This might be the best Amex card combo: Amex Gold and Amex Business Platinum
Editor's Note
Given how fluid points and miles programs can be, we often advise that you diversify the types of travel rewards you earn. However, it's sometimes a good idea to double down with a specific rewards program — especially if it's one where the points are transferable to a number of different airlines and hotels.
One such program is American Express Membership Rewards — and now's a great time to establish a reserve of Membership Rewards points with The Business Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card.
Both cards are currently offering solid introductory welcome offers that might have you considering whether to apply for one, the other or both.
In fact, pairing the Amex Business Platinum and Amex Gold cards might be the best Amex card duo possible, thanks to their highly complementary earning structures and benefits packages.
Here are some of the reasons you might want to keep both in your wallet.
Two cards, two welcome bonuses
Let's get the awkward part out of the way. Both cards charge pretty high annual fees — $895 for the Amex Business Platinum (see rates and fees) and $325 for the Amex Gold (see rates and fees). That's $1,220 in fees each year, which is pretty costly; the good news is that these fees can be offset in the first year by these cards' introductory offers.
New Amex Business Platinum cardmembers can find out their offer and see if they are eligible for as high as 300,000 bonus points after spending $20,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.
New Amex Gold cardmembers can find out their offer and see if they are eligible for as high as 100,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
Without even taking their bonus spending categories into account, you'd be looking at an overall points haul as high as 400,000 Amex Membership Rewards points by hitting those spending requirements.
TPG's September 2025 valuations peg Amex Membership Rewards points at 2 cents apiece, making up to 400,000 Membership Rewards points worth up to $8,000 — though potentially much more, depending on how you redeem them.
Related: Card showdown: Amex Business Gold vs. Amex Business Platinum
Keep things professional
Speaking of card combinations, there are many great reasons why you might want to get both a personal and business card. Doing so can help you separate your work and personal expenses.
Putting higher, work-related spending on a business card can keep that activity off your personal credit report, which can, in turn, help raise your personal credit score by lowering your credit utilization ratio.
The Amex Business Platinum's business-related statement credits and special earning rates (see below) are two more great reasons to put your work-related spending on that card instead of a personal one. Then, you can designate the Amex Gold Card for more everyday things like U.S. supermarket purchases and dining expenses.
Enrollment is required for select benefits; terms apply.
Related: The power of the Amex trifecta: Platinum, Gold and Blue Business Plus
Earning overdrive
One of the biggest selling points of getting both the Amex Business Platinum and the Amex Gold is how you can mix and match their bonus-earning categories to maximize your everyday spending.
Use the Amex Gold Card to rack up:
- 5 points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked through amextravel.com or through the Amex Travel App™
- 4 points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar spent)
- 4 points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar spent)
- 3 points per dollar spent on airfare purchased directly from the airline, through amextravel.com or through the Amex Travel App
- 2 points per dollar spent on car rentals booked through amextravel.com or the Amex Travel App
- 2 points per dollar spent on cruises booked through amextravel.com
- 1 point per dollar spent on other eligible purchases
Use the Amex Business Platinum for:
- 5 points per dollar spent on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com
- 2 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases in the following areas (on up to $2 million per calendar year total; 1 point per dollar spent thereafter):
- U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers
- U.S. electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers
- U.S. shipping providers
- Each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more
- 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
To get a bit more granular, if you tend to book airline tickets directly with airlines, you can continue doing so with the Amex Gold since it earns 3 points per dollar whether you use it to pay through the airline, amextravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
However, if you can shift more of your travel bookings to Amex Travel, you can leverage the Amex Business Platinum's 5 points per dollar earning rate on airfare.
You can book hotels through Amex's Hotel Collection with either card. The Amex Gold earns 5 points per dollar spent on prepaid hotel bookings made through amextravel.com or the Amex Travel App, while the Amex Business Platinum earns 5 points per dollar. Eligible charges vary by property; a minimum two-night stay is required for Hotel Collection bookings.
However, with the Amex Business Platinum, you also have access to even higher-end properties and more valuable perks through Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts.
Related: Here's your guide to the Amex Platinum prepaid hotel credit
Stretch your points further
Amex has a Pay with Points feature, where you can redeem Membership Rewards for reservations made directly through Amex Travel. You get 1 cent per point toward flights, and less than that for other types of bookings, such as hotel stays.
