American Express Cobalt Card Review 2024: Is It Worth It?
Jul 9, 2024With its generous earn rates on everyday purchases, the American Express Cobalt Card can put you on the fast track to earning a variety of rewards.
The American Express Cobalt Card is a rewards credit card that allows cardholders to earn Membership Rewards points with each purchase. Membership Rewards points can be redeemed to cover a variety of eligible purchases, including movie tickets, statement credits, gift cards and merchandise, as well as bookings made through American Express Travel Online. A minimum of 1,000 points, worth $10, must be redeemed each time.
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American Express Cobalt Card full review
Because the American Express Cobalt Card is a rewards credit card, you’ll want to ensure that the earn rates align with your everyday spending habits. Since you can earn points on a wide array of purchases — like restaurants, gas, food delivery and streaming subscriptions — there’s a decent chance they might.
Benefits of the American Express Cobalt Card
Elevated earn rate (5x) on eats, such as restaurants, stand-alone grocery stores and food delivery purchases (up to $2,500 monthly spend — after which, the earn rate drops to 1x)
Flexible redemption methods. You can use your points to pay for merchandise, travel and gift cards, you can also transfer them to several frequent flyer and other loyalty programs.
Robust suite of travel protection benefits. The insurance provided, which includes lost baggage, emergency medical, trip interruption and hotel burglary coverage, should provide peace of mind while you’re on the road — or in the air.
Access to Amex Experiences™, a collection of special dining, shopping and wellness events, and American Express Front Of The Line, which can help cardholders score presale and reserved tickets for concerts or major events.
Drawbacks of the American Express Cobalt Card
Not as readily accepted by retailers as Visa and Mastercard. You can use American Express Maps to find stores that accept Amex cards. Strict insurance requirements. The full cost of any flight, hotel, rental car or mobile device must be charged to your card to qualify for insurance coverage.
Who should get the American Express Cobalt Card?
The American Express Cobalt Card could capture the interest of people looking to get a little extra from their rewards card, like generous earn rates, the ability to transfer points to several frequent flyer programs and access to exclusive events.
Is the American Express Cobalt Card worth it?
The American Express Cobalt Card’s generous and varied earn rates, combined with its modest annual cost ($155.88), make this card worth considering.
Plus, while not comprehensive, the card’s included insurance coverage can be invaluable if something goes awry during your next travel adventure.
What Reddit has to say
NerdWallet’s credit card experts rigorously review every detail of a card to determine its rating. But our Nerds know it can also be helpful to hear what everyday cardholders think. So, we took to Reddit to find out what users are saying about the American Express Cobalt® Card across multiple threads.
Redditors mostly agree with NerdWallet's review
It’s safe to say the Amex Cobalt is beloved by Redditors. The travel card has been recommended in dozens of threads, with many users stating that its elevated earn rates on eats and streaming services make the annual fee well worth it.
American Express customer ratings
Above average in customer satisfaction: American Express ranks second out of 13 issuers in J.D. Power’s 2024 Canada Credit Card Satisfaction Study, and the American Express Cobalt Card ranks first out of 20 cards that charge an annual fee.
Poor Trustpilot rating: American Express has 1.5 out of 5 possible stars based on more than 4,400 customer reviews at the time of this writing.
Poor Better Business Bureau rating: American Express has 1.09 out of a possible 5 stars, according to more than 500 customer reviews on the Better Business Bureau website, at the time of this writing.
Low Customer Service Scoreboard rating: American Express has 36.46 out of a possible 200, based on over 330 ratings at the time of this writing.
American Express Cobalt Card eligibility
Who qualifies for the American Express Cobalt Card?
To apply for the American Express Cobalt Card, you must:
Be a Canadian resident and have a Canadian credit file.
Be the age of majority in the province or territory where you live.
There is no known minimum income requirement for the American Express Cobalt Card.
Approximate credit score needed for approval
Canadian credit card issuers rarely disclose required credit scores, which makes it hard to know your chances of approval when comparing credit cards. However, higher scores generally mean better chances of approval, and that’s true regardless of the type of credit you’re applying for.
Want to learn more? Visit our “What Credit Score is Needed for a Credit Card?” page.
American Express Cobalt Card rewards
Earn up to 15,000 Membership Rewards points in the first year of card ownership.
Earn 1,250 points for each monthly billing period in which you spend $750 in purchases.
5x Membership Rewards points on eligible eats and drinks, such as restaurants and food deliveries (up to $2,500 monthly, for a total of up to $30,000 annually — earn 1x points thereafter).
3x Membership Rewards points on eligible streaming subscriptions in Canada.
2x Membership Rewards points on eligible travel and transit purchases.
1x Membership Rewards points on all other eligible purchases.
