Some of the hottest offers running right now belong to American Express. You can choose from earning plenty of Aeroplan points, Amex Membership Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy points, or Air Miles.
But which of these offers is best? Here’s the full breakdown on how much you could earn for each card, less the first year fee you’ll have to pay.
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Amex summer offers summary
First, here’s the summary of each Amex credit card running a big time offer.
| Amex Credit Card | Welcome Offer | Annual Fee | Maximum Welcome Bonus Value Less Annual Fee | Apply Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Express Platinum | * 90,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months * 10x the points on restaurants for the first 3 months, up to 20,000 points earned |
$699 | $1,381 | Apply Now |
| American Express Gold Rewards | * 50,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months * 10x the points on restaurants for the first 3 months, up to 20,000 points earned |
$250 | $1,030 | Apply Now |
| Marriott Bonvoy American Express | * 65,000 points after spending $1,500 in the first 3 months * 5x the points on restaurants for the first 3 months, up to 10,000 points earned |
$120 | $569 | Apply Now |
| American Express Aeroplan | * 45,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 6 months * 2,500 points every month you spend $500 in first 6 months * 5x the points on restaurants for the first 3 months, up to 10,000 points earned |
$120 | $1,220 | Apply Now |
| American Express Aeroplan Reserve | * 60,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months * 5,000 points every month you spend $1,000 in first 6 months * 10x the points on restaurants for the first 3 months, up to 20,000 points earned |
$599 | $1,521 | Apply Now |
| American Express Air Miles Reserve | * 4,000 miles + $100 credit after spending $3,000 in 3 months | $299 | $489 | Apply Now |
Most of these offers are predicated on restaurant spending. And, these multipliers include what you would normally earn as part of the card’s base earn rate.
You may also notice that in many of our calculations for the welcome bonus, they’re worth quite a bit less. Our calculations are based on spending $150 per month on restaurants. To get the full bonuses, you’ll need to spend much more than that (we’ll let you know how much).
With that said, here’s the true value for each welcome bonus.
American Express Platinum card
First, let’s look at the
Here’s the current welcome offer:
- 90,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months, and
- 10x the points on restaurants for the first 3 months, up to 20,000 points earned.
For the restaurant spending, the Platinum Card normally earns 3 points per $1 spent at restaurants, so the true bonus is an additional 7x points. To earn the 20,000 points, you would have to spend $2,000 on restaurants in the first 3 months.
Depending on your habits, that’s quite a bit of spending on eating out. For most people, they’d be earning less than the full value.
What is the true value of points you would earn? You’re earning a bonus of 7 points per $1 spent, so that’s 14,000 bonus points if you spend $2,000 at restaurants.
So what’s the full value of the bonus? We value Amex Membership Rewards at 2 cents each.
Here’s our breakdown for each component.
| Welcome Bonus | Value |
|---|---|
| 90,000 points lump sum bonus | $1,800 |
| 14,000 points at restaurants | $280 |
| Annual fee | ($699) |
| Maximum Value | $1,381 |
Even taking out that high annual fee, you’re getting well over $1,000 in bonus rewards. It’s enough to cover the annual fee for 2 more years.
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American Express Gold Rewards
If that annual fee is too much to handle, there’s another Membership Rewards card with a hot offer – the
Here’s what this card is offering:
- 50,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months, and
- 10x the points on restaurants for the first 3 months, up to 20,000 points earned.
The restaurant spending is identical, meaning you can earn a maximum of 14,000 points, but the lump sum is quite a bit less, although you also need to spend less to get it.
But factoring in the annual fee, is this bonus better? Here’s the full breakdown.
| Welcome Bonus | Value |
|---|---|
| 50,000 points lump sum bonus | $1,000 |
| 14,000 points at restaurants | $280 |
| Annual fee | ($250) |
| Maximum Value | $1,030 |
Not quite as valuable as the Platinum Card.
But you can look at it another way – there’s enough bonus here to cover the annual fee for another 4 years.
GC: $125
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Marriott Bonvoy American Express
Let’s move on to some free hotel rewards with the
Here’s the welcome offer for this card:
- 65,000 points after spending $1,500 in the first 3 months, and
- 5x the points on restaurants for the first 3 months, up to 10,000 points earned
So what’s the actual bonus portion of the restaurant spending? This card earns 2 points per $1 spent on everything, so you’re earning a bonus of 3 points per $1 spent at restaurants.
The maximum spend is still $2,000 for those 3 months, so you’re earning an additional 6,000 points.
We value each Marriott Bonvoy point at 0.97 cents each, so here’s the value of the welcome bonus:
| Welcome Bonus | Value |
|---|---|
| 65,000 points lump sum bonus | $631 |
| 6,000 points at restaurants | $58 |
| Annual fee | ($120) |
| Maximum Value | $569 |
This is our first sub $1,000 offer. But this is also the card that keeps on giving. After your first year, you’re gaining an annual free night voucher worth up to 35,000 points, which is essentially getting a free welcome bonus every year you have the card.
American Express Aeroplan
Amex offers a pair of Aeroplan credit cards, and both of them are running improved offers right now.
We’ll start with the
- 45,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 6 months,
- 2,500 points every month you spend $500 in first 6 months, and
- 5x the points on restaurants for the first 3 months, up to 10,000 points earned.
Assuming you spend $500 every month, you’ll earn 15,000 bonus points on top of the 45,000 point lump sum.
As for the restaurant spending, this card earns 1.5 points per $1 spent, so you’re actually earning a bonus of 3.5 points per $1 spent on restaurants, or 7,000 points.
Our standard value for an Aeroplan point is 2 cents. Here’s the full value of the bonus.
| Welcome Bonus | Value |
|---|---|
| 45,000 points lump sum bonus | $900 |
| 15,000 points earned over 6 months | $300 |
| 7,000 points at restaurants | $140 |
| Annual fee | ($120) |
| Maximum Value | $1,220 |
It’s one of the most valuable welcome bonuses available, and the annual fee is only $120.
American Express Aeroplan Reserve
The super-premium
- 60,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months
- 5,000 points every month you spend $1,000 in first 6 months
- 10x the points on restaurants for the first 3 months, up to 20,000 points earned
Spend $1,000 every month for 6 months, and you’ve earned 30,000 points on top of the 60,000 points lump sum bonus.
As for restaurants, this card earns 2 points per $1 spent, so you’re earning a bonus of 8 points per $1 spent on up to $2,000 in spending.
| Welcome Bonus | Value |
|---|---|
| 60,000 points lump sum bonus | $1,200 |
| 30,000 points earned over 6 months | $600 |
| 16,000 points at restaurants | $320 |
| Annual fee | ($599) |
| Maximum Value | $1,521 |
Even factoring in the high annual fee, there’s plenty of value with this offer, and it’s actually the best offer available.
American Express Air Miles Reserve
The last improved offer belongs to the
It’s a much simpler bonus compared to the other cards. Spend $3,000 in the first 3 months, and you’ll earn 4,000 miles and get a $100 statement credit.
We value an Air Mile at 17.2 cents each, so here’s what this bonus is worth.
| Welcome Bonus | Value |
|---|---|
| 4,000 mile lump sum bonus | $688 |
| $100 statement credit | $100 |
| Annual fee | ($299) |
| Maximum Value | $489 |
Here we actually have the welcome offer with the least value. But if you’re into collecting Air Miles, it’s one of the best offers you can get.
Which Amex offer will you get?
Amex has a terrific set of offers. And even though the Aeroplan Reserve card has the best value, if you’re not into Aeroplan or cards with high annual fees, there are other offers for you to consider.
Any of these offers interest you?
Let us know in the comments below.
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