Last checked: October 14, 2026. How much have premium credit card annual fees gone up? This page logs every annual fee change since January 2015 on the 21 travel cards I review that cost more than $150 a year: the date, the old and new fee, the percent change, when existing cardholders started paying it, and the source. It’s kept current: when a bank announces a new fee, it goes on this page. No affiliate links, as always on Travel Summary.
What a fee really costs you depends on the credits you’d actually use. My premium card calculator adds them up, card by card.
Quick Take
- 20 increases, zero cuts. Across these 21 cards there have been 20 annual fee increases since 2015 and not a single decrease. 10 of the 20 came in 2024 or later.
- The Amex Platinum nearly doubled: $450 in 2015, $895 today (+99%), after three increases (2017, 2021, 2025). Prices overall rose 42% over the same stretch; a $450 fee that only kept pace with inflation would be about $640.
- The Sapphire Reserve is up 77% since it launched at $450 in 2016, to $795, against 40% inflation.
- The six cards that already existed in 2015 cost $2,215 a year together then and $3,614 now (+63%), about $470 more than inflation alone would explain.
- New cards launch high. 11 of the 21 launched in 2021 or later, 8 of them at $350 or more. The average fee across all 21 is now $484.
1. How Much Have Annual Fees Gone Up?
A lot, and mostly in the last few years. Of the 20 increases since 2015 on the cards below, 10 landed in 2024, 2025 or 2026. The biggest single jump was the Sapphire Reserve’s $245 increase in 2025 ($550 to $795, +45%); the biggest in percentage terms was the Chase Aeroplan card doubling from $95 to $195 in 2026 (+105%).
| Year | Annual fee increases (new applicants) |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 1 |
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 5 |
| 2026 | 2 |
2. The Fee Climb, Charted
Four of the best-known premium cards, from January 2015 (or launch) to today:
- Amex Platinum: $450 → $895
- Sapphire Reserve: $450 → $795
- Citi AAdvantage Executive: $450 → $695
- Amex Gold: $175 → $325
3. Every Annual Fee Change Since 2015
One row per change, oldest first. “New applicants” is the date the higher fee applied to new applications; existing cardholders usually started paying it at a later renewal, shown in its own column. Card names are as they are today; the old name is noted where the card was renamed.
| New applicants | Card | Fee | Change | Existing cardholders | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1, 2015 | American Express Gold Card Premier Rewards Gold Card | $175 → $195 | +$20 (+11%) | Not stated separately (effective June 1, 2015) | Reported by Doctor of Credit and the AP, Feb 26, 2015 |
| March 30, 2017 | American Express Platinum Card | $450 → $550 | +$100 (+22%) | Renewals from September 1, 2017 | Reported by Doctor of Credit, March 2017 |
| October 4, 2018 | American Express Gold Card Renamed American Express Gold Card at this change | $195 → $250 | +$55 (+28%) | Renewals from April 1, 2019 | Reported by Doctor of Credit and Frequent Miler, October 2018 |
| January 12, 2020 | Chase Sapphire Reserve | $450 → $550 | +$100 (+22%) | Renewals from April 1, 2020 | Reported by Doctor of Credit and CNBC, January 2020 |
| January 30, 2020 | Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card Renamed Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card at this change | $450 → $550 | +$100 (+22%) | Renewals from January 30, 2020 | Reported by Doctor of Credit, January 2020 |
| January 30, 2020 | Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card Renamed Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card at this change | $195 → $250 | +$55 (+28%) | Renewals from January 30, 2020 | Reported by Doctor of Credit, January 2020 |
| July 1, 2021 | American Express Platinum Card | $550 → $695 | +$145 (+26%) | Renewals from January 1, 2022 | American Express press release, July 1, 2021 |
