

If you want to only use points, AmEx will automatically apply the total number of points needed. As noted in the fine print, your AmEx card will be charged for the full price of the flight. Then, you'll receive a statement credit after the Membership Rewards are redeemed from your account. AmEx notes that this statement credit may take up to 48 hours to process.

If you want to use a mix of Points + Cash, enter the number of points you want to apply to the purchase. You'll need to apply at least 5,000 points. But otherwise, there's no other restriction on the number of points you can use. If you want, you can apply an exact number of points so you'll still have enough points for a future points redemption.

The next step is critical if you have The Business Platinum Card® from American Express or American Express® Business Gold Card . To get the Airline Bonus points rebate, you must charge an eligible flight booking to your eligible card. Make sure to select your eligible card from the credit card dropdown and enter the security code to bill the booking to your eligible card.

If your flight qualifies for the Airline Bonus, AmEx should email you within a day or two to share the good news. However, don't check your Membership Rewards account quite yet. AmEx waits 6-10 weeks after the airfare purchase before providing the points rebate.

» Learn more: Which AmEx card is right for you?

Two publicly available American Express small business cards offer a points rebate when you use Pay With Points to pay for flights through American Express Travel:

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express .

American Express® Business Gold Card .

These points rebates — which are referred to as an "Airline Bonus" by AmEx — boost the effective redemption rate you get when redeeming points through Pay With Points.

You'll need to use Pay With Points to book qualifying flights through American Express Travel to get this rebate. To qualify, flights must be either on your "selected qualifying airline" or in first or business class on any other airline.

The "selected qualifying airline" for the Airline Bonus perk will be the same airline you choose for the Airline Fee Credit offered on each of these cards.

That means that if you choose American Airlines as your airline for these benefits, you'd get the Airline Bonus on any American flight booked using Pay With Points through the AmEx Travel portal. However, you'll need to book business or first class to get the rebate on any other airline.

» Learn more: Tips for collecting AmEx Membership Rewards

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express - 35% Airline Bonus

Cardholders of the The Business Platinum Card® from American Express receive a 35% Airline Bonus when using Pay With Points to book qualifying flights through AmEx Travel. Cardholders can get up to 1,000,000 bonus points back per calendar year. A 35% rebate may not sound that significant, but it really boosts the effective redemption rate that you'll get from your points.

Say that you redeem 100,000 points to Pay With Points for a qualifying flight costing $1,000. You'll get 35,000 points back on the redemption. That means you're effectively only redeeming 65,000 points for a flight costing $1,000. That's a redemption rate of 1.54 cents per point.

» Learn more: How much are your airline miles and hotel points worth this year?

Although AmEx sets an annual cap on this benefit, it's pretty high. To maximize this benefit, you'll need to redeem 1,428,571 points for qualifying flights through Pay With Points in a year.

American Express® Business Gold Card - 25% Airline Bonus

American Express® Business Gold Card members get a 25% Airline Bonus when booking qualifying flights using Pay With Points. This benefit is capped at 250,000 bonus points per calendar year.

At a 25% rebate, American Express® Business Gold Card members effectively get a 1.33 cents per point redemption rate on qualifying Pay With Points redemptions. Cardholders will max out this benefit when redeeming 1,000,000 Membership Rewards points for qualifying redemptions in a calendar year.

All Membership Rewards-earning AmEx cards are eligible to redeem points through Pay With Points. However, the redemption rate depends on the card you have and the type of travel for which you're redeeming points.

Cardmembers of most AmEx cards get a redemption rate of 1 cent per point for flights and — on eligible cards — Fine Hotels & Resorts bookings. Even better, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express and American Express® Business Gold Card cardmembers get bonus points when redeeming points for qualifying flights through Pay With Points. This rebate can effectively boost your redemption rate as high as 1.54 cents per point.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

On a similar note...

Save money! 7 ways to redeem American Express Membership Rewards points for holiday gifts

Update : Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here .

If money is a little tight this year, you may find your American Express Membership Rewards points balance is higher than your savings account balance. If you fall into this camp, you may wonder how you can turn some of your Membership Rewards points into holiday gifts this winter.

Typically I'd recommend redeeming your points for a trip. Travel is one of the best gifts you can give anyone — especially if you can give your time and the gift of travel together. Also, redeeming your Membership Rewards points for travel will generally provide the most value for your points.

However, not everyone can travel or wants to travel. Although redeeming your points for travel generally provides the most value on a cents-per-point basis, the best redemption is the one that helps you meet your goals. Right now, your individual goals may not involve a flight or hotel.

Whether you want to gift travel , a toy or the latest and greatest gadget, let's take a closer look at the best ways to redeem Amex Membership Rewards points for gifts this holiday season.

Transfer points to travel partners to book award travel

Some transferable rewards programs let you share rewards with others. However, Amex is one of the more restrictive programs when it comes to sharing. Specifically, Amex only allows you to transfer Membership Rewards points to your loyalty accounts or the loyalty accounts of your authorized users .

Luckily, most airline and hotel loyalty programs allow you to book awards for others when traveling together. Some loyalty programs even allow you to book travel for others when they're traveling without you. So, you may be able to give the gift of travel this holiday season by booking award travel for others.

If you're looking to book award travel this holiday season, you can transfer your points to the following Membership Rewards transfer partners :

• Airline loyalty programs : Aer Lingus AerClub, Aeromexico Rewards, Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, ANA Mileage Club, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways Executive Club, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Delta SkyMiles, Emirates Skywards, Etihad Guest, HawaiianMiles, Iberia Plus, JetBlue TrueBlue, Qantas Frequent Flyer, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
• Hotel loyalty programs : Choice Privileges, Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy

TPG's valuations peg the value of Membership Rewards points at about 2 cents each. So, you'll generally want to aim to get at least 2 cents per point when you transfer to travel partners. However, make sure award availability exists before transferring.

Although most transfers are instant, it can sometimes take up to 48 hours for points to transfer. See our post on how long American Express Membership Rewards transfers take to estimate transfer times.

Related: Which is the best American Express credit card for you?

Use Pay with Points to book travel

Amex Pay with Points allows you to redeem Membership Rewards points for 1 cent each when you book airfare through Amex Travel . So, a $1,000 flight would cost 100,000 Membership Rewards points if you use The Platinum Card® from American Express or the American Express® Gold Card .

However, cardholders of select Amex business cards get a rebate when using Pay with Points for airfare as follows:

• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express : Get 35% of your points back when you use Pay with Points for first- and business-class flights on any airline or flights in any class on your selected airline, up to 1 million points back per calendar year.
• American Express® Business Gold Card : Get 25% of your points back when you use Pay with Points for first- and business-class flights on any airline or flights in any class on your selected airline, up to 250,000 points back per calendar year.
• Centurion Business Card from American Express : Get 50% of your points back when you use Pay with Points for flights.

The information for the Centurion Business card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Best of all, you can book a flight for anyone using Pay with Points.

You can also book prepaid hotels, cruises, car rentals and vacations using Pay with Points through Amex Travel. However, you'll only get 0.7 cents per point, so $700 in prepaid hotel stays will cost 100,000 Membership Rewards points.

You'll get a slightly better redemption rate of 1 cent per point if you use Pay with Points for a prepaid stay booked through Amex's Fine Hotels + Resorts program . Keep in mind, though, that only select Amex cardmembers can access this premium hotel program.

Related: Your complete guide to maximizing holiday purchases

Redeem for gift cards

You can also redeem Membership Rewards points for a variety of gift cards. However, redemption rates depend on the type of gift card and current (targeted) offers available:

• 1 cent per Membership Reward point (for example, $1,000 in gift cards for 100,000 points) for most gift cards
• 0.85 cents per point for select gift cards, including Best Western, Bonefish Grill and Macy's
• 0.7 cents per point for select gift cards, including Best Buy, Four Seasons, Hilton, Marriott, Starbucks and Uber
• 0.5 cents per point for American Express gift cards (a $500 gift card for 100,000 points)

On my Amex Platinum Membership Rewards account, I can purchase Apple and Panera gift cards at 1.06 cents per point; they were previously 0.85 cents per point. Additionally, Delta Air Lines gift cards are currently being offered at 0.87 cents per point; they were previously valued at 0.7 cents per point.

You can get a physical or digital gift card for most redemptions. You can obtain gift cards in various values, but most start at $25 or $50.

Related: What credit cards should you use to purchase gift cards?

