18,122 grads of the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course already know why
The Platinum Card® from American Express is my #1 recommended card
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Which card is better for military servicemembers: the American Express® Gold Card or the The Platinum Card® from American Express?
Many military servicemembers know that the Amex Platinum receives special American Express military protections due to the Military Lending Act.
However, many troops do not know that all American Express cards have special protections for active duty and military spouses. This includes the Amex Gold Card, which is a better everyday card.
The nice thing about being an active duty servicemember is you do not have to choose! Because of these protections on both cards, I recommend you first get an Amex Gold card and then open an Amex Platinum card.
American Express® Gold Card
Learn how to apply on our partner's secure site
- Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year- includes OCONUS Commissaries
- 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- No foreign transaction fees – great for the 4x on restaurants when traveling for fun, OCONUS TDY, or PCS!
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That's up to $120 Uber Cash annually! Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made at restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: You can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. Enrollment required.
- Go explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- Read my full review of the Amex Gold card for military, terms apply
- Enrollment is required for select benefits
- $325 Annual Fee* See more details about American Express protections for you and your spouse
The Platinum Card® from American Express
Learn how to apply on our partner's secure site
- $695 annual fee*. Reduced to $0 with American Express special military protections
- 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
- Earn 5x points on airfare booked directly with airline or on amextravel.com up to $500,000 per calendar year
- Earn 5x points on prepaid hotels at amextravel.com
- $200 Annual Hotel Credit: Get $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card®. Note that The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay
- $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month when you pay for eligible purchases with the Platinum Card® at your choice of one or more of the following providers: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, Peacock, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
- $200 Uber Cash: Platinum Card® Members can get $15 in Uber Cash each month, plus a bonus $20 in December after adding their Card to their Uber account. Use your Uber Cash on rides and orders in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction. Enrollment required.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year in baggage fees and more at 1 qualifying airline. Enrollment required.
- $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR® Plus helps to get you to your gate faster at 50+ airports nationwide and get up to $199 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Card. CLEARLanes are available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues.
- This is a MAJOR time saver–$120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA PreCheck® official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®! Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
- With American Express Global Lounge Collection®, enjoy access to over 1,400 airport lounges globally, including The Centurion® Lounge, Unlimited Delta Sky Club® Access when flying an eligible Delta flight, EscapeLounges, Lufthansa Lounges when flying Lufthansa Group, Plaza Premium, Priority Pass™ Select Lounges, & Additional Global Lounge Collection Partner Lounges subject to visit limitations. Lounges may have their own rules, like additional access rules and guest fees, and for Priority Pass Select, you need to enroll and there are unlimited airport lounge visits for Card Members. With Delta Sky Club Access, Card Members will receive 10 Visits to the Delta Sky Club to be used from February 1 until January 31 of the next calendar year and can unlock Unlimited Delta Sky Club Access by spending $75,000 in eligible purchases on their Card in a calendar year. To find a lounge, visit the membership section in the American Express® App or visit http://www.americanexpress.com/findalounge#/loungefinder.
- $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax.
- Up to $100 annual Saks Fifth Avenue credit, enrollment required
- Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- No foreign transaction fees
- Enrollment is required for select benefits
- The Platinum Card® from American Express – learn how to apply
- Read my full review of the Amex Platinum card for military, terms apply
In this post:
Amex Platinum vs Amex Gold Welcome Bonus Offers
We have two podcast episodes on the Amex Gold and Amex Platinum card available below or on Spotify, Amazon Apple Podcasts, and others.
Both cards are currently offering huge welcome bonus offers which you can earn after meeting minimum spend. These are some of the highest we have seen in years!
The Amex Gold welcome bonus offer is 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. That's only $1,000 per month of spending required to hit the minimum spend!
The Amex Platinum 80,000 points can be earned after you spend $8,000 in the first 6 months of opening the card.
Winner: The Amex Platinum card for a 20,000 point higher welcome bonus offer!
