American Express Platinum or American Express Gold Credit Cards?

Amex Platinum and Gold Are 2 Different Things

First Published Date: September 29, 2015

A common question American Express credit card users, or even those do not hold any Amex cards but are considering it, are struggling to answer is should they choose the Amex Platinum or Gold. Or would it make sense to even choose both?

Today I will try to answer these questions by keeping things simple and without going into too much detail about these cards’ perks and features.

The very first striking anomaly anyone will notice in these two cards are the wide gap in annual fees. The Platinum charges a hefty $700 and the Gold charges a $150 annual fee (in Canada). However, based on your objectives, these fees may or may not be justified.

The American Express Platinum card is all about perks and features. This card makes sense for those who travel often and want to enjoy traveling in style and distinction. The card gives you access to over 600 airport lounges across the globe and also provides elevated hotel status for many big name hotel chains. This means benefits like a room upgrade, late checkout, and so on. If you do not fly or stay in hotels often, a platinum card may not provide any value to you. By often I mean not traveling one or twice a year, but once or twice a month.

While the platinum card is packed with features, it’s terrible with rewards points because it offers only 1.25 points for every dollar. This is where the American Express Gold comes in. The Amex Gold is a credit card that is designed for rewards points and it’s much generous for points on each dollar you spend, such as 2 points for every dollar at eligible gas, grocery store, and travel purchases. The gold card would make perfect sense for those who don’t travel often and don’t need to access lounges and elevated hotel status.

These are the very basic elements that separate these cards on the surface. Both cards offer much more and the only way to find out what suits you most is to go through all the features and benefits before making any decisions. You will find users who do not travel, but still hold the Platinum card and you will find users that hold both platinum and gold cards. So which card(s) is best for you totally depends on your lifestyle, what you want, and what you value most.

Disclosure: Information provided here may not be accurate and no longer valid. The mentioned card provider is not related to A Dawn Journal and neither monitor this site nor responsible for any inaccurate information. Contact the card company directly for accurate and updated information.