Amex Gold vs Amex Platinum — which is worth it to you?

The American Express Gold Card ($325/yr) and the American Express Platinum Card ($895/yr) side by side: credits, earning rates against a flat 2% cash-back baseline, and protections — with your spending deciding which card actually wins each category.

The Amex Platinum charges $895 a year against the Amex Gold's $325, so it starts $570 behind. Both earn Membership Rewards, and a point from one is worth the same as a point from the other. What separates them is rates and credits.

Both cards pay a bonus on flights (3x vs 5x). The Amex Gold also has a bonus on dining (4x) and groceries (4x), with nothing to match it on the Amex Platinum.

The Amex Gold comes with 5 statement credits, the biggest being $120 Dining Credit, $120 Uber Cash and $100 Resy Dining Credit, plus 2 more. The Amex Platinum has 12 statement credits: $600 Hotel Credit, $400 Resy Dining Credit and $300 lululemon Credit, plus 9 more. All of these are face values, and a credit only really pays out if it covers something you were buying anyway.

Both cards carry elite status, extended warranty, no foreign transaction fees, purchase protection, rental car collision coverage and trip delay. The Amex Gold alone has lost luggage; the Amex Platinum alone has cell phone protection, lounge access and trip cancellation.

American Express Gold Card

American Express · $325 annual fee · earns Membership Rewards

Earning rates

4x Restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000/yr, then 1x)
4x US supermarkets (on up to $25,000/yr, then 1x)
3x Flights booked direct or via AmexTravel
5x Prepaid hotels via AmexTravel
2x Prepaid car rentals via AmexTravel
1x Everything else

Statement credits (5)

$120 Dining Credit — $10/month at Grubhub (incl. Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder.
$120 Uber Cash — $10/month in Uber Cash for US rides or Uber Eats.
$100 Resy Dining Credit — $50 per half-year at US Resy restaurants.
$84 Dunkin' Credit — $7/month at Dunkin' in the US.
The Hotel Collection $100 Credit — $100 credit toward eligible on-property charges on each prepaid 2+ night Hotel Collection stay booked via AmexTravel.

Full American Express Gold Card breakdown — 7 more benefits on the full page.

American Express Platinum Card

American Express · $895 annual fee · earns Membership Rewards

Earning rates

5x Flights booked direct or via AmexTravel (on up to $500,000/yr, then 1x)
5x Prepaid hotels via AmexTravel
1x Everything else (incl. dining, groceries, hotels direct)

Statement credits (12)

$600 Hotel Credit — $300 per half-year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings via AmexTravel.
$400 Resy Dining Credit — $100 per quarter at US Resy restaurants and other eligible Resy purchases.
$300 lululemon Credit — $75 per quarter at lululemon in the US.
$300 Digital Entertainment Credit — Up to $25/month toward eligible subscriptions (Disney+, ESPN, Hulu, NYT, Paramount+, Peacock, WSJ, YouTube).
$200 Airline Fee Credit — Incidental fees (bags, seats, lounge day passes) on one selected airline per year.
$200 Uber Cash — $15/month in Uber Cash ($35 in December) for US rides or Uber Eats.
$120 Uber One Credit — Up to $120 in statement credits per calendar year for an auto-renewing Uber One membership purchased with the card.
$200 Oura Ring Credit — Up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year toward an Oura Ring purchased at Ouraring.com.
$300 Equinox Credit — Up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year toward an Equinox club membership or Equinox+ digital subscription.
$155 Walmart+ Credit — Covers a monthly Walmart+ membership ($12.95/mo).
$219 CLEAR Plus Credit — Covers a CLEAR Plus airport security membership (up to $219 per calendar year).
Global Entry / TSA PreCheck Credit — $120 Global Entry credit every 4 years (~$30/yr) or TSA PreCheck every 4.5 years.

Full American Express Platinum Card breakdown — 9 more benefits on the full page.

Card data verified against issuer sources: American Express Gold Card on 2026-08-24, American Express Platinum Card on 2026-08-24.

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