
Sign up & start saving!
Get our weekly newsletter for the latest in money news, credit card offers + more ways to save
Finder is committed to editorial independence. While we receive compensation when you click links to partners, they do not influence our content.
Updated
Both American Express and Visa offer credit cards with unique rewards programs that could suit one person over another. For example, if you’re looking for more opportunities to earn rewards points, Amex might suit your needs better. But, if you’re looking for a card with a wider acceptance rate, you might want to try Visa. In the end, both providers offer great features. Choosing between them is just a matter of personal preference.
While Amex and Visa offer some similar benefits, looking at the features and services that set them apart can help make your decision. For example, Amex products uniformly offer features such as purchase protection and travel insurance. These features are mostly issuer-dependent among Visa cards, however. Choosing between the providers just depends on what you value.
American Express | Select Amex cards (e.g., The Platinum Card® from American Express) | Visa Traditional | Visa Signature | Visa Infinite | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Extended warranty | Depends on issuer | ✅ | |||
Purchase protection | Depends on issuer | ✅ | |||
Return protection | ✅ | Depends on issuer | ✅ | ||
Price protection | Depends on issuer | Depends on issuer | |||
Car rental insurance | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Global assist hotline/travel and emergency assistance | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | |
Roadside assistance | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ||
Travel accident insurance | Depends on issuer | ✅ | |||
Baggage insurance | ✅ | Depends on issuer | ✅ | ||
Trip cancellation/ interruption insurance | ✅ | Depends on issuer | ✅ | ||
Concierge | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Your personal shopping habits and how you’ll be using the card should point you in the direction of what will better suit your needs. If you use your American Express for 50% of your everyday shopping you’ll get the most value. However, If you want a card that’s more widely accepted and has a lower annual fee, Visa is your pick.
If you can’t decide whether you want to choose between American Express or Visa, you can always get both and use one as a backup. Having both Visa and American Express means that you can use either of them as much as possible while earning more points.
Back to topOur picks for the best no-annual-fee cards.
Ways to protect your assets and what you need to know about marital debt.
Here’s what you need to know about Chewy, the popular pet retailer that offers fast shipping, a wide-variety of products and 24/7 customer service.
A Finder poll reveals that 40% of people plan to deck fewer halls this Christmas season. Looking at which gender and country will spend less and impact on retailers, we can expect more ‘bah humbug’ this year.
If you don’t find The One within 6 months — it’ll give you another 6 months of premium access for free.
Finder uncovers how much Americans are spending on payment processing fees for political campaign donations, who pays the fees and which companies are benefiting the most.
While it’s one of the pricier dating apps out there, it guarantees you’ll make a meaningful connection in 3 months — or it’ll give you 3 months free.
Score savings on the season’s hottest athleisure trends with the Boxing Day sales from Lululemon.
Earn more rewards on select categories or get an extension of some travel perks.
Find out which Chase credit cards have no foreign transaction fee.