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Amex Trifecta: the optimal combination of American Express cards

Maximize rewards on everyday purchases with these three cards.

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Kliment Dukovski
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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.

What’s the Amex trifecta?

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

Amex trifecta breakdown

The Platinum Card® from American Express American Express® Gold Card The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
Reward points
  • 5x points on flights booked directly with airlines or with Amex Travel, capped at $500,000 annually, reverting to 1x points after that
  • 5x points on prepaid hotels booked on Amex Travel
  • 1x points on other eligible purchases
  • 4x points at restaurants
  • 4x points at US supermarkets on up to $25,000 annually, 1x points after that
  • 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or with Amex Travel
  • 2x points on all purchases on on up to $50,000 annually
  • 1x points after reaching the cap
Welcome offer
  • Earn 100,000 bonus points once you spend $6,000 in your first 6 months of card membership
  • Earn 60,000 bonus points once you spend $4,000 in your first 6 months of card membership
None
Credits
  • $200 airline fee credit after enrollment on one select qualified airline
  • Up to $200 on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel
  • Up to $100 fee credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry
  • Up to $179 on CLEAR credit
  • Up to $200 Uber Cash credit and VIP status for basic cardholders
  • Up to $300 Equinox credit
  • Up to $240 on digital entertainment
  • Up to $155 Walmart+ credit
  • Up to $120 dining credit after enrollment
  • Up to $120 Uber cash credit in monthly increments of $10
N/A
Other perks
  • $200 in Uber cash each year
  • Benefits valued at $550 with Fine Hotels and Resorts
  • Access to the Global Lounge Collection
  • $100 credit for the Hotel Collection
  • 12 months of 0% intro APR period on purchases, variable APR of 13.24% – 19.24% thereafter
Annual fee$695 (Terms apply, see rates & fees)$250 (Terms apply, see rates & fees)$0

How much can you earn with Amex trifecta?

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 ExpressAmerican Express® Gold CardThe Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American ExpressPoints earned
Flights$2,000$0$010,000
Hotels$2,000$0$010,000
Dining$0$5,000$020,000
US supermarkets$0$8,000$032,000
Gas$0$0$4,0008,000
Other$0$0$5,00010,000
Total$4,000$13,000$9,00090,000

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.

Who can get the American Express business card?

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:

  • Use your personal name as your business name
  • Use your personal address and phone number as your business address and phone number
  • Select other in the industry type field if you can’t find your business in the list
  • Select sole proprietorship as your business structure if that’s what your business is
  • Be honest about how long your company has been active
  • Select one employee if you don’t have others
  • Use your Social Security number for your federal tax ID

Compare Amex trifecta credit cards

Want to know more about the Amex trifecta cards? Click on “view details” or “Apply now” to get a closer look.

Name Product Filter values Rewards Purchase APR Annual fee
The Platinum Card® from American Express
The Platinum Card® from American Express
5x points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel, 5x points on directly-booked flights on up to $500,000 annually, then 1x points after that and on other eligible purchases
See Pay Over Time APR
$695
Apply now
View details
100,000 points after spending $6,000 in your first 6 months. Terms apply, see rates & fees
American Express® Gold Card
American Express® Gold Card
4x at restaurants including delivery and Uber Eats; 4x at US supermarkets on up to $25,000 annually (then 1x points), 3x points on directly-booked flights and 1x points on other eligible purchases
See Pay Over Time APR
$250
Apply now
View details

Rose Gold is here to stay. Card Members can choose between a Gold or Rose Gold Card.

 Earn up to 4x points on select purchases, a bevy of travel perks, and a welcome offer worth up to $600 based on our valuation with this upper-mid tier travel card. Terms apply, see rates & fees
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
Earn 2x Membership Rewards® points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. 2x applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter.
0% intro for the first 12 months (then 13.24% to 19.24% variable)
$0
View details
Earn 2x Membership Rewards® points on everyday business purchases on up to $50,000 with no category restrictions. Rates & fees
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How to maximize the Amex trifecta

To make the most of your Amex trifecta cards, here’s what you need to do:

  • Use the right card for the right purchases. Each card earns accelerated points on select categories. Make sure to:
    • Use The Platinum Card® from American Express for hotel and airline purchases.
    • Use the American Express® Gold Card at US supermarkets and restaurants.
    • Use The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express on all other purchases.
  • Earn the welcome offer. Two of the three cards come with generous welcome offers. If you clear it, you can earn rewards points worth more than $2,700.
  • Use the fee credits. You get more than $800 credits to use at hotels, airlines, dining and Uber rides, plus benefits worth $550. Make sure you use them to offset the annual fee.
  • Use the intro APR period. The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is the only credit card with a 0% intro APR period on purchases. If you’re looking to make a large purchase and pay it off for up to a year without interest, use this card.

Bottom line

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.

Frequently asked questions

Is there another three-card combination like the Amex trifecta?
Yes, there’s the Chase trifecta, which combines:

  • Chase Freedom Flex℠
  • Chase Freedom Unlimited®
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

Chase also has a business card trifecta, consisting of:

  • Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
  • Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
  • Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

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:
  • 6% back at US supermarkets on up to $6,000 annually, 1% thereafter.
  • 6% back on select US streaming services, including Apple TV and Music, Amazon Music Unlimited, Audible, Disney+, ESPN+, Spotify, Netflix and Hulu.
  • 3% back at US gas station and transit, including trains, taxicabs, rideshares, ferries, tolls, parking, buses and subways.
  • 1% back on other eligible purchases.

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