American Express Membership Rewards is 1 of 5 transferable point programs. Capital One, Chase, Citi, and Marriott are the other transferable point programs.
American Express has 2 things going for it that I appreciate. The first is its airline partners. Amex has airline partnerships that allow you to book award flights unlocking tons of value. The second thing I like is the regular transfer bonuses. Amex regularly offers a bonus when transferring its points to some of its airline partners.
Amex 5 Credit Card Rule
Mirroring Chase’s 5/24 rule, Amex has its own credit card restrictions. I’ll call it the 5 credit card rule. In short, you’re typically capped at holding at most 5 Amex credit cards at one time.
The credit cards that count towards this limit are co-branded cards from Delta, Hilton, and Marriott. The EveryDay, Blue, SimplyCash, and Magnet credit cards also count.
Amex has another set of credit cards called charge cards. These cards don’t count towards your 5 credit card total. Included in this group are the Gold, Green, Platinum, and Plum credit cards. With that said, let’s walk through the Amex cards I have and the perks on each card.
Best Amex Credit Cards In My Wallet
The best Amex credit card will be driven by your spending patterns and the Amex 5 credit card rule. Before applying for Amex credit cards, determine the bonus category spending gaps you’re looking to address. From there, you’ll want to find specific cards to fill the gaps.
If your focus is on credit cards, you have 5 slots to fill. With charge cards, there is no limit. The catch is that many Amex cards have lifetime sign up bonus language. This means that you can only receive the signup bonus once. For this reason, you’ll want to wait until the signup bonus is at its all-time high.
Best Personal Amex Credit Cards
Marriott Bonvoy
The Marriott Bonvoy credit card, unfortunately, is no longer open to new applicants. Current cardmembers receive a free award night at a property requiring up to 35,000 points and 15 elite night credits. These are the 2 reasons I keep this card every year.
Best Amex Business Credit Cards
Marriott Bonvoy Business
The Marriott Bonvoy Business is a business card that also comes with 15 elite night credits (elite night credits aren’t stackable) and 1 free award night at a property requiring up to 35,000 points per night. Like the Marriott Bonvoy, these are the 2 reasons I keep the card open.
Blue Business® Plus
The Blue Business® Plus was my favorite card I picked up in 2018. This no frills card earns 2X Amex points per transaction. It’s my go-to card for non-bonus category spend like Amazon.
Best Amex Credit Cards In My Future
As I mentioned in my best Chase credit card strategy post, I’m looking to address spending category gaps with new Amex cards. The overall goal is to apply for new cards that will help me to earn at least 2X points per transaction.
Personal Amex Credit Cards
The Platinum Card®
The American Express Platinum is a card I’ll pick up for 2 reasons. One, the card comes with Centurion Lounge and Delta Sky Club (when flying Delta) access. Two, it earns 5X points on flights booked with airlines.
American Express® Gold
The American Express® Gold is a card that packs a punch! It earns 4X points at restaurants and US supermarkets. Cardmembers also receive yearly airline incidental dining credits. These credits help to offset the annual fee.
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire
The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire is a credit card I like for 3 reasons. One, it comes with top tier Hilton Diamond status. Two, it comes with 1 free weekend award night with no blackout dates. Three, cardmembers receive a yearly Hilton and airline incidental credits. Note that this card counts towards your Amex 5 credit card limit.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™
Another Marriott card I’m looking to add to the mix is the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™. This card earns 6X points at Marriott. In addition, it comes with a free award night at a property requiring up to 50,000 points. Cardmembers also receive a Marriott statement credit. The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant counts towards your 5 credit card limit.
Amex Business Credit Cards
Business Platinum Card®
There are 2 reasons I’ll apply for the Business Platinum Card®. One, it earns 5X points on flights booked with the airlines. Two, cardmembers receive a 35% rebate on points when booking award flights.
Conclusion on the Best Amex Credit Card Strategy:
The best Amex credit card will depend on the cards you want to take up your 5 Amex slots. I’m currently using 2 of the 5 slots for Marriott free award nights and the 3rd slot to earn 2X Amex points.
The last 2 credit card spots will be filled with free award night cards. The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ both come with free award nights that we’ll be able to use on our trips.
What about you? Are there Amex credit cards that you recommend? What benefits do you look for most in a credit card? Please let me know in the comments or by sending me an email on my contact page.
Disclaimer: If you click and/or sign up for a credit card through certain links on this site or any of my related social media platforms, I may make a commission from that click-through. The editorial content on this page and the user comments are not provided by any of the companies mentioned and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are mine alone.
