Membership Rewards

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you make a booking through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. ✅ Quick Answer In Switzerland, the Amex Platinum costs CHF 900 a year (often halved to around CHF 450 in the first year) and suits frequent flyers who’ll use its lounges and hotel status, while the Gold costs CHF 350 a year (about CHF 175 the first year) for everyday and dining Membership Rewards. Switzerland is also one of the few markets with a permanently free Amex — the Cashback Card — which earns cash back instead of Membership Rewards at zero annual cost. The honest Swiss verdict first Switzerland is one of the rare markets where Amex gives you a permanently free card — which makes the CHF 900 Platinum a tougher sell than the prestige suggests. So before you commit: if you won’t use the lounges and credits, the free Cashback Card or the CHF 350 Gold serves you better. Here’s the full Swiss lineup, honestly ranked. ...

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you make a booking through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. ✅ Quick Answer The best Amex card in Austria is the Platinum at around €690 a year (about €57.50/month) for frequent flyers who use lounges and hotel status, while the Gold costs roughly €192 a year and is often free the first year for dining and everyday Membership Rewards. Austria has no permanently free Payback card like Germany, so the Green — free for its first year — is the lightest entry into Membership Rewards. The honest Austrian verdict first Austria’s Amex lineup looks a lot like Germany’s — with one big difference people miss: there’s no permanently free Payback card here. So the instinct to “just get the free one” doesn’t apply the same way. The good news: every card except the Platinum and Gold is free in the first year, so you can still start at zero cost. But before you reach for the Platinum’s prestige — if you won’t fly often, you’re about to overpay. Here’s the honest ranking. ...

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you make a booking through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. ✅ Quick Answer The best Amex card in Canada for most people is the Cobalt, which costs CAD $191.88 a year (billed $15.99/month) and leads the lineup on dining, grocery and food-delivery points. The Platinum (CAD $799/year) suits frequent flyers who use its lounges and credits, the Gold Rewards ($250/year) is a solid travel all-rounder, and a no-fee card like SimplyCash earns straightforward cash back for those who want zero annual fee. The honest Canadian verdict first Canada is the one market where I’d steer most people away from both the Platinum and the Gold — because the Cobalt quietly out-earns them for normal spending. So before the Platinum’s prestige pulls you in: unless you fly often enough to use its lounges and credits, the Cobalt is almost certainly the better card. Here’s the full Canadian lineup, honestly ranked. ...

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you make a booking through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. ✅ Quick Answer In Japan, the Amex Platinum costs ¥165,000 a year and suits frequent flyers who’ll use its lounges, hotel status and dining credits, while the Gold Preferred at ¥39,600 a year is the strong all-round value pick for most cardholders. The Green, at ¥1,100 a month (about ¥13,200 a year), is the lightest commitment, though Japan has no truly free proprietary Amex card. The honest Japanese verdict first Japan has one of the richest Amex ecosystems in the world — and the Platinum’s ¥165,000 fee to match. Prestige runs deep here, which is exactly why people overbuy. So I’ll say it: unless you genuinely fly often and use the lounges, hotel status and credits, the Gold Preferred gives you most of the magic for a quarter of the fee. Here’s the full Japanese lineup, honestly ranked. ...