Use Pay with Points at checkout

Pay with Points isn't just for travel. You can use Pay with Points at checkout when you shop with various merchants, including Amazon, Best Buy, Dell, Grubhub, Seamless, PayPal, Rite Aid, Saks Fifth Avenue and Staples.

However, paying with points at these merchants usually isn't a good use of your points if you're looking for the best return. You'll only get 0.7 cents per point for the merchants listed above when you redeem Membership Rewards points. So, a $700 purchase would cost 100,000 Membership Rewards points.

The redemption rate is even worse at 0.5 cents per point if you use Membership Rewards points for event tickets through Ticketmaster.

Related: 5 ways to redeem 44 million American Express Membership Rewards points that aren't at Rite Aid

Donate points to charity

You can also donate your points to charity . Specifically, you can donate to more than 1.5 million U.S. charities through JustGiving with Amex Pay with Points.

You'll get 0.7 cents per point when you make a JustGiving redemption. So, 100,000 Membership Rewards points would provide $700 toward the charity you choose.

Related: The 6 best credit cards to maximize your charitable donation

Cover recent card charges

If you buy gifts on your card from merchants that don't participate in Pay with Points, you might consider using Membership Rewards points to cover your purchases.

Although you can redeem Membership Rewards points to cover recent charges on your card, doing so will only provide a redemption rate of 0.6 cents per point. So, you'd need 100,000 points to cover a $600 charge.

Related: Maximizing points and miles to beat inflation and save money

Shop with points

Finally, you can also use Shop with Membership Rewards. However, when you buy products from the Shop with Membership Rewards catalog, you'll only get 0.5 cents per point of value.

You'd need 100,000 Membership Rewards points for $500 of purchases through the catalog. So, even when sales offer 30% off, you may still be better off redeeming for other options discussed above.

Related: Why I love the Amex Business Platinum's Pay with Points perk

Bottom line

If cash is tight or you have a large stash of points, you may want to use your American Express Membership Rewards points for holiday gifts.

Want to give the gift of travel? You'll get the best value from your points by transferring them to travel partners and then booking luxury hotel stays or premium cabin flights for loved ones. You can also get 1 cent per point in value when using Pay with Points to book flights through Amex Travel.

Even if you don't want to give the gift of travel, you can still get 1 cent per point in value by redeeming points for select gift cards.

Understanding the redemption value before you redeem your points for holiday gifts is a good idea. One easy way to compare all the options for your Amex Membership Rewards points is to use Amex's Rewards Calculator .

Everything you need to know about Amex Travel

MSN has partnered with The Points Guy for our coverage of credit card products. MSN and The Points Guy may receive a commission from card issuers.

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information.

The American Express Travel portal allows you to redeem Membership Rewards points directly for travel reservations and activities rather than transfer your rewards to airline or hotel partners like Delta Air Lines SkyMiles and Marriott Bonvoy .

You also can book discounted premium tickets, use benefits like a 35% points rebate on certain bookings and even book premium hotels with additional perks through Amex Travel.

Let’s explore this booking portal to uncover all its benefits and potential disadvantages.

What is the American Express Travel portal?

Amex Travel is the booking portal for most American Express cards . You can book flights, hotels, rental cars and cruises through the site, and you can pay with points, cash or a combination of the two.

How to book flights on the Amex Travel portal

To find flights on American Express Travel, visit this webpage . The flight booking process on the Amex Travel portal is similar to other popular sites like Kayak and Orbitz. You’ll find a search box where you can enter your departure and destination cities.

If you’re flexible with your departure airport, you can choose an entire city, such as New York, which has multiple airports. Additionally, you can customize your booking by selecting your preferred class and the number of travelers, and choosing between one-way and round-trip flights.

You’ll see the price listed in dollars and the number of Amex Membership Rewards points during the booking process.

You can also use the options on the left-hand side to filter flights by number of stops, departure and arrival times, flight duration and airline.

Delta Air Lines is a featured airline in the Amex Travel portal. Sometimes, Delta flights appear at the top of your results, listed as “recommended,” but this doesn’t mean those flights are always the cheapest.

Additionally, if you have The Platinum Card® from American Express or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express and are flying from an airport with a Centurion Lounge , you’ll see an indicator that a lounge is available.

Points vs. cash

When paying for your flights on Amex Travel, several American Express cards offer elevated earning rates:

You can also pay with Amex Membership Rewards points to cover the cost of your flight.

You’ll see the number of points required next to the cash price of a flight. You can expect a value of 1 cent per point when using Pay with Points . However, TPG values Membership Rewards points at 2 cents apiece when you maximize Amex’s transfer partners.

Related: How to redeem American Express Membership Rewards for maximum value

It’s important to compare the number of points required for bookings on Amex Travel with the points you’d need to transfer to an airline program . If you can’t book a flight through transfer partners and prefer to use your points, Amex Travel remains an option.

There’s an additional benefit for Amex Business Platinum cardmembers: You can get 35% of your points back when paying with points on Amex Travel. This applies to first- and business-class flights on any airline plus tickets in any class on your preferred airline (the same one used for your airline incidental credits ; enrollment is required in advance). This 35% points rebate can provide a value of 1.54 cents per point, which may influence your decision to pay with cash or points.

Similarly, the American Express® Business Gold Card offers a 25% Pay with Points rebate on eligible flights (up to 250,000 points back per calendar year). The Business Centurion® Card from American Express offers a 50% Pay with Points rebate on eligible flights. Note that Centurion cards are available by invitation only.

The information for the Business Centurion Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

More details about flights through Amex Travel

During the payment process, you can use points, your credit card or a combination of both. The minimum number of points you can use is 5,000, and each point is valued at 1 cent.

You can upgrade your flights using cash or points in the Amex Travel portal. This generally gives you a return of 1 cent each, and you can book using your Amex card, points or a combination of both.

During your flight search, you might come across “Insider Fares” that offer a discounted price. But to benefit from the discount, you must redeem points to cover the full fare amount.

Amex Platinum and Amex Business Platinum cardmembers have another benefit: discounted premium tickets through Amex Travel’s International Airline Program . This program offers discounts on first-class, business-class and premium economy tickets from over 20 participating airlines.

To book a premium ticket using the IAP, go to the Amex Travel portal and pay with cash or points, including the Business Platinum card’s 35% airline rebate. Keep in mind that not all flights are eligible and there are restrictions:

• The cardmember must travel on the itinerary.
• A maximum of eight tickets can be booked per itinerary; travel must begin and end in the U.S. or Canadian international airports.
• Tickets are nonrefundable unless stated otherwise.
• Name changes for passengers are not allowed.

Finally, note that flights booked through Amex Travel are typically treated as normal paid tickets, meaning you’re eligible to earn points or miles with participating airline loyalty programs.

Related: Why I love the Amex Business Platinum’s Pay with Points perk

How to book hotels on the Amex Travel portal

You can book hotels through American Express Travel with a Gold, Platinum or Centurion card. As with other travel portals, you can input your destination, dates, number of rooms and number of guests (with separate input fields for adults and children).

Platinum and Business Platinum cardmembers earn 5 points per dollar on prepaid hotel reservations.

After selecting your hotel, you’ll choose your preferred room and pay with points or cash. If you pay with points, you’ll only get a value of 0.7 cents per point (compared to 1 cent when you book flights).

Note that these are considered third-party bookings, so you likely won’t earn hotel points or elite credits for your stay . While there are reports of people receiving stay credits with Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors on rooms booked through Amex Travel, the hotel is not guaranteed to recognize your elite status in these programs or provide status-qualifying stay credits.

Related: 9 things to consider when choosing to book via a portal vs. booking directly

Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts

Platinum and Centurion cardholders also have access to the Fine Hotels + Resorts  program through Amex Travel. This can add some great benefits to your hotel stays — and may not cost much more than booking directly with the hotel.

Here are the perks you’ll receive with every FHR booking, regardless of the length of your stay:

• Room upgrade upon arrival (when available): Some room types may be excluded, but you could receive an upgrade to preferred rooms with better views or a better location in the hotel.
• Daily breakfast for two people: The provided breakfast must be, at a minimum, a continental breakfast.
• Guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout
• Noon check-in when available
• Complimentary Wi-Fi
• Unique property amenity: The amenity varies by hotel but should be valued at $100 or more and usually consists of a property credit, dining credit, spa credit, private airport transfer or similar amenity.

You’ll need to book these stays through Amex Travel, but note that FHR is considered a separate program from Amex Travel.

