First-year winner
The Platinum Card from American Express
$618 Year 1 edge
$1,328 vs $710
Compare Cards
Stack up the better credit card
Compare two cards side by side with your real spend, credits, fees, and rewards.
Card A
Card B
Monthly spend
Start with spending categories
Monthly Total
$2,430/mo
Reward assumptions
Credits & benefits
Count the credits and perks you actually expect to use. Credit rows start with conservative default values; edit them for your own merchant, timing, or travel friction.
Card A
The Platinum Card from American Express
Counted benefits
$1,132
Credits
$1,132
Cash-like credits counted in the model
Perks
None
Optional user-valued benefits
Perk
American Express Global Lounge Collection
Lounge Access · No listed cash value
Access to Centurion Lounges, select Delta Sky Club visits when flying Delta, Priority Pass Select enrollment, and other partner lounges.
Credit
$200 Uber Cash
Other · Listed $200/yr
Get $15 in Uber Cash each month plus a $20 bonus in December for eligible Uber rides and orders in the U.S.
Perk
$120 Uber One Credit
Other · No listed cash value
Up to $120 in statement credits each calendar year after purchase of an eligible auto-renewing Uber One membership in the U.S.
Credit
$300 Digital Entertainment Credit
Streaming Credits · Listed $300/yr
Up to $25 per month in statement credits for eligible purchases with select digital entertainment partners.
Credit
$400 Resy Credit
Dining Credits · Listed $400/yr
Up to $100 in statement credits each quarter for eligible Resy purchases, including dining at eligible U.S. Resy restaurants.
Perk
$600 Hotel Credit
Travel Credits · No listed cash value
Up to $300 back semi-annually on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings through Amex Travel.
Perk
Premium Hotel Status
Other · No listed cash value
Complimentary hotel status and on-property benefits are available with participating programs.
Credit
$200 Airline Fee Credit
Travel Credits · Listed $200/yr
Up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year for incidental fees with one selected qualifying airline.
Credit
$209 CLEAR Plus Credit
Other · Listed $209/yr
Up to $209 in statement credits per calendar year for an eligible CLEAR Plus membership.
Perk
$200 Oura Ring Credit
Other · No listed cash value
Up to $200 back in statement credits each calendar year on eligible Oura Ring purchases through ouraring.com.
Perk
Platinum Nights by Resy
Other · No listed cash value
Special access to exclusive reservations on select nights at participating Resy restaurants in select markets.
Credit
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Application Credit
Tsa Global Entry · Listed $30/yr
Receive either a statement credit for Global Entry every 4 years or TSA PreCheck every 4.5 years when the application fee is charged to the card.
Credit
$100 Saks Fifth Avenue Credit
Other · Listed $100/yr
Up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue or saks.com.
Perk
$300 Equinox Credit
Other · No listed cash value
Up to $300 in statement credits each calendar year on an eligible Equinox club membership or Equinox+ digital subscription.
Credit
Walmart+ Monthly Membership Credit
Other · Listed $155/yr
Monthly statement credit for one eligible Walmart+ membership paid with the Platinum Card.
Perk
$300 lululemon Credit
Other · No listed cash value
Up to $75 in statement credits each quarter for eligible U.S. lululemon store purchases.
Card B
American Express Green Card
Counted benefits
$0
Credits
None
Cash-like credits counted in the model
Perks
None
Optional user-valued benefits
Perk
Amex Offers Access
Other · No listed cash value
Eligible cardholders can add targeted Amex Offers for statement credits or bonus rewards with participating merchants.
Perk
Purchase and Warranty Protections
Purchase Protection · No listed cash value
American Express cards commonly include purchase-protection and extended-warranty style coverage on eligible purchases.
Perk
No Foreign Transaction Fees
Other · No listed cash value
Eligible international purchases do not incur an added foreign transaction surcharge.
Perk
Travel Rewards Ecosystem
Other · No listed cash value
The card is designed to fit into a broader travel-rewards setup through issuer redemptions, hotel stays, flights, or travel-portal bookings.
Verdict
The Platinum Card from American Express wins year 1 and long term.
Winner after year 1
The Platinum Card from American Express
$219 ongoing edge
$528 vs $310
Long-term breakeven: the higher-reward option needs roughly $67,085 per year in this spend mix to overcome the fee and benefit gap.
