Amex Green vs Gold vs Platinum: How to figure out which credit card is right for you

Crystal Cox/Business Insider

• If you want to earn travel rewards, American Express cards that earn Membership Rewards points are a great option. You can transfer these points to over two dozen partners to book hotel stays and flights, or book travel directly through Amex.
• The three top consumer cards that earn Amex points are the Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the American Express® Green Card.
• The Platinum card is best for frequent travelers who want luxury benefits like airport lounge access and statement credits. The Amex Gold card is great if you love to eat out, since it offers bonus rewards and statement credits for dining.
• If you're new to travel rewards, the Amex Green card could be the best option because it has the lowest annual fee of the three and offers bonus points on travel and restaurants.
• See Business Insider's list of the best travel rewards credit cards »

When you're looking for a new credit card, it can be useful to compare similar cards. I know for me, it helps to have the information for similar cards all in one place so it's easy to see the similarities and differences.

If you're researching credit cards that earn travel rewards, you'll come across the lineup of American Express cards that earn the issuer's Membership Rewards points. Amex points, along with Chase points, are some of the most valuable rewards for booking travel, and today we'll look at three cards at three cards at various price points that earn this loyalty currency.

We'll compare the Amex Platinum card, Amex Gold card, and Amex Green card, highlighting their similarities as well as their differences to help you decide which might be right for you.

Keep in mind that we're focusing on the rewards and perks that make these credit cards great options, not things like interest rates and late fees, which will far outweigh the value of any points or miles. It's important to practice financial discipline when using credit cards by paying your balances in full each month, making payments on time, and only spending what you can afford to pay back.

Earning Amex Membership Rewards points

American Express Membership Rewards points can be redeemed for statement credits, used to book travel through the Amex travel portal, or transferred to any of 19 airline or 3 hotel transfer partners.

The current welcome offers on these three American Express cards are:

• Platinum card from American Express: 60,000 Amex Membership Rewards points after you spend $5,000 in the first three months of having the card
• American Express Gold card: 35,000 Amex Membership Rewards points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months of having the card
• American Express Green card: 30,000 Amex Membership Rewards points after you spend $2,000 in the first three months of having the card

The bonus points earned with the welcome offers are definitely an important factor, but they're only part of the equation.

American Express Platinum card details

Let's start with American Express' flagship card, the Amex Platinum. This is an extremely premium card, and comes with a $550 annual fee. That fee is quite hefty, but there's no denying that this card provides plenty of benefits for frequent travelers.

Here are the highlights:

• 5x points on airfare if you purchase it directly through the airline
• 5x points on flights and prepaid hotels reserved through the Amex Travel portal
• Up to a $200 annual airline fee credit - you do have to choose your airline each year, and your airline credit is only good for that airline. This credit is based on the calendar year, so during your first cardmember year you'll be able to get this $200 credit twice, which helps to offset the $550 annual fee.
• Up to $200 in Uber credits each year - $15 each month and an extra $20 (for $35 total) in December
• Up to a $100 credit toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every four years
• Up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue
• Marriott Gold status
• Hilton Gold status
• Access to the Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts program
• No foreign transaction fees

Read more: American Express Platinum card review

Another huge benefit of the Amex Platinum card is access to a wide array of airport lounges. Here are a few of the airport lounges that you can access with your Platinum card:

• American Express Centurion lounges, which are in my experience by far the best lounges in the United States. There are currently eight Centurion Lounges open in the US, with additional lounges planned for this year.
• Delta Sky Clubs (but only when you're flying on Delta)
• Priority Pass Select membership - with over 1,200 lounges all over the world, you'll find a Priority Pass lounge in most airports you visit.
• Airspace Lounges - currently only in 2 US airports: Cleveland (CLE) and San Diego (SAN)
• Escape Lounges - currently in 12 US airports

Click here to learn more about the Amex Platinum card »

American Express Gold card details

With a $250 annual fee, the Amex Gold card falls somewhere between a mid-level card and a premium card.

Read more: Amex Gold card review

The card's top benefits include:

• 4x Membership Rewards at restaurants worldwide
• 4x points at US supermarkets (on up $25,000 spent per year, then 1x)
• 3x points on flights booked directly through the airline or through the Amex Travel portal
• Up to a $100 airline fee credit - Similar to the airline credit on the Platinum card, you must first select an airline to use it on, and you're able to take advantage of this credit each calendar year (so twice in your first cardmember year).
• A $10 statement credit each month at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Boxed, and participating Shake Shack locations. Personally, my wife and I use this offer to take monthly dessert dates to the Cheesecake Factory (up to $120 in statement credits each calendar year)
• No foreign transaction fees

Click here to learn more about the Amex Gold card »

American Express Green card details

The American Express Green card has an annual fee of $150, which is slightly more than the $95 annual fees of other mid-tier cards. Still, with the relaunch of the Amex Green card in late 2019, the benefits make for an intriguing option for earning Membership Rewards points.

Read more: Amex Green card review

Here's a look at the Amex Green card's main benefits:

• 3x Membership Rewards on all eligible travel
• 3x points at restaurants worldwide
• Up to a $100 statement credit toward CLEAR membership (which generally goes for $179) for easier airport security transit
• Up to $100 in statement credits per year on LoungeBuddy purchases
• No foreign transaction fees (a welcome change that came with the card's recent update)

Click here to learn more about the Amex Green card »

Amex Platinum vs. Amex Gold vs. Amex Green: the differences visualized

Now that we've looked at the benefits of the Platinum, Gold and Green cards, let's lay it all out side by side in a table for easy comparison:

Alyssa Powell/Business Insider

One of the easiest ways to decide which card is the best fit for you is to decide what level of annual fee you're comfortable paying. The Amex Platinum can get you well over $550 in value, but that's only if you put its many travel-centric benefits to use. The same logic applies to the other two cards; take a look at their perks and try to estimate how many you'll actually be able to use on a regular basis.

If you're still unsure which card is right for you, think about where you spend the most. The Amex Platinum card is a great option for maximizing your flight purchases, while the Amex Gold is the most rewarding at restaurants and US supermarkets. The Amex Green card gives you a good mix of bonus categories, with 3x points on eligible travel and at restaurants.

$150 annual fee: Click here to learn more about the Amex Green card »

$250 annual fee: Click here to learn more about the Amex Gold card »

$550 annual fee: Click here to learn more about the Amex Platinum card »

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Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.

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