Hear from our editors: The 6 best American Express cards of January 2025
Updated December 20, 2024
This date may not reflect recent changes in individual terms.
Editorial Note: Intuit Credit Karma receives compensation from third-party advertisers, but that doesn’t affect our editors’ opinions. Our third-party advertisers don’t review, approve or endorse our editorial content. Information about financial products not offered on Credit Karma is collected independently. Our content is accurate to the best of our knowledge when posted.
Written by: Tim Devaney
American Express offers a variety of credit cards with competitive bonus offers and other rewards. Save yourself some time on comparison shopping by checking out our favorite American Express credit cards for travel, restaurants, business cash back rewards and more.
- Best for travel: Platinum Card® from American Express
- Best for restaurants: American Express® Gold Card
- Best for groceries: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
- Best for no annual fee: Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
- Best for small businesses: The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
- Best for business travel: The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Best for travel: Platinum Card® from American Express
Here’s why: The Platinum Card® from American Express offers so many travel, dining and lifestyle perks that you might just be able to justify paying the high annual fee.
Read more about the Platinum Card® from American Express for more details.
Best for restaurants: American Express® Gold Card
Here’s why: If you enjoy eating out, the American Express® Gold Card offers enough dining credits and restaurant rewards to help offset the annual fee.
Read about the American Express® Gold Card to learn more.
Best for groceries: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
Here’s why: If you enjoy cooking at home, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express features a terrific cash back rate on groceries and other household expenses. But it only makes sense for people who spend enough at U.S. supermarkets to justify the annual fee.
Learn more about the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express.
Best for no annual fee: Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
Here’s why: For anyone on a budget, the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express’ competitive rewards and perks — combined with no annual fee — make it a good option.
Find out more about the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express.
Best for small businesses: The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
Here’s why: The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card frees you up to focus on running your business, instead of worrying about which card to use to get the most cash back. And with no annual fee, it’s the obvious choice for small-business owners who want to cut expenses.
Learn more about The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card.
Best for business travel: The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Here’s why: If you travel often for work, investing in The Business Platinum Card® from American Express could pay off in the long run. Though it charges an expensive annual fee, the luxury benefits will make your business trips more comfortable, while the rewards could help you pay for that much-needed vacation.
Take a look at The Business Platinum Card® from American Express to learn more.
How we picked these cards
To choose the best card for each category, we took a comprehensive look at all the credit cards offered by American Express, identified common rewards categories and determined which one presented the largest or most valuable reward. Where there wasn’t a clear winner, we considered the following:
- The value of additional perks
- Fee structures
- Complexity of rewards categories and restrictions
We excluded co-branded cards, or cards that primarily offer points and rewards for purchases made through specific vendors.
How to make the most of these cards
If you’re preparing to apply for a new American Express card, be sure to review all fees and restrictions to see if the card matches your spending habits and needs.
For instance, luxury cards often come with hefty annual fees, and you can only make up for them if you’re proactive about using perks like airline fee credits or lounge access. As with any credit card application, be sure to do some homework first. If you understand the fees and restrictions upfront, you’ll be better equipped to get the most out of whichever credit card you choose.
FAQs about American Express cards
American Express doesn’t list any credit score or income requirements on its website. But the better your credit, the better your chance of being approved for a credit card.
Currently, American Express issues more than a dozen different consumer cards. Generally, secured credit cards are the easiest to get. But American Express doesn’t issue any secured cards, so it’s unclear which one is the easiest to get.
The most expensive American Express card is the Platinum Card® from American Express, which charges the highest annual fee: $695.
An American Express card can be worth it if you’re able to match your spending habits with the rewards, perks and fees offered on a particular card. For instance, if you like to cook at home and don’t have the budget to add a card with an annual fee to your rotation, try looking for a no-annual-fee card that rewards grocery store purchases. On the other hand, if you’re a world traveler, consider a premium travel card. It’ll have a much more expensive annual fee, but you’ll have access to rewards and valuable benefits that might make it worth it for you.