Get our weekly newsletter for the latest in money news, credit card offers + more ways to save
Of the entire American Express consumer lineup, six cards do not have annual fees. Despite not having an annual fee, these cards may still let you earn rewards, earn a generous welcome offer, or let you benefit from a long intro APR period. Here’s how these no-annual-fee cards stack up and how to make the best choice for you.
What are the best American Express credit cards with no annual fee?
The American Express Cash Magnet® Card is a simple credit card with unlimited cash back on everything you buy. The long intro APR period on purchases can sweeten the deal if you're looking to save money on interest. Included with the card are standard Amex perks, including global assistance, car rental insurance and more.
Flat 1.5% cash back. Earn 1.5% cash back in reward dollars on all of your purchases. Reward dollars can be redeemed for statement credit, gift cards and merchandise.
Welcome offer. Spend $1,000 on purchases during the first 3 months from your account opening and earn $150 in statement credit.
Intro APR period. Enjoy a 0% intro APR period on purchases for 15 months following your account opening. After the intro period passes, your rate reverts to a variable APR of 13.99% to 23.99%.
Annual Fee
$0
Purchase APR
0% intro for the first 15 months (then 13.99% to 23.99% variable)
Families that spend heavily on groceries and gas could find the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express a worthwhile addition to their wallets. It lets you earn accelerated cash back on these categories, and it has a decent welcome offer. Also, if you're looking to consolidate your debt, the long intro APR period could help.
Up to 3% cash back. Earn 3% cash back at US supermarkets on up to $6,000 in purchases annually, after which the rate drops to 1%. Earn 2% back at eligible US gas stations and select US department stores. On all other purchases, earn 1% back.
Welcome offer. Earn $200 cash back when you spend $1,000 in your first 3 months of account opening.
Intro APR period. Get a 15 months period following your account opening of interest-free purchases. After that, a variable APR from 13.99% to 23.99% applies.
Annual Fee
$0
Purchase APR
0% intro for the first 15 months (then 13.99% to 23.99% variable)
Balance transfer APR
N/A
Welcome offer
$200 after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months
Rewards
2% at US gas stations and select US department stores, 3% at US supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year, then 1% after that and on all other purchases
For Hilton regulars and occasional guests, the Hilton Honors American Express Card could be worth considering. It's the only American Express hotel card with no annual fee, but that doesn't mean it's lacking. On the contrary, you earn a high number of Hilton Bonus Points on Hilton purchases — plus you'll earn accelerated Hilton Bonus Points at restaurants, gas stations and supermarkets in the US. In addition, you get a generous welcome offer and a complimentary Silver status, which lets you earn more points on your Hilton stays.
Hilton Honors Bonus Points. Earn 7x points on purchases at hotels and resorts from the Hilton portfolio, 5x points at US restaurants, US gas stations and US supermarkets, and 3x points on all other purchases.
100,000-point welcome offer. Earn 100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points once you spend $1,000 on purchases within 3 months of your account opening. With a single point worth about 0.5 cents, that's around $375 in value.
Complimentary Silver status. With the Silver status, you earn 20% more points on Hilton stays, plus you get the fifth reward night free. If you spend $20,000 annually with this card, you'll upgrade to Gold status through the end of the next year.
No foreign transaction fees. You can take this card along on your travels without worrying about paying extra when buying abroad. This is a standard feature among travel cards.
Up to 5x miles. Earn 5x miles on purchases at restaurants and purchases made with Delta. For everything else you buy, earn 3x miles. Redeem miles for flights, gift cards, excursions, shopping and more.
100,000-mile welcome offer. Spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening and get 100,000 bonus miles. Depending on what you redeem your miles for, your welcome offers could be worth between $35 and $200.
In-flight savings. Save 20% in the form of statement credit on all of your on-board Delta purchases of food, beverages and headsets.
Annual Fee
$0
Purchase APR
15.74% to 24.74% variable
Balance transfer APR
N/A
Welcome offer
100,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months, plus $100 after your first purchase in the first 3 months
Rewards
7x points on Hilton Honors purchases, 5x at US restaurants, US supermarkets and US gas stations, 3x on all other purchases
The Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card is an entry-level Delta credit card with few Delta perks, but solid rewards for the lack of annual fee, including a welcome offer worth 10,000 miles.
Earn miles. Earn 2x miles on Delta and dining purchases. Earn 1x miles on all other purchases.
Welcome offer. Earn 10,000 miles after spending $500 during your first 3 months of account opening.
In-flight savings. Get 20% back on in-flight purchases, including food, beverages and audio headsets.
No intro APR. You won't find an intro APR on purchases or balance transfers with this card.
Few perks. As an entry-level card, you won't find as many Delta benefits as you would with higher-tier Delta offering.
Annual Fee
$0
Purchase APR
15.74% to 24.74% variable
Balance transfer APR
N/A
Welcome offer
10,000 miles after spending $500 in the first 3 months
Rewards
2x miles at restaurants and on direct Delta purchases and 1x miles on all other purchases
The Blue from American Express® Card is a straight-forward rewards card that keeps things nice and simple. It earns 2x points on travel and 1x points on everything else.
Earn points. Earn 2x points on travel purchases booked through American Express Travel. Earn 1x points on all other purchases.
Travel insurance. This card comes with travel accident insurance, and roadside and global assistance.
No welcome offer. This card simply earns rewards and has no welcome offer to kickstart your point collection.
Foreign transaction fees. You'll pay 2.7% on foreign transactions, which is uncommon for a travel card.
