‘Level Up’ Your Understanding of Amex Card Levels

7 Min Read | Last updated: September 18, 2025

American Express Card ‘levels’ are more like unique categories to match your spending style, from casual spender to luxury traveler – and everyone in between.

At-A-Glance

American Express offers two main Credit Card categories: rewards points Credit Cards and cash back Cards.
Each Card category has several unique variations with different benefits and ways to earn rewards.
The right Credit Card for you depends on your lifestyle and spending preferences.

You can access over $3,500 in annual value when you make eligible purchases across travel, entertainment, and other benefits. Terms apply.

American Express offers several categories of credit cards, each with unique card variations to suit any Card Member from the everyday shopper to the luxury traveler. While some people think of these card variations as “levels,” it’s more accurate to think of each as its own, special category with its own benefits and rewards so you can choose the card that matches your purchasing preferences:

Rewards points credit cards could be a good fit for those who have more general spending habits. Sometimes these cards take the form of travel credit cards, with travel-specific benefits and rewards opportunities.
Cash back credit cards typically provide cash back for eligible purchases, often in the form of a statement credit.

Understanding the value and nuances of each American Express Card’s benefits can help you choose the right Card for you and your lifestyle.

Terms apply to all benefits for the Credit Cards listed below and all offers listed are subject to change.

Rewards Credit Cards: Green, Gold, and Platinum

If you’re looking for a rewards credit card that offers card benefits and the chance to earn rewards points, these three “classic” American Express Cards were designed to meet your needs.

The Membership Rewards^® points you earn with these credit cards – and other eligible American Express Cards – won’t expire as long as you have at least one active, enrolled Card, and there’s no cap to how many you can earn, so they’ll be waiting for whenever you’re ready to redeem them.

American Express® Green Card

The Green Card offers the chance to earn Membership Rewards points on eligible purchases for travel, transit, dining, and more. It also offers card benefits, including no foreign transaction fees¹ and up to $209 in statement credits per calendar year when using the Card to pay for a CLEAR^® Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal). CLEAR uses unique attributes, such as eyes or fingerprints, to digitally verify identity to help its members move faster through security at select airports nationwide.²

Consider the Green Card if: you’re a more casual traveler and diner, can pay an annual fee of $150,³ and you desire a fairly flexible repayment scheme.

American Express® Gold Card

The Gold Card has a $325 annual fee⁴ and offers benefits across eligible dining and travel purchases. With 4X points at restaurants worldwide (plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.) on up to $50,000 each year and 4X points on groceries at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 each year – the Gold Card can maximize your love for dining, whether it’s at the newest restaurant in town or at home with your favorite recipe. And if you love to discover dining in new destinations, the Gold Card also comes with 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.⁵

Consider the Gold Card if: you find yourself frequently dining at restaurants, cooking home-cooked meals, traveling, and want to get rewarded for doing the things you already love.

The Platinum Card^®

The Platinum Card can help to support your everyday experiences, as well as the bigger moments as well. As an American Express Platinum Member, you’ll have access to a range of exciting benefits including travel benefits, as well as dining, entertainment, shopping, and wellness benefits, that can help you to get the most out of your everyday.

The Platinum Card has a $895 annual fee,⁶ at the same time, this Card can help you unlock incredible value.

Here are just some of the Platinum Card benefits and statement credits:

Platinum Card Travel Benefits:

5X Membership Rewards Points With the Platinum Card, you can earn 5x Membership Rewards points on eligible air and prepaid hotel bookings through American Express Travel^® and paid for with your Platinum Card. Terms and conditions apply.⁷
Global Lounge Collection^®: With The American Express Global Lounge Collection, enjoy access to over 1,550 airport lounges worldwide. Enrollment may be required to access certain lounges.⁸
$200 Uber Cash: Add your Platinum Card to your Uber account to start receiving $15 in Uber Cash each month, plus a bonus $20 in December, to use on rides and orders in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction. That can be up to $200 in Uber Cash annually.⁹
$120 Uber One Credit: Get up to $120 back annually when you use your Platinum Card to purchase an auto-renewing Uber One membership. Terms apply.¹⁰
Fine Hotels + Resorts ($550): With over 1,800 luxury properties around the world, when you book Fine Hotels + Resorts^® through American Express Travel, you can receive access to a suite of benefits with an average total value of $550 in perks, like complimentary breakfast, statement credits, and late check-out. Note that certain room categories are not eligible for upgrade and actual value will vary.¹¹
$600 Hotel Credit: Get up to $300 back in statement credits semi-annually (for a total of $600 in statement credits per calendar year) on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel using the Platinum Card.¹²
$209 CLEAR^® Plus Credit: With CLEAR Plus, you can get to your gate faster. Receive up to $209 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for your CLEAR Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) with your Platinum Card.¹³
$200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees, such as checked bags and in-flight refreshments, are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card^® Account.¹⁴ [15]

[15] American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after 8 weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details.

