On paper the Amex Platinum wins easily: $2,994 a year in credits against the Gold's $424. But the Platinum also costs $570 more, and its credits are harder to use. Here's the honest comparison, credit by credit.
The short answer
| Amex Gold | Amex Platinum | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $325 | $895 |
| Recurring credits | 4 | 12 |
| Credits per year, face value | $424 | $2,994 |
| Face value ÷ fee | 1.30× | 3.35× |
| Monthly credits (12 deadlines a year each) | 3 | 3 |
| Credits that need enrollment | 4 | 7 |
Face value is the ceiling, not what you'll get. A credit is only worth what you'd have spent anyway — a $25 streaming credit for a service you'd never pay for is worth $0 to you.
Amex Gold: 4 small, everyday credits
The Gold's credits are all things many people buy every month: Dining credit ($10 a month), Uber Cash ($10 a month), Dunkin' credit ($7 a month) and a Resy credit ($50 every six months). If they fit your habits, the $424 covers the $325 fee with room to spare. The catch is rhythm: 3 of the 4 are monthly, so a forgotten month is gone for good.
| Credit | Amount | Per year | Resets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dining credit | $10 a month | $120 | Resets on the 1st of every month. |
| Uber Cash | $10 a month | $120 | Resets on the 1st of every month. |
| Resy credit | $50 every six months | $100 | Resets on January 1 and July 1. |
| Dunkin' credit | $7 a month | $84 | Resets on the 1st of every month. |
Amex Platinum: 12 credits, from easy to niche
The Platinum's $2,994 comes from a mix. Some credits are as easy as the Gold's — Uber Cash, the Digital entertainment credit. Others are large and specific: the Hotel credit ($300 every six months, prepaid bookings through Amex Travel), Equinox credit ($300), Oura Ring credit ($200). Those only count if you'd have spent on them anyway.
| Credit | Amount | Per year | Resets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel credit | $300 every six months | $600 | Resets on January 1 and July 1. |
| Resy credit | $100 a quarter | $400 | Resets on January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1. |
| Digital entertainment credit | $25 a month | $300 | Resets on the 1st of every month. |
| lululemon credit | $75 a quarter | $300 | Resets on January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1. |
| Uber Cash | $15 a month ($35 in December) | $200 | Resets on the 1st of every month. |
| Walmart+ credit | $12.95 a month | $155 | Resets on the 1st of every month. |
| Equinox credit | $300 a year | $300 | Resets on January 1. |
| CLEAR+ credit | $219 a year | $219 | Resets on January 1. |
| Airline fee credit | $200 a year | $200 | Resets on January 1. |
| Oura Ring credit | $200 a year | $200 | Resets on January 1. |
| Uber One credit | $120 a year | $120 | Resets on January 1. |
| Global Entry / TSA PreCheck | $120 every 4 years | — | Counts from the date of your last credit. |
Which one pays for itself — for you
- Go down each table and cross out every credit you wouldn't use at least most of the time.
- For the rest, write what it's worth to you — what you'd have paid anyway, not the face value.
- Compare your total with the fee. The difference between the cards is $570; the Platinum is the better deal only if your Platinum-only credits are worth more than that to you.
- Then count deadlines. Credits only pay if you use them before they reset; the Platinum has 12 to watch, the Gold 4.
This is exactly what Credit Cadence's keep-or-cancel view does: you log what you use and what it was worth, and it shows each card against its fee in your own numbers.