When people who have been collecting points and miles for years, or decades, talk to those getting started, they often overlook how things we take for granted are totally new concepts to the ones we’re talking to. They don’t care which airplane has the best business class hard product to fly from New York to London. All the newbies want to know is how they can get started earning points they can use to pay for their travels as we do.
There are some basics I’ve laid out in this post, which is an excellent place to start. Eventually, you’ll get a message or text asking what credit card they should apply for. Without knowing details about specific trips they want to take (which they might not even know yet), I think the combo of the two cards discussed below is a solid recommendation for those just getting started.
Having the American Express Green and the American Express® Gold Card gives a combination of the ability to earn points across many bonus categories and an easy-to-understand program to redeem points with Membership Rewards.
American Express Green Card
The American Express® Green Card earns 3x Membership Rewards® points on travel—including flights, hotels, transit, and rideshares—and at restaurants worldwide
Cardholders receive up to $199 in annual statement credits for CLEAR® Plus membership when the membership is charged to the card.
The Green Card has no foreign transaction fees.
Currently, the Green Card is offering a sign-up bonus to new members of 40,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $3,000 in the first 6 months. We’d appreciate it if you wanted to sign up for the card if you used our referral link. We do get a referral bonus of Membership Rewards points if you sign up using our link.
The annual fee for the Green Card is $150.
American Express Gold Card
The Amex Gold Card is a favorite for food lovers. It earns 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1x), and 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or through AmexTravel.com.
There are no foreign transaction fees, so it’s a solid pick to use whether you’re at home or abroad.
Currently, the sign-up bonus for the Gold Card is 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 in the first six months. You can sign up for the card by using our referral link. We do get a referral bonus of Membership Rewards points if you sign up using our link.
The annual fee for the Gold Card is $250.
Membership Rewards
Both of these cards earn points in American Express’ Membership Rewards program. While there are many uses for Membership Rewards points, someone new to points should know that the best value typically comes from transferring them to an airline or hotel loyalty program
Membership Rewards is a good program for beginners because of the large number of transfer partners it offers.
Airline Programs
- Aer Lingus Aerclub
- Aeromexico Club Premier
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France / KLM Flying Blue
- ANA Mileage Club
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Avianca LifeMiles
- British Airways Executive Club
- Delta SkyMiles
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Guest Miles
- Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles
- Iberia Plus Miles
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Singapore KrisFlyer Miles
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Hotel Programs
- Choice Privileges Rewards
- Hilton Honors
- Marriot Bonvoy
There are several programs that a newbie can easily understand, like Delta SkyMiles or JetBlue TrueBlue. Redemptions on those airlines are straightforward, and there’s no need to explain how to book with partner airlines or how airline alliances work.
Advantages
If you want to get someone interested in collecting points and miles, a quick win is often the best way to do it. The sign-up bonuses for the American Express Green Card and the Gold Card together can easily provide enough points for one—or even two-round-trip domestic flights. There’s no better way to demonstrate the power of points than letting them book a flight for (almost) free.
Both cards also have achievable spending requirements to earn their respective bonuses. Not everyone can hit a $5,000 minimum spend in three months, especially if they’re new to using credit strategically. The Green Card’s $3,000 and the Gold Card’s $6,000 thresholds (each over six months) make for a manageable starting point without overwhelming someone right out of the gate.
Having either card also unlocks access to Amex Offers—a simple way to save money or earn extra points on purchases. And while a new user might not be ready to dive into transfer bonuses or sweet spot award redemptions just yet, seeing occasional bonuses pop up when moving Membership Rewards points to airline partners helps highlight the program’s long-term value.
Downsides
No setup is perfect. Some might say it’s crazy to recommend American Express cards for beginners. Amex has a reputation—especially among points and miles enthusiasts—for being quick to claw back bonuses or shut down accounts if you run afoul of its rules. But for someone who’s new to the game and plans to earn points through everyday spending—not manufactured spend or loopholes—it’s unlikely to be a concern.
