6 cards that get you more than $1,000 in value every year
Quick summary
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There are many reasons to open travel rewards credit cards — and to keep them in your wallet. While introductory welcome bonuses can provide tons of value initially, you'll want to make sure that you can justify paying any applicable annual fees for years to come.
That's why we've put together a list of six credit cards that provide tangible benefits of more than $1,000 in value every year — without factoring in the value of the current welcome offer.
Methodology
To find cards that present $1,000-plus in value, here are the four major factors I took into consideration:
- Annual statement credits: I considered recurring travel, dining or other lifestyle-type credits that come on the card.
- Automatic elite status: I used TPG's valuations of elite status if a card offers it as a cardholder benefit.
- Quantifiable perks and benefits: I'll only include easily quantifiable benefits that can be assigned a value.
- Annual fee: Only cards with $1,000-plus in value after the cost of the annual fee made the cut.
Of course, this isn't a perfect science, as many benefits can't be assigned a clear-cut dollar value. Take, for instance, the Global Lounge Collection on The Platinum Card® from American Express. The value of this benefit will vary depending on the type of traveler you are, so I've excluded perks like this from my calculations.
That said, if you are a frequent flyer who loves visiting Centurion Lounges — and aren't put off by recent crowding issues — then you'll get even find more value than what's listed below.
The other thing to keep in mind is that you'll have to leverage each of these benefits to their fullest to squeeze as much value as possible, and that can involve keeping track of monthly, biannual and annual credits — so there's a bit of legwork. However, it can be more than worthwhile when you consider the savings.
Let's get started.
Cards that provide $1,000-plus in ongoing value
| Card | Annual fee | Ongoing value (after the annual fee) |
|---|---|---|
| The Platinum Card® from American Express | $695 (see rates & fees). | $3,299. |
| Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card | $450 (see rates & fees). | $3,075. |
| The Business Platinum Card® from American Express | $695 (see rates & fees). | $2,834. |
| Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card | $450 (see rates & fees). | $1,115. |
| Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card | $95 annual fee (see rates & fees). | $1,160. |
| IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card | $99. | $1,006. |
The information for the Hilton Honors Aspire has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Amex Platinum
Quantifiable benefits:
- Up to $200 in Uber Cash statement credits annually.*
- Up to $200 in airline incidental statement credits per calendar year.*
- Up to $200 in prepaid hotel statement credits annually.
- Up to $189 in Clear membership statement credits annually.*
- Up to $155 in Walmart+ statement credits annually.(plus ups are excluded)*
- Up to $240 in digital entertainment statement credits annually.*
- Up to $300 in Equinox statement credits annually.*
- Up to $300 in SoulCycle statement credits annually.*
- Up to $100 in annual Saks Fifth Avenue statement credits, awarded semi-annually.*
- Up to $100 for Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee every four years — so we'll value this at $25 per year.
- Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold elite status ($840 value, according to TPG valuations)*.
- Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold elite status ($1,255 value, according to TPG valuations)*.
*Enrollment required for select benefits.
Ongoing value: $3,299 (after the $695 annual fee).
The Amex Platinum offers the most exhaustive list of statement credits of almost any card out there. While you likely will not use every credit, it's still easy to get more than $1,000 in value from the card every year.
Throw in other benefits like the Global Lounge Collection, the Amex Platinum Concierge and Uber VIP status, and you've got a winning premium rewards card.
Official application link: American Express Platinum.
Hilton Honors Aspire
Quantifiable benefits:
- Complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond elite status ($3,025 value, according to TPG valuations).
- Up to $250 in annual airline fee statement credits.*
- Up to $250 in annual Hilton resort statement credits.*
*Enrollment required for select benefits.
Ongoing value: $3,175 (after the $450 annual fee).
The Hilton Honors Aspire is a must-have for Hilton loyalists. It comes with automatic Diamond status, getting you benefits such as space-available room upgrades, a 100% bonus on base points and breakfast (or an on-property credit in the U.S.). Even though all travelers may not reach the full value from Diamond status, plenty of other statement credits justify the $450 annual fee.
