Neither American Express (Amex) nor Mastercard is inherently "better"; the best choice depends on your spending, rewards preference, and acceptance needs, with Amex often offering superior rewards and travel perks (like lounge access) but facing wider acceptance issues and higher fees, while Mastercard provides near-universal acceptance, lower costs, and vast options for everyday use, though often with fewer premium perks than Amex. Amex excels for high spenders valuing luxury benefits, while Mastercard suits general consumers prioritizing broad acceptance and lower fees.
Should you choose Mastercard or Amex? The best choice for you between Mastercard and Amex will depend on your personal circumstances and how you intend to use your card. For example, Mastercard is generally more widely accepted, so it may be ideal if you are choosing a credit card for convenience.
The main cons of American Express (Amex) include limited merchant acceptance (due to higher fees for businesses), high annual fees on premium cards, and strict credit requirements, often needing good to excellent credit; plus, some traditional Amex cards are charge cards requiring full monthly payment, unlike typical credit cards, and points transfers can sometimes be slow, notes Investopedia, Finder.com.au, Credit Suite, Bankrate, Point Hacks, Half Past First Cast, and YouTube}.
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Yes, American Express (Amex) is good in Australia for rewards and benefits, with acceptance at most major retailers (like Woolworths, Coles, Bunnings) but less universal than Visa/Mastercard, especially at smaller businesses or some supermarkets like Aldi, due to higher merchant fees; having a backup Visa or Mastercard is recommended. It's great for point-earners seeking travel perks, lounge access, and high earn rates, but users should be aware of potential surcharges at some places and limited acceptance at certain spots.
In Australia, American Express (Amex) isn't accepted at major discount retailers like Aldi and Costco, some smaller independent businesses, and certain government service payments (like vehicle registration), mainly due to higher merchant fees, though acceptance at large retailers is widespread. You should always carry a backup Visa or Mastercard, as smaller cafes, restaurants, and local shops often decline Amex.
An Amex card is worth getting if you have good credit or better and you want to earn attractive rewards on purchases that you'll pay off by the due date every month. Amex cards often have worthwhile low intro APR promotions and valuable cardholder benefits, too.
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The credit limit you can expect for a $70,000 salary across all your credit cards could be as much as $14000 to $21000, or even higher in some cases, according to our research. The exact amount depends heavily on multiple factors, like your credit score and how many credit lines you have open.
The "2/3/4 rule" refers to an informal guideline for Bank of America (BofA) credit card approvals, limiting new cards to 2 within 30 days, 3 within 12 months, and 4 within 24 months, helping manage lending risk. It's also a term used in baby sleep training for wake windows (2 hours, 3 hours, 4 hours between naps) and in food safety (2-hour/4-hour rule for keeping food out of the fridge).
Historically, American Express charged higher fees than their competitors, making their cards less attractive to merchants. Merchant funding was also a slow process.
The Amex 2/90 rule is a guideline limiting most people to approval for no more than two new American Express credit cards within a 90-day period, even if they meet other rules like waiting five days between applications (the 1-in-5 rule). This rule specifically applies to credit cards, not necessarily charge cards, and is a key factor in managing how many new Amex cards you can open and get welcome bonuses for.
Transferring 30,000 points to our loyalty partners gives you between £300 and £900.
Hardest Card to Get Overall
Why it's one of the hardest cards to get: The hardest card to get is the American Express Centurion Card, known simply as the “Black Card.” You need an invitation to get Amex Centurion, and only the super rich and famous can expect to get the call.
The four major credit card networks are Mastercard, Visa, American Express and Discover. Out of the four networks, two are also card issuers — Amex and Discover — which we explain more in the next section. In addition to aiding transactions, card networks determine where credit cards are accepted.
While Amex is generally accepted by all major retailers in the U.S., there's one notable exception. While American Express used to have an exclusive partnership with Costco, the wholesale club currently only accepts Visa credit cards at its warehouses and gas stations.
The 2/3/4 Rule is an informal guideline, primarily used by Bank of America, that limits how many new credit cards you can be approved for: two in a two-month (or 30-day) period, three in a 12-month period, and four in a 24-month period, helping lenders manage risk from frequent applications and "churning" for bonuses. It's a rule for applicants, not a limit on how many cards you should have, but a strategy for managing applications to avoid automatic denials.
How Much You Should Spend With a $20,000 Credit Limit. Spending between $200 and $2,000 per month is best for your credit score. You should avoid having a balance above $6,000 when your monthly statement gets generated.
The best credit card that is rumored to have a $100,000 credit limit is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. While Chase does not publicly disclose the highest credit line available for the card, there are online reports of people getting around $100,000 in spending power, or even more.
The Centurion card is often considered to be a status symbol. The card is commonly associated with celebrities and the rich and famous.
Annual Fee and Terms apply. 18+, subject to status. Minimum income £35,000.
Yes, American Express is often considered a "classy" credit card brand, especially when compared to many others. Amex is known for its premium cards like the American Express Platinum Card® and the Centurion® Card from American Express, which come with high annual fees and luxury perks.
The main cons of American Express (Amex) include limited merchant acceptance (due to higher fees for businesses), high annual fees on premium cards, and strict credit requirements, often needing good to excellent credit; plus, some traditional Amex cards are charge cards requiring full monthly payment, unlike typical credit cards, and points transfers can sometimes be slow, notes Investopedia, Finder.com.au, Credit Suite, Bankrate, Point Hacks, Half Past First Cast, and YouTube}.
Amex minimum income requirements vary significantly by card and country, but generally range from around $45,000-$50,000 for some standard rewards cards (like the Explorer card in Australia) up to higher amounts like $65,000 for premium cards (Qantas Ultimate), or even business revenue requirements (e.g., $75,000 for Business Platinum). Some Amex cards, particularly in markets like Canada, surprisingly have no stated minimum income.
100,000 American Express Membership Rewards points are generally worth $1,000 to $2,000 or more, depending on redemption; you get about 1 cent per point ($1,000 total) using the travel portal or gift cards, but can achieve 2 cents per point or higher ($2,000+) by transferring to airline/hotel partners for premium flights, yielding significantly more value, according to Bankrate and WalletHub and The Points Guy.