Amex Gold vs Platinum Bonus Categories
The spending bonus categories is what really sets apart these two cards. While the Amex Platinum is perfect for booking travel, the Amex Gold card is better for everyday spending on groceries and restaurants.
- 4x points on groceries (on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1x points for the rest of the year) This includes “US supermarkets” and also almost all overseas Commissaries count as US supermarkets
- 4x points on global dining (up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year). This includes restaurants, coffee shops, cafes, and fast food around the world. It also includes takeout and delivery services like Uber Eats, Grubhub, and Doordash.
- 3x points on travel booked directly with airline or on amextravel.com
- 1x point for every eligible dollar spent
- 5x points on airfare booked directly with the airline or through Amextravel.com
- 1x point for every eligible dollar spent
The Platinum card is the perfect luxury travel card with 5x points on airfare, lounge access, rental car insurance, and the $200 airline fee credit. However, if you're not booking a lot of airfare, it's actually not that great of a card. It only gets 1x point on purchases outside of airfare.
The Gold card on the other hand gets 4x points on groceries and dining. Everyone needs to eat. Whether you like going out with friends, getting takeout with family, or making food at home, this card covers all those scenarios.
The other perk to Amex Gold card is your grocery shopping at US military bases overseas can count as 4x “US Supermarkets.” Here's a list of confirmed Commissaries with 4x Amex points.
The bonus categories for the Gold and Platinum are complimentary. Gold for US supermarkets and dining, Amex Platinum for airfare. Both my wife and me have both cards as part of our 27 credit cards.
Winner: Tied! But Amex Gold for everyday spending on restaurants and US supermarkets.
Amex Metal Cards Recurring Benefits
Both the Gold and Platinum cards are made from metal. It's a satisfying “clink” when you put one down for a drink.
Uber and Uber Eats
My most used benefit of the Amex Platinum card is the monthly $15 Uber Cash. In December the credit bumps up to $35, making it an even $200 Uber or Uber Eats Cash for the year.
The Gold card is adding a $10 monthly Uber or Uber Eats Cash which you can combine with the Amex Platinum Uber Eats Cash. That would give you $25 per month in free Uber Eats, probably enough for a free meal!
Airline Fee Credit
The Platinum has a $200 airline fee credit. The best use for this credit is checked bagged fees, food and drink on the flight, or seat upgrades. You must select the airline in advance in your Amex account to qualify for the credit.
Winner: Platinum for the extra Uber Eats Cash, but really these are complimentary. Just get both cards and enjoy the best of both worlds.
Annual Fees
Thanks to the Military Lending Act or MLA, the comparison is easy. More information on how the Amex MLA works here.
Travel Partners to Transfer Your Amex Points To
American Express has lots of great travel partners to transfer your Amex Membership Reward points to. My favorite is All Nippon Airways (ANA), where I once booked $27,000 first class tickets from Honolulu to Tokyo. I also usually get great value from Hawaiian Airlines for flights to and from Hawaii.
One of my best bookings was on Singapore Airlines for 2 roundtrip business class tickets Dubai to New Zealand to Australia. I cannot wait for international travel to come back!
What I Recommend for Military Servicemembers
Military servicemembers should open both the Amex Gold and Amex Platinum. I recommend getting an Amex Platinum card first and then opening an Amex Gold once you have completed the minimum spend on the Amex Platinum card.
Also remember that military spouses also get the same protections on their cards. Spouses can refer each other to earn even more points! I explain how that all works in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course.
Let me know in the comments if you opened both cards!
Frequently Asked Questions
For travel you cannot beat the Amex Platinum. For everyday spending on groceries, restaurants, takeout, and delivery, go with the Amex Gold card. Military servicemembers should get both cards.
The Amex Platinum card is much more a luxury travel card while the Amex Gold card is more of aneveryday spending bonus card.
Yes, you can have both the Amex Gold and Amex Platinum cards.
Yes, you can upgrade the Amex Gold card to an Amex Platinum card, but I recommend opening a whole new Amex Platinum account to earn the welcome bonus offer.