| September 22, 2022 | Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card | $450 → $650 | +$200 (+44%) | Renewals from January 1, 2023 | Reported by Doctor of Credit, September 22, 2022 |
| July 23, 2023 | Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Legend Mastercard | $450 → $595 | +$145 (+32%) | At the next annual fee from July 23, 2023 | Reported by Doctor of Credit, July 10, 2023 |
| October 19, 2023 | Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card | $450 → $550 | +$100 (+22%) | Renewals from February 2024 | Hilton press release, October 19, 2023 Sources differ on the first renewal date (Feb 1 vs Feb 14, 2024). |
| February 1, 2024 | Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card | $550 → $650 | +$100 (+18%) | Renewals from May 1, 2024 | Reported by Doctor of Credit, February 2, 2024 |
| February 1, 2024 | Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card | $250 → $350 | +$100 (+40%) | Renewals from May 1, 2024 | Reported by Doctor of Credit, February 2, 2024 |
| July 25, 2024 | American Express Gold Card | $250 → $325 | +$75 (+30%) | Renewals from October 1, 2024 | American Express press release, July 25, 2024 |
| March 24, 2025 | United Quest Card | $250 → $350 | +$100 (+40%) | Renewals from August 1, 2025 | Chase press release, March 24, 2025 |
| June 23, 2025 | Chase Sapphire Reserve | $550 → $795 | +$245 (+45%) | Renewals from October 26, 2025 | Reported by Doctor of Credit, June 17, 2025 |
| July 24, 2025 | Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card | $149 → $229 | +$80 (+54%) | At the 2026 account anniversary | Chase press release, July 24, 2025 |
| September 18, 2025 | American Express Platinum Card | $695 → $895 | +$200 (+29%) | Renewals from January 2, 2026 | Reported by Doctor of Credit, September 18, 2025 |
| October 2025 | Mastercard Black Card (Luxury Card) | $495 → $699 | +$204 (+41%) | Not published | Reported by CardRates, September 30, 2025 Part of the Luxury Card relaunch (around Sept 30, 2025). Exact dates not published. |
| August 23, 2026 | Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Legend Mastercard Renamed World Legend Mastercard at this change | $595 → $695 | +$100 (+17%) | At the next card anniversary after Citi's notice | Citi press release, August 3, 2026 |
| September 10, 2026 | Chase Air Canada Aeroplan Card Renamed Chase Air Canada Aeroplan Card at this change | $95 → $195 | +$100 (+105%) | Renewals from December 1, 2026 | Chase press release, September 10, 2026 |
4. Have Fees Outpaced Inflation?
For most of the cards with a long enough history, yes. The table compares each fee with what it would be if it had only risen with US consumer prices (CPI-U, from the 2015 or 2016 annual average to September 2026: +42.2% since 2015, +40.4% since 2016).
| Card | Fee then | Fee now | Change | Inflation-adjusted fee | Now vs inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Express Platinum Card | $450 (2015) | $895 | +99% | $640 | +$255 |
| American Express Gold Card | $175 (2015) | $325 | +86% | $249 | +$76 |
| Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card | $450 (2015) | $650 | +44% | $640 | +$10 |
| Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card | $195 (2015) | $350 | +79% | $277 | +$73 |
| Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Legend Mastercard | $450 (2015) | $695 | +54% | $640 | +$55 |
| Mastercard Black Card (Luxury Card) | $495 (2015) | $699 | +41% | $704 | −$5 |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve | $450 (2016) | $795 | +77% | $632 | +$163 |
The Delta Reserve and the Mastercard Black Card have risen roughly in line with inflation; every other card here has gone up faster.
5. Current Fees and Launch Fees for All 21 Cards
Cards that launched after January 2015 start at their launch fee. Several are new enough that they haven’t had an increase yet.
