Best American Express credit cards for August 2022

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American Express credit cards offer high-value rewards programs and some of the most generous perks in the industry. The Amex lineup has options for everyday shoppers, luxury travelers, small business owners and more. Check out the best cards offered by our partner American Express to see which Amex credit card is the best for you.

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BEST FOR CUSTOMIZABLE REWARDS

U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card

Reward rate
5

5% cash back on your first $2,000 in eligible net purchases each quarter on the combined two categories you choose.

3

5% cash back on prepaid air, hotel and car reservations booked directly in the Rewards Travel Center.

-1

1% cash back on all other eligible purchases.

1

1% cash back on all other eligible purchases.

Intro offer

$200 bonus

Annual fee

$0

Regular APR

16.74% - 26.74% (Variable)

Recommended credit

Good to Excellent (670 - 850)

The U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card is packed full of bonus rewards categories. It will take more than a little effort to track them all, but people who don’t mind strategizing to earn high rewards for all their purchases will enjoy having this card in their collection.
Pros
  • Multiple rotating and fixed bonus categories, which can make it easier to earn rewards quickly
  • The $200 sign-up bonus (after spending $1,000 within the first 120 days of account opening) increases the card’s first-year value
Cons
  • The $2,000 combined spending cap each quarter for your chosen 5% categories limits your ability to rake in rewards
  • Having to track and enroll in rotating categories can be a hassle for some
  • New! $200 bonus after spending $1,000 in eligible purchases within the first 120 days of account opening.
  • 5% cash back on your first $2,000 in combined eligible purchases each quarter on two categories you choose
  • 5% cash back on prepaid air, hotel and car reservations booked directly in the Rewards Travel Center
  • 2% cash back on one everyday category, like Gas Stations/EV Charging Stations, Grocery Stores or Restaurants
  • 1% cash back on all other eligible purchases
  • 0% Intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 billing cycles. After that, a variable APR currently 16.74% – 26.74%
  • No Annual Fee
  • Pay over time by splitting eligible purchases of $100+ into equal monthly payments with U.S. Bank ExtendPay™ Plan.
  • Terms and conditions apply.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

Purchase intro APR
0% Intro APR on purchases for the first 15 billing cycles.

Balance transfer intro APR
0% Intro APR on balance transfers for the first 15 billing cycles.

BEST FOR PERSONAL LOAN ALTERNATIVE

Upgrade Cash Rewards Elite Visa®

Reward rate
2.2

Earn 2.2% unlimited cash back on card purchases every time you make a payment

Intro offer

$200

Annual fee

$0

Regular APR

8.99% - 29.99% (Variable)

Recommended credit

Good to Excellent (670 - 850)

If you value having an incentive for making your credit card payments, you will find a lot to love with this card option. You’ll earn a competitive rate of 2.2 percent cash back on your purchases each time you make a payment. The card is also fairly affordable, skipping the annual fee, foreign transaction fees and many other common maintenance fees.
Pros
  • You won’t need to use your reward earnings to offset any maintenance fees.
  • You’ll earn a bonus after you open a Rewards Checking account and make three purchases with the card in your first 60 days.
Cons
  • The high end APR range is well above average. That could prove costly if you don’t have the credit needed to qualify for the lower range and you end up carrying a balance.
  • You won’t get a break on interest if you carry a balance since there are no intro APR offers on purchases or balance transfers.
  • $200 bonus on your Upgrade Card after opening a Rewards Checking account and making 3 debit card transactions within 60 days.*
  • New Feature: Pay your balance in full early each month and avoid interest with EarlyPay.
  • Earn 2.2% unlimited cash back on card purchases every time you make a payment
  • See if you qualify in seconds with no impact to your credit score
  • No Fees – $0 annual fees, $0 activation fees, $0 maintenance fees
  • Combine the flexibility of a card with the low cost and predictability of a loan
  • Access to a virtual card, so you can start earning while you wait for your card to arrive in the mail.
  • Contactless payments with Apple Pay® and Google Pay™
  • Mobile app to access your account anytime, anywhere
  • Enjoy peace of mind with $0 Fraud liability
  • *To qualify for the $200 welcome bonus, you must open and fund a new Upgrade Rewards Checking Account and make 3 debit card transactions within 60 days of your Upgrade Card account opening. The bonus credit will be posted to your Upgrade Card as a rewards credit within 1-2 billing periods following the third debit transaction on your Rewards Checking account. Your Upgrade Card must be in good standing to receive the bonus.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

Purchase intro APR
N/A

Balance transfer intro APR
N/A

BEST FOR GROCERIES

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

Reward rate
6

6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%).

