Best Credit Cards To Pair With the Amex Platinum

Vault’s Viewpoint

• The best credit card to pair with the Amex Platinum is one that offers complementary category bonuses and perks at a lower annual fee.
• Since the Amex Platinum is heavy on travel perks, a good card pairing would offer benefits geared toward everyday purchases.
• The American Express® Gold Card checks most of these boxes but is far from the only option.

The Platinum Card by American Express and American Express® Gold Card

The American Express® Gold Card and The Platinum Card® by American Express offer distinct benefits that complement each other. When paired together, these two cards can help you earn more rewards and achieve your travel goals faster. Each card offers its own strengths, providing rewards and protections, both while you’re traveling and staying home. While their annual fees are higher than average, their numerous statement credits can help offset these costs.

Here’s a closer look at why the Amex Platinum and Amex Gold cards pair so well together.

Category Bonuses

The American Express Gold Card is renowned for its generous rewards structure, particularly its high earning potential in categories like restaurants (worldwide) and U.S. supermarkets. Meanwhile, the American Express Platinum Card offers lucrative rewards for travel-related expenses such as eligible flights and hotels. Both cards earn valuable Membership Rewards points, which are arguably some of the most flexible and valuable points you can earn. When combining the Amex Platinum and Amex Gold cards, cardholders can earn points at an accelerated rate across a wide range of spending categories, catering to both everyday needs and travel.

Welcome Bonuses

Beyond earning rewards on credit card spending, the American Express Gold Card can be a great way to top off your rewards balance. The card offers 60,000 Membership Rewards® points earned after spending $6,000 within the first six months of account opening. This is a great addition to the Platinum card’s already-generous 80,000-point welcome bonus, earned after spending $8,000 on purchases on your new card in the first six months.

It’s worth noting that American Express imposes a once-per-lifetime rule on welcome bonuses, whether or not they were earned. If you have or had a particular card (or family of cards in some cases) at a point already, you generally won’t be eligible to earn a welcome offer for the same card. American Express takes into account cards owned rather than welcome bonuses earned in tracking this eligibility. This limits the number of Membership Rewards points you can earn via credit card welcome bonuses, making the Amex Gold a great addition to your wallet if you want more points quickly and you follow the terms. To be eligible to earn both welcome offers according to the American Express terms, you’ll likely need the Gold first and then the Platinum rather than vice-versa.

However, we recommend holding out for the best offer possible since bonuses are restricted. Generally, that’s a welcome bonus of 80,000 points or higher. This way, you make the most of the one-time welcome bonus while enjoying the card’s numerous other perks as a card member.

Recurring Benefits

Both cards provide extensive benefits. Amex Platinum card benefits focus on travel perks like airport lounge access, hotel elite status and is promoted as providing over $1,500 in value, including across travel. Meanwhile, the American Express Gold Card offers $10 in monthly Uber Cash (up to $120 per year) and up to another $10 statement credit each month earned toward select dining purchases (annual savings up to $120). Combined, the two cards can help you save on both everyday expenses and travel-related purchases. Additionally, each card’s statement credits can offset its annual fee in value and savings, making it easier to justify keeping long-term.

Why Would You Want to Pair One Card with Another?

Pairing the Amex Platinum with another card offers numerous advantages. While the Amex Platinum is one of the best cards for travel, it’s not the most well-rounded card for infrequent travelers. It falls short in terms of offering generous rewards outside of travel spending and benefits you can use every day. By adding a card to your wallet that makes up for these deficiencies without a steep annual fee, you can potentially earn more points, get more perks and meet your travel goals.

Furthermore, adding a second card to your wallet can be a great way to boost your credit score. A diverse credit portfolio contributes to 10% of your credit score, so having another card can be beneficial to your credit as well as your rewards strategy.

Other Cards to Consider

While the Amex Gold Card pairs well with the Amex Platinum, it has its drawbacks. The $250 annual fee may be a deterrent for those who already feel the sting of the Amex Platinum’s $695 annual fee. If you’re looking for a more affordable alternative that still checks many of the same boxes, here are some other cards to consider.

The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card

The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card is a better option for Amex Platinum credit card holders seeking a card that earns elevated U.S. supermarket rewards at a relatively low annual fee. The card’s $95 annual fee is more reasonable than the Amex Gold’s $250 fee, albeit the EveryDay Preferred offers no statement credits. Cardholders earn 3X points on the first $6,000 spent at U.S. supermarkets per year (then 1X), 2X points at U.S. gas stations and 1X points on other purchases.

Additionally, cardholders who make 30 or more purchases with their card in a billing period earn 50% more points, making the Everyday Preferred a potentially lucrative card for daily expenses. It achieves the important feat of balancing out the Amex Platinum Card’s benefits with a much lower annual fee while offering access to the same exceptional rewards program.

All information about the Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card has been collected independently by Newsweek.com. The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card is no longer available through Newsweek.com.

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

If you’re looking for a business card to pair with your Amex Platinum, the Amex Blue Business Plus Credit Card is an excellent choice. It has no annual fee (see rates and fees) and earns 2X points on the first $50,000 spent per calendar year on eligible purchases (then 1X points). All other purchases earn 1X points, making this a great card for maximizing business spending. Unfortunately, the card carries a 2.7% foreign transaction fee (see rates and fees). The Platinum card does not impose this fee (see rates and fees), making the Amex Blue Business and Platinum cards an excellent card pairing.

In addition, cardmembers can take advantage of a short intro APR offer on purchases, making it a good choice for business owners seeking short-term financing.

Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express

If you’re looking for a no-annual-fee card to balance out the Amex Platinum card’s $695 annual fee, the Amex Blue Cash Everyday is a great choice. The card earns cash back rather than points but still offers tremendous value, earning 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations and on U.S. online retail purchases (up to the first $6,000 each year in eligible purchases, per category, then 1%). All other eligible purchases earn 1% cash back.

The card currently earns a $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in the first six months of card membership. It’s also packed with practical ongoing benefits, including monthly Disney Bundle credits and Home Chef credits. It’s a great addition to your wallet if you have an Amex Platinum card and want to increase rewards on more common spending categories.