Platinum Card Dining and Entertainment Benefits:

$400 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 back each quarter on dining purchases at over 10,000 U.S. Resy restaurants [16] or make other eligible Resy purchases using your Platinum Card. Enrollment required.¹⁷
[16] As of 3/2025
$300 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $25 in statement credits each month when you use the Platinum Card for eligible digital entertainment purchases. Enrollment required.¹⁸

Platinum Card Shopping and Wellness Benefits

$300 Lululemon Credit: With the $300 lululemon Credit, you can get up to $75 in statement credits each quarter when you use the Platinum Card for eligible purchases at lululemon retail stores (excluding outlets) and lululemon.com. Enrollment required.¹⁹
$155 Walmart+ Credit: Use your Platinum Card to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership and get up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes back on one membership (excluding Plus Ups) each month.²⁰
$100 Saks Credit: Earn up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue or saks.com on your Platinum Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits from January through June and up to $50 in statement credits from July through December. No minimum purchase required. Enrollment required.²¹

Note that this is just a snapshot of some of the things that the Platinum Card offers. For a complete list of Card benefits, along with each benefit’s terms, conditions, and requirements, visit the Platinum Card page.

Consider The Platinum Card if: you’re looking to elevate the everyday with exciting card features and benefits and would like to earn Membership Rewards points on eligible travel expenses as well.

Close-up of hands holding a wallet and taking out a credit card from a set of cards.

Cash Back Cards: Blue Cash Everyday® and Blue Cash Preferred®

If earning points isn’t for you – or you want to expand the ways you can earn Credit Card benefits – American Express offers two Cards that earn you cash back on all eligible purchases. Instead of earning points that you can then redeem for a number of options, cash back can be redeemed for statement credits – getting a small rebate for every eligible purchase you make.

Blue Cash Everyday Card

This is a no annual fee²² cash back Card that aims to help you earn rewards for everyday essentials. For example, the Card offers:

$84 Disney Bundle Credit, which allows you to get a $7 monthly statement credit (up to $84 back annually) after using your enrolled Blue Cash Everyday Card to spend $9.99 or more each month on a subscription (subject to auto-renewal) to the Disney Bundle. Valid only at DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com, or Plus.espn.com in the U.S.²³
3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%)
3% cash back at U.S. online retailers, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%)
3% cash back at U.S. gas stations, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%)
1% cash back on all other eligible purchases.²⁴

Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit.

Consider the Blue Cash Everyday Card if: you want a no-annual-fee grocery, gas, and online retail rewards Card that earns you cash back instead of points, in addition to select streaming credits.

Blue Cash Preferred Card

Blue Cash Preferred offers cash back opportunities on additional spending categories like streaming subscriptions and transit. With the Card’s $95 annual fee²⁵ come a variety of reward opportunities that can be especially valuable for families and those who use a lot of streaming services, tend to cook at home, or even commute to work. For example, with this Card you can get:

6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 in purchases per year (then 1%).
6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
3% cash back at U.S. gas stations.
3% cash back on transit, including tolls, parking, trains, buses, and more.
1% cash back on all other eligible purchases. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit.²⁶

Consider the Blue Cash Preferred Card if: you tend to spend a lot at grocery stores and gas stations and love using your streaming services. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit.

The Takeaway

The best American Express Card for you depends on your goals, typical expenditures, and preferences. American Express offers different Cards including rewards Cards and cash back Cards, each with a unique mix of rewards and benefits so you can find the best match for you.

^1,3 For more on Rates and Fees for the American Express^® Green Card, click here.

² For more on Offer and Benefit Terms for the American Express^® Green Card, click here.

⁴ For more on Rates and Fees for The American Express^® Gold Card, click here.

⁵ For more on Offer and Benefit Terms for The American Express^® Gold Card, click here.

⁶For more on Rates and Fees for The Platinum Card^®, click here.

^{7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,17,18,19,20,21}For more on Offer & Benefit Terms for The Platinum Card^®, click here.

²²For more on Rates and Fees for the Blue Cash Everyday^® Card, click here.

^23,24For more on Offer & Benefit Terms for the Blue Cash Everyday^® Card, click here.

²⁵For more on Rates and Fees for the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card, click here.

²⁶For more on Offer & Benefit Terms for the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card, click here.

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Megan Doyle is a business technology writer and researcher whose work focuses on financial services and cross-cultural diversity and inclusion.

All Credit Intel content is written by freelance authors and commissioned and paid for by American Express.

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