1

6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.

3

3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations

0

3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations

1

1% Cash Back on other purchases

Intro offer

$350

Annual fee

$95

Regular APR

16.24%-26.24% Variable

Recommended credit

Good to Excellent (670 - 850)

With generous rewards rates in family-friendly categories including purchases at U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations, on-the-go families will have a hard time finding a more rewarding credit card.
Pros
  • The base reward program is uber-lucrative, making this card a good choice for people looking for long-term value.
  • You don’t have to keep track of rotating spending categories or enrollment deadlines.
Cons
  • There is no intro APR offer on balance transfers.
  • You won’t earn the extra rewards for grocery shopping at major superstores and wholesale clubs, as those don’t count as U.S. supermarkets.
  • Earn a $350 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
  • Buy Now, Pay Later: Enjoy $0 intro plan fees when you use Plan It® to split up large purchases into monthly installments. Pay $0 plan fees on plans created during the first 12 months after account opening. Plans created after that will have a fixed monthly plan fee up to 1.33% of each purchase amount moved into a plan based on the plan duration, the APR that would otherwise apply to the purchase, and other factors.
  • Low intro APR: 0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 16.24% to 26.24%.
  • 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%).
  • 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
  • 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more).
  • 1% Cash Back on other purchases.
  • Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit.
  • $95 Annual Fee.
  • Terms Apply.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

Purchase intro APR
0% on purchases for 12 months

Balance transfer intro APR
N/A

BEST FOR ROTATING CASH BACK CATEGORIES

Discover it® Cash Back

Reward rate
5

Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and when you pay using PayPal, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate.

1

Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically.

Intro offer

Cashback Match™

Annual fee

$0

Regular APR

13.49% - 24.49% Variable

Recommended credit

Good to Excellent (670 - 850)

The Discover it Cash Back is a popular choice for cash back rewards because of the rotating bonus categories. It’s an exciting way to earn cash back quarter by quarter and all year-round without committing to a set rewards category.
Pros
  • Discover will match the cash back you earn at the end of the first year.
  • There are a few cash back redemption options, including credit to your account and donations.
Cons
  • You must enroll to take advantage of the bonus categories each quarter.
  • There is a spending limit on your highest cash back category each quarter ($1,500 in combined purchases per quarter).
  • Intro Offer: Unlimited Cashback Match – only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. You could turn $150 cash back into $300.
  • Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and when you pay using PayPal, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically.
  • New! Discover helps remove your personal information from select people-search websites. Activate by mobile app for free.
  • Every $1 you earn in cash back is $1 you can redeem.
  • New Intro APR: Get a 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases. Then 13.49% to 24.49% Standard Variable Purchase APR applies, based on credit worthiness.
  • No annual fee.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

Purchase intro APR
0% for 15 months

Balance transfer intro APR
0% for 15 months

BEST FOR UP TO 2% CASH BACK

Citi® Double Cash Card

Reward rate
2

Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases.

Intro offer

$200 Cash Back

Annual fee

$0

Regular APR

16.24% - 26.24% (Variable)

Recommended credit

Good to Excellent (670 - 850)

If you make your payments on time each month, it’ll be tough to find a better cash back card than the Citi Double Cash Card. With healthy financial habits, this card effectively becomes a 2 percent flat-rate cash back card (1 percent when you make purchases and another 1 percent when you pay your bill), a rare find in the cash back market.
Pros
  • You can convert your cash back earnings to Citi ThankYou points when paired with a card like the Citi Premier® Card, which can be redeemed for travel, gift cards and more.
  • There are no spending category restrictions or rotating categories
Cons
  • Your rewards can expire with this card if you don’t use it for a year.
  • The sign-up bonus spending requirement is higher than you’ll find on many no-annual-fee cash back cards.
  • Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases.
  • For a limited time, earn $200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening.
  • Balance Transfer Only Offer: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 16.24% – 26.24%, based on your creditworthiness.
  • Balance Transfers do not earn cash back. Intro APR does not apply to purchases.
  • If you transfer a balance, interest will be charged on your purchases unless you pay your entire balance (including balance transfers) by the due date each month.
  • There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

Purchase intro APR
N/A

Balance transfer intro APR
0% intro for 18 months on Balance Transfers

A closer look at our top-rated Chase credit cards

Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best for dining and entertainment

  • What we love about the Capital One SavorOne: It’s rare for a no annual fee card to earn such robust rewards rates in these particular categories in dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and grocery store categories.
  • Who this card is good for: Socialites and social butterflies who will make the most out of the SavorOne’s very generous dining rewards.
  • Alternatives: The Discover it Chrome card is another card that offers competitive rewards rates on dining. It also tacks on gas rewards which is great for people who are often on the go, something that the SavorOne falls a bit short on.

