Bottom Line
American Express are some of the most rule driven cards. Because you only get the bonus’ once in a lifetime per card, you’ll want to make sure that your sign up bonus is worth it. This card occasionally will offer higher bonuses which I encourage you to hold out for. I also encourage you to only apply to this card after you’ve made certain that you qualify and after tipping Chase's 5/24 rule. Always look at the Approval rules in our Details section or if you’re a member check out the Rules Triped part under Your Status. There is never any point to charging up a card that you aren’t going to be getting something back for every $1 spent.
Why You Might Want This Card
Get Your Membership Rewards
Amex has great rewards that are transferable to over 22 travel partners, one of the most popular being Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, where you get 100% value retained. This card does have a steeper annual fee at $150, with a few perks that, if used properly, can off-set that. You can use your card to buy one-time lounge access through LoungeBuddy and get up to $100 statement credit annually. You also get $100 CLEAR statement credit annually, which allows quicker access through Security checkpoints in participating airports.
Categories With Extra Earners
The sign-up bonus is actually not too bad, considering that this is not one of the more popular Amex cards. You also get 3x points on travel, restaurants and transit, if this is where a bulk of your money goes anyways, your points can add up pretty fast. There are a few other useful benefits that come with this one like Purchase Protection, Car Rental & Travel Insurance.
Exceptions To The Rule
About Amex Member Rewards
American Express points are relatively easy to earn and use. The rub is, it takes a little more strategy to maximize value.
The simplest option is using the travel portal, which works similarly to Chase. Unfortunately each point is worth only 1 cent toward airfare, making it similar to Capital One valuation if used this way. But if you have the Business Platinum card, your points become worth 1.54 cents each (although it is through a points rebate, not for the current booking), making it a solid valuation with a ton of flexibility. Two quick notes:
- If you don’t see a desired flight (e.g. Southwest) you can call 800-297-2977 as Amex has access to more flights and you can still pay with points
- Bookings through Amex travel generally DO NOT show as award travel, so you should receive miles for the flight with the carrier’s system. In this way, it is better than Chase.
Buying gift cards through the Amex Portal will also yield 1 cent per point, sometimes slightly better if there’s a special offer.
Generally, 1 cent is a poor return on Amex points. So if you don’t have the Platinum card, the best way to maximize value is to transfer to a partner. Here are the top choices:
- Delta Airlines is a 1-to-1 transfer partner of Amex, making your points worth about 1.3 cents each. The trick here is to use Virgin Atlantic (A star alliance partner of Delta) to book international business class and Delta for U.S. domestic flights.
- Air France via Flying Blue is a great option for International Business Class Flights. You’ll pay some surcharges, but they are relatively small for business class seats.
- Singapore Airlines, if your destination aligns with theirs, could be a great value for your seats. Here’s why: Singapore’s coach is better than most other carriers' “comfort” seats but cost fewer points.
- Other potential transfer partners which are slightly more complicated include:
- British Airways
- Etihad (booking partners through their site)
- Avianca (booking partners through their site)
Where American Express Green Personal Fits In This Point Ecosystem
Personal Experience