You’ll also hear people argue that newcomers should start with Chase cards first, due to the 5/24 rule. That’s a fair point. If someone opens five or more cards too quickly, they’ll be temporarily shut out from getting most Chase cards. But for someone who doesn’t even know where to start, they probably aren’t applying for five cards in two years anyway. And once they get the hang of things with these Amex cards, you can steer them toward Chase and Ultimate Rewards next.
Another downside? Amex acceptance isn’t universal. While things have improved, you’ll still run into places—especially small businesses—that don’t take American Express. That’s even more true internationally. If they plan to travel, it’s a smart move to have a backup card from Visa or Mastercard just in case.
Final Thoughts
The combination of the Amex Green Card and the Amex Gold Card offers a strong foundation for anyone looking to get started with points and miles. You get great bonus categories—travel on the Green, dining and groceries on the Gold—and both cards earn Membership Rewards, one of the most flexible rewards currencies out there.
The sign-up bonuses alone are enough to unlock meaningful travel right away, and the earning potential through everyday spending creates long-term value. These cards also come with useful perks, no foreign transaction fees, and access to Amex Offers—an easy win even for people who aren’t fully immersed in points yet.
Sure, this combo might not be perfect. You must still consider things like Amex acceptance and the Chase 5/24 rule. But for someone just beginning to explore what points can do, these two cards offer a solid, realistic way to earn rewards without needing to memorize a dozen rules or juggle a complicated card portfolio.
It’s a smart starting point—and one that still delivers well beyond the beginner phase.
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5 comments
The reason I disagree with you about this is that if someone is really new to this, Chase is going to offer a lot more flexibility on redemptions by combining something like a Freedom Unlimited and Sapphire Preferred (or even Reserve). I’ve always found AMEX points really only have value over Chase if transferring them directly to airlines for high value rewards (like int’l first class redemptions). I think you’re beginner at this is most likely going to be better served with a good option for booking directly and offsetting a cost with points. If that is how they’re likely to redeem, Chase (or even something like an Arrival+ may be better suited for them.
Obviously, it all comes down to how you spend on what your goals are for redemptions. But for someone like me who earns all my points through business spend but redeems almost exclusively for family vacations, I get a lot more bang for my buck from Chase points than I ever did from Amex points and with more and more airlines moving to dynamic reward pricing, I think that will continue.
Curious, which redemptions with Chase are the most valuable to you? I’ve found limited use for them.
And while just suggesting a newbie get a travel cash card, like a Capital One or Arrival+, sounds like a good idea, I’d want to get them started learning about transferring points to airlines and not just redeeming points to offset cash tickets. That way you’ll show what’s possible for aspirations redemptions for which they can set goals and make a plan to meet them.
I agree 100% with you David. For me the Chase portfolio beats Amex. If you play your cards right the Chase combo is hard to beat. I’ve been with them ever since the Chase Sapphire came out in 2016 and they get the lions share of usage for the points and travel game.
I am agreeing and disagreeing with you. I think for the newbie who is going to travel occasionally (a couple of times per year at most), the Amex EDP is indeed the best choice. It gives a lot of flexibility and earns at a good clip — especially if you use it for all of your daily spend. I am not sure why one would recommend two Amex cards to someone getting started out…. there are still too many places that don’t take Amex, so you should suggest an alternate that’s Visa/MC. For us, it’s the Citi Double Cash. It doesn’t see enough spend to make a big dent, maybe $750 a month at most, so 2% back with no annual fee is a good value for a card that sees a small annual spend.
I know people love to hock the Chase Sapphire cards… they don’t have a big advantage over Amex anymore, and their transfer partners are far more limited than Amex. Glad you didn’t push that one. In the end, though, it can all depend on which airlines give you best service from your home airport.
If there wasn’t a fee associated with transferring Amex points to the airlines, it would be a great system. I would like the ability to transfer points to Delta SkyMiles, but don’t really want to pay to do so. Wish there was another option out there.