The Best American Express Card For Credit Card Churning 2022

With a portfolio of more than a dozen consumer credit cards, American Express has established itself as one of the most trusted and versatile credit card companies throughout the world. But with its multitude of offerings comes the paradox of choice: Which American Express card will best meet your individual financial needs while delivering maximum credit-churning rewards?

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Our Picks For The Best American Express Card for Churning

Below, we’ve identified the top American Express cards in seven categories and broken down the fees, benefits and rewards associated with each so you can make your own comparisons and choose accordingly.

Best American Express Card with Sign-Up Bonus: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Benefits of The Platinum Card® from American Express

This well-rounded card comes with a long list of benefits, especially for cardholders who like to travel. It includes a statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees as well as an annual $200 credit for incidental purchases on your chosen airline.

Cardholders also receive access to more than 1,300 airport lounges across 140 countries—the most of any consumer credit card. Hotel stays are also enhanced with the Platinum Card, which includes perks like complimentary breakfast, late check-out and statement credits for spa treatments and other premium amenities. Finally, cardholders are immediately upgraded to Uber VIP status and enjoy $200 in annual Uber credits on rides or food orders in the U.S.

Earning Points and Rewards

Cardholders earn 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on hotel stays booked through American Express Travel and 5 points per dollar on flights booked directly through airlines or American Express Travel, with a limit of $500,000 per calendar year. All other purchases earn one point per dollar.

Welcome Bonus

After you spend $5,000 in the first six months with your card, you’ll receive 75,000 Membership Rewards points. In the first six months of card membership, you’ll also receive a whopping 10 points for each dollar spent at U.S. gas stations and grocery stores, with a cap of $15,000.

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Best American Express Card for Cash Back: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

Benefits of Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

Of all the credit card rewards programs, cash back cards may be the most relevant and easy-to-use. You get cash back based on your spending levels, and you’re free to use that money however you choose, with no extra effort to redeem points for airline miles, hotel stays or other merchandise.

The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express rewards users with a generous 6 percent cash back on purchases in two categories—groceries and streaming services—along with impressive earnings rates in several other categories.

When you use the card to pay for a rental car, you’ll automatically be covered for loss or damage to the vehicle, and other purchases are covered with the American Express return protection program. You’re also eligible to enroll in Amex Offers, which can provide additional savings on specific purchases.

Earning Points and Rewards

When you use your Blue Cash Preferred Card, you’ll earn 6 percent cash back on groceries (up to $6,000 per year) and streaming services like Spotify and Netflix; 3 percent cash back at U.S. gas stations; 3 percent cash back on transit, including ride-sharing services, parking and tolls; and 1 percent cash back on all other purchases. Cash back is delivered in the form of a statement credit toward your card balance.

Welcome Bonus

You’ll earn $150 cash back when you spend $3,000 on the card in the first six months of membership, as well as an additional 20 percent back on Amazon purchases (up to $200 cash back) within the same time frame.

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Best American Express Card with No Annual Fee: Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express

Benefits of Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express

Though its cash-back earning rates aren’t quite as high as the Blue Cash Preferred Card, the Blue Cash Everyday Card still offers substantial returns with no annual fee. Cardholders will earn the most cash back on grocery and gas purchases, with lower earnings rates on other spending.

In addition to cash back benefits, you’ll also enjoy access to American Express Experiences—exclusive access to ticket presales for Broadway shows, concerts, sporting events and more. The card also includes typical Amex benefits like rental car loss and damage coverage, travel accident insurance and refund protection.

Earning Points and Rewards

Cardholders earn 3 percent cash back on their first $6,000 in supermarket spending each year; 2 percent cash back at U.S. gas stations and select department stores; and 1 percent cash back on all other spending.

Welcome Bonus

When you spend $2,000 in your first six months of card membership, you’ll receive $100 in statement credits. You can also earn 20 percent back on Amazon purchases in the first six months, with a maximum of $150 cash back.

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Best American Express Card for Frequent Flyers: Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card

Benefits of Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card

If your airline loyalties lie with Delta, the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card was made for you. In addition to earning miles on Delta tickets and in-flight purchases, you’ll also enjoy benefits like a free checked bag for you and up to eight travel companions and top-tier boarding status.

When you use the card to pay for car rentals, you’ll automatically receive loss/damage coverage. If you travel overseas, you’ll be able to use the card without paying any foreign transaction fees.

On top of these travel-related benefits, the card offers extended warranty coverage on major purchases like electronics and appliances as well as 90 days of purchase protection in case an item is lost or stolen.  

Earning Points and Rewards

Cardholders earn two miles for every dollar spent on Delta purchases and at U.S. restaurants and supermarkets. All other purchases earn one mile per dollar.

Welcome Bonus

When you spend just $1,000 with your card in the first three months of membership, you’ll earn 40,000 bonus miles. If you manage to reach $10,000 in spending during a calendar year, you’ll receive a $100 Delta flight credit toward future travel.

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Best American Express Card for Dining Out: American Express® Gold Card

Benefits of American Express® Gold Card

Unlike most credit cards, the American Express Gold Card doesn’t automatically allow cardholders to carry a balance from month to month. Instead, members must qualify for the Pay Over Time feature, which allows users to add eligible charges to a balance that accrues interest from month to month until spending reaches the cardholder’s Pay Over Time limit. This structure can be useful for cardholders who prefer to pay their card off in full each month but may need extra incentive to do so.

