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The American Express Trifecta

Credit Cards2 years ago
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American Express Membership Rewards is a powerful point program since it's simple to earn points on daily purchases and there are several methods to redeem rewards, including non-travel redemption choices.

Amex is generous with points, with many cards earning anywhere from 2x-5x points in popular bonus areas. There are various partner airline reward schemes and a few hotel programs for redemption.

It's simple to rack up points with outstanding redemption possibilities, card welcome bonuses, and powerful bonus categories.

Furthermore, the wide range of transfer partners makes it simple to redeem your points for award travel.

For all of these reasons, I'm now focused on accumulating as many Membership Rewards points as possible.

 

American Express® Gold Card

Editor's Choice

Intro offer

60,000 Points

Annual Fee

$250.00

Recommended Credit

690-850GoodExcellent

60,000 Points

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What is the Trifecta?

There are three cards that, when used together, may earn you a significant number of points through the American Express Membership Rewards program. This is referred to as the "Amex Trifecta."

In addition to that, you'll discover several other valuable perks, the specifics of which differ from card to card.

 

The Platinum Card® - Used for Flights!

The Platinum Card® from American Express allows cardholders to earn five times the normal amount of points on hotel stays and flights booked through Amex Travel, as well as flights booked directly with airlines.

The maximum amount of money you may spend each year across all of the categories combined is $500,000. This is a significant amount of money that can earn you extra points.

When I buy flights, I use my Platinum Card® since it has a 5x multiplier on travel purchases.

When it comes to booking hotel stays, I prefer to do so directly with the hotel rather than through a third party like Amex Travel; doing so guarantees that I will receive tier credit toward achieving elite status, which is not always the case when booking through a third party like Amex Travel.

Because of this, I refer to it as my "flights card," and that's how I keep track of it in my head.

The annual cost is $695, which is a significant amount of money; nevertheless, the card comes with a large list of advantages that make the $695 amount a bit more plausible.

 

American Express® Gold Card - Restaurants and Supermarkets

Dining purchases, such as those made at eat-in restaurants, takeout restaurants, and delivery services in the United States, earn four times the normal amount of Membership Rewards points with the American Express® Gold Card.

In addition, if you shop at supermarkets in the United States, you can earn four times the normal amount of points on purchases made up to $25,000 per year; this works out to an average of almost $2,000 per month.

This card comes with a hefty annual cost of $250, but as before, you can make up for it with a comprehensive collection of perks.

To begin, you will receive up to $120 in Uber Cash and up to $120 in restaurant credits. These credits can be redeemed at a rate of up to $10 per month.

You have the opportunity to make use of up to $240 worth of credits between the two of them.

You won't have to worry about spending money on airfare, restaurants or groceries if you have the Amex Gold Card and the Platinum Card.

Now we will look at the third and last card in the trifecta.

 

Blue Business® Plus Credit Card - Everything else!

One of my all-time faves is The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express.

This is because any business expenses up to $50,000 in a calendar year will earn you two Membership Rewards points for every dollar spent, while all other expenses will only earn you one point for every dollar spent.

Since this is a credit card for small businesses, you must engage in some sort of profitable commercial activity. That can be a side job or freelancing.

You can be eligible for a business card without realizing it, as many people today earn income in addition to their regular work.

If you work for yourself, you can use your own name and Social Security number for your firm without needing a business tax ID or even a business name.

Even better, there is no annual fee with this card, and you can transfer the points you accumulate to a variety of American Express hotel and airline partners, including Delta, Hilton, British Airways, Air Canada, and others.

This card completes the Amex trifecta.

The fact that you will always receive 2x Membership Rewards points for every dollar spent is another advantage of this combo.

 

The bottom line

These American Express cards have you covered on some of the widest spread when it comes to purchasing and receiving points!

Although it may seem scary at first, it eventually becomes a profitable habit.

You'll receive between 2 and 5 points for each of these purchases, and 2x as a starting point is a fantastic earning rate and you won't have to do anything other than swipe away!

 

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