In our calculations, we didn't even factor in the Priority Pass lounge membership (enrollment is required) and the free night certificate that comes with the card (with the potential of earning another award night after spending $60,000 on the card in a calendar year).
Read our official review: Hilton Honors Aspire.
Amex Business Platinum
Quantifiable benefits:
- Up to $200 in annual airline incidental statement credits one one selected airline.*
- Up to $400 in annual Dell statement credits for U.S. purchases.*
- Up to $360 in annual Indeed statement credits.*
- Up to $150 in annual Adobe statement credits.*
- Up to $120 in annual U.S. wireless telephone services statement credits.*
- Up to $189 in annual Clear membership statement credits.*
- Up to $100 for Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee every four years — so we'll calculate this as $25 per year.
- Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold elite status ($840 value, according to TPG valuations).*
- Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold elite status ($1,255 value, according to TPG valuations).*
*Enrollment required for select benefits.
Ongoing value: $2,834 (after the $695 annual fee).
If you're a business owner, the Amex Business Platinum offers an assortment of statement credits intended to help offset your business operating expenses. With a few travel-related benefits — not to mention Centurion Lounge access — you shouldn't have trouble finding several thousand dollars of value.
Official application link: Amex Business Platinum.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex
Quantifiable benefits:
- Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold elite status ($840 value, according to TPG valuations).
- Up to $300 annual statement credit on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program.*
- Annual free night award — up to 50,000 points ($400 value) for use at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program.
- Up-to-$100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit every four years — so we'll calculate this as $25 per year.
*Enrollment required for select benefits.
Ongoing value: $1,115.
With thousands of Marriott Bonvoy properties to choose from, most travelers should be able to maximize the value of the various credits and the free night award found on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card. With automatic Gold elite status and a pathway to Platinum elite status, this is the card you'll want if you're looking for hotel benefits.
Official application link: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex.
Hilton Honors Surpass
Quantifiable benefits:
- Complimentary Hilton Gold elite status ($1,255 value, according to TPG valuations).
Ongoing value: $1,160 (after the ongoing $95 annual fee).
While the only quantifiable benefit of the Hilton Honors Surpass is the complimentary Gold elite status, it's still an impressive offering considering the low ongoing $95 annual fee. It's also worth noting that the card comes with 10 annual Priority Pass lounge visits and the opportunity to earn a free night certificate by spending $15,000 on the card in a calendar year.
Official application link: Hilton Honors Surpass.
IHG One Rewards Premier
Quantifiable benefits:
- Complimentary IHG Platinum elite status ($880 value, according to TPG valuations).
- Anniversary reward night — up to 40,000 points ($200 value).
- Up-to-$100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit every four years — so we'll calculate this as $25 per year.
Ongoing value: $1,006 (after the $99 annual fee).
While IHG tends to fly under the radar compared to other popular hotel chains, there's still tons of value to be found with this brand, and this card. With an $99 annual fee, automatic Platinum elite status, an anniversary reward night and more, it's easy to extract more than $1,000 in value from the IHG Rewards Club Premier card.
The card was also recently refreshed with higher earning rates and the ability to top off your reward night with an unlimited number of points — providing even more flexibility for cardholders.
Official application link: IHG Rewards Club Premier.
Bottom line
If your biggest concern is finding value beyond the first year, refer back to this list when applying for your next credit card. The options above come with substantial benefits that most cardholders can maximize to lock in a tremendous amount of value every year.
As a follow-up, be sure to read our story on the 10 credit cards that offer more than $1,000 in first-year value if you're looking to consider the welcome bonus in these estimates.
Official application link: Amex Platinum.
Official application link: Amex Business Platinum.
Official application link: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant.
Official application link: Hilton Honors Surpass.
Official application link: IHG One Rewards Club Premier.
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum, click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Aspire, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant, click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors Surpass, click here.