In addition, if you have the personal Amex Platinum , you can also get up to $200 in statement credits every year for prepaid reservations through Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection — which we’ll discuss next. Enrollment is required.

Related: A comparison of luxury hotel programs from credit card issuers: Amex, Capital One, Chase and Citi

The Hotel Collection

A lesser-known American Express benefit is The Hotel Collection , which allows you to book in cash or with points. Those with Amex Gold, Platinum and Centurion cards have access to this program, which offers the following benefits:

• A room upgrade at check-in (if available)
• $100 on-property credit for qualifying dining, spa and resort activities

Note that The Hotel Collection bookings require a minimum stay of two nights, though they too are eligible for the $200 hotel credit on the Amex Platinum.

How to book rental cars and cruises on the Amex Travel portal

Reserving a car in the Amex portal is relatively simple. You’ll input your pickup and drop-off times and location.

You’ll see rental car prices listed in cash and points. When using Pay with Points , your points are worth 0.7 cents — just over a third of TPG’s valuation of Amex Membership Rewards points.

Although the format differs, you can also search for cruises on Amex Travel.

Rather than typing specific dates and numbers of passengers, you’ll see four drop-down menus. These allow you to choose a destination (by region), filter by cruise lines and choose a month for travel — though not specific dates — on this first page. You can also select your desired cruise duration.

From here, you can filter by cruise duration, departure port and ship. You can sort your results by sailing date, value, price or ship rating.

On the final payment page, you can use your card or redeem points, ranging from 1 point to enough to cover the entire cost. Using points for a cruise will result in a low valuation of 0.7 cents per point, but it can be a money-saving option if you prefer not to spend cash.

There’s another benefit available if you’re a Platinum or Centurion cardholder (including personal and business versions of these cards): the Cruise Privileges Program .

This is available on cruises of five nights or more with select cruise lines, and it offers the following perks:

• $100-$500 in onboard ship credit (note that this cannot be used for casino or gratuity charges)
• Additional onboard amenities vary by line, such as spa vouchers, a bottle of Champagne, shore excursion credits or a private ship tour

Note that the Platinum cardmember must be one of the travelers on the cruise to enjoy these benefits.

Related: How to book a cruise using points and miles

Further things to consider about Amex Travel

When booking through the Amex Travel portal, there are a few factors to consider.

First, using Amex Membership Rewards points on Amex Travel may not provide the best value compared to transferring points to airline or hotel loyalty programs. The Pay with Points feature typically values points at 0.7 to 1 cent per point, which is far lower than our 2-cent valuation .

Additionally, the prices on Amex Travel may not always be the most competitive, so we recommend checking other platforms like Google Flights before booking your travel. Also, booking directly with hotels is advised for those seeking to utilize elite status benefits.

When you need to change your upcoming trips booked through Amex Travel, it can get complicated. You may encounter change and cancellation fees, often around $75, and making a change requires a phone call. Flight credit vouchers from cancellations can only be used for rebooking through Amex Travel via phone.

On the positive side, Amex Travel allows a 24-hour cancellation window for most reservations, and booking flights through the site generally still qualifies for earning miles and status with airline loyalty programs.

Related: Redeeming American Express Membership Rewards for maximum value

Bottom line

American Express Travel offers an array of booking options, including the ability to earn bonus Membership Rewards points on select purchases. Although you can use your points to book hotels, flights, rental cars and cruises through Amex Travel, you can get more from your points when you transfer them to Amex’s airline and hotel partners .

However, there are exceptions, such as when there is no award availability for last-minute travel. In addition, Amex Travel offers perks like discounted premium flights, added benefits with Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts and a user-friendly interface. And with a simple redemption scheme that doesn’t involve complicated loyalty programs and transfer partners, many Amex cardholders prefer it when planning their trips.

Additional reporting by Ryan Patterson and Kyle Olsen.

SPONSORED:  With states reopening, enjoying a meal from a restaurant no longer just means curbside pickup.

And when you do spend on dining, you should use a credit card that will maximize your rewards and potentially even score special discounts. Thanks to temporary card bonuses and changes due to coronavirus, you may even be able to score a meal at your favorite restaurant for free. 

These are the best credit cards for dining out, taking out, and ordering in to maximize every meal purchase.

Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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How to Use Your Points to Book Travel 

With American Express Travel Online, you can earn and use your Membership Rewards® points towards your next trip. Points can be redeemed towards eligible flights, pre-paid hotels (including pre-paid bookings for some Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection properties) and car rentals. Conditions apply. *

Just follow these easy steps

Step 1: Log in

Log in  to your American Express account. If you have an eligible Card you will see the points balance in the top right corner of the page americanexpress.ca/travel

Step 2: Search

Begin your travel search through the American Express Travel Online  website. Your available payment options will be displayed in the results.

Step 3: Apply Points

At checkout, use the slider to choose how many points you would like to apply to your booking. 

Step 4: Book Trip

Membership Rewards points will be deducted from the Membership Rewards balance at the time of booking.**

See where points can take you

More about American Express Membership

Rewards ® points..

When you use points to pay for your travel purchase, points will be deducted from the Membership Rewards balance at the time of booking**. 

Your travel payment can be paid in full with Membership Rewards points, or a combination of both points & your American Express Card*. 

To use your Points for an online travel booking, you must use a Membership Rewards Program enrolled card for payment and redeem your points.

Membership Rewards points can be used towards eligible flights (including the International Airline Program), prepaid hotels (including pre-paid bookings for some Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection properties) and car rentals.

How to earn Points

When you use your eligible American Express Card to make purchases, you'll earn Membership Rewards Points for every dollar you spend on qualifying purchases

Why book with Amex Travel?

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• Frequently Asked Questions

I don’t have enough Membership Rewards points for the travel I’ve selected. What can I do?

You may use a combination of your Membership Rewards points and payment on your American Express Card.

Is there an additional fee or charge for using my Membership Rewards points and/or Travel Credit to book travel?

No, there is no additional fee to redeem points or Travel Credit for travel booked on American Express Travel Online.

If I use Membership Rewards points for travel for someone else, do I have to travel with them?

No, you do not have to travel with them.

Can I combine my Membership Rewards points from several Cards to make a booking?

No, it is not possible to combine Membership Rewards points from different accounts for a single booking. You may be able to transfer your Membership Rewards points between Cards to have all your points in the same account before booking travel on our site. To do this, please contact the number on the back of your Card.

Can I pay airline surcharges and taxes with Membership Rewards points?

Yes, when you book online, you can use your Membership Rewards points to pay for additional charges such as airline surcharges, taxes, etc.

Can I use my Membership Rewards points and/or my Travel Credit to purchase travel for my family and friends?

You will need to log on to your American Express online account in order to use Membership Rewards points and/or Travel Credit to purchase travel for your family and friends.

When will bonus Membership Rewards points be added to my Account?

Any bonus points will be added to your account within five working days of making the transaction, but can take up to 10 weeks.

I paid using my Membership Rewards points. Why did you charge my Card for the full amount?

If you used Membership Rewards points to book your travel, the full cost of your booking including any taxes, fees and carrier surcharges will be charged to your Card upon booking. Within 10 business days from the date of booking, you will receive a Statement Credit for any Membership Rewards points you redeemed towards the travel booking.  

Terms and Conditions 

* Membership Rewards points are accepted as payment for a wide range of travel options through American Express Travel Services. Membership Rewards points can be used to pay for new travel purchases, including taxes and surcharges. Membership Rewards points are not refundable. Membership Rewards points have no cash value. Travel selections are based on available space and are subject to terms and conditions of travel suppliers. For car rental companies and hotels that do not accept prepaid bookings, contact American Express Travel Services at 1-800-668-9147 or (416)-868-1888 for details about how you can use your Membership Rewards points. In order to redeem points for any travel booking, the Membership Rewards Program account must be active and the Card must be in good standing. If the American Express Installment Program applies to you and you also redeem points for one or more transactions, the Installment Program will take precedence and the credit will apply to your account in the regular course. This could result in you having a credit balance on your account. If you want to reduce the credit balance, you can cancel any active installment plans you may have. See the Installment Program terms and conditions in your Cardmember Agreement for details, if applicable. Bookings are also subject to American Express Travel Terms and Conditions. To view these please visit americanexpress.ca/termsandconditions.

** Please be aware that if you used points to book your travel, the full cost of your booking including any taxes, fees and carrier surcharges will be charged to your Card upon booking. Within 10 business days from the date of booking, you will receive a statement credit for any Points you have redeemed towards the travel purchase.

