What You Need to Know American Express Credit Card

This article was updated on June 24, 2018.

American Express offers well over a dozen personal charge and credit card products in the U.Southward., with a wide diverseness of costs, benefits, and promotional offers. If you're in the market for a new credit menu, American Limited may have one that meets your needs. Here are some details of American Express' credit bill of fare offerings to help you brand a smart decision.

American Express has a wide variety of credit card products

American Express is more often than not known as a high-end credit card issuer. In fact, the company's affluent and high-spending client base of operations is what has enabled Amex to charge higher fees to merchants than Visa or Mastercard.

Epitome Source: Getty Images. (Note: Image does not necessarily depict an American Express menu.)

All the same, in recent years, American Express' product portfolio has evolved into a wide multifariousness of credit carte du jour products. Sure, there are still the high-end products, such as the flagship Platinum Carte® from American Express, which comes with a $550 annual fee, and perks such every bit airport-lounge access, incidental fee credits, and even $200 of Uber rides per year. There'south even a level above this, in the course of the exclusive Centurion® Card, better known as the "black carte," which has a $2,500 almanac fee on top of its $7,500 initiation fee, and comes with some out-of-this-world perks.

On the other end of the spectrum are some cards with no annual fee, but however with some impressive benefits. For example, the American Express Blue Cash Everyday® Card has no annual fee and offers a $100 new cardholder bonus after spending $i,000 within the first three months, a 0% intro APR for 12 billing cycles, and has ongoing greenbacks-dorsum reward rates of upwardly to 3% in certain categories.

In addition, American Express offers several credit cards tailored to specific types of customers, such equally frequent travelers, or shoppers at certain retailers. American Express is a co-branding partner for Delta, Starwood Hotels, Mercedes-Benz, and Hilton. In improver, several other retailers, such equally Macy'south, offer American Express credit card products of their own.

Some of Amex's cards aren't technically "credit cards" at all

It's also important to point out that some of the cards offered by American Express aren't "credit cards" at all, simply rather are classified as "accuse cards."

Here's the difference. With a credit card, you accept the option of paying your beak in full each month, or carrying over some, or all, of your rest, and paying interest to the credit card issuer for the loan. A charge card, on the other hand, must be paid in total every month, and then there are no interest charges to worry about.

The traditional American Express cards -- American Limited® Greenish Card, Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express, and The Platinum Bill of fare® from American Limited -- are charge cards, although cardholders tin can now cull an option that allows them to carry a balance, known as the "Pay Over Time" feature. In fact, until not too long agone, all of American Limited' business came from charge cards, not credit cards.

Some of American Express' all-time credit cards

A close relative of the upkeep-friendly Blue Cash Everyday® Card I discussed before, the Blue Cash Preferred® Bill of fare could be an splendid option, especially if you use the card to pay for groceries.

The menu has a pocket-sized $95 almanac fee, simply also has a $150 new cardholder bonus after spending $ane,000 within the first iii months. Y'all also earn cash back at a 1% rate on all purchases, but this is increased to 3% at U.S. gas stations and certain U.S. department stores, as well as a sky-high six% greenbacks-back rate at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 in purchases per year. New cardholders enjoy a 0% intro Apr menstruum on both purchases and balance transfers for 12 billing cycles.

I mentioned earlier that American Express is Delta's co-branding partner, and these tin be first-class credit cards for frequent travelers. There are three tiers of Delta-branded American Express cards, so these can be smart choices for frequent concern travelers, likewise as people who wing simply a few times each twelvemonth.

The introductory bonuses offered by these cards alter adequately frequently, so be sure to bank check American Express' website for the most current offers. Nevertheless, but to name a few of the ongoing benefits of the Delta cards, the Gilded Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card has a $95 annual fee and gives cardholders priority boarding, a gratuitous checked bag on Delta flights, and no strange transaction fees. The adjacent level is the Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Card ($195 almanac fee), which has those same perks, but also comes with an annual companion certificate -- essentially a purchase-ane-get-one-free domestic main-cabin flight -- equally well every bit the power to earn Medallion Qualification Mile (MQM) bonuses afterward coming together spending thresholds.

Finally, the loftier-end Delta Reserve® Credit Card from American Express ($450 annual fee) adds costless Delta Sky Guild admission, more than generous MQM-earning opportunities, and the power to use the annual companion certificate on a first-class flight.

Which is best for you?

At the time of this writing, American Limited has eighteen different personal accuse and credit cards available, and as I've discussed, there's tremendous variety among them. In addition, American Express changes its introductory offers from fourth dimension to fourth dimension, and then be sure to check the well-nigh current information before yous determine.

The bottom line is that unlike consumers benefit from different types of credit cards. For example, the American Express Platinum Card® is a fantastic credit menu product, if -- and just if -- you employ its benefits enough to justify a $550 annual fee. Similarly, the Delta co-branded cards only brand sense if you wing on Delta regularly.

There's no such affair as a one-size-fits-all credit carte du jour, which is why American Limited offers so many different products. Of course, compare American Express' products with offerings from other issuers to find the all-time credit card for you.

What You Need to Know American Express Credit Card

Source: https://www.fool.com/credit-cards/2017/08/01/what-you-need-to-know-about-american-express-credi.aspx