However, Amex Business Platinum cardmembers receive a 35% bonus for airfare booked through Amex Travel to the airline that a cardmember selects for their annual up to $200 airline fee statement credit, regardless of fare class.
This benefit is capped at 1 million points per calendar year.
While Pay with Points isn't for everyone, there are a few great reasons to use it. First, you get a solid value of 1 cent per point redeemed this way (or more with the Amex Business Platinum).
Second, you don't have to worry about transfer partners, transfer times or award availability with a particular airline. Finally, when you redeem via Pay with Points, it's basically like paying cash for your ticket, so you'll still earn elite miles for your travel.
Keep in mind, however, that hotels may not honor elite status or offer elite night credits for hotel stays booked through travel portals like Amex Travel.
Related: How to decide whether to use cash or miles for airline tickets
Statement credits galore
Another great reason to have both the Amex Business Platinum and the Amex Gold is to stack their various statement credits.
The Amex Gold Card provides up to $10 per month in Uber Cash toward either rides or Uber Eats orders in the U.S. after adding your card to your Uber account and paying with any Amex card (up to $120 per calendar year), plus a further up to $10 per month in dining credits (up to $120 per calendar year) for a potential total of up to $240 in statement credits each calendar year.
If you use the card to make a Hotel Collection booking of two nights or more, you get a $100 on-site credit for qualifying activities. You can also receive up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year (up to $50 semi-annually) at Resy-affiliated restaurants in the U.S. and on eligible Resy purchases. Additionally, you can receive up to $84 in statement credits each calendar year (up to $7 a month) at U.S. Dunkin' locations.
Enrollment is required for select benefits.
For its part, the Amex Business Platinum comes with a plethora of statement credits. Among those to look out for are:
- Up to $150 in statement credits on U.S. purchases made directly at Dell and an additional up to $1,000 statement credit after spending $5,000 or more per calendar year
- Up to $360 per calendar year with Indeed (up to $90 per quarter)
- Up to $200 per calendar year with on eligible Hilton purchases (up to $50 per quarter); separate enrollment in Hilton for Business is required
- Up to $200 in airline incidental fee credits per calendar year
- Up to $209 per calendar year in statement credits for a Clear+ membership (subject to auto-renewal)
- $250 Adobe statement credit after spending $600 or more on U.S. purchases made directly at Adobe (subject to auto-renewal) and up to $120 toward U.S. wireless phone bills each calendar year (up to $10 per month)
- $120 toward Global Entry or up to $85 for TSA PreCheck (every 4 years for Global Entry or every 4½ years for TSA PreCheck)
Enrollment is required for select benefits.
Maximize all of the statement credits from both cards to get significant value out of the annual fees you're paying. What's more, none of these statement credits overlap from card to card, so you don't sacrifice anything by carrying them both.
Related: The different flavors of Amex Platinum – which one is right for you?
Other benefits
While the Amex Gold is short on perks beyond statement credits, the Amex Business Platinum includes a lot more benefits.
Those include access to various airport lounges, such as Amex Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs* and Priority Pass lounges. You can also register for Gold elite status with Marriott and Hilton.
Cardmembers also get elite status with various rental car agencies, plus International Airline Program discounts for folks who fly premium cabins.
Enrollment is required for select benefits.
*Eligible Business Platinum Card Members will receive 10 Visits per Eligible Platinum Card per year to the Delta Sky Club or to Grab and Go when traveling on a same-day Delta-operated flight. Cardmembers receive unlimited visits if they spend $75,000 or more in a calendar year.
Earning rates and statement credits aside, these benefits alone can make carrying the Amex Business Platinum worth it. If you travel at least a few times each year, lounge access and hotel elite status should be very easy to take advantage of.
Related: 8 things to do when you get the American Express Business Platinum Card
Bottom line
It's usually a good idea to diversify the types of travel rewards points you earn. However, given how versatile they are, it can also make sense to double down with one program or another, including Amex Membership Rewards.
The right mix of Amex cards will depend on your needs and spending habits, but the Amex Business Platinum and Amex Gold can make a winning combination thanks to their corresponding perks and bonus categories. You can get both to leverage not only lucrative welcome offers but also excellent everyday points accrual rates and other benefits to enhance your travel experience.
To learn more, check out our full reviews of the Amex Gold and Amex Business Platinum.
Apply here: The Business Platinum Card from American Express
Apply here: American Express Gold Card
For rates and fees of the Amex Gold card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum card, click here.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.