Which Amex should you choose? The comparison!
Referrals
If you would like a referral for an Amex card, click on the relevant links below depending on which one you’re interested in.
- For an American Express Gold card: click this link
- For an American Express Air France Gold card: click this link
- For an American Express Platinum card: click this link
- For any other card: click this link and click on “see all cards” at the top left.
American Express: What Is It?
Still relatively unknown in France, American Express is a payment card, just like Visa and Mastercard cards.
Contrary to what is sometimes imagined, American Express is not a bank where you entrust your savings.
The principle is relatively simple: when you sign up for an Amex card, you sign a direct debit authorization from your bank account in favor of American Express. Once you receive your card, you can use it for your purchases, and Amex will debit you at the beginning of each month for the total amount spent the previous month.
So this is a first advantage of having an Amex card: you benefit from a cash flow facility, as the amount of your expenses is advanced to you for free. You just need to check once a month that you have enough money in your account a few days before the debit.
In addition, you benefit from cashback on each of your purchases and special offers throughout the year.
If Amex can afford to be generous with its customers, it’s because the fees it charges merchants are higher than those of Visa and Mastercard. Amex is ultimately just passing on part of its commissions to you.
Cashback in miles or membership rewards?
Amex offers two types of cards, and each type comes in several variations.
The first choice to make is between a “classic” American Express card and an “Air France” American Express card.
The difference lies in the cashback you get after each purchase:
- With a classic Amex, you earn Membership Rewards points.
- With an Air France Amex, you earn Flying Blue Miles.
The value of Membership Rewards points is quite simple. 1000 rewards points are worth 5 euros (which you can use to offset expenses).
Since you earn 1 rewards point for every euro spent, this translates to a cashback rate of 0.5%.
The value of Air France Flying Blue miles is variable and more complicated to determine, I’ve written a dedicated article about it. If you frequently fly with Air France, it’s often possible to use your miles with a cashback rate above 1% and even much more if you travel in business class.
So I tend to think that an Air France Amex is more interesting if you regularly travel with a Sky Team alliance airline.
In both cases, there are also many options for converting your points/miles into other airline or hotel loyalty programs.
Insurance
Amex cards include insurance, here are the ones I think are most important to note.
| Card | Main insurance |
|---|---|
| Amex Air France Silver | – 500 € maximum covered if you damage an item within 90 days of purchase. – Travel: 300 € covered for hotel or restaurant expenses in case of flight delay over 4 hours or missed connection. – Travel: 400 € covered for essential purchases in case of baggage delay over 6 hours. |
| Amex Air France Gold | – 1,200 € maximum covered if you damage an item within 90 days of purchase. – Trip cancellation: 7,000 € reimbursed to cover losses in case of trip cancellation due to illness or accident (the trip must include an Air France, KLM, or Transavia flight). – Travel: 450 € covered for hotel or restaurant expenses in case of flight delay over 4 hours or missed connection. – Travel: 1,000 € covered for essential purchases in case of baggage delay over 6 hours. – Medical expenses and repatriation: up to 50,000 € covered (the trip must include an Air France, KLM, or Transavia flight) – Car rental: up to €75,000 in deductible buyback covered in case of theft or damage to the vehicle. |
| Amex Air France Platinum | – Up to €2,500 covered if you damage an item within 90 days of purchase. – Trip cancellation: €10,000 reimbursed to cover losses if your trip is canceled due to illness or accident (the trip must include an Air France, KLM, or Transavia flight) – Travel: €1,000 for hotel or restaurant reimbursed if your flight is delayed by more than 4 hours or you miss a connection. – Travel: €1,200 for essential purchases reimbursed if your baggage is delayed by more than 4 hours – Medical expenses and repatriation: up to €2,000,000 covered (the trip must include an Air France, KLM, or Transavia flight) – Car rental: up to €100,000 in deductible buyback covered in case of theft or damage to the vehicle. – Liability abroad: insurance up to €2,000,000 for bodily, material, and immaterial damage. |
| Amex Blue | – 500 € maximum covered if you damage an item within 90 days of purchase. |
| Amex Green | – Up to €800 covered if you damage an item within 90 days of purchase. – €100 covered if your flight is delayed by more than 4 hours or you lose your baggage |
