What’s the Difference Between Gold vs. Platinum Amex Card?

The Amex Gold and Platinum cards are among the most popular rewards credit cards available. They provide members with a number of benefits, including increased earning rates, airline status credits, and more. In this article we’ll explore what these cards have to offer you in terms of their annual fees, earning potential, and other important details so that you can decide which one works best for you!

Annual Fee

The annual fee on the Gold Card is $550, and it comes with many benefits. The Platinum Card has an annual fee of $1,200 per year—but it also comes with more perks.

Both cards offer two points per dollar spent at US supermarkets and gas stations; one point per dollar at US restaurants; 0% APR for 12 months (no interest) on balance transfers made within 45 days after opening your account; and extended payment protection from American Express up to 60 days after you make a purchase or if there’s an active chargeback filed against you by another creditor. Both cards offer 24/7 access to customer service via phone call or chat message for emergencies only—no emails or texts here!

Earning Rate

The Gold Card earns 1 point per dollar spent on all purchases. The Platinum Card earns 3 points per dollar spent on airfare and hotels, 2 points per dollar spent on dining and entertainment, and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.

For example: If you make a purchase of $100 with your American Express Platinum Card (worth 20% back in travel credits), you’ll get 40 bonus miles that can be redeemed for free flights within the next three years (or 12 months).

Introductory Bonuses

The Gold Card offers a 25,000-point bonus after spending $2,000 in the first 3 months.

The Platinum Card offers a 35,000-point bonus after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months.

Both cards also offer 5,000-point bonuses for adding an authorized user:

Gold Card — up to 2x on all purchases (except for certain categories) when you add an authorized user who has at least one card issued by HSBC Bank USA/Nexus; up to 1x on all purchases when you add an authorized user who doesn’t have any HSBC Bank USA/Nexus cards or other American Express branded cards; not available if you are an existing American Express customer (this doesn’t apply if you’re looking into adding an authorized user who has no other American Express branded cards).

Points Value

The points you earn on the Amex Gold and Platinum credit cards are worth more than those offered by their respective counterparts.

For example, if you have a Business Gold card and make $5,000 in purchases during the first three months of opening your account, then you’ll get 5X points on all those purchases (500 points). That’s enough to redeem for $500 cash back at a 2% cash back rate or 3X miles at 1X per dollar spent (and two different redemption options). The same goes for any other type of spending – including airfare, hotels, and restaurants – as long as it’s done with one of these cards.

Airline and Hotel Rewards Program

The Platinum card offers more airline rewards than the Gold card. It’s better for hotel rewards, too.

The Gold card is great if you like to travel a lot and want to use your points for hotels or airfare through American Express Travel (Amex Travel). But if you prefer other airlines, such as Delta or United Airlines, then the Platinum Card will work better for you.

Both cards offer some great benefits:

• Priority Pass Select membership gives access to over 1 million airport lounges worldwide (including Admirals Club locations) at no charge! This means that when traveling abroad—even just within North America—you can relax in comfort while waiting on hold on long-distance calls with no additional fees applied by phone companies because they’re part of this program too; just show them your Amex card as proof! It also gives entry into participating restaurants including those listed below under the “How To Get Free Food” section which has been verified by our research team who live far away from these places but still get free food every day using their credit cards regularly so they don’t really need any special privileges except those provided by this service provider.”

Airline Status Credits

You can earn status credits on the Gold Card, but not as many as you would with a Platinum Card.

The Airline Status Credits that come with your Platinum Card are more valuable than those offered by the Gold Card. For example:

• Up to $100 in airline lounge access each year (Platinum card) vs up to $75 (Gold).
• Free checked bag for you and one additional person traveling on your reservation (Platinum card) vs free bag for you and two additional people traveling on your reservation (Gold).

Rental Car Status

Gold card members receive primary auto rental coverage, which means that they are not responsible for any damage to the rental car. Platinum card members receive secondary auto rental coverage, meaning that they can be held liable for up to $75 per day in damages if a covered accident occurs while they are driving.

Shopping Benefits

Shopping Benefits

You get 5x points on airfare, hotels, and car rentals. You also earn 1x point on all other purchases. These points can be redeemed for any airline ticket redemption or cash back with miles (like Chase Ultimate Rewards) at a rate of 1 cent per point. You can use the points toward flights, hotels, cruises, and experiences like spa treatments or trips to Disneyland® Paris.

You can transfer your American Express Platinum Card Membership Rewards points to over 12 airline frequent flyer programs including Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (SQ), Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (VAA), United MileagePlus Explorer Card, and Aeroplan program within 60 days of each anniversary date – so you don’t have a time limit for redemption!

Travel Insurance

If you’re a frequent traveler, it’s important to know that Amex Gold and Platinum cards offer different types of travel insurance. While both will cover you against lost baggage and other common travel mishaps (like missing your flight), they each come with additional coverage options that can be helpful when traveling abroad.

The Platinum card features primary coverage for medical expenses, trip cancellation and interruption, lost baggage, and more—all while providing secondary coverage for certain other expenses not covered under the primary plan. For example: if your checked-in luggage is damaged during transit or left behind at baggage claim due to an airline’s error or mechanical failure (so long as it wasn’t too severe), then Amex Platinum will pay out up to $1 million per occurrence in damages covered by its Primary Coverage Plan; meanwhile Gold only offers limited reimbursement for incidents involving theft/loss of items during transit or when traveling outside U.S.; however, it does provide secondary coverage for certain other expenses not covered under this plan such as emergency evacuation from an airplane if there are seatbelt buckle malfunctions during flight time periods between takeoff/landing procedures etcetera…

Takeaway:

The takeaway is the main point of this article and should be a summary of what you learned. The takeaway should be easy to remember so that you can use it when explaining the difference between gold and platinum Amex cards in person, over email, or by phone.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a credit card with a lot of perks and rewards, then Gold or Platinum might be the best option. They have many benefits that help make traveling easier and more enjoyable, so it’s worth considering if you want some free travel.