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Best American Express Credit Cards for 2024

Owl Banking reviewed dozens of credit cards to find the BEST American Express credit cards (personal and business) to earn points and cash-back, receive sign-up bonuses, airport lounge access, free checked bags, and more! Also, check this link for how to maximize American Express signup bonuses.

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

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Sign-Up Bonus

$250

Sign-Up Bonus Requirements

Spend $3,000 within 6 months

Annual Fee

$0 (Yr 1 only)

Rewards Rate

1%-6% cash back

Key Features

→  $250 cash-back sign-up bonus

→  Earn 6% cash-back at U.S supermarkets and U.S streaming subscriptions, and 3% cash-back at U.S. gas stations

→  1% cash-back on all purchases

→  $0 Introductory Annual Fee for the first year, then $95 thereafter

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card

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Sign-Up Bonus

130,000 pts

Sign-Up Bonus Requirements

Spend $3,000 within 6 months

Annual Fee

$150

Rewards Rate

3x-12x

Key Features

→  130,000 points sign-up bonus

→ Earn 12x points at all participating Hilton hotels, 6x points at U.S. restaurants, grocery stores, and gas stations, 4x point on select online retail purchases, and 3x points on all other purchases.

→  Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors™ Gold Status, with the ability to qualify for Hilton Gold Status (80% bonus on Base Points)

→  Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year

→  Exclusive access to ticket presales and Card Member-only events through American Express Experiences

→  $200 credit for purchases made directly with Hilton

→  No foreign transactions fees

→  $150 Annual Fee

American Express® Business Gold Card

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Sign-Up Bonus

100,000 pts

Sign-Up Bonus Requirements

Spend $15,000 within 3 months

Annual Fee

$375

Rewards Rate

1x-4x points

Key Features

→  100,000 points sign-up bonus

→  Earn 4x points in the 2 select categories that you spend the most,  3x points on all American Express Travel purchases (flights and hotels) and 1x points on all other purchases

→  Up to $395 in value for credits to select office supply stores and Walmart

→  $375 Annual Fee

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card

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Sign-Up Bonus

50,000 pts

Sign-Up Bonus Requirements

Spend $3,000 within 3 months

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

1x-2x points

Key Features

→  50,000 points sign-up bonus

→  Earn 2x points on all purchases in the first year and 1x points thereafter.

→  0.0% introductory APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening.

→  No Annual Fee

The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum
American Express Card

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Sign-Up Bonus

90,000 miles

Sign-Up Bonus Requirements

Spend $4,000 within 6 months

Annual Fee

$350

Rewards Rate

1x-3x points

Key Features

→  90,000 miles sign-up bonus

→  Earn 3x miles on all Delta purchases,  eligible hotels, restaurants, and U.S Supermarkets and 1x miles on all other purchases

→  Free credit for TSA PreCheck® and Global Entry

→  First Checked Bag Free for you and a companion and Priority Boarding (Main Cabin 1)

→  Receive a domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card

→  $350 Annual Fee

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold
American Express Card

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Sign-Up Bonus

80,000 miles

Sign-Up Bonus Requirements

Spend $3,000 within 6 months

Annual Fee

$0 (Yr 1 only)

Rewards Rate

1x-2x points

Key Features

→  80,000 miles sign-up bonus

→  Earn 2x miles on all Delta purchases, restaurants, and U.S Supermarkets and 1x miles on all other purchases

→  $200 flight credit after spending $10,000 in eligible purchases

→  First Checked Bag Free for you and a companion and Priority Boarding (Main Cabin 1)

→  $0 introductory Annual Fee, then $150 Annual Fee thereafter

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card

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Sign-Up Bonus

85,000 pts

Sign-Up Bonus Requirements

Spend $6,000 within 6 months

Annual Fee

$650

Rewards Rate

2x-6x points

Key Features

→  85,000 points sign-up bonus

→  Earn 6x points at all participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels, 4x points at restaurants and U.S. Supermarkets (up to $15k in calendar year), and 2x points on all other purchases.

→  Qualify for Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status, room rate discounts, and 1 Free Night Award each anniversary (after spending $15k in a calendar year)

→  $250 Annual Fee

Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card

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Sign-Up Bonus

3 Free Nights

Sign-Up Bonus Requirements

Spend $6,000 within 6 months

Annual Fee

$125

Rewards Rate

2x-6x points

Key Features

→  3 free night awards sign-up bonus

→  Earn 6x points at all participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels, 4x points at restaurants, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. wireless phone providers, and 2x points on all other purchases.