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Why the Amex Platinum Is the Only Card I’ll Use To Book Flights

Carissa Rawson

Senior Content Contributor

250 Published Articles

Countries Visited: 51 U.S. States Visited: 36

Stella Shon

News Managing Editor

85 Published Articles 619 Edited Articles

Countries Visited: 25 U.S. States Visited: 22

The Amex Platinum Card Earns Me the Most Points

The amex platinum card has excellent travel insurance, amex’s global lounge collection is industry-leading, amex points are my favorite flexible currency, final thoughts.

We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

Although I’m not technically a digital nomad, I fly enough to qualify as one.

With trips taking me on roughly 100 flights per year, I’ve done a lot of research when it comes to booking airfare.

Though I have plenty of credit cards to spare, The Platinum Card ® from American Express always finds its way to the front when it comes time to pay — here’s why.

There are plenty of credit cards that earn bonus points on travel , and especially airfare. However, the Amex Platinum card personally beats out others, despite its $695 annual fee ( rates & fees ).

This is because it earns 5x American Express Membership Rewards points per $1 spent (up to $500,000 per year) on flights booked directly with the airline or via AmexTravel.com .

The Platinum Card ® from American Express

The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card out there than The Platinum Card ® from American Express.

Make no mistake — the Amex Platinum card  is a premium card with a premium price tag. With amazing benefits like best-in-class airport lounge access , hotel elite status, and tremendous value in annual statement credits, it can easily prove to be one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet year after year.

• The best airport lounge access out of any card (by far) — enjoy access to over 1,400 worldwide lounges, including the luxurious Amex Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, and many more!
• 5x points per dollar spent on flights purchased directly with the airline or with AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per year)
• 5x points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked with AmexTravel.com
• Annual and monthly statement credits upon enrollment ( airline credit, Uber Cash credit, Saks Fifth Avenue credit, streaming credit, prepaid hotel credit on eligible stays, Walmart+ credit, CLEAR credit, and Equinox credit )
• TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit
• Access to American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts
• Access to Amex International Airline Program
• No foreign transaction fees ( rates and fees )
• $695 annual fee ( rates and fees )
• Airline credit does not cover airfare (only incidentals like checked bags)
• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards ® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card ® , Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards ® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards ® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
• $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts ® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card ® . The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card ® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card ® . Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Up Benefits are excluded.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card ® .
• $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Terms Apply.
• $300 Equinox Credit: Get up to $300 back in statement credits per calendar year on an Equinox membership, or an Equinox club membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you pay with your Platinum Card ® . Enrollment required. Visit https://platinum.equinox.com/ to enroll.
• $189 CLEAR ® Plus Credit: Breeze through security with CLEAR Plus at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues nationwide and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card ® . Learn more.
• $100 Global Entry Credit: Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck ® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card ® . Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card ® . That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• $300 SoulCycle At-Home Bike Credit: Get a $300 statement credit for the purchase of a SoulCycle at-home bike with your Platinum Card ® . An Equinox+ subscription is required to purchase a SoulCycle at-home bike and access SoulCycle content. Must charge full price of bike in one transaction. Shipping available in the contiguous U.S. only. Enrollment Required.
• Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card ® to your Resy profile.
• $695 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.

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If you travel often, you know that booking with a third party , such as Expedia, Priceline, Orbitz, or even an issuer’s travel portal, can save you some money. But it can also lead to huge amounts of headache s if your flight needs to be changed or canceled or if there are crazy delays and you need to be rerouted.

This is because booking through a third-party agency makes them responsible for your ticket rather than the airline, so they need to be the middleman.

Compare the Amex Platinum card’s earning rates to other premium travel rewards cards :

• Chase Sapphire Reserve ® : 5x points per $1 spent on Chase Travel; 3x points on all other travel purchases
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card : 5x miles per $1 spent on airfare booked with Capital One Travel,

In order to earn these elevated rewards, you’ll need to book your flights with either issuer’s travel portal, which means you’ll be using a third party. That opens you up to issues in the event your travel plans change, which mine often do.

While the Amex Platinum card does have a limit on your 5x earnings up to $500,000 annually, I’ve never even come close to hitting the cap. This means that I’m always able to book directly with the airline while still earning the most rewards.

I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest proponent of travel insurance . I know that it’ll protect you if you get injured, lose your bags, or have travel delays, but purchasing a policy goes against my “spend as little as possible” ethos when it comes to travel.

That’s another reason why I love the Amex Platinum card and use it for my flights. As a premium travel card, it offers complimentary travel insurance . For it to kick in, I need to pay for my travel with my card and it will apply in eligible scenarios.

What kind of travel insurance is offered? A lot:

• Rental car insurance (secondary)
• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
• Trip delay insurance
• Baggage insurance plan
• Premium Global Assist Hotline (emergency medical evacuation and emergency medical transport)

There are two things that really stand out when it comes to the Amex Platinum card’s travel insurance: emergency medical evacuation and emergency medical transport as part of the Premium Global Assist Hotline. Neither of these has a cap, which isn’t something you’ll find often, even when purchasing a policy.

There is only one exception where I’ll use a card other than the Amex Platinum card to pay for my flights, and that’s when I’ve booked an award flight.

This is because Amex has limitations on its baggage insurance plan for award flights, whereas competitors, such as the travel insurance on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card , do not. In this case, the Amex Platinum card won’t cover lost luggage unless you’ve paid the ticket in cash or you’ve used Amex Membership points for your flight. Other award flights outside of this don’t count :

“Other loyalty programs (i.e. non-American Express) do not qualify on purchases redeemed in part or full or pre-arranged travel cost,” according to the terms of baggage insurance plan on the Amex Platinum card. “An example would be common carrier frequent flyer miles point redemption.”

I’m not a snob about a lot of things, but airport lounge access is certainly one of them. I know that as more credit cards offer lounge access, they can be crowded.

That’s one reason I value the Global Lounge Collection offered by Amex’s high-end cards.

This collection includes a Priority Pass Select membership (upon enrollment), Centurion Lounges, Escape — The Centurion Studio lounges, Plaza Premium lounges, Lufthansa lounges (when flying Lufthansa), Delta SkyClubs (when flying Delta), and more.

That’s far more than you’ll get with other credit cards and lessens the chance that you’ll find yourself in a standing-room-only situation.

This is probably not the most popular opinion, but I think Amex Membership Rewards beat out Chase Ultimate Rewards , Capital One Miles , Citi ThankYou points , and Bilt Rewards .

While each currency has their own strengths and weaknesses, Amex points fit my travel style better than the others. Sure, I love that Chase has World of Hyatt (and it’s where I use my points most often) and that Citi transfer to Choice at double Amex’s rate, but Amex has more usable transfer partners .

I’ll be even more unpopular and say that I’ll often transfer Amex points over to Hilton Honors at a 1:2 ratio, especially when they’re offering a transfer bonus . This isn’t usually a good idea, but I spend my Hilton points at high-end resorts such as the Conrad Maldives and the Conrad Bora Bora , where I can easily net 5-10 cents in value per point. That makes it worth it for me.

Other transfer partners that I frequently use include:

• ANA MileageClub : For low-cost business class flights to Europe
• Avianca LifeMiles : For Lufthansa first class
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club : For first and business class redemptions on ANA
• Qantas Frequent Flyer : For cheap Air Tahiti Nui flights to French Polynesia

Beyond transfer partners and the Amex Platinum card, I also find Amex points easier to earn . This is due to a variety of reasons, including their robust lineup of Amex point-earning cards , Amex Offers (upon enrollment), and their Rakuten partnership.

I’m not going to throw out all my other credit cards in favor of the Amex Platinum card — I love points and miles too much ever to let that happen. But there’s certainly a strong case for it sticking around in my wallet.

Sure, it offers lots of statement credits (enrollment required for some benefits) and other perks. But I’ll keep the Amex Platinum card to book my airfare. And it’ll stay that way until someone else can match the high earnings and travel insurance offerings, which I don’t anticipate happening anytime soon.