| Card | Issuer | Starting fee | Fee today | Increases since 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Express Platinum Card | American Express | $450 (in effect Jan 2015) | $895 | 3 |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve | Chase | $450 (launched August 21, 2016) | $795 | 2 |
| Mastercard Black Card (Luxury Card) | Barclays | $495 (in effect Jan 2015) | $699 | 1 |
| Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Legend Mastercard | Citi | $450 (in effect Jan 2015) | $695 | 2 |
| Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card | American Express | $450 (in effect Jan 2015) | $650 | 2 |
| Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card | American Express | $450 (launched August 2018) | $650 | 1 |
| Citi Strata Elite | Citi | $595 (launched July 28, 2025) | $595 | 0 |
| Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card | American Express | $450 (launched January 18, 2018) | $550 | 1 |
| Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite | Bank of America | $550 (launched November 22, 2021) | $550 | 0 |
| Bilt Palladium Card | Cardless (Bilt) | $495 (launched February 7, 2026) | $495 | 0 |
| Capital One Venture X Rewards | Capital One | $395 (launched November 9, 2021) | $395 | 0 |
| Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite | Bank of America | $395 (launched August 20, 2025) | $395 | 0 |
| Wyndham Rewards Earner Premier Card | Barclays | $395 (launched June 17, 2026) | $395 | 0 |
| Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card | American Express | $195 (in effect Jan 2015) | $350 | 2 |
| United Quest Card | Chase | $250 (launched April 2021) | $350 | 1 |
| IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card | Chase | $350 (launched October 1, 2026) | $350 | 0 |
| Citi / AAdvantage Globe Mastercard | Citi | $350 (launched October 19, 2025) | $350 | 0 |
| American Express Gold Card | American Express | $175 (in effect Jan 2015) | $325 | 3 |
| Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card | American Express | $250 (launched September 22, 2022) | $250 | 0 |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card | Chase | $149 (launched July 19, 2018) | $229 | 1 |
| Chase Air Canada Aeroplan Card | Chase | $95 (launched December 2, 2021) | $195 | 1 |
6. How This Index Works
- Which cards: the personal (not business) cards I review with a current annual fee above $150. That’s 21 cards from American Express, Chase, Citi, Capital One, Bank of America, Barclays and Cardless (which issues the Bilt cards). Business cards and cards I don’t review aren’t included.
- Which fee: the primary cardholder’s annual fee only. Authorized-user fees, first-year waivers and foreign transaction fees are left out.
- Dates: the “new applicants” date is when the new fee applied to new applications. Existing cardholders almost always pay it later, at a renewal date the issuer sets; that date is in its own column. Where only the month is known, only the month is shown.
- Sources: the issuer’s or partner’s own announcement wherever one exists (linked). Where the bank didn’t publish one and only told cardholders directly, the row names the publication that reported the change at the time. Where sources disagree on a date, the row says so.
- Inflation: CPI-U (all items, US city average, not seasonally adjusted) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics: the 2015 or 2016 annual average against September 2026 (336.94).
- Updates: when an issuer announces a new fee, a row is added here. The underlying data is kept as a single dataset so the numbers on this page, the card reviews and the card quiz always match.
7. How to Cite This Page
Reporters and researchers are welcome to use these numbers. Please cite: Travel Summary, “Credit Card Annual Fee History,” travelsummary.com/credit-card-annual-fee-history/, last checked October 14, 2026. For questions or the data as a spreadsheet, use the contact form.
8. Quick Answers
From $450 in 2015 to $895 today, nearly double (+99%). It went to $550 in 2017, $695 in 2021 and $895 in September 2025 for new applicants (existing cardholders from January 2026). With inflation alone it would be about $640.
It launched at $450 in August 2016, went to $550 in January 2020 and to $795 in June 2025 for new applicants (existing cardholders from renewals on or after October 26, 2025). That's up 77% since launch.
For most premium cards, yes. US consumer prices rose about 42% from 2015 to September 2026; the Amex Platinum fee rose 99%, the Amex Gold 86% and the Delta Platinum 79%. The six cards on this list that existed in 2015 rose 63% combined.
Not among the 21 cards tracked here. All 20 changes since 2015 were increases.
Usually at their first renewal after a date the issuer sets, often a few months after new applicants start paying it (sometimes the same day). The table on this page lists that date for each change.
Changelog
- October 15, 2026: Added the Bilt Palladium Card ($495 since applications opened February 7, 2026; issued by Cardless), which belonged on this list and was missing. The page now covers 21 cards; the average fee is $484.
Related: all my credit card reviews · what points are worth · application rules by bank. Sources: the issuers’ press releases and card pages, reporting at the time of each change as named in the table, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics for CPI. Last checked: October 14, 2026.