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American Express Membership Rewards is one of the best flexible rewards programs available. You can earn Membership Rewards via a slew of different credit cards — which you can then combine into a single account and transfer to 20 different airline and hotel Amex transfer partners.
Each card features a different set of high-earning bonus categories, and Membership Rewards points convert to (most) airline partners at a 1:1 ratio. With the right Amex card combo, you can earn airline miles faster using Membership Rewards earning cards than traditional co-brand airline cards. That makes these card combos especially good for fans of British Airways Avios, Flying Blue, ANA Mileage Club, Delta SkyMiles, and more.
Amex also offers more Membership Rewards earning cards than Chase or Citi do for their rewards programs. That allows you to stack a bunch of cards together and build a high-earning combo of credit cards that also feature some excellent perks and benefits.
Here are some of our favorite Amex card combos.
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Membership Rewards Earning Credit Cards
Amex provides three personal and three business Membership Rewards earning cards that we think offer top value.
Consumer Membership Rewards cards:
- 3x Membership Rewards® on travel
- 3x Membership Rewards® at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- 3x Membership Rewards® on transit including trains, buses, ferries, subways, and more
- 1x Membership Rewards® on other purchases
(Terms apply)
- 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. (on up to $50,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels and other eligible travel booked on amextravel.com
- 1X on other eligible purchases
(Terms apply)
- Earn 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year).
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
Small business Membership Rewards cards:
- The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
- American Express® Business Gold Card
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
(Terms Apply)
- Earn 2X points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. 2X applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter. Terms and limitations apply.
(Terms apply)
- U.S. purchases for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio)
- U.S. purchases made from electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers
- U.S. purchases at gas stations
- U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
- Transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways
- Monthly wireless telephone service charges made directly from a wireless telephone service provider in the U.S.
(Terms apply)
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com.
- Earn 1.5X Membership Rewards® points on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more.
- Earn 1.5X Membership Rewards® points on each eligible purchase with U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers.
- Earn 1.5X Membership Rewards® points on each eligible purchase with U.S. electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers.
- Earn 1.5X Membership Rewards® points on each eligible purchase with U.S. shipping providers.
- 1.5X earning rates are subject to a cap of $2 million in purchases per calendar year.
If you maximize bonus categories using a combination of Amex cards, you can easily double or triple the points you would earn if you were to keep swiping a single card.
It’s worth noting that some of the best Membership Rewards earning cards are business cards, and while more people than ever before now qualify for business cards, there are plenty of folks who will only be approved for personal cards. With that in mind, where we add business cards to the mix, we also try to provide an alternative from Amex’s lineup of consumer Membership Rewards cards.
Membership Rewards Two Card Strategy
A straightforward two-card combo can be achieved by combining the Amex Green Card and Amex Gold cards.
The Amex Green Card earns 3X Membership Rewards® points on all eligible travel, plus 3X Membership Rewards® points at restaurants worldwide. Travel includes hotels, trains, buses, ferries, subways, and more. Card Members earn one point for every dollar spent on other purchases.
It's nicely complemented by the Amex Gold, which earns 4X points at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 per year, then 1X), 4X at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year, then 1X), 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com, and 2X points on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.. Plus earn 1 point for every other dollar spent other eligible purchases. While the bonus categories overlap somewhat, you can earn a ton of Membership Rewards with a basic two-card combo.
- 3x Membership Rewards® on travel
- 3x Membership Rewards® at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- 3x Membership Rewards® on transit including trains, buses, ferries, subways, and more
- 1x Membership Rewards® on other purchases
(Terms apply)
- 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. (on up to $50,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels and other eligible travel booked on amextravel.com
- 1X on other eligible purchases
What this combo costs:
- Amex Gold (Rates & Fees): $325
- Amex Green Card: $150
Don't spend on travel or want to save on membership fees? Add this card instead
If you're not someone who spends a lot on travel, you might find a lot of value in swapping the Amex Green Card with the Blue Business Plus. Yes, this is a business card, but its earning capabilities make it a better card for everyday purchases than the Amex Green Card.
The Blue Business Plus earns 2X points on everyday business purchases. The 2X earning rate applies to the first $50,000 in eligible purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter.