For the car rental loss and damage insurance benefit of the Amex Platinum card, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

For the trip cancellation and interruption insurance benefit of the Amex Platinum card, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

For the trip delay insurance benefit of the Amex Platinum card, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

For the baggage insurance plan benefit of the Amex Platinum card, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the premium global assist hotline benefit of the Amex Platinum card, you can rely on Global Assist Hotline 24 hours a day / 7 days a week for medical, legal, financial or other select emergency coordination and assistance services while traveling more than 100 miles away from your home. Plus, we may provide emergency medical transportation assistance and related services. Third-party service costs may be your responsibility. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. If approved and coordinated by premium global assist hotline, emergency medical transportation assistance may be provided at no cost. In any other circumstance, Card Members may be responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.

The information regarding the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card ® from American Express, click here .

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About Carissa Rawson

Carissa served in the U.S. Air Force where she developed her love for travel and new cultures. She started her own blog and eventually joined The Points Guy. Since then, she’s contributed to Business Insider, Forbes, and more.

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MORE FROM VAULT

How to Transfer Amex Membership Rewards Points

Credit Cards & Breaking News Expert

Raina is a freelance contributor to Newsweek’s personal finance team. Specializing in credit cards, banking, and loans, Raina has written or edited hundreds of articles for CNET Money and NextAdvisor with TIME (which merged with CNET Money in 2023). She loves to write about personal finance because she firmly believes that financial literacy can help people create more opportunities in their life — whether that’s through saving money for specific goals, using credit card rewards to stretch their dollars further, or being prepared for unexpected financial turbulence. A Saint Louis native, she’s currently traveling around the world and documenting her adventures (and advice) on Instagram and TikTok under the handle @rainainwanderland.

Robert Thorpe

Senior Editor

Robert is a senior editor at Newsweek, specializing in a range of personal finance topics, including credit cards, loans and banking. Prior to Newsweek, he worked at Bankrate as the lead editor for small business loans and as a credit cards writer and editor. He has also written and edited for CreditCards.com, The Points Guy and The Motley Fool Ascent.

Updated April 10, 2024 at 4:24 pm

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

All information about the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Newsweek.com. The American Express® Green Card is no longer available through Newsweek.com.

If you’re looking to redeem your American Express Membership Rewards points for travel, transferring them to airline and hotel partners will typically net you the best value. Once you’ve familiarized yourself with Amex’s travel partners and found a flight or hotel award booking you want to make, you’ll need to actually transfer your points from your Amex account to your account with a partner loyalty program so you can make your reservation directly with the partner.

We’ll walk you through the step-by-step process of how to transfer Amex Membership Rewards points so you can easily book your next vacation.

Understanding the value of cash back is simple, but valuing airline miles or points redeemable for travel requires digging a bit deeper. At Newsweek, we’ve developed a common language to talk about the value of points and miles: our valuations.

Our valuations translate points into dollars and cents in a way that reflects reality. They are based on actual data across a balance of accessible redemption options, not just the aspirational first and business class redemptions that require a PhD in miles and points to book. The upshot is that our valuations help you understand the actual value you can easily get from your miles and points.

Vault’s Viewpoint

• Transferring your American Express points to airline and hotel partners is typically the best use for your points.
• Several American Express credit cards earn Membership Rewards Points, including The Platinum Card® from American Express, American Express® Gold Card and American Express® Green Card.
• All point transfers are final, so remember to double check all your information and have a plan for your points before you transfer.

Step by Step on How to Transfer Amex Points

If you want to transfer your American Express points, here’s how to do it on Amex’s website. The process for transferring points on the mobile app is the same, but the navigation to get to the points transfer page may be different depending on your device.

1. Log into Your Amex Account and Navigate to the Point Transfer Page

To find the rewards transfer page, log into your account and use the dropdown menus at the top of the page to navigate from “Rewards & Benefits” to “Earn and Redeem” to “Transfer Points.”

Alternatively, head directly to www.global.americanexpress.com/rewards/transfer and log in from there to access the page directly.

On the mobile app, you can navigate to this page by going to “Membership” to “Redeem Rewards” to “Transfer Points.”

2. Find Your Desired Transfer Partner and Select “Show Details”

On the transfer page, you’ll see a list of all of Amex’s current transfer partners, as well as the most up-to-date transfer ratios (example below). Find your desired transfer partner, then click on the “Show Details” button on the right side.

3. Link Your Partner Loyalty Account to Your Amex Account

If you haven’t previously linked your partner loyalty account to Amex, you’ll be prompted to do so. If you don’t have a partner loyalty account yet, you can click on the link Amex provides to create an account on the loyalty partner’s website. After you’ve entered your partner account number and selected the Card Member associated with that account, click “Continue” to link your account.

When you link your account, you may be asked to undergo an additional security verification. Depending on the partner, there may also be a slight delay when linking your account.

4. Enter Your Transfer Details and Select “Review Transfer”

After you’ve linked a partner loyalty account, clicking the “Show Details” button on Amex’s transfer partners page will instead prompt you to choose the amount of points you want to transfer and the account you want to transfer them to. You can find details about the transfer, including minimum transfer amounts, transfer increments and the official estimated transfer time (which may be different from the actual transfer time), on the left side of the page.

Once you’ve made your selections, click the “Review Transfer” button at the bottom.

5. Review the Transfer Details and Select “Submit Transfer”

You’ll be prompted to review the details of your transfer. Confirm all the details are correct, then click “Submit Transfer” to finalize your transfer or “Cancel” to go back. Remember all point transfers are final. If your transfer is successful, you’ll also receive an email confirmation.

Value of Amex Points

By Newsweek Vault’s valuations, American Express points are worth 1.19 cents apiece on average. But because Amex offers multiple redemption options for its points—featuring some fixed-rate redemptions as well as transfers to hotel and airline travel partners—the actual value you get from your points will depend on how you redeem them.

When it comes to fixed-rate redemptions, these options let you spend your Amex points directly without transferring them to a travel partner. Here’s how much your points are worth for The Platinum Card® from American Express :

• Pay with Points at Checkout for certain retailers: 0.7 cents to 1 cent per point, depending on the retailer
• Pay with Points with PayPal: 0.7 cents per point
• Redeem for gift cards through the American Express gift cards portal: up to 1 cent per point, depending on the gift card
• Statement credit to cover your charges: 0.6 cents per point
• Pay with Points with American Express Travel: 1 cent per point for flights, 0.7 points for most other travel purchases

Although several American Express cards can earn Membership Rewards points, the redemption values may differ depending on the card, so double-check the redemption options for your specific card in your account or the rewards calculator on American Express’s website.

Compared to the direct redemption options, point transfers will likely be a better use for your points. You can transfer American Express points to 21 hotel and airline partners at typically a 1:1 ratio (with a few exceptions). Once you transfer your points to a hotel or airline partner, the value of your points depends on how you redeem them through that partner’s own loyalty program. Travel rewards experts typically use a simple “cents per point” calculation as a benchmark. The calculation looks like this:

Cents-per-point value = [cash value of an award booking minus any taxes / fees you paid for that booking] / [the points you spent on that booking]

Take, for example, this award flight booking from Cathay Pacific.

You could book a one-way flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong for 27,000 Asia Miles (Cathay Pacific’s rewards currency). If transferred from American Express at a 1:1 ratio, this would cost you 27,000 Membership Rewards Points. Taxes and fees on this award flight are approximately $158. The same flight would cost $813.6 (taxes and fees included) if booked with cash. Using the cents-per-point calculation, the value of your MR points on this redemption would be:

[813.6 – 158] / 27,000 = 0.024 = 2.4 cents per point

For this redemption, the value of your MR points is significantly higher than our valuations. But for some redemptions or some travel partners in general, the cents-per-point value will be much lower. It takes some legwork to find worthwhile reward bookings, but a good deal on an award flight or hotel stay can give you outsized value for your points.

Should You Transfer Your Amex Points?

Given that most of the non-transfer redemption options for Amex points offer poor value—many less than one cent per point—you absolutely should transfer your Amex points if you want to spend them on travel. But before you do, there are some important considerations:

• Find an award booking before you transfer: Since point transfers can’t be reversed, make sure you’ve found the award flight or stay you want to book before you transfer your points. We don’t recommend transferring points speculatively without a definite booking planned, or you might end up with a pile of points sitting unused in a loyalty program.
• Consider transfer times: Amex points transfer quickly to some transfer partners, but others might take longer. If you’ve found an award booking, check the expected transfer time for that particular partner to reduce the risk of the award availability disappearing by the time the points reach your account. Some airlines or hotels will let you put a hold on an award booking for a limited time while you wait for your points to arrive if you call customer service.
• Take advantage of transfer bonuses: Amex, like many issuers, sometimes offers transfer bonuses to specific partners. The bonus will typically be a percentage of the points you transfer. For example, a 25% transfer bonus to an airline that normally has a 1:1 transfer ratio means that 1,000 MR points will become 1,250 airline loyalty points when you transfer. Transfer bonuses can boost the value of your points if you were already planning to redeem them that way.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many transfer partners does amex have.

