Amex Trifecta: Boost Your Membership Rewards Points

American Express is one of the most well-known and reputable credit card issuers in the world. With a wide range of credit cards available, they offer a variety of benefits, rewards, and perks to suit the needs and lifestyles of different individuals. Whether you're a frequent traveler, a shopaholic, or someone who prefers cashback, American Express has a credit card for you.

Their credit cards are known for their exclusive perks, such as access to airport lounges, complimentary hotel stays, and concierge services. In this guide, we will provide an overview of the Amex Trifecta, its benefits and rewards, and how to choose the best one for your spending habits and financial goals.

What is the Amex Trifecta?

In this article, we will explore how to use a combination of the American Express Platinum Charge Card, American Express Blue Business Cash, and American Express Gold Charge Card to earn the most rewards. Each of these cards offers unique benefits and reward structures, making them ideal for different spending categories.

American Express Platinum – Flights

The American Express Platinum Charge Card is a premium travel card that offers various travel-related benefits, including American Express lounge access, travel insurance, and hotel upgrades at Marriott, Hilton, and various partner hotels. You even get status at 3 top rental car companies and free CDW coverage with the card.

Additionally, the Platinum Card earns Membership Rewards points, which can be redeemed for travel, merchandise, or gift cards. The Platinum Card is ideal for travel expenses, as it earns 5x Membership Rewards points on airfare purchased directly from airlines, this is primarily where this card should be used in the trifecta.

Right now, the American Express Platinum comes with an 80,000 American Express bonus points offer. That’s worth up to a whopping $1,600 based on our internal valuations right now. It could be worth even more depending on how you use them.

American Express Gold Card – Restaurants & Groceries

The American Express Gold Charge Card is a rewards card that offers a flexible rewards structure, allowing cardholders to earn points in a variety of categories. The Gold Card earns 4x Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year, then 1x), 4x Membership Rewards points at U.S. restaurants and 3x Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel. The Gold Card is ideal for grocery and dining expenses, and you can use the Platinum card for booking all of your flights for 5x points on flights.

The Gold Card offers two (2) separate $120 credits to help pay for the card's $250 annual fee. You’ll receive $10 per month for Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar, or select Shake Shack locations. As well as $10 per month of Uber Cash that can be used on Uber Eats or Uber rides. Bringing the effective annual fee to only $10 per year or 83 cents per month!

American Express Blue Business Cash – Everyday Spending

When you’re spending outside of restaurants, flights, and groceries where the Amex Platinum and Gold card are strongest then it’s time to pull out the American Express Blue Business Cash. It fills in all the gaps between the other cards with a straightforward 2x Membership Rewards points on all purchases up to $50,000 per calendar year, and then 1x points after that.

The American Express Blue Business Cash card is a business card. While that may seem like a show-stopper to some it’s good to note that you can apply for a business card as a sole proprietor, which means you don’t have to file any paperwork with the government or create an LLC.

Keep Boosting Your Membership Rewards Points

By combining these three cards, cardholders can optimize their rewards earning potential. For example, a cardholder could use the Platinum Card for travel expenses, the Blue Business Cash for everyday expenses, and the Gold Card for grocery and dining expenses. This approach allows cardholders to earn the maximum number of reward points in each spending category, providing a significant boost to their rewards-earning potential.

If you’re not a fan of American Express then it’s always good to look at their closest competitor Chase! They have their own trifecta that can earn great rewards on everyday spending and allow you to go to all the places you wanted to visit.