Annual Fee
$0
Purchase APR
23.99% variable
Balance transfer APR
N/A
Welcome offer
N/A
Rewards
2x points on Amex Travel and 1x points on all other purchases.
Please note: All information about Blue from American Express® Card has been collected independently by Finder and this card is no longer available through this site.
Best for simple rewards Amex EveryDay® Credit Card
Similar to The Blue from American Express, the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card is a simple rewards card, focusing on groceries rather than travel. It also features an intro APR on purchases, which is rare for a no-annual-fee card.
Earn points. Earn 2x points on grocery store purchases on up to $6,000 annually, reverting to 1x points. Earn 1x points on all other purchases.
Welcome offer. Earn 15,000 points after spending $1,500 within your first 3 months of account opening.
Intro APR. Enjoy a 0% intro APR on purchases for 15 months following account opening, reverting to 12.99% to 23.99% variable.
Foreign transaction fees. You'll pay 2.7% on foreign transactions, which is uncommon for a travel card.
Annual Fee
$0
Purchase APR
0% intro for the first 15 months (then 12.99% to 23.99% variable)
Balance transfer APR
N/A
Welcome offer
15,000 points after spending $1,500 in your first 3 months
Rewards
2x points at US supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year then 1x points after that and on all other purchases
Please note: All information about Amex EveryDay® Credit Card has been collected independently by Finder and this card is not available through this site.
How do I choose an American Express credit card with no annual fee?
American Express has a solid variety of credit cards without an annual fee, though they’re all quite specialized from one another. To choose the right one, ask yourself the following questions:
Do you want unlimited cash back on everything you buy? The American Express Cash Magnet® Card could be a great choice if you don’t spend a lot on any particular category of purchases. That way, you earn a flat, unlimited amount of cash back on everything you buy.
Do you primarily spend on groceries? Get accelerated cash back at US supermarkets, US gas stations and select US department stores with the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express. Also, get a decent welcome offer and one of the longest intro APR periods on purchases.
Do you want a hotel card? With the Hilton Honors American Express Card, you get to earn high points on Hilton purchases and at US restaurants, US gas stations and US supermarkets. Plus, you get a generous welcome offer and a complimentary Silver status.
Do you want an airline card?. If you’re a frequent or an occasional Delta flyer, you could benefit from the double miles earned at restaurants with the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card.
Do you want an intro APR?. An intro APR on purchases is handy if you have some big upcoming purchases on the way and you want to avoid interest. The Amex EveryDay Credit Card is your go-to in this case..
How we selected our top cards
We looked at a few factors to rate no-annual-fee American Express cards. Comparisons were based on factors such as available intro APRs, reward points or cash back earned per dollar spent, redemption categories and point values, travel perks and any other added benefits. The cards we chose performed exceptionally well in a particular area, warranting a spot on our list.
What’s changed in 2021
The Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card earned a spot on our list this year. As the only Delta card without an annual fee and strong rewards opportunities, this versatile card is great for frequent and occasional Delta flyers alike.
Both the American Express Cash Magnet® Card and Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express lost their intro APRs on balance transfers. Also, at the time of this writing, neither card offers balance transfers at all to new applicants. These are clear downgrades, though they may not matter much if you never planned on making transfers anyway.
What is the average annual fee for American Express cards?
Of the Amex cards that feature annual fees, a majority of them lay in the $200 range. Though like most credit cards, the price you pay on a credit card’s annual fee typically correlates to the number of perks and benefits you can expect to come with the card. Here’s an example of the types of perks offered with a low-cost and high-cost card.
Annual fee
Card
Perks
$95
Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Complimentary ShopRunner membership
6% back at US supermarkets on up to $6,000 in purchases each year, and 1% after that. 6% back on select streaming services. 3% back at gas stations and transit purchases.
1% back on all other purchases
$550
The Platinum Card from American Express
60,000 point welcome offer after you spend $5,000 in purchases in your first three months
$200 annual airline fee credit. $200 in annual Uber Cash. $100 annual Saks Fifth Avenue credit. $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit every four years
Complimentary access to Centurion Lounge
Gold status in Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors loyalty programs
Concierge service
And more
Bottom line
Due to the variety of American Express credit cards with no annual fee, finding the right card is relatively easy. You can choose between flat cash back on all purchases, accelerated cash back on groceries and gas, rewards and benefits at Hilton hotels or rewards and benefits on Delta flights.
The Hilton Honors Card has no foreign transaction fees, which makes it the best choice out of these four no-annual-fee American Express cards.
American Express reviews your account every six months. You have to make timely payments of at least the minimum amounts due and have no returned payments during the six months to potentially get the penalty APR reverted.
Yes. The minimum for cashback redemption is $25 in reward dollars.
Kliment Dukovski is a credit cards writer. He's written over 600 articles to help readers find and compare the best credit cards. Kliment has also written on money transfers, home loans and more. Previously, he ghostwrote guides and articles on foreign exchange, stock market trading and cryptocurrencies.
How likely would you be to recommend finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
Advertiser Disclosure
finder.com is an independent comparison platform and information service that aims to provide you with the tools you need to make better decisions. While we are independent, the offers that appear on this site are from companies from which finder.com receives compensation. We may receive compensation from our partners for placement of their products or services. We may also receive compensation if you click on certain links posted on our site. While compensation arrangements may affect the order, position or placement of product information, it doesn't influence our assessment of those products. Please don't interpret the order in which products appear on our Site as any endorsement or recommendation from us. finder.com compares a wide range of products, providers and services but we don't provide information on all available products, providers or services. Please appreciate that there may be other options available to you than the products, providers or services covered by our service.