Yes, you can contact Amex customer support to downgrade your Platinum to a Gold. However, since military servicemembers have no annual fees, I do not recommend it. Here is my credit card strategy if you are leaving the military.
Yes, all Amex points earned on all your Amex Membership Reward cards such as Green, Gold and Platinum are combined automatically.
Hi, I have had the Amex Gold since April 2022 and am looking into getting the Platinum for the amount of traveling I’m getting ready to do. Everywhere I look, I find that it’s wise to have the Gold for at least a year for x number of reasons before upgrading to the Platinum. I was wondering if there are active duty military exemptions of some sort, or ways around that 1 year period that allows me to keep my progress on the Gold without penalizing me in any other way. Thanks for the help.
Do not upgrade the account if you don’t already have a Platinum card. Open a new Amex Platinum card. Then you can earn more Amex Membership Rewards points with the welcome bonus.
Now you’ll have an Amex Gold and an Amex Platinum. Use the Gold for restaurants and groceries and the Platinum for travel. Sweet!
Will opening a new account trigger another hard inquiry on my credit history even though I have a pre-existing account through Amex… since technically it isn’t “upgrading” by their definition? Again, thanks for the help!
It probably won’t trigger a hard pull since you already have any account with them. Any reason you’re afraid of a hard pull? Buying a house soon?
I’m new to the ‘adulting’ thing — just a young guy about to commission and want to make sure I’m doing things the right way. I would rather ask questions now than find things out the hard way.
Yup all good questions! Keep them coming. Hard inquiries aren’t bad and drop off after a few months. Only really an issue if you’re taking out a loan soon.
As Active duty, can I get the platinum and put my wife as an authorized user, and then have my wife get the gold card and put me as an authorized user? All at the same time as to have the benefits of both cards?
Ideally you would open an Amex Platinum card, refer your wife for a Platinum card from your account (so you would earn the referral bonus), then she could refer you for an Amex Gold card from her Platinum Card (so she earns the referral bonus) and then you refer her for an Amex Gold card from your Amex Gold card.
Now you have an Amex Platinum and Amex Gold card each with all the recurring benefits (hotel credits, airline fee credits, Uber credits, restaurant credits) and neither of you are paying annual fees. Remember Amex waives annual fees for both active duty military and the spouses. So you don’t need to add each other as authorized users. It’s more advantageous to open your own accounts. Learn all about this in my free course, the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course.
I’m active duty and getting ready to PCS to Hawaii. My wife and I want to start traveling and visit all the other surrounding islands and hopefully visit family in the states once a year. I know the amex platinum is the best method for this. We are also avid shoppers of the comissary and other grocery stores because we are a family of 6. My question is this: Is there a specific method you need to use to get those free trips like you got for your Japan trip? If so, how do I go about doing this? From what I garner from your site, we would need both the platinum and the gold card. We have very nearly perfect credit scores so I don’t forsee us being denied. However, I want to get as many points as possible. Can you please assist?
Thank you
Great questions Lawrence. I recommend you start with my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course and review my best military credit cards.
For visiting other Hawaiian islands, the flexibility of Chase and Amex points is hard to beat. You can transfer Amex MR points from your Amex Platinum card to Hawaiian airlines.
Southwest is also popular in the Hawaiian islands. You can earn the Southwest companion pass and then one of you gets to fly for free for over a year on Southwest. If she opens her own Southwest cards, you can both designate one of your kids as companions, saving even more.
You might want a Delta Reserve card so you can get an annual companion pass back to the mainland on Delta. That will save some costs.
For grocery stores like the Commissary you want to use Amex Gold for 4x points.
Make sure both you and your wife open your own accounts to maximize the welcome bonuses. She’ll get her annual fees waived too. More on credit cards for military spouses here.
If I am a National Guard Soldier, do these MLA fee waivers work for me as well? I am deploying and am interested in starting the process but if it only waives the fees while on Active duty and are reapplied when I get back in the states, its less appealing.
Yes it works when you are on active duty orders. See more details on Amex card Guard benefits here.
The benefits should continue even when you come off active orders since Amex doesn’t check status often.