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express: Best overall cash back for families

  • What we love about the Blue Cash Preferred: The rewards categories on this card are some of the most popular spending categories for most consumers so if you play your cards right (pun intended), you’ll have a nice stack of rewards in your cash back match in your first year.
  • Who this card is good for: On-the-go people who spend a fair amount of money at gas stations and restaurants. You can earn 2 percent in those categories on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, then 1 percent.
  • Alternatives: The Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards card outpaces the Discover it Chrome by a lot if your main squeeze is getting the most out of dining rewards.

Citi Rewards+ Card: Best for rewards on small purchases

  • What we love about the Blue Cash Preferred: Thanks to the Citi Rewards+ Round Up feature, every purchase you make will be rounded up to the nearest 10 points. For example, a $4 coffee would be worth 10 points.
  • Who this card is good for: Frequent supermarket and gas station shoppers who want to earn cash back rewards easily without big spending habits.
  • Alternatives: If you want to expand beyond the Citi ThankYou® Points program, the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Card offers unlimited flat-rate rewards on all purchases, casting a wide net on your earning opportunities outside of a designated points program.

Who are Chase credit cards good for?

Many of the best Chase cards on the market boast travel protections and rewards that are hard to beat. You can earn handsomely on everything from flight costs and car rentals to hotels and dining. Some of the most premium Chase cards even offer baggage cost reimbursement, trip cancellation insurance and so much more.

Chase business cards get the job done when it comes to rewarding business and travel purchases. You can get boosted rewards rates when spending on office supplies or business trips, and some cards will even offer free employee cards and purchase protection.

One of the best ways to get the most out of your Chase credit card is to pair it with other Chase credit cards. Pairing Chase cards allows you to pool the rewards you earn across multiple cards and maximize your rewards even more with the Chase Ultimate Rewards program.

What are the benefits of Chase credit cards?

Chase cards come with a variety of benefits and top-notch rewards. As a rule of thumb, always check your card’s terms and conditions to confirm its benefits, but many Chase credit cards offer the following:

Excellent card-pairing opportunities

Having more than one Chase card in your wallet is the best way to maximize your rewards. Chase’s card portfolio provides more opportunities to craft rewards strategies than most other popular issuers’ cards offer, thanks to their rewards that can be pooled and the Sapphire card family’s point value boost for travel redemption. What’s more, Chase’s premium cards tend to carry lower annual fees than rival issuers’ upper-tier cards, such as those from American Express, which means more of your rewards value returns to your pocket.

For example, pairing the Chase Sapphire Reserve with one of Chase’s no annual fee cash back cards boosts its yearly rewards value by 50 percent at no additional cost. The Chase Freedom Unlimited is a popular pairing option since its boosted flat-rate rewards can shore up any card strategy. Even pairing both no annual fee cash back cards — the Freedom Unlimited and Freedom Flex — can be effective since you’ll earn flat-rate cash back and valuable rotating category rewards for no annual fee.

Since Chase’s business cards are largely designed for small businesses, its Ink Business cards pair well with Chase personal cards as well. In fact, savvy cardholders can take advantage of the Chase trifecta — one of Chase’s most rewarding credit card combinations. The most common variation pools the power of the Freedom Unlimited’s flat-rate rewards, the Ink Business Preferred’s bonus category coverage and the Sapphire Reserve’s enhanced travel redemption point value. However, non-business owners can easily swap the Ink Business Preferred with the Freedom Flex for another approach to category diversity.

Chase Ultimate Rewards Portal

In addition to the benefits and accessibility, Chase offers cardholders one of the industry’s signature rewards programs: Chase Ultimate Rewards. With Ultimate Rewards, cardholders can earn and redeem points for cash back, statement credits, gift cards or travel rewards. Also, points get extra value when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards with the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Pay Yourself Back

Chase launched the Pay Yourself Back feature in early 2020, allowing cardholders to redeem their rewards on past purchases with better value (typically boosted from 25 to 50 percent). The feature is available with the Sapphire series and other select Chase cards until Sept. 30, 2022. You can select a qualifying purchase made in the past 90 days, then redeem some (or all) of your points from the transaction and receive a statement credit.