1 additional Membership Reward point when you book travel through Amex Travel Online.
In your first year as a new Cobalt cardmember, you can earn 1,250 points for each monthly billing period in which you spend $750 in net purchases on your card. This could add up to 15,000 points in a year, valuing $150 — which nearly offsets the annual cost of the card.
Point value breakdown
The value of an American Express Membership Rewards point varies on the redemption method you choose, but you can expect to get around 0.7 to two cents per point, according to NerdWallet’s analysis.
Up to two cents per point for flights, fine hotels and resorts booked via the American Express Fixed Points Travel Program.
One cent per point for statement credits.
About 0.8 cents per point for gift cards.
About 0.7 cents per point for shopping with merchant partners.
How to apply for the American Express Cobalt Card
You can complete the application for the American Express Cobalt Card from the American Express website:
Select the Apply Now button from the American Express Cobalt Card page.
Review the card’s terms and conditions and select Agree and Begin to continue.
Enter your personal details, including your full name, date of birth, email address and residential address.
Input any required financial information, such as your annual personal income and employment details.
Review the information you’ve supplied and submit your application.
American Express Cobalt Card vs Scotiabank Gold American Express Card
If you’re looking for comparable benefits at a slightly lower annual cost, you may want to consider the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card.
Rewards breakdown
Rewards breakdown
NerdWallet's take
NerdWallet's take
Card details
Card details
Rewards breakdown
Rewards breakdownNerdWallet's take
NerdWallet's takeCard details
Card detailsReasons you might want a different card
The American Express Cobalt Card may not be a perfect fit for you if:
You don’t spend much on dining and food delivery.
You want a card with no annual fees.
You’d prefer to earn a different reward, like cash back.
American Express Cobalt Card facts
American Express Cobalt Card | |
|---|---|
Card type | |
Fees and interest rates | |
Annual fee | $155.88. |
Regular/purchase APR | 21.99%. |
Penalty APR | 25.99% if you miss two payments within 12 months and 28.99% if you miss three payments within 12 months. |
Cash advance APR | 21.99%. |
Cash advance fee | $2.75 per transaction. |
Balance transfer APR | 3% of the transaction amount. |
Foreign transaction fee | 2.5% of the transaction amount. |
Rewards and benefits | |
Intro offer | Earn 1,250 points for each monthly billing period in which you spend $750 in purchases to your card in the first year, equaling a potential 15,000 Membership Rewards points. |
Reward earn rates | 5x points on eats and drinks (up to $2,500 monthly. After which, the earn rate drops to 1x). 3x points on streaming subscriptions. 2x points on travel and transit. 1x points on everything else. 1 additional point when you make eligible travel booking through Amex Travel Online. |
Other perks | Ability to transfer your Membership Rewards points to several frequent flyer and other loyalty programs. Up to $100 hotel credit and room upgrades on eligible bookings. Access to Amex Experiences™, which includes dining, wellness and entertainment perks, as well as access to Amex Front Of The Line reservations and presale tickets. |
Insurance coverage | |
Travel accident | Up to $250,000. |
Travel medical | Up to $5 million per insured person per trip, under the age of 65. |
Baggage and flight delay | Up to $500. |
Lost or stolen baggage | Up to $500 of coverage per trip for all insured persons. |
Hotel burglary | Up to $500 of coverage for personal items (excluding cash). |
Rental car theft/damage | For up to 48 days. |
Extended warranty | Up to one additional year. |
Purchase Protection | 90 days. |
Mobile Device Protection | Up to $1,000 of mobile device protection in case of loss, theft or accidental damage. Conditions apply. |
Methodology
BACK TO TOPNerdWallet Canada rates credit cards according to overall consumer value and their suitability for specific kinds of consumers. Factors in our evaluation methodology include annual and other fees, rewards rates, the earning structure (for example, flat-rate rewards versus bonus categories), redemption options, bonus offers for new cardholders, introductory and ongoing APRs, and other noteworthy features such as airline or hotel perks or the ability to transfer points.
Frequently asked questions
Is it hard to qualify for an American Express Cobalt Card?
Is it hard to qualify for an American Express Cobalt Card?
Because there’s no minimum income required (at least publicly), it might be easier to qualify for an American Express Cobalt Card than some other rewards credit cards. Having a credit score of 660 or higher should help your chances of approval.
Is Amex Cobalt better than Amex Gold?
Is Amex Cobalt better than Amex Gold?
The American Express Cobalt Card (monthly fee of $12.99 — $155.88 annually) applies a higher earn rate to a broader range of spending categories than the American Express Gold Rewards Card, but the Gold Card (annual fee of $250) offers more ways to save on travel, including a NEXUS fee rebate and annual travel credit.
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