| Amex Gold | – Up to €1,600 covered if you damage an item within 90 days of purchase. – Car rental: up to €75,000 in deductible buyback covered in case of theft or damage to the vehicle. – Trip cancellation: €7,000 reimbursed to cover losses if your trip is canceled due to illness or accident – Travel: 450 € covered for hotel or restaurant expenses in case of flight delay over 4 hours or missed connection. – Travel: 1,000 € covered for essential purchases in case of baggage delay over 6 hours. |
| Amex Platinum | – Up to €2,500 covered if you damage an item within 90 days of purchase. – Trip cancellation: €10,000 reimbursed to cover losses if your trip is canceled due to illness or accident – Travel: €1,200 for hotel or restaurant reimbursed if your flight is delayed by more than 4 hours, you miss a connection, or you lose your baggage. – Medical expenses and repatriation: up to €2,000,000 covered – Car rental: coverage in case of damage or theft of the vehicle. – Liability abroad: insurance up to €2,000,000 for bodily, material, and immaterial damage. |
Benefits
| Card | Key benefits |
|---|---|
| Amex Air France Silver | – €10 spent with Air France, KLM, or Transavia = 10 Miles – €10 spent with other merchants = 8 Miles – Miles validity extended by 2 years after each purchase – Pay in 3 installments with no fees with Air France, KLM, or Transavia – 15 Flying Blue XP awarded each year – Up to 15% discount with Hertz car rental |
| Amex Air France Gold | – €10 spent with Air France, KLM, or Transavia = 15 Miles – €10 spent with other merchants = 10 Miles – Miles validity extended by 2 years after each purchase – Pay in 3 installments with no fees with Air France, KLM, or Transavia – 30 Flying Blue XP awarded each year – Up to 15% discount with Hertz car rental – Free Fnac+ card for 3 years |
| Amex Air France Platinum | – €10 spent with Air France, KLM, or Transavia = 20 Miles – €10 spent with other merchants = 15 Miles – Miles validity extended by 2 years after each purchase – Pay in 3 installments with no fees with Air France, KLM, or Transavia – 60 Flying Blue XP awarded each year – Up to 15% discount with Hertz car rental |
| Amex Blue | – €1 spent = 1 Reward Point |
| Amex Green | – €1 spent = 1 Reward Point |
| Amex Gold | – €1 spent = 1 Reward Point |
| Amex Platinum | – €1 spent = 1 Reward Point – Free Priority Pass card for access to 1,400 airport lounges worldwide – €400 reimbursed every year at a selection of gourmet restaurants (€200 in France and €200 abroad) – Gold status offered at Marriott, Hilton, Hertz, Avis, … – Access to a concierge service |
Prices
| Card | First-year fee | Subsequent years’ fee |
|---|---|---|
| Amex Air France Silver | Free | Free if at least €10,000 in spending per year (otherwise €65/year) |
| Amex Air France Gold | Free | 180 € |
| Amex Air France Platinum | 570 € | 570 € |
| Amex Blue | Free | 60 € |
| Amex Green | Free | 95 € |
| Amex Gold | Free | 130 € |
| Amex Platinum | 660 € | 660 € |
Welcome offers
Here are the welcome offers you can get by being referred.
| Card | Welcome offer (with referral) |
|---|---|
| Amex Air France Silver | 8,000 miles offered once you spend €150 |
| Amex Air France Gold | 12,000 miles offered once you spend €300 |
| Amex Air France Platinum | 50,000 miles offered once you spend €750 |
| Amex Blue | Lifetime card fee waiver |
| Amex Green | €60 back once you spend €200 |
| Amex Gold | €80 back once you spend €400 |
| Amex Platinum | €250 back once you spend €750 |
Income requirements
American Express cards are known to be premium cards. This is partly due to the benefits they offer, but also because they require certain income levels to qualify. Amex may indeed ask for your latest tax return to verify this.
| Card | Income requirements |
|---|---|
| Amex Air France Silver | €20,000 per year |
| Amex Air France Gold | €35,000 per year |
| Amex Air France Platinum | €65,000 per year |
| Amex Blue | €20,000 per year |
| Amex Green | €20,000 per year |
| Amex Gold | €35,000 per year |
| Amex Platinum | €65,000 per year |
Withdrawal limits
Amex cards allow you to withdraw cash at most ATMs worldwide. Note that fixed fees plus currency conversion charges may apply.
| Card | Withdrawal limits |
|---|---|
| Amex Air France Silver | In France: €500 over a 30-day rolling period Abroad: €1,000 over a 30-day rolling period |
| Amex Air France Gold | In France: €500 over a 30-day rolling period Abroad: €1,000 over a 30-day rolling period |
| Amex Air France Platinum | In France: €3,000 over a 30-day rolling period Abroad: €3,000 over a 30-day rolling period |
| Amex Blue | In France: €500 over a 30-day rolling period Abroad: €1,000 over a 30-day rolling period |
| Amex Green | In France: €500 over a 30-day rolling period Abroad: €1,000 over a 30-day rolling period |
| Amex Gold | In France: €500 over a 30-day rolling period Abroad: €1,000 over a 30-day rolling period |
| Amex Platinum | In France: €3,000 over a 7-day rolling period Abroad: €3,000 over a 7-day rolling period |
