Choosing between The Platinum Card® from American Express and Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express depends largely on your lifestyle and spending habits.
The Platinum card, with its high annual fee, is designed for frequent travelers, offering benefits such as airport lounge access, travel credits, and bonus points on travel-related purchases.
On the other hand, the Blue Cash Preferred card, with a focus on everyday spending categories, offers high cash back rewards on purchases at U.S. supermarkets, gas stations, and select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
This article will compare each card based on several factors to help you make an informed decision on which card is the best to add to your wallet.
Overview of Each Card
Welcome Bonus
The Amex Platinum currently offers the following welcome bonus:
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There is also potentially a higher welcome bonus offer via referral.
The Blue Cash Preferred currently offers the following welcome bonus:
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Winner: The Amex Platinum’s welcome bonus is much more valuable than Blue Cash Preferred, especially if you transfer them to airline partners.
Earning Rewards
Amex Platinum cardholders earn rewards at the following rates:
- 5 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel, on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
- 5 points per dollar on prepaid hotels booked on AmexTravel.com.
- 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.
Cardmembers are also eligible for targeted Amex Offers that could boost earning rates at various merchants.
The Blue Cash Preferred earns cash back at the following rates:
- 6% back at U.S. Supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year, then 1% back);
- 6% back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions;
- 3% back on transit, including taxis, rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses, and more;
- 3% back at U.S. gas stations; and
- 1% back on all other eligible purchases.
Cash back is received as Reward Dollars that can be redeemed for statement credits.
Winner: It depends. If you fly frequently, the Amex Platinum is the better option, but if you fly less and spend more at U.S. Supermarkets and on streaming, the Blue Cash Preferred is the better option.
Card Benefits and Perks
The Amex Platinum is widely recognized as a premium travel credit card, and it certainly lives up to that reputation by offering a range of exclusive perks and benefits, including:
Airport Lounge Access: Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, Escape lounges, Plaza Premium lounges, and Delta Sky Clubs (when traveling on same-day Delta flights).*
$200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your card.*
$200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 annually in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the U.S., which is split into monthly $15 credits and then $35 total in December.*
$240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 in statement credits each month when you pay for eligible purchases at: Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, SiriusXM, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment is required.*
$155 Walmart+ Credit: Receive up to a $155 statement credit that covers the full cost of a monthly Walmart+ membership ($12.95 plus applicable taxes) when paying with the Amex Platinum (subject to auto-renewal). Plus Up Benefits are not eligible and enrollment is required.*
$200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection (2-night minimum stay required) bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card®.*
$300 Equinox Credit: Get up to $300 back per calendar year via statement credits on an Equinox+ subscription, or any Equinox club memberships when you pay with your Platinum Card®. Enrollment is required.*
$189 CLEAR® Plus Credit: Breeze through security with CLEAR® Plus at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues nationwide and get up to $189 back per year on your membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card®.*
$100 Global Entry Credit: Receive a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®. *
Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to a $100 Saks Fifth Avenue credit, split into two $50 statement credits between (1) January and June and (2) July through December. *
$300 SoulCycle At-Home Bike Credit: Get a $300 statement credit for the purchase of a SoulCycle at-home bike with your Platinum Card®. Must charge full price of bike in one transaction, and an Equinox+ subscription is required.*
Hotel Status: Complimentary Gold status with Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy.*
Rental Car Status: Hertz President’s Circle, Avis Preferred Plus and National Emerald Club Executive.*
Other benefits include:
- Trip delay insurance; **
- Trip cancellation insurance; **
- Extended warranty;**
- Purchase protection;**
- Return protection;** and
- No preset spending limit.
* Enrollment is required for select benefits.
** Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions, and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.
The Blue Cash Preferred offers the following benefits and perks:
- 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months from the date of account opening. After that, it will be a reg_apr,reg_apr_type APR. Variable APRs will not exceed 29.99%.
- Get up to $120 in statement credits annually when you pay for an Equinox+ membership at equinoxplus.com with your Blue Cash Preferred® Card. That’s $10 in statement credits each month. Enrollment is required.
- $7 back as a statement credit each month (up to $84 annually) after spending $12.99 or more each month on an eligible subscription to the Disney Bundle, which includes Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. Enrollment is required.
- Secondary rental car insurance.*
- Extended warranty.*
- Purchase protection.*
- Return protection.*
* Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions, and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.
Winner: The Amex Platinum is the king of benefits with so over $1,500 in statement credits, airport lounge access, elite status, and more.
Value of the Annual Fees
The Amex Platinum comes with a hefty annual fee of $695 (rates & fees), which can be offset if you take advantage of the numerous credits totaling up to $1,984 per year, airport lounge access, and elite status.
There is also a $195 annual fee for each additional authorized user Platinum Card, who also receive airport lounge access, Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit, and hotel and rental car elite status.
For example, if you had three authorized users with Amex Platinum cards, your additional fee would be $585.
Alternatively, you can add for free up to 99 Companion Cards for free, which allows you to earn points for spending on the Companion Card, but there are no perks like airport lounge access.
The Blue Cash Preferred has an annual fee of $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 thereafter (rates & fees).
This allows you to try out the card without committing to a large annual fee.
Winner: It depends. If you can take advantage of the Platinum’s many statement credits, airport lounge access, and elite status.
But if you don’t travel enough or the statement credits are too much work, the Blue Cash Preferred could be a good value if you take advantage of the Disney Bundle benefit.
Redeeming Rewards
American Express Membership Rewards is a popular rewards program that offers a variety of redemption options, including travel, merchandise, gift cards, and more.
However, to get the most value out of your rewards, it’s important to use them strategically.
One of the best ways to use Amex Membership Rewards is through transfer partners.
The program partners with over 20 airline and hotel partners, including ANA, Air Canada Aeroplan, Iberia Avios, and Avianca LifeMiles.
By transferring your points to these partners, you can often get more value per point and enjoy a wider range of redemption options.
Membership Rewards Transfer Partners [1 to 1]
|
|
|---|---|
Aer Lingus Avios
|
AeroMexico [1 to 1.6]
|
Air Canada Aeroplan
|
Air France/KLM Flying Blue
|
ANA
|
Avianca LifeMiles
|
British Airways Avios
|
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
|
Delta SkyMiles
|
El Al [1,000 to 20]
|
Emirates
|
Etihad Guest
|
Hawaiian Airlines
|
Iberia Avios
|
JetBlue [250 to 200]
|
Qantas
|
Qatar Airways
|
Singapore KrisFlyer
|
Virgin Atlantic
|
Choice
|
Marriott Bonvoy
|
Hilton Honors [1 to 2]
|
The Blue Cash Preferred earns cash back rewards, which are received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit.
Winner: Amex Platinum since Membership Rewards points unlocks a lot of travel value.
The Verdict
Both the Amex Platinum and Blue Cash Preferred are good choices.
The Amex Platinum is a better choice if you travel several times a year, especially if you fly Delta or have another airport lounge at your main airport.
The Blue Cash Preferred is a good option for less frequent travelers who spend a lot of money each year at U.S. supermarkets.
Which card are you going to choose?