What's more, the Blue Business Plus (Rates & Fees) charges no annual fee.
- Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within your first 3 months of Card Membership.
- 0.0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 17.49% - 27.49%, based on your creditworthiness and other factors at account opening. APR will not exceed 29.99%
- Earn 2X points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. 2X applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter. Terms and limitations apply.
- You've got the power to spend beyond your credit limit* with Expanded Buying Power. *The amount you can spend above your credit limit is flexible, so it adapts with your use of the Card, your payment history, credit record, financial resources known to us, and other factors. Just remember, the amount you can spend with Expanded Buying Power is not unlimited.
- No Annual Fee
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- Earn 2X points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. 2X applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter. Terms and limitations apply.
Membership Rewards Three Card Strategy
Taking on a three-card strategy, we’re assuming you have a higher annual spend and you’re hunting for more than just points, which is why we recommend adding the Amex Platinum to your Membership Rewards earning combination.
You won't gain too much on the points-earning side, but pick up what we think is one of the best lounge access available, a bigger airline incidentals credit, monthly Uber credits, and complimentary elite status across several loyalty programs. Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
The Amex Platinum earns 5X points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year) and 5X points on prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com and 1X points on other eligible purchases.
(Terms apply)
- Earn 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year).
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
(Terms apply)
- 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. (on up to $50,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels and other eligible travel booked on amextravel.com
- 1X on other eligible purchases
- 3x Membership Rewards® on travel
- 3x Membership Rewards® at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- 3x Membership Rewards® on transit including trains, buses, ferries, subways, and more
- 1x Membership Rewards® on other purchases
What this combo costs
- Amex Platinum (Rates & Fees): $695
- Amex Gold (Rates & Fees): $325
- Amex Green Card: $150
The cost for this combo increases quite a bit with the Amex Platinum. However, if you're able to make use of the card's many credits and ongoing benefits, you can come out ahead on the annual fee. And the rewards you'll earn are the icing on the cake.
American Express Application Restrictions
Due to Amex’s no-nonsense approach to welcome offers, you can only receive the welcome offer on each individual card product once per lifetime. So, we recommend researching the best offers available for each Amex card before you pull the trigger on an application.
Amex has also introduced new language, stating it will take into account your history of applying for Amex cards when deciding if new cardmembers are eligible for the welcome offer:
“Welcome offer not available to applicants who have or have had this product. We may also consider the number of American Express Cards you have opened and closed as well as other factors in making a decision on your welcome offer eligibility.”
The good news is that Amex offers more cards that earn its in-house rewards than the competition, so you have plenty of opportunities to pocket a substantial balance of Membership Rewards points.
Note that Amex has updated the application restrictions on their Membership Rewards cards to now include rules based on the family of cards. The application for the Amex Green Card states:
“You may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer if you have or have had this Card, the Platinum Card®, The Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley, the Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Charles Schwab, the American Express® Gold Card or previous versions of these Cards. You also may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer based on various factors, such as your history with credit card balance transfers, your history as an American Express Card Member, the number of credit cards that you have opened and closed and other factors. If you are not eligible for a welcome offer, we will notify you prior to processing your application so you have the option to withdraw your application.”
Because of this, it's wise to apply for the Amex Green Card first before getting an Amex Platinum or Amex Gold. Otherwise, you may not be eligible for the bonus.
Unlike building out an Ultimate Rewards earning combo of cards, there is no 5/24 policy restricting Amex card applications. So, we recommend filling out your Ultimate Rewards-earning cards before putting together an Amex combo.
Final Thoughts
Putting together the right combo of cards means researching where you spend enough to maximize each card's bonus categories. This allows you to build out a set of cards offering the highest number of points on each dollar spent while managing the out-of-pocket expense of the combined annual fees.
You also need to examine how you travel and if you can take advantage of the huge number of perks available on a card like the Amex Platinum. Because if you don’t use all the perks, it is hard to justify the premium annual fee, and you may be better with the Amex Gold or the Amex Business Gold.
But no matter what, one of our favorite ways to compliment any Amex card combo is by adding the Blue Business Plus. You can't go wrong with its earning rates.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees), The Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees), The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), American Express® Business Gold Card (Rates & Fees), and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees)
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