Finder is committed to editorial independence. While we receive compensation when you click links to partners, they do not influence our content.
Our pick for an Amex trifecta card: American Express® Gold Card
60,000-point
Welcome offer after spending $4,000 in first 6 months
Each American Express card comes with its own perks and benefits. But if you combine three particular cards, you can easily offset each card’s annual fees, while earning the maximum value possible from your rewards points. Here’s what is called the “Amex trifecta” and how to properly use it.
The Amex trifecta is a combination of three American Express cards with membership rewards. Each card complements each other, allowing you to earn the highest rewards on your purchases. The cards that make the Amex trifecta are:
| The Platinum Card® from American Express | American Express® Gold Card | The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reward points |
|
|
|
| Welcome offer |
|
| None |
| Credits |
|
| N/A |
| Other perks |
|
|
|
| Annual fee | $695 (Terms apply, see rates & fees) | $250 (Terms apply, see rates & fees) | $0 |
Here’s a look at what you might expect to earn given average spending values with these three Amex cards.
| The Platinum Card® from American Express | American Express® Gold Card | The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express | Points earned | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flights | $2,000 | $0 | $0 | 10,000 |
| Hotels | $2,000 | $0 | $0 | 10,000 |
| Dining | $0 | $5,000 | $0 | 20,000 |
| US supermarkets | $0 | $8,000 | $0 | 32,000 |
| Gas | $0 | $0 | $4,000 | 8,000 |
| Other | $0 | $0 | $5,000 | 10,000 |
| Total | $4,000 | $13,000 | $9,000 | 90,000 |
With annual spending similar to our example, you would earn 90,000 points each year, not counting the welcome offers for the first year. This is a value of up to $900, which is enough to pay the annual fee for both the American Express® Gold Card and The Platinum Card® from American Express.
If you use the fee credits and the cards’ benefits, you’ll get an additional value of up to $1,400.
Anyone who owns an LLC business, or who is a sole proprietor, can apply for the Amex business credit card. If you think this doesn’t apply to you, think again — almost anyone can qualify as a sole proprietor, including freelancers, IT consultants and Amazon sellers. When you fill out the application, you can:
Want to know more about the Amex trifecta cards? Click on “view details” or “Apply now” to get a closer look.
To make the most of your Amex trifecta cards, here’s what you need to do:
Combining the three American Express cards: The Platinum Card® from American Express, American Express® Gold Card and The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express can be an excellent strategy to maximize your rewards, especially if you spend money on airfare, hotels, dining and at US supermarkets. Plus, you get other generous perks that can make this card combination even more valuable.
However, if you think this card combination won’t work for you, compare other credit cards and make your own trifecta.
Is there another three-card combination like the Amex trifecta?
Yes, there’s the Chase trifecta, which combines:
Chase also has a business card trifecta, consisting of:
Is there another card to add to Amex trifecta?
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express can be a useful addition to the Amex trifecta. However, you earn cash back as statement credit instead of points:A new crypto card from the unique Upgrade bank.
A bank account that intelligently divvies up your money where you need it for a monthly fee.
A youth savings account with a whopping 7% APY on account balances up to $1,000.
Northpointe Bank’s Kids Savings account earns an unmatched interest rate on balances above $1,000.
A kids savings account with an interest rate that compounds daily but has long hold times for customer service.
A kids’ savings account with a generous interest rate that transitions to a lackluster regular savings account when your child turns 18.
A high-yield savings account that supports multiple currencies.
A checking account-debit card combo marketed for people with disabilities.
Bank of Missouri’s Show Me Savers earns 0.1% APY but can’t be opened online.
A checking account that earns up to 1.75% APY and up to $25 in ATM reimbursements.
