Welcome back to the age-old debate: Amex Platinum vs. Amex Gold? Both are premium cards with high-level perks and great rewards offers, but are they worth the fee?

Welcome back to the age-old debate: Amex Platinum vs. Amex Gold? Both are premium cards with high-level perks and great rewards offers, but are they worth the fee?
The main difference between Amex Gold and Platinum is that the Amex Platinum is designed to be a travel companion, while the Amex Gold is a better pick for everyday shopping.
The Amex Platinum offers baller travel advantages, such as elite status with hotel brands, complimentary Delta Sky Club access, and point rewards when you book flights and hotels through American Express Travel. The Amex Gold gives you points for flight purchases as well, but there are fewer extra travel perks.
With the Amex Gold, you have the option to get the card in gold or the on-trend rose gold color. But besides the color, the Amex rose vs gold cards offer the same rewards and perks. If you go the Platinum route, you can also snazz up your card by choosing between one of two artistic card designs from visual artists Kehinde Wiley and Julie Mehretu.
Membership Rewards® Points can be used to pay off credit card purchases, plus points can be redeemed for the following:
You can also transfer points to other frequent flier or loyalty programs, such as Asia Miles, British Airways, Delta SkyMiles®, Etihad Guest, Marriott Bonvoy™, and more.
When comparing credit cards, don’t overlook the welcome offer. Often, that’s where the money resides. Welcome offers are icing on the cake that could sway you toward one card over another. Below are the current welcome offers for the Amex Gold vs Platinum.
Keep in mind that these sign-on benefits can change, and certain people are targeted for specific offers. If you don’t see the offer below, try going incognito on your browser or clearing your search history first.
The Amex Gold is currently offering 75,000 Membership Rewards Points if you spend $4,000 within the first six months of having the card. A 75,000-point windfall is worth a whopping $700+ for flights and $490+ for prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel.
Tip: American Express has a nifty rewards calculator you can use to do the math on the value of your points when redeemed for travel, merchandise, and more. The annual fee for the Amex Gold is $250 per year.
The Amex Platinum is offering 125,000 Membership Rewards Points—one of its highest bonuses on record—if you spend $6,000 on the card within the first six months. A 125,000 point windfall is worth $1,000+ for flights and $700+ for prepaid hotels when booking through American Express Travel. The Amex Platinum has a $695 annual fee.
On an ongoing basis, the Amex Gold and Amex Platinum cards have point categories that reward you for different areas of spending.
The Amex Gold offers the highest number of points in the dining and supermarket categories.
The Amex Platinum offers the most point rewards for flights and prepaid hotels.
Most American Express cards come with a few base-level perks, like Global Assist® Hotline you can call for emergencies when you’re more than 100 miles from home, and insurance for baggage and rental cars. In addition to those perks, here are the benefits of Amex Platinum vs Gold:
The Amex Gold gives you two opportunities to earn statement credits.
The Amex Platinum gives members the motherload in statement credits. If you take advantage of each credit, the value of these credits could surpass the cost of the annual fee.
Choosing between the Amex Gold and Amex Platinum comes down to your lifestyle and how you plan on using the card.
Are you a foodie who enjoys a good Michelin Star restaurant or throws down in the kitchen? The Amex Gold could be the better choice if you spend more time wining and dining clients, friends, or family than you do traveling.
The annual fee on the Amex Gold is quite a bit lower than the Amex Platinum, and you’ll get rewarded when buying ingredients for the next big TikTok recipe or trying the chef’s new menu at your favorite restaurant.
When you subtract the $120 dining credit and the $120 Uber cash credit, you’re looking at an effective $10 annual fee—not a bad deal if you plan to exhaust both direct benefits.
If you spend a lot of time jet-setting for meetings or pleasure, the Amex Platinum could be the better pick. You’ll earn points on flights booked plus tons of hotel, travel, and shopping credits.
Kicking back, relaxing, and taking selfies in exclusive sky lounges before boarding and during layovers can make for a more comfortable trip. And if you request an upgrade at certain hotels after flashing your Amex Platinum card, there’s a greater chance you’ll actually get one.
Don’t write this card off right away because of the annual fee. The Amex Platinum offers over $1,500 in annual credits, not to mention all of the elite travel advantages. If you use all the perks the card has to offer, you’ll be receiving more value from the card than you pay each year to keep it.
Adding both cards to your wallet could give you the best of both worlds, and it could make sense if you rack up points and utilize the perks enough to make the fee worthwhile.
Qualifying for two welcome bonuses could also mean you receive enough points to book an epic trip. Have dreams of tanning in Bali or lounging in your own ocean bungalow? These cards could be your ticket there.
Just keep in mind that if you’ve ever had either of these cards in your wallet before, you may not qualify for the new welcome offer the second time around.