The American Express Membership Rewards program currently has 21 transfer partners in total—18 airlines and three hotel chains.

How Can You Earn Amex Points?

You can earn Membership Rewards Points through the rewards programs of American Express’s travel cards, including The Platinum Card® from American Express, American Express® Gold Card and American Express® Green Card, among others.

Can I Transfer Amex Points to Another Person?

You cannot transfer your points to another person’s Amex account or another person’s loyalty program account unless that person is an additional card member (authorized user) on your card and has been so for at least 90 days.

Related Articles

Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post. We may earn a commission from partner links on Newsweek, but commissions do not affect our editors’ opinions or evaluations.

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Credit Cards

Amex Gold vs. Platinum

Harrison Pierce

Julie Sherrier

“Verified by an expert” means that this article has been thoroughly reviewed and evaluated for accuracy.

Grace Pilling

Published 6:16 a.m. UTC April 15, 2024

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The American Express® Gold Card (terms apply, rates & fees ) and The Platinum Card® from American Express (terms apply, rates & fees ) are two popular rewards cards offered by American Express. Both cards can have a place in your wallet, but should be used in different ways. The Platinum Card earns more points per dollar on flights booked directly with the airline or American Express Travel and prepaid hotel stays booked via American Express Travel than the Gold Card, but the Gold Card earns more at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets, so you’ll want to strategize where you spend with each card. 

The Platinum Card offers over $1,500 worth of annual statement credits that can easily offset its high annual fee. There are also numerous benefits across travel, dining and entertainment. Plus, cardholders gain access to the Global Lounge Collection (including Centurion, Delta Sky Club, Lufthansa, Plaza Premium and Priority Pass Select airport lounges), which can significantly enhance your travel experience. Similarly, the Platinum Card will be the best bet for someone looking for comprehensive travel protections and insurance. Enrollment is required for select benefits.

However, if you can’t justify the $695 annual fee on Amex Platinum card and still want a card that offers some travel protections and statement credits, you can go with the Gold Card. Let’s take a deep dive into the most significant differences with the Amex Gold vs. Amex Platinum cards. 

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The Platinum Card® from American Express

Welcome Bonus

Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

Regular APR

Credit score.

Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.

Editor’s Take

• Over $1,500 in travel and entertainment credits can offset the annual fee.
• Comprehensive lounge access benefit.
• Generous travel and purchase protections.
• High annual fee and spending requirements.
• Amex’s once-per-lifetime rule limits welcome bonus eligibility.
• Annual statement credits have limited use.

Card Details

• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
• $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card®. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Up Benefits are excluded.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card®.
• $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Terms Apply.
• $300 Equinox Credit: Get up to $300 back in statement credits per calendar year on an Equinox membership, or an Equinox club membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you pay with your Platinum Card®. Enrollment required. Visit https://platinum.equinox.com/ to enroll.
• $189 CLEAR® Plus Credit: Breeze through security with CLEAR Plus at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues nationwide and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card®. Learn more.
• $100 Global Entry Credit: Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card®. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• $300 SoulCycle At-Home Bike Credit: Get a $300 statement credit for the purchase of a SoulCycle at-home bike with your Platinum Card®. An Equinox+ subscription is required to purchase a SoulCycle at-home bike and access SoulCycle content. Must charge full price of bike in one transaction. Shipping available in the contiguous U.S. only. Enrollment Required.
• Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile.
• $695 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.

Amex Gold vs. Amex Platinum

Earning rewards.

The Amex Gold Card earns 4 Membership Rewards points per $1 at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., 4 points per $1 at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1 point), 3 points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express travel and 1 point per $1 on other eligible purchases.

If you have the Platinum Card, you can earn 5 Membership Rewards® points per $1 for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 per calendar year, 5 points per $1 on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel and 1 point per $1 on other purchases. 

Winner for rewards: Tie

Redeeming rewards

With both cards, you can redeem your Membership® Rewards points when shopping at Amazon.com and other popular brands, for Airbnb gift cards, as a credit to cover a charge made on your card, as a deposit into an American Express® Rewards Checking account, for travel on American Express Travel, or transfer your points to several different travel partners. The exact value of a point will vary depending on your redemption method. 

Winner for reward redemption: Tie

Transfer partners

American Express has 11 airline partners and three hotel partners. You can transfer your Membership Rewards at a 1:1 ratio to Asia Miles, British Airways Executive Club, Delta SkyMiles, Emirates Skywards, Etihad Guest, Flying Blue, Iberia Plus, Qantas Frequent Flyer, SAS EuroBonus and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. 

The following transfer partners have a different transfer ratio: 

• Singapore KrisFlyer: 3 Membership Rewards points = 2 KrisFlyer mile
• Marriott Bonvoy: 2 Membership Rewards points = 3 Marriott points
• Hilton Honors: 1 Membership Rewards point = 2 Hilton Honors points
• Radisson Rewards: 1 Membership Rewards point = 3 points

Note that some partners have a minimum transfer amount, and the transfer time can vary from one business day to 15 business days. Transferring your points is typically the best way to maximize your redemption value. Consider the transfer partners before applying for either card to see if you regularly fly with these airlines or stay at these hotels. 

Winner for transfer partners: Tie

Welcome offers

The Amex Gold Card currently offers 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months of card membership.

The Platinum Card offers 80,000 Membership Rewards Points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. 

As long as you can reach the spending threshold, either amount of points can undoubtedly take you places. 

Winner for welcome offer: The Platinum Card

Travel benefits

The amex gold card.

When you book a two-night minimum stay with The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel, you can receive a $100 experience credit to use during your stay. The Gold Card also offers a baggage insurance plan and car rental loss and damage insurance as secondary coverage. Note that the baggage insurance plan only covers lost luggage, not delayed. 

The Platinum Card

The Platinum Card outshines the Amex Gold Card in terms of travel benefits. First, you can receive up to $200 as a statement credit each calendar year on select prepaid hotel bookings through American Express Travel. Plus, you receive complimentary room upgrades and a $100 experience credit for select activities during your stay. 

When flying, cardholders can access the American Express Global Lounge Collection, which includes over 1,400 lounges in 140 countries. These are high-end lounges, like the Centurion Network, Delta Sky Club, Lufthansa Lounge, Plaza Premium Lounge and Priority Pass Select (enrollment required). 

One of the other travel benefits of the Platinum Card is the airline fee statement credit, which allows you to select one qualifying airline and receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when you are charged incidental fees. 

Cardholders can also quickly make it through the airport with a $189 CLEAR ® Plus credit each calendar year and an enrollment fee statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck (up to $100). Platinum cardholders receive Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status, Hilton Honors Gold Status and premium status with popular car rental companies Avis, Hertz and National. Enrollment is required for select benefits. 

In terms of insurance coverage, the Platinum Card includes secondary car rental loss and damage insurance², trip delay insurance⁴ and trip cancellation and interruption insurance⁴. You’ll also have access to the Platinum Travel Service to help plan your trips.

Winner for travel benefits: The Platinum Card

Dining and entertainment rewards

The Amex Gold Card offers up to $10 in monthly statement credits for purchases at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations, up to $120 per calendar year (enrollment required). Cardholders also receive $10 in Uber Cash each month, up to another $120 annually (card must be added to Uber account to receive this benefit). Taking full advantage of these statement credits almost entirely covers the card’s annual fee. 

The Platinum Card offers numerous dining and entertainment benefits that can provide substantial value. Cardholders can receive up to a $20 monthly statement credit for eligible purchases from the following digital entertainment providers: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Similarly, cardholders receive $15 in Uber Cash each month, plus a bonus $20 in December, for rides or UberEats orders in the U.S. Cardholders also have exclusive access to reservations on Resy. Enrollment is required for select benefits. 

Winner for dining and entertainment rewards: Tie

Shopping perks

You’ll get access to Amex Offers with both the Amex Gold and Platinum Card. 

In addition, the Amex Gold offers purchase protection¹ and extended warranty coverage¹, which can be very useful coverages, but doesn’t offer much else in terms of shopping perks.

