With the launching of so many unique credit cards that has a range of fabulous perks and benefits, it can be daunting to pick out the perfect and the highest-earning Amex card. At PointsAdvisor, we have done that research for you, so you can spend that time doing things you love.
This page will simplify the information for you and help you pick the right card so you’re one step closer to your dream getaway.
Amex Reward Points Earning Rates Per $1 Spent
American Express Personal Cards
Amex Reward Points Earning Rates
| Card Names | Category | Annual fee | Supermarket & Petrol | Overseas | Others | Gov’t | Other Major Benefits |
| Platinum card | tier-I | $1,450 | 2.25 | 1 |
$450 Travel Credit, Accor Plus Membership -$395, Hotel Elite Status, Priority Pass Sign-up incentive: 150k Bonus Member reward points |
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| Explorer card tier | tier-III | $395 | 2 |
$400 Travel Credit, two complimentary entries per year to Lounges. Sign-up incentive: 70k Bonus Member reward points |
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| Essential | tier-III | $0 | 1.25 |
Smartphone Screen Insurance up to $500 for screen repairs, twice a year. Sign-up incentive: Receive $100 back |
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| Platinum Edge | tier-II | $195 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
$200 Travel Credit. Sign-up incentive: $0 Annual Card Fee in the first year |
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Points earned above are American Express Reward Points.
Qantas and Virgin Amex Personal Cards
| Qantas Amex Cards | Annual fee | Qantas Products | others | Government | Other Major Benefits |
| Qantas Ultimate | $450 | 2.25 | 1.25 | 0.5 |
$450 Qantas Travel Credit each year, Sign-up incentive: 55k Bonus Qantas Points |
| Qantas Premium | $249 | 2 | 1 | 2 Complimentary Qantas Club lounge invitations
. Sign up incentive: 30k Bonus Qantas Points |
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| Qantas Discovery | $0 | 1.75 | 0.75 | ||
| Virgin Amex Cards | Annual fee | Virgin Products | others | Government | Other Major Benefits |
| Velocity Platinum | $375 | 2.25 | 1.25 | 0.5 | complimentary domestic return flight
Sign up incentive: 75k Bonus Velocity Points |
| Velocity Escape | $0 | 1.75 | 0.75 | ||
Points earned above are airline-specific loyalty points; these cannot be transferred or converted to other loyalty programs.
American Express Business Cards
| Business Card Names | Card Category | Annual Fee | Government | Others | Other Major Benefits |
| Platinum Business Card | tier-I | $1,750 | 1 | 2.25 |
Hotel Elite Status Sign-up incentive: 350k bonus Rewards points |
| Gold Business card tier | tier-II | $105 ($89 Membership Enrolment Rewards fee) |
1.5 | Complimentary Travel Insurance covers up to $300,000 | |
| Corporate Card | tier-III | $70 ($89 Membership Enrolment Rewards fee) |
Complimentary Travel Insurance covers up to $150,000 |
Points earned above are American Express Reward Points.
Qantas Business Cards
| Card Names | Annual fee | Qantas Products | Government/ Utilities/Insurance |
Others | Other Major Benefits |
| Qantas Corporate Platinum Card | $1,200 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
TRIPLE Qantas Points for your business on eligible Qantas flights Qantas Club Lounge passes Sign-up incentive: 200k Bonus Qantas Points |
| Qantas Corporate Gold Card | $105 ($89 Membership Enrolment Rewards fee) |
1.5 |
TRIPLE Qantas Points for your business on eligible Qantas flights Complimentary Travel Insurance covers up to $300,000 |
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| Qantas Corporate Card | $70 ($89 Membership Enrolment Rewards fee) |
TRIPLE Qantas Points for your business on eligible Qantas flights Complimentary Travel Insurance covers up to $150,000 |
Points earned above are airline-specific loyalty points; these cannot be transferred or converted to other loyalty programs.
How to Compare Amex Cards Points Earning Capacity
Remember, Qantas or Virgin cards earn Qantas or Virgin points, respectively; there’s NO conversion.
Reward points earned by non-airline branded cards will convert to fewer airline points; see conversion details below. Only transfer your points to airline loyalty programs once you know the best-valued flight you will redeem.
| Amex Points to Airline Points Conversion from 15th April 2019 | ||||
| Tier-I Premium |
Tier-II Ascent |
Tier-III Gateway |
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| Airlines | Air New Zealand | 200:1 | ||
| Other Eligible Airlines* | 2:1 | |||
| Eligibility | Qantas | Yes | No | No |
| Virgin Atlantic | Yes | No | ||
| Velocity | Yes | Yes | ||
| Hotels | Hilton Honors | 2:1 | ||
| Marriot Bonvoy | 3:2 | |||
* Amex reward points can be transferred to these airline reward programs
Asia Miles, Emirates Skyward Miles, Qantas Frequent Flyer, Etihad Guest, Singapore-Krisflyer, Malaysian Enrich, Thai Royal Orchid Plus, Velocity Frequent Flyer and Virgin Atlantic. Qantas Frequent Flyer, Virgin Atlantic or Velocity Frequent Flyer may be excluded from some cards.
CONCLUSION
Generally, you earn the most airline points per dollar on Qantas or Virgin credit cards. However, there are limitations to these frequent flyer programs, such as award flight availability. It is only recommended if you are a loyal customer of either airline with the respective co-branded card.
For those with flexibility in their airline of choice, the AMEX Platinum Card earns you the most points for general expenses yielding 2.25 points per dollar spent.
It would help if you also considered the difference in annual fees; for example, Platinum Card earns you 2.25 points/$, while the Explorer Card earns you 2 points/$ on most purchases. This slight increase in earning rate while incurring an additional annual fee of $1055 means you must spend about $400,000 annually to make up for the difference. However, for frequent travellers who value some of the benefits of the Platinum Card, such as Priority Pass membership for lounge access, Platinum card concierge service, hotel benefits and other perks, the Platinum card is often the better choice.
You should also consider the existing membership tiers from the Airline and Hotel programs, as some elite tiers offer benefits that supersede the Platinum benefits.
Some customers hold multiple Amex cards for different expenses to maximise the points accumulated—we recommend checking that the points earned outweigh the costs of having multiple cards.
Our Service
Still trying to decide which card is the best for you? or are you too busy to learn the best practice for earning and redeeming your points? If you have a portfolio of 2 million reward points or more, we offer DFY (done for you) service to maximise your points earning capacity and points value, Contact us to make an enquiry.
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