The American Express Gold Card also stands out for its hefty rewards on grocery and dining purchases, which confer the highest number of points per dollar spent. Cardholders also receive Uber Eats credit as well as credits with several other meal delivery services and specific restaurant chains. Travel benefits include baggage insurance, rental car loss/damage coverage and no fees on foreign transactions.

Cardholders are eligible for other perks, such as event ticket presales, preferred seating at select cultural and sporting events and Amex Offers, which provides the opportunity to earn additional rewards on qualifying purchases.

Earning Points and Rewards

Using your American Express Gold Card will earn you four Membership Rewards points for each dollar spent at restaurants worldwide, supermarkets in the U.S. and on meal delivery services like Uber Eats, Seamless and Grubhub. Spending on flights booked directly through airlines or through the American Express travel site earns three points per dollar, while all other purchases are worth one point per dollar.

When you add your Gold Card to your Uber account, you’ll automatically be credited with $10 in Uber Cash each month, which can be used on Uber rides and Uber Eats orders within the U.S. Using your card to pay for other takeout services such as Grubhub, Seamless and Boxed yields similar benefits, with up to $10 in statement credits each month.

Welcome Bonus

The American Express Gold Card delivers a massive welcome bonus of 60,000 Membership Rewards points in return for spending just $4,000 within the first six months of membership.

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Best American Express Card Branded For Hotels: Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express

Benefits of the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express

If you travel frequently for business or pleasure and prefer to stay at Hilton-branded properties, your rewards will add up quickly with the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. In addition to earning significant quantities of points with each hotel purchase, you’ll immediately ascend to Hilton Diamond status, which entitles you to valuable benefits like a 100 percent earnings bonus on base points, free breakfast for two during each stay, room upgrades, premium internet, executive lounge access and late check-out.

Other travel perks include free Priority Pass Select membership, which gives you and two guests access to more than 1,000 airport lounges across the globe; a $250 credit for incidental airline charges; lost baggage insurance coverage; and car rental loss/damage insurance. During international or other long-distance trips, the premium Global Assist Hotline provides medical, legal, financial, and other emergency coordination and assistance services to cardholders 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Earning Points and Rewards

On purchases at participating Hilton hotels and resorts, cardholders earn 14 Hilton Honors points per dollar. Flights booked directly through American Express Travel and spending at U.S. restaurants and select car rental companies earn 7 points per dollar, while all other purchases earn 3 Hilton Honors points per dollar.

Each year, you’ll also receive a free weekend night award, and if you reach $60,000 in spending during a calendar year, you’ll receive an additional weekend night.

Welcome Bonus

When you spend $4,000 on your card within the first three months, your Hilton Honors account will rack up 150,000 bonus points.

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Best American Express Card for Businesses: American Express® Business Gold Card

Benefits of the American Express® Business Gold Card

The American Express Business Gold Card allows business owners to make the most of their typical spending by automatically offering quadruple rewards points in the two categories in which they spend the most money each month. This higher earning rate applies to the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these two categories per calendar year. Qualifying categories include airfare purchased directly from airlines; online, TV and radio advertising; computer hardware, software and cloud storage from select providers; gas stations; restaurants, including takeout and delivery services; and shipping.

Like the individual consumer Gold Card, the Business Gold Card features the Pay Over Time option for qualified cardholders on purchases of $100 or more. The card also has no preset spending limit, but instead adapts the amount that can be spent based on purchase, payment and credit history on the account.

The American Express Business Gold Card also offers a suite of expense management tools, including the American Express Business App, employee cards with no annual fee, auto-expense categorization in QuickBooks, vendor payment through Bill.com and the option to designate a trusted employee as account manager to handle tasks like making payments, reviewing transactions and other oversight functions.

Earning Points and Rewards

Cardholders earn 4 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent in the two categories with the highest spending each month, up to a total of $150,000 in combined spending from the two categories per year. All other purchases earn one point per dollar spent. When members book a flight through American Express Travel using Membership Rewards points, they’ll get 25 percent of the points used refunded to their account.

Welcome Bonus

After spending $10,000 on eligible purchases in the first three months, you’ll earn 70,000 Membership Rewards points.

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Factors to Consider When Choosing the Best American Express Card

As you consider the wide variety of credit cards available through American Express, narrowing them down into four main categories can help you identify which type of card best suits your spending habits and reward preferences:

• Cash back cards
• Cards that earn generic points with multiple redemption options
• Cards that earn points in one specific rewards program (such as airline miles)
• Cards designed for business use

Once you determine the category that most closely meets your needs, you’ll need to weigh other factors, including each card’s annual fee, welcome offer, rewards-earning rate and other perks and benefits, as well as credit score requirements and interest rates.

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Final Thoughts on the Best American Express Card for Churning in 2022

American Express has come a long way since its mid-19^th century beginnings as a freight forwarding company. Today, it’s one of the world’s most respected credit card providers, with more than a dozen premium card options to suit a range of individual consumer and small business purchasing practices.

Each card offers its own slate of benefits and rewards, including substantial welcome offers that make the seven American Express cards reviewed here among the most lucrative choices for credit card churning in 2022.