American Express Platinum: Charles Schwab

Membership Rewards points are worth 0.7000000000000001¢ each for cash back and up to 1.9¢ for travel. Transfer to airline/hotel partners for potentially even higher value. CashBackStacks uses these values to calculate cash-equivalent rates for each category.

The American Express Platinum: Charles Schwab earns its highest rate of 3.5000000000000004% in the Airfare category. Stack this with a shopping portal for even higher total rewards.

Yes — the American Express Platinum: Charles Schwab's 3.5000000000000004% category bonus stacks with shopping portal cashback. Use a portal like Rakuten or TopCashback, pay with your American Express Platinum: Charles Schwab, and earn both rates on the same purchase. CashBackStacks shows the combined stack for every store.

American Express Platinum: Charles Schwab's best cashback rates typically appear during major shopping events: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Prime Day, and back-to-school season. Add American Express Platinum: Charles Schwab to your CashBackStacks watchlist to get notified when rates jump above their historical average.

At the card's top earn rate of 3.5000000000000004%, you'd need about $25,572 in annual spending in that category to recoup the $895 fee through rewards alone. Sign-up bonuses and perks can offset the fee in year one.

No — the American Express Platinum: Charles Schwab does not charge foreign transaction fees, making it a great option for international purchases and travel.