Navigating the American Express Four Credit Card Limit

As you think about the best American Express credit cards to apply for to help you travel the world on points, it’s important to be aware of a certain limitations on the number of different products you can hold concurrently.

In particular, while there’s no limit to the number of American Express charge cards you can hold, you are in fact limited to having four credit cards at any given time.

And since there’s quite a handful of American Express credit cards that are worth your attention, you’ll have to think carefully about which quartet of American Express credit cards you’re most interested in – and whether to swap a few of them around over time.

American Express Charge Cards vs. Credit Cards

American Express is the only major credit card issuer to offer charge cards in addition to credit cards:

• Charge cards don’t come with a pre-determined credit limit, although you must pay off the balance in full every month
• Credit cards come with a credit limit and allow you to make minimum monthly payments and carry a balance (not that that’s ever a good idea).

You can hold unlimited charge cards, which means that you can collect the welcome bonuses on all of the American Express Platinum Card, the Business Platinum Card from American Express, the American Express Business Gold Card, and the American Express Aeroplan Card without worrying about running into card limits.

However, the four-card limit makes things more interesting in terms of American Express’s revolving credit products.

The following American Express credit cards are generally considered to be the most powerful for elevating your travel (as you can see, there’s already more than four):

Meanwhile, the following products might also appeal to those who’d prefer more low-maintenance points strategies, or even cash back:

However, it’s worth noting that these are generally less useful products in the overall Amex lineup. If you’re looking to elevate your travel, you’ll want to consider the cards in the list above for the best outcomes.

Which Four American Express Credit Cards?

To decide on the best strategy, we’ll need to trim down our list of American Express’s seven best travel credit cards (i.e., the first set of seven credit cards listed above) down to four.

Slot #1

The American Express Cobalt Card should absolutely be among your first picks for an American Express credit card.

With its…