The Platinum Card offers purchase protection and extended warranty coverage¹, as well as cellphone protection⁴ and return protection. It also comes with a slew of other shopping benefits such as a $155 Walmart credit to cover the cost of a Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal), plus up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases made at Saks Fifth Avenue (up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually). Cardholders also receive up to $300 in statement credits each year for an Equinox+ digital subscription or Equinox club membership (subject to auto-renewal), as well as a $300 statement credit towards the purchase of a SoulCycle at-home bike. (An Equinox+ subscription is required to purchase a SoulCycle at-home bike and access SoulCycle content. Cardholder must charge the full price of the bike in one transaction. Shipping available in the contiguous U.S. only. Enrollment required). 

Winner for shopping perks: The Platinum Card

There’s a noticeable difference in the annual fees for these cards. The Amex Gold Card has an annual fee of $250, while the Platinum Card will cost you $695 each year. That’s more than double the cost just to hold the card. 

You can easily offset the annual fee of either card by making the most of available statement credits and cardholder perks. 

Additional cardholders on the Amex Gold are complimentary up to 5 authorized users, then $35 for additional cardholders, while every authorized user you add to the Platinum Card will cost $195.

Neither card charges foreign transaction fees.

Winner for fees: Amex Gold Card

Who should choose Amex Gold?

The Amex Gold Card may be a good fit for you if:

• You are looking for a mid-tier rewards card and want to avoid a high annual fee. 
• You regularly ride with Uber or order UberEats and dine at eligible restaurants for the dining credit and can utilize the annual statement credits.
• You spend big on restaurants, groceries at U.S. supermarkets and travel-related expenses so you’ll benefit from the high earning rates in these categories.

American Express® Gold Card

• Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Up to $240 in combined credits for Uber Cash and on select dining.
• High rewards rate on restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and travel.
• Generous welcome bonus.
• $250 annual fee.
• Minimal travel perks.
• Complex rewards structure.
• Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).
• Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
• $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
• $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.
• Get a $100 experience credit with a minimum two-night stay when you book The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel. Experience credit varies by property.
• Choose the color that suits your style. Gold or Rose Gold.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees.
• Annual Fee is $250.

Who should choose Amex Platinum?

The Platinum Card could be the best choice for you if:

• You will actually use all of the annual statement credits — if you take the time to enroll and maximize your credits, you can get more than $1,500 in value from credits alone.  
• You regularly book flights, hotels and car rentals and would benefit from high rewards rates in these categories.
• You’re a regular guest at Marriott, Hilton or other luxury properties where you’ll receive status and other benefits. 

Which card should you get?

Both the Amex Gold and Platinum cards are fantastic options for frequent travelers and they’re two of the most popular reward cards for different reasons. One isn’t automatically better than the other for everyone. To pick the right one for you, consider the cards you currently have in your wallet. Look for potential gaps in your points and miles strategy to see which card makes more sense. 

You should also analyze your monthly spending and your travel and financial goals. While the Platinum Card offers many more benefits than the Amex Gold Card, it also comes with more than double the annual fee. While long lists of perks can be very enticing, it’s essential to make sure you’ll actually use them in order to offset the higher cost. 

Of course, you don’t have to choose between them. These cards also pair very well together to deliver the best of both worlds. Plus, you can combine points earned from each card. 

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

One card is not better than the other. The best card for you will depend on your spending habits and travel needs. While the Gold Card offers bonus categories for restaurants and groceries at U.S. supermarkets, the Platinum Card is more travel-focused and offers more annual statement credits for a much higher annual fee. 

No, the Amex Gold Card does not provide any lounge access. 

American Express will consider many factors when reviewing your application. However, you should have a good to excellent credit score to improve your chances of getting approved. On the FICO model, this is a credit score of 670 or more. 

The Amex Gold Card does not have a preset spending limit , nor does the Platinum. This means the amount you can spend will adapt based on multiple factors, like your purchase, payment and credit history. 

Whether the $695 annual fee for the Amex Platinum is worth it will depend on your spending habits. If you can take advantage of the statement credits, you can likely wholly offset the annual fee. However, you might be better off with a different card if you don’t purchase many flights and hotel stays throughout the year. 

For rates and fees for the American Express® Gold Card please visit this page .

For rates and fees for The Platinum Card® from American Express please visit this page .

¹Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

²Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

³Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.

⁴Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. 

Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Blueprint has an advertiser disclosure policy . The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Blueprint editorial staff alone. Blueprint adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.

Harrison Pierce is a freelance writer and digital nomad that is passionate about all things personal finance and travel. While traveling full-time, he refined his love for writing and now enjoys working with various brands to tell stories and create meaningful content.

Julie Stephen Sherrier is a personal finance writer and editor based in Austin, TX. She is the former senior managing editor for LendingTree, responsible for all credit card and credit health content. Before joining LendingTree, Julie spent more than a decade as the managing editor and then editorial director at Bankrate and CreditCards.com. She also served as an adjunct journalism instructor at the University of Texas at Austin.

Grace Pilling is a deputy editor for credit cards at USA TODAY Blueprint. She believes credit cards are the ultimate choose-your-own-adventure tools of the financial world and gets excited about helping people discover the best credit card strategy for their unique goals. Prior to joining Blueprint, Grace worked on and led personal finance teams at Bankrate, CreditCards.com, MoneyUnder30 and MoneyGeek. She has a bachelor’s degree in English and writing and a diploma in editing and publishing.

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As a sole proprietor, there is no legal separation between you and your business. Still, it's beneficial to separate your business and personal expenses to simplify your bookkeeping and taxes .

Sole proprietors can use personal credit cards for business purposes, but it's generally easier to separate expenses with a business credit card . With the right business card, you can earn rewards, finance larger purchases, build your business credit history and take advantage of other business-related benefits.

You have many options if you're a sole proprietor seeking a small business credit card. To help you out, CNBC Select has narrowed down the best business credit cards for sole proprietors in a handful of practical categories. (See  our methodology  for information on how we chose the best sole proprietorship business credit cards.)

• Best for cash back: Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
• Best for travel rewards: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
• Best for premium perks: The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
• Best for 0% intro APR: U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card
• Best for bad credit: Bank of America Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured credit card

Best for cash back

Ink business unlimited® credit card.

Earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business

Welcome bonus

Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening

0% for the first 12 months from account opening on purchases; N/A for balance transfers

Regular APR

18.49% - 24.49% variable

Balance transfer fee

Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater

Foreign transaction fee

Credit needed.

Good/Excellent

Terms apply.

• No annual fee
• Free employee cards
• Simple cash-back program
• Special financing offer for purchases
• 3% fee charged on purchases made outside the U.S.

Who's this for? The Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card is ideal for sole proprietors who value simplicity because it offers a generous flat cash-back rate on all purchases and has no annual fee.

Standout benefits: All purchases earn at least 1.5% cashback. This allows sole proprietors to focus on what matters to their business instead of spending time navigating a complicated rewards program.

[ Jump to more details ]

Best for travel rewards

Ink business preferred® credit card.

Earn 3X points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases in select categories each account anniversary year (travel; shipping purchases; internet, cable and phone services; and advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines), 1X point per $1 on all other purchases

Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

21.24% - 26.24% variable

Read our Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card review.

• Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase TravelSM
• 1:1 point transfer to leading frequent travel programs
• No fee charged on purchases made outside the U.S.
• Generous welcome bonus worth up to $1,000
• $95 annual fee
• No introductory 0% financing offers for purchases or balance transfers

Who's this for? The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is ideal for sole proprietors who want to earn transferable travel rewards, with one of the most valuable welcome bonus offers and useful bonus business spending categories.

Standout benefits: This card has various built-in travel protections and earns  Chase Ultimate Rewards® points , which can be transferred to over a dozen airline and hotel travel loyalty programs. Points can also be redeemed for 1.25 cents apiece toward travel through the  Chase Travel SM  portal .

Best for premium benefits

The business platinum card® from american express.

Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com and 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases. Also, earn 1.5X points (that's an extra half point per dollar) on each eligible purchases at US construction material, hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year.

Earn 120,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of card membership

19.49% - 28.49% variable

Excellent/Good

See rates and fees , terms apply.