→  Qualify for Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status, room rate discounts, and 1 Free Night Award each anniversary

→  $125 Annual Fee

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire® Card

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Sign-Up Bonus

150,000 pts

Sign-Up Bonus Requirements

Spend $6,000 within 6 months

Annual Fee

$550

Rewards Rate

3x-14x

Key Features

→  150,000 points sign-up bonus

→ Earn 14x points at all participating Hilton hotels, 7x points for eligible purchases on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies and at U.S. restaurants, and 3x points on all other purchases.

→  Enjoy complimentary Diamond status with your Card, Diamond status gives you a 100% Bonus on Base Points you earn on every stay

→  $189 CLEAR Plus credit

→  Enjoy one Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors annually after renewal

→  Exclusive access to ticket presales and Card Member-only events through American Express Experiences

→  $200 semi-annual Hilton resort credit for purchases made directly with Hilton

→  No foreign transactions fees

→  $550 Annual Fee

Hilton Honors American Express Business Card

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Sign-Up Bonus

130,000 pts

Sign-Up Bonus Requirements

Spend $6,000 within 6 months

Annual Fee

$195

Rewards Rate

3x-12x points

Key Features

→  130,000 points sign-up bonus

→  Earn 12x points at all participating Hilton hotels and 5x points on all other purchases.

→  Qualify for Hilton Gold Status (80% bonus on Base Points) and opportunity to upgrade to Diamond Status

→  Priority Pass™ Select, with access to over 1,200 airport lounges in over 130 countries

→  $195 Annual Fee

The Platinum Card® from American Express

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Sign-Up Bonus

80,000 pts

Sign-Up Bonus Requirements

Spend $8,000 within 6 months

Annual Fee

$695

Rewards Rate

1x-5x points

Key Features

→  80,000 points sign-up bonus

→  Earn 5x points on all American Express Travel purchases (flights and hotels) and 1x points on all other purchases

→  Up to $1,500 in value for credits to hotels, airline bookings, Walmart,  select streaming (including Disney+, Hulu, The Wall Street Journal, ESPN+ and others), monthly Uber Cash, Equinox credit, CLEAR Plus Credit, Saks Fifth Avenue

→  $695 Annual Fee (which is high, but these benefits are very strong)

The Business Platinum Card®

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Sign-Up Bonus

250,000 pts

Sign-Up Bonus Requirements

Spend $20,000 within 3 months

Annual Fee

$695

Rewards Rate

1x-5x points

Key Features

→  250,000 points sign-up bonus

→ Earn 5x points on all American Express Travel purchases (flights and hotels), 1.5x points on eligible business categories, and 1x points on all other purchases

→ Access to the American Express Global Lounge® Collection, including 1,400+ airport lounges in over 500 airports around the world.

→  $1,200+ in value for credits to Dell, Indeed, CLEAR® Plus, Adobe, qualifying airlines

→  $695 Annual Fee

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card

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Sign-Up Bonus

85,000 pts

Sign-Up Bonus Requirements

Spend $5,000 within 6 months

Annual Fee

$250

Rewards Rate

2x-6x points

Key Features

→  95,000 points sign-up bonus

→  Earn 6x points at all participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels, 4x points at restaurants, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. wireless phone providers, and 2x points on all other purchases.

→  Qualify for Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status, room rate discounts, and 1 Free Night Award each anniversary

→  $125 Annual Fee

Hilton Honors American Express Card

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Sign-Up Bonus

70,000 pts

Sign-Up Bonus Requirements

Spend $2,000 within 6 months

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

3x-7x

Key Features

→  70,000 points sign-up bonus

→  Earn 7x points at all participating Hilton hotels, 5x points at U.S. restaurants, grocery stores, and gas stations, and 3x points on all other purchases.

→  Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors™ Silver Status, with the ability to qualify for Hilton Gold Status (80% bonus on Base Points)

→  Exclusive access to ticket presales and Card Member-only events through American Express Experiences

→  No foreign transactions fees

→  $0 Annual Fee

The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve
American Express Card

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Sign-Up Bonus

100,000 miles

Sign-Up Bonus Requirements

Spend $6,000 within 6 months

Annual Fee

$650

Rewards Rate

1x-3x points

Key Features

→  100,000 miles sign-up bonus

→  Earn 3x miles on all Delta purchases and 1x miles on all other purchases

→  Delta Sky Club Access, plus two One-Time Guest passes, and Centurion® Lounge or Escape Lounge access

→  Free credit for TSA PreCheck® and Global Entry

→  First Checked Bag Free for you and a companion, Upgrade Priority, and Priority Boarding (Main Cabin 1)

→  Receive a domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card

→  $650 Annual Fee

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