Some cards have more flexibility within the program, but as of now the following Chase cards offer Pay Yourself Back:

  • Chase Freedom Flex
  • Chase Freedom Unlimited
  • Chase Freedom Student
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred
  • Chase Sapphire Reserve
  • Ink Business Unlimited
  • Ink Business Cash
  • Ink Business Preferred

Pros and cons of Chase credit cards

  • Flexible rewards redemption: Thanks mostly to the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, most Chase cards host a plethora of redemption options ranging from travel to charitable donations.
  • Top tier travel partners: Chase’s long list of travel partners and 1:1 points transfer rate give you even more ways to use your points.
  • High credit score requirements: With top-notch travel rewards and generous offers, most of Chase’s cards require a good to excellent credit score.
  • High price premium cards: The Chase cards with the most generous benefits and rewards have annual fees ranging from a more standard $95 to over $500.

How to choose the best Chase credit card

It’s easier to find an ideal match for a credit card by keeping the focus where it needs to be—on you. As you start to compare Chase cards, consider these questions.

What kind of rewards would you like to earn most?

Often, the value of your rewards may increase by up to 50 percent or more when redeemed through the Chase Ultimate Rewards program. Fortunately, these travel redemption boosts mean you don’t have to consistently utilize transfer partners to boost your rewards’ value, like you may have to with other issuers’ travel portals. If you use the Ultimate Rewards Portal or you have multiple Chase cards (including a premier Chase card), pooling your rewards and redeeming through the portal could produce a windfall of earnings. However, you may want to consider a more streamlined card from another issuer with a less-involved redemption portal if you prefer a brass-tacks rewards program.

Are you willing to take on an annual fee?

Plenty of Chase cards come without an annual fee but a few do add this extra charge in exchange for a few more lucrative benefits. To determine if an annual fee is worth it, understand all the perks and benefits that the annual fee is paying for and if your own use of those benefits makes the fee worthwhile.

Still unsure if a Chase credit card is right for you? Check out our Credit Card Spender Type Tool where you can get personalized credit card recommendations based on your credit score, spending habits and daily needs.

Creditcard's Insight

Before you apply to a Chase card, you should know about the issuer’s 5/24 rule. It states that to be approved, you can’t have opened five or more personal credit card accounts in the 24 months prior to your application.

How we chose our top American Express credit cards

Creditcard’s personal finance experts have evaluated the top American Express cards according to our 5-point rating system. The list of criteria for rating credit cards includes:
APR

How the card's annual percentage rate (APR) compares with current averages as an indicator of cost and value.

Rewards

Whether the card offers strong rewards for travel points/miles or across multiple categories for eligible purchases and the potential returns based on rewards rate (1 percent cash back per $1 spent, 1 mile per $1 spent, and so on).

Perks and benefits

Whether the card offers extras such as retail discounts, extended warranties on purchases, travel insurance, luxury benefits and financial management tools.

Annual fee

Whether the card charges an annual fee and if so, how much the card's overall value and benefits might offset the fee.

Introductory offers

Whether the card charges a foreign transaction fee for international purchases and how the fee affects the card's overall value.

Foreign transaction fee

Whether the card charges a foreign transaction fee for international purchases and how the fee affects the card's overall value.

Frequently asked questions about credit cards for excellent credit scores

The best Chase credit card will be whatever card best fits your personal needs. However, in terms of reward earnings, perks and benefits, the top contenders for the best Chase cards are the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Most Chase credit cards require a good to excellent credit score. This means you’ll need a FICO score of 670 or higher to apply and be feasibly approved.

If you’re eligible for a student card, the Chase Freedom Student may be one of the easiest to be approved for. Other options include the Chase Freedom Flex and the Chase Freedom Unlimited, though both will still require at least a good credit score.

No. You will automatically start earning rewards when you spend with a Chase rewards card. If your card has rotating bonus reward categories, activation may be required to access bonus rates.

The quickest way to close a Chase account is to call Chase and request the cancellation. You can also send the cancellation request through your online account or even send a letter in the mail.

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Financing.credit is an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. The offers that appear on this site are from companies from which Financing.credit receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site, including, for example, the order in which they may appear within listing categories. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and the likelihood of applicants’ credit approval also impact how and where products appear on this site. Financing.credit does not include the entire universe of available financial or credit offers.

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