American Express
The Platinum Card from American Express
Year One
$1,328
Welcome offer + annual rewards + counted benefits - fee
After Year 1
$528
Annual rewards + counted benefits - fee
Annual Rewards
$292
1.00% effective return
Welcome Offer
$800
Current listed first-year bonus value
Credits + Perks
$1,132
$1,132 credits + $0 perks
Bonus Spend
$8,000
6 mo window · $1,333/mo pace · Comfortable
Why it wins
- • Still delivers meaningful first-year upside from the welcome offer.
- • Your expected credit usage offsets most of the annual fee.
- • Stays usable for international purchases.
Watch for
- • The points value case is thinner without transfer-partner flexibility.
American Express
American Express Green Card
Year One
$710
Welcome offer + annual rewards + counted benefits - fee
After Year 1
$310
Annual rewards + counted benefits - fee
Annual Rewards
$460
1.58% effective return
Welcome Offer
$400
Current listed first-year bonus value
Credits + Perks
None
$0 credits + $0 perks
Bonus Spend
$3,000
3 mo window · $1,000/mo pace · Comfortable
Why it wins
- • Stays usable for international purchases.
Watch for
- • The annual fee is harder to justify if you do not use the credits and perks consistently.
- • The points value case is thinner without transfer-partner flexibility.
Spend Mix Math
Where the value actually comes from
Category returns are based on the spend mix you entered, your point-value assumption, and the benefits you chose to count.
Dining
1x
$5,400
The Platinum Card from American Express
$54
1.00%
American Express Green
$162
3.00%
Groceries
1x
$7,800
The Platinum Card from American Express
$78
1.00%
American Express Green
$78
1.00%
Travel
1x
$3,000
The Platinum Card from American Express
$30
1.00%
American Express Green
$90
3.00%
Gas
1x
$1,920
The Platinum Card from American Express
$19
1.00%
American Express Green
$19
1.00%
General
1x
$11,040
The Platinum Card from American Express
$110
1.00%
American Express Green
$110
1.00%
Total annual spend
$29,160 across this mix
The Platinum Card from American Express$292
American Express Green$460
Raw Breakdown
Full side-by-side details
Use the spec table below when you want the literal field-by-field differences in rewards, benefits, transfer partners, fees, and approval profile.
| Metric | The Platinum Card from American Express | American Express Green Card |
|---|---|---|
| Costs | ||
| Annual fee | $895 | $150 |
| Foreign transaction fee | None | None |
| Rewards | ||
| Dining rewards | — | 3x |
| Travel rewards | 5x 5X Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel, up to $500,000 per calendar year, and on prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel. | 3x |
| All rewards | 1x | 1x |
| Offer | ||
| Welcome offer | 80,000 Membership Rewards points Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. | 40,000 Membership Rewards points Spend $3,000 in 3 mo |
| Benefits | ||
| Estimated benefits | ~$1,594/yr | 4 listed |
| Benefit highlights | American Express Global Lounge Collection · $200 Uber Cash · $120 Uber One Credit · +13 more | Amex Offers Access · Purchase and Warranty Protections · No Foreign Transaction Fees · +1 more |
| Profile | ||
| Credit needed | Excellent | Good |
| Network | amex | amex |
| Reward type | Points | Points |
Costs
Annual fee
The Platinum Card from American Express
$895
American Express Green Card
$150
Foreign transaction fee
The Platinum Card from American Express
None
American Express Green Card
None
Rewards
Dining rewards
The Platinum Card from American Express
—
American Express Green Card
3x
Travel rewards
The Platinum Card from American Express
5x
5X Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel, up to $500,000 per calendar year, and on prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel.
American Express Green Card
3x
All rewards
The Platinum Card from American Express
1x
American Express Green Card
1x
Offer
Welcome offer
The Platinum Card from American Express
80,000 Membership Rewards points
Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
American Express Green Card
40,000 Membership Rewards points
Spend $3,000 in 3 mo
Benefits
Estimated benefits
The Platinum Card from American Express
~$1,594/yr
American Express Green Card
4 listed
Benefit highlights
The Platinum Card from American Express
American Express Global Lounge Collection · $200 Uber Cash · $120 Uber One Credit · +13 more
American Express Green Card
Amex Offers Access · Purchase and Warranty Protections · No Foreign Transaction Fees · +1 more
Profile
Credit needed
The Platinum Card from American Express
Excellent
American Express Green Card
Good
Network
The Platinum Card from American Express
amex
American Express Green Card
amex
Reward type
The Platinum Card from American Express
Points
American Express Green Card
Points