Amex Gold vs. Platinum: Which card should you bring on your next trip?

The American Express® Gold Card and The Platinum Card® from American Express allow you to earn valuable Membership Rewards® points on eligible purchases. The Amex Gold is well-suited for earning rewards on everyday purchases, while the Amex Platinum is a premium card packed with travel benefits (like airport lounge access).

The better card for you depends on your preferences and spending habits, though it could make sense to apply for both cards to take advantage of their different earning rates and benefits.

Both the Amex Gold and Platinum cards carry high annual fees relative to other reward cards. However, with a $370 difference between them, our choice is the (comparatively) more budget-friendly Amex Gold.

The Amex Platinum Card does have plenty to offer cardholders in exchange for its $695 annual fee. Frequent travelers, especially, can quickly outpace the cost in benefits and savings.

But we believe the Amex Gold card’s $325 annual fee is easier to offset with the value it can offer a wide range of users. The Platinum Card, on the other hand, can offer more than enough value to offset its $695 annual fee, too — but requires much of your spending to go toward travel and travel-related expenses, which may not be the case for many people.

Here are the available welcome offers on both cards:

• American Express Gold Card: Earn 60,000 American Express Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months — in other words, you must spend about $1,000 a month.

• American Express Platinum Card: Earn 80,000 American Express Membership Rewards points after spending $8,000 in the first six months — that equates to about $1,300 in monthly spending.

We think the Amex Platinum offer is better because you can earn more rewards for slightly more spending. The spending periods on both offers are longer than average, giving you plenty of time to meet the spending requirements.

Winner

The more you compare travel credit cards, you may find yourself in one of two camps: Either you prefer earning rewards on everyday spending to redeem for travel, or you prefer earning rewards on travel to put toward more travel.

The Amex Gold is better for the former, while the latter type of cardholder will prefer the Amex Platinum. But there are a few more details of these cards’ rewards structures that lead us to choose the Gold Card in this category.

The Platinum Card rewards your travel spending — making it ideal for cardholders who are constantly on the go:

• 5x points on flights booked directly with airlines or Amex Travel (up to $500,000 spent each year, then 1x)

• 5x points on prepaid hotels booked with Amex Travel

• 1x points on everything else

But even frequent travelers may be limited with these categories, since you’ll only earn the 5x bonus rewards when you book travel through Amex’s travel portal or reserve flights directly with airlines. Compared to other cards with much more comprehensive travel rewards, this could hinder your ability to score a great deal elsewhere while still earning bonus points.

The Amex Gold, on the other hand, offers some of the highest rewards rates at restaurants and supermarkets you’ll find among any rewards credit card today. It’s among the highest-earning cards for everyday spending:

• 4x points at restaurants in the U.S., including takeout and delivery (up to $50,000 spent per year, then 1x)

• 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 spent per year, then 1x)

• 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or through AmexTravel.com

• 2x points on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases made through AmexTravel.com

• 1x points on everything else

Read more: Is the Amex Gold Card still worth it? See what’s changed

Whether a bonus category is good for you is subjective, as it depends on your typical spending habits. However, we think the Amex Gold makes sense for more people because its spending categories align with everyday purchases.

You would need to travel frequently to get the most value out of the Amex Platinum’s rewards rate.

The Platinum Card’s added benefits are second to none among premium travel credit cards available today. According to Amex, the Platinum Card’s value is worth more than $1,500. If you take advantage of every single benefit the Platinum Card offers, you’ll undoubtedly get more than enough to make up for the $695 annual fee.

But remember: credits and benefits can only save you money if they offer value on purchases you would have made anyway. The better benefits between these two cards depend on which ones align with your lifestyle and preferences. The Amex Gold has many benefits that make sense for foodies, while the Amex Platinum has a wide variety of travel-related and shopping benefits.

For most travelers, the American Express Gold Card will offer maximum value relative to cost. Not only does it carry a much lower annual fee, but its rewards and benefits can help you make the most from your purchases at home and when you travel.

With bonus rewards at restaurants and supermarkets and annual credits for Uber and dining, many people will easily maximize the Gold Card’s value and get more out of it than they spend on the annual fee. Then, you can take those boosted rewards and turn them into savings on hotels, airfare, and more on your next trip close to home or abroad.

The Amex Gold isn’t the best fit if you want premium travel perks, such as airport lounge access or annual airline credits.

The American Express Platinum Card makes sense if you can take advantage of its many benefits to justify its high annual fee. Not all of its perks are travel-related, but it does have multiple benefits that cater well to frequent travelers. That includes access to the Amex Global Lounge Collection.

This isn’t a great card for earning rewards on everyday expenses, so we recommend pairing it with another card with different spending categories to help maximize your earnings on daily purchases.

If you really want to rack up Amex Membership Rewards points and cash in on travel, you may consider adding both cards to your wallet. The Amex Gold and Amex Platinum cards make sense when paired together because they have complementary benefits. You can use the Amex Gold to earn higher rewards rates on everyday purchases while making the Amex Platinum your go-to card for booking flights.

However, consider the cost of the two annual fees together: You’d pay $1,020 per year to have both cards. It’s a hefty sum that’s only worth it if you get enough value from the available rewards and benefits.

If you’re a very frequent traveler who spends most of your year on a trip or planning for the next, combining these cards’ rewards can help you increase your points earned while taking advantage of the range of added benefits.

But for most people, combining the Amex Gold and Platinum probably isn’t necessary. Choose the card that best fits your spending and budget, and you can maximize your spending without leaving any value on the table.

We consider both the Amex Gold and Amex Platinum among today’s top travel rewards credit cards, but there are plenty of other options that may be a better fit for your spending, redemption preferences, budget, and more.

Why we like it: This no-annual-fee travel card may be easier for cardholders with little experience using travel credit cards to open and start earning. You’ll earn 5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 1.25x miles on every other purchase. Unlike many travel cards, the Capital One VentureOne also has a generous introductory APR on new purchases and balance transfers for 15 months.

Read our full Capital One VentureOne review

Why we like it: It’s hard to go wrong with the $95 annual fee Chase Sapphire Preferred as your travel card of choice. The Sapphire Preferred Card has a 25% boost to travel redemptions made through Chase Travel℠, making this card’s welcome bonus worth at least $750 on travel through Chase.

Read our full Chase Sapphire Preferred review

Why we like it: Another major premium travel rewards card available today is the Venture X from Capital One, with a $395 annual fee. Your Capital One miles are worth 1 cent per point when you redeem them toward past travel purchases made with your card or when you book through Capital One Travel.

The Venture X also offers an annual $300 credit toward travel booked through Capital One Travel. Plus, you’ll get an additional 10,000 miles each year starting on your first account anniversary.

Read our full Capital One Venture X review

This article was edited by Rebecca McCracken

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