• Enroll to receive up to $400 in annual statement credits on Dell purchases (up to $200 semi-annually), up to $360 with Indeed, up to $150 with Adobe and up to $120 on wireless telephone purchases
• Get 35% points back when you use points to purchase all or part of an airline fare, up to 500,000 bonus points back per calendar year
• American Express Global Lounge Collection
• Breeze through security with CLEAR® Plus where available and get up to $189 back per year on your membership when you use your card. (subject to auto-renewal)
• Up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year for incidental fees charged by your one selected, qualifying airline to your card
• $695 annual fee
• No introductory 0% financing offers

Who's this for? The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is one of the best options for sole proprietors who value luxury travel benefits such as airport lounge access and automatic hotel elite status.

Standout benefits: This card offers a long list of travel benefits, including access to over 1,400 airport lounges and an annual airline fee credit of up to $200 for incidentals, like baggage fees and seat upgrades. Cardholders can enroll to receive Hilton Gold status, Marriott Gold status and premium rental car privileges with National, Avis and Hertz. Terms apply.

Best for 0% intro APR

U.s. bank triple cash rewards visa® business card.

Earn 5% cash back on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Rewards Center, 3% cash back on eligible purchases at gas stations and EV charging stations, office supply stores, cell phone service providers and restaurants, 1% cash back on all other eligible net purchases

Earn $500 in cash back. Just spend $4,500 on the account owner's card in the first 150 days of opening your account.

0% for 15 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers

19.24% - 28.24% (Variable)

Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater

• $500 welcome bonus offer
• No limit on cash back earned
• Interest-free period for the first 15 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers
• Annual $100 statement credit for recurring software subscription services
• 3% foreign transaction fee

Who's this for? The U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card is a good option for sole proprietors looking for a strong intro APR offer and still want to earn cash back . Typically, cards with longer intro-APR periods like this one offer fewer rewards and other benefits.

Standout benefits: The U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card offers new cardmembers a 0% intro APR on both purchases and eligible balance transfers for 15 billing cycles, after that, a variable 19.24% to 28.24% APR applies. There is a balance transfer fee of 3% of the amount you transfer ($5 minimum).

Best for bad credit

Bank of america business advantage unlimited cash rewards secured credit card.

Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases

28.49% variable

4% of each transaction (minimum $0)

Poor/No credit history

• Bad credit may qualify
• Opportunity to transition to an unsecured card for qualified cardholders
• Flexible redemption options
• $1,000 minimum security deposit
• No welcome bonus

Who's this for? If your credit needs work , the Bank of America Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured credit card can help you build your score while still earning rewards.

Standout benefits: Secured credit cards are designed for people with no credit history or weak credit scores. They typically don't offer many benefits or rewards, but this card is an exception, earning a competitive 1.5% cash back on every purchase. This return matches some of the top unsecured cash-back credit cards.

More on our business credit cards for sole proprietors

Chase ink business unlimited® credit card.

The Ink Business Unlimited card is a rewarding cash-back business card with an unusually generous welcome bonus for a no-annual-fee card.

• 5% cash back on Lyft rides (through Mar. 31, 2025)
• 1.5% cash back on all other purchases

Earn a $750 cash bonus after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months after opening the account.

Notable perks

New Ink Business Unlimited cardholders receive an intro 0% APR on purchases for 12 months (after that, a variable 18.49% to 24.49% APR applies). This is an excellent offer that makes financing important business purchases more affordable.

You can add employee cards for no additional fee and take advantage of benefits such as purchase protection , extended warranty protection , roadside dispatch and travel and emergency assistance services.

If you have an eligible Ultimate-Rewards-earning card, like the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card , the cashback earned with this card can be converted into transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards® points.

[ Return to card summary ]

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is a popular business rewards card with a reasonable annual fee, excellent rewards rates and useful insurance benefits.

• 5X points on Lyft rides (through March 31, 2025)
• 3X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases in these categories each account anniversary year: Shipping , advertising (with select social media sites and search engines), travel, internet, cable and phone services
• 1X points on all other purchases

Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months after account opening.

This card has no foreign transaction fees and does not charge extra to add employee cards. It also offers many built-in insurance benefits that apply to certain purchases, including:

• Cell phone protection
• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
• Roadside dispatch
• Purchase protection
• Extended warranty protection
• Rental car insurance (primary)
• Baggage delay insurance
• Lost luggage coverage
• Travel accident insurance
• Trip delay reimbursement
• Travel and emergency assistance services

This is a longer list of travel and purchase protections than many other sub-$100 annual fee cards. 

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is a premium card with an array of benefits that can easily offset its high annual fee (see rates and fees ).

• 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on AmexTravel.com
• 1.5X points on up to $2 million in purchases per calendar year of eligible purchases in the following categories: U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers, software and cloud systems providers, shipping providers and on purchases of $5,000 or more
• 1X points for all other purchases
• Terms apply

Earn 120,000 bonus points after spending $15,000 in qualifying purchases on your card in the first three months of card membership.

$695 (see rates and fees )

The Amex Business Platinum card offers a long list of valuable statement credit offers, including:

• Up to $400 back per year on U.S. Dell purchases (up to $200 back semi-annually)
• Up to $360 back per year on Indeed purchases (up to $90 back quarterly) through Dec. 31, 2024
• Up to $150 back for select Adobe auto-renewing annual business subscriptions through Dec. 31, 2024
• Up to $120 back per year for U.S. wireless telephone service provider purchases
• Up to $200 in airline fee credit per year with one qualifying airline you choose
• Up to $189 back per calendar year for CLEAR Plus
• Up to $100 back for application fees every four years for Global Entry or every 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck

Cardholders enjoy automatic hotel elite status with Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy and have access to more airport lounges than any other card, including Amex Centurion Lounges , Escape Lounges, Plaza Premium lounges, Priority Pass lounges, Delta Sky Clubs and Lufthansa lounges.

The card also boasts no foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees ) and many insurance coverages including, return protection, trip delay insurance , trip cancellation and interruption insurance, baggage insurance, extended warranty coverage, rental car insurance, cell phone protection and purchase protection.

The U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card packs a lot into a no-annual-fee business card . Not only does it offer a competitive intro APR offer, but it also has a strong welcome bonus and great cash-back rates.

• 5% back on prepaid hotels and rental cars booked through the U.S. Bank Travel Rewards Center
• 3% cash back on eligible purchases at gas and EV charging stations, office supply stores, cell phone service providers and restaurants
• 1% cash back on all other purchases

Earn $500 cash back after spending $4,500 on purchases within the first 150 days of account opening.

Cardholders can earn a $100 annual statement credit for recurring software subscriptions. To qualify, you need to make 11 consecutive monthly payments for an eligible software service, such as QuickBooks or FreshBooks .

The Bank of America Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured credit card is a solid cash-back card in and of itself but shines in comparison to other secured cards.

• 1.5% cash back on all purchases

The required minimum deposit to open this card is $1,000 and your credit line is equal to the amount you deposit. It also has a handful of travel insurance perks including, up to $100,000 in travel accident insurance, lost luggage assistance and emergency ticket replacement.

Can a sole proprietor get a business credit card?

A small business owner who is a sole proprietor is eligible for business credit cards. Many business card applications allow you to use your social security number as your business tax ID and don't require you to have an LLC or other complicated business structure.

Can I use my EIN to get a business credit card?

You can use an Employer Identification Number (EIN) to apply for a business credit card as a sole proprietor. However, most business cards for sole proprietors require a personal guarantee, so reviews of your personal credit history and income are part of the application process.

Do business credit card applications verify personal income?

Most small business card applications require you to provide your personal income and social security number. The card issuer can use this information to determine your credit limit and whether you can afford the card's monthly payments.

Bottom line

Sole proprietors are eligible for most types of small business credit cards, including cards that earn cash-back, travel rewards and offer no-interest intro periods. You'll usually need a good to excellent credit score to qualify for the most rewarding cards, but if you have a lower credit score, some of the easiest business credit cards to get only require an average or fair credit score.

Why trust CNBC Select?

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every business credit card   article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card   products .  While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See  our methodology  for more information on how we choose the best business credit cards for sole proprietors.

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Our methodology

To determine which business cards offer the best value for sole proprietors, CNBC Select analyzed dozens of major small business credit cards. We compared each card on a range of features, including the annual fee, rewards, welcome bonus, introductory and standard APR and foreign transaction fees. We also considered additional perks, the application process and how easy it is to redeem points.

Catch up on CNBC Select's in-depth coverage of  credit cards ,  banking  and  money , and follow us on  TikTok ,  Facebook ,  Instagram  and  Twitter  to stay up to date.

For rates and fees of The Business Platinum® Card from American Express, click here .

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