American Express
The broadest transfer network with 20+ airline and hotel partners, including many that no other program touches. Gold is one of the best everyday earners ever created. Platinum layers on luxury travel benefits.
The cards in the American Express ecosystem
Every card below earns Membership Rewards, and the points pool into a single balance no matter which card earned them. The Amex Green and Amex Gold and Amex Platinum and Business Gold and Business Plat. and Blue Biz Plus act as the transfer hub card, where points become transferable to airline and hotel partners.
| Card | Role | Annual fee | Top earn | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Express® Green | Transfer hub | $150 | 400x on bonus | 40,000 Membership Rewards® Points | Apply |
| American Express® Gold | Transfer hub | $325 | 1000x on bonus | 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points | Apply |
| American Express® Platinum | Transfer hub | $895 | 1750x on bonus | 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points | Apply |
| American Express® Business Gold | Transfer hub | $375 | 2000x on bonus | Up to 200,000 Membership Rewards® Points | Apply |
| American Express® Business Platinum | Transfer hub | $895 | 3000x on bonus | Up to 300,000 Membership Rewards® Points | Apply |
| American Express® Blue Business Plus | Transfer hub | No annual fee | 150x on bonus | 15,000 Membership Rewards® Points | Apply |
| American Express Business Green Rewards Card | Earner | $95 | 150x on bonus | 15,000 Membership Rewards points | Apply |
| American Express EveryDay® Legacy | Earner | No annual fee | 2x on groceries | No current offer | Closed |
| American Express EveryDay® Preferred Legacy | Earner | $95 | 3x on groceries | No current offer | Closed |
See the full filtered list on the best American Express cards page. Offers verified June 2026 and valued at a flat 1 cent per point.
Transfer partners
American Express Membership Rewards transfer to the airline and hotel programs below, where the right redemption can push each point well past 1 cent. Learn the mechanics in transferable points explained and how to find award space.
Live transfer bonus right now: Air France/KLM +25% (ends June 30, 2026), Marriott Bonvoy +20% (ends June 30, 2026), Hilton Honors +20% (ends July 14, 2026), Avianca LifeMiles +15% (ends July 15, 2026). A bonus is free extra value when you already have an award in mind. How to use a transfer bonus.
The best earn-rate combination
Gold earns 4x at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets, the best rate on everyday spending in the game. Platinum adds lounge access, hotel credits, and airline fee credits. Together they cover every dollar. Mind the Amex family rule: get the Gold and you forfeit the Green welcome bonus; get the Platinum and you forfeit both the Gold and Green bonuses. Open them in order, Green then Gold then Platinum, to capture all three.
Put together, here is the card in the American Express lineup that earns the most in each everyday category, the backbone of an optimized American Express setup:
| Spending | Best card in the ecosystem | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Groceries | Amex Gold | 4x |
| Dining | Amex Gold | 4x |
| Gas and EV charging | Business Gold | 4x |
| Travel | Amex Platinum | 5x |
| Everything else | Blue Biz Plus | 2x |
Application and welcome-bonus rules
Amex pays each card's welcome bonus once per lifetime, and the family rule stacks on top: if you already hold a more premium card in a family, you forfeit the lower card's bonus. In the Membership Rewards family that means applying Green, then Gold, then Platinum to capture all three. Amex also limits you to roughly one new card every five days and two every 90 days. Read the full American Express application rules.
Frequently asked questions
Explore other ecosystems
