The Amex Platinum card has purposes beyond only luxury. With so many travel, entertainment, wellness, and retail rewards, this card is a flexible one with about $1,400 in potential value.
Note: 💡💡💡Do not confuse this credit card with the American Express Platinum for Business. This article explores the American Express Platinum personal. If you are looking for the American Express Platinum for Business,
The Points Master takeaway 👉👉👉 This card is worth it for people who travels frequently – I have yet to be at a major international airport without a lounge I can visit. It is also easy to get your $695 worth back annually, you just have to be very deliberate about it. More on that at the bottom of this article.
American Express Platinum: At a Glance
| Rewards Rates | -For flights booked directly with airlines or American Express Travel, earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points up to $500,000 on certain purchases per calendar year. -Prepaid hotel stays booked through American Express Travel earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points. |
| Intro Offer | Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. |
| Ongoing Purchases APR | 21.24% – 29.24% variable |
| Ongoing Balance Transfer APR | 21.24% – 29.24% variable |
| Ongoing Cash Advance APR | 29.99% variable |
| Ongoing Penalty APR | up to 29.99% |
| Annual Fee | $695 |
| Recommended Credit | 670-850 Excellent/Good |
More Details
Welcome Offer:
- Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first six months of Card Membership.
- Choose from traditional Platinum, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu metal credit card designs.
Travel Benefits:
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel.
- Earn 5X points on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel, up to $500,000 per year.
- Up to $200 back annually on Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings (minimum two-night stay).
- Up to $200 in statement credits per year for incidental airline fees with a selected qualifying airline.
- $189 CLEAR® Plus Credit for faster airport security processing at over 50 airports.
- Either a $100 credit for Global Entry every 4 years or an $85 credit for TSA PreCheck® every 4.5 years.
- Complimentary access to over 1,400 American Express Global Lounge Collection® lounges across 140 countries.
For guidance on choosing the best credit card to meet your lounge access needs, be sure to check out our Guide to Selecting a Credit Card for Airport Lounge Access.
Lifestyle Credits:
- Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings annually for rides or eats orders in the US (Available to Basic Card Members only).
- $155 Walmart+ Credit: Get back up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes monthly when you pay for Walmart+ membership with your card.
- Up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue or at saks.com (enrollment required).
- Exclusive reservations and dining experiences through Global Dining Access by linking your card with your Resy profile.
Entertainment and Subscriptions:
- Get up to $20 monthly credit on select digital subscriptions like Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu when paid with your Platinum Card®.
Related Article: While exploring the benefits of the American Express Platinum, you might wonder how it compares to other options. For a direct comparison with a similar offering, check out our article on Amex Platinum vs Amex Gold to see which card better suits your financial and lifestyle needs.
American Express Platinum: Why We Chose It
Overview
Sometimes, the advantages of a good credit card are worth the big outlay of funds. With the Amex Platinum card, that is exactly the situation.
You will access new lifestyle and travel credits as well as airline and hotel transfer partners by unlocking access to the Amex Membership Rewards program in return for the annual fee.
Travel expenditures also provide a lot of Membership Rewards points for your next award trip, so this card is quite valuable.
Benefits
- The welcome offer on this card right now is really profitable. We value it at about $1,600.
- The Amex Platinum comes with access to a first-rate concierge service to assist with anything from discovering destination guides to reserving difficult-to-get tickets.
- Among the many benefits of this card are access to Centurion Lounges, free elite status with Hilton and Marriott, at least $500 in varied yearly statement credits, and so much more. (Enrollment is required for some perks.)
Drawbacks
- Only if you are fully using the card’s features will the high annual charge be justified. People who rarely travel might not find enough value to justify the expense.
- It’s not a terrific card for other spending categories since, outside of the present welcome bonus, you’re only getting greater rewards on specified travel and hotel purchases.
- Unlike the more general travel credits provided by rival premium cards, the annual airline fee statement credit can be difficult to maximize.
Is This Card for You?
This is the ideal card for you if you set aside a lot of your money for travel and refuse to settle for less than luxury. Monthly Uber Cash will be $15 (and $20 in December), for a total of up to $200 yearly, valid for Uber trips or Uber Eats orders.
With the American Express Global Lounge Collection, an application reimbursement for Global Entry or TSA Precheck, access to the Platinum Travel Service for trip planning assistance, free Gold status with Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors and so much more, you also enjoy access to thousands of airport lounges. ( enrollment is needed for some benefits.)
For individuals who are always on the go, once you total all these advantages, you will soon discover that they can offset the annual cost. If you need more help deciding whether this card fits your lifestyle, check out our detailed Amex Platinum Review.
Earning Rewards
With 5x on hotels booked through Amex Travel and 5x on flights booked straight with the airline or through Amex Travel (on up to $500,000 on these purchases each calendar year), this card is the most rewarding for travel.
Make Back Your $695 Annual Fee: The GAME PLAN
With a little bit of work, it’s easy to make back your $695 annual fee. You just have to be deliberate about it. Here’s how I do it:
- Utilize Walmart – make sure you pick monthly option, NOT the annual one! Charge it on your Amex Platinum. Monthly money back: $12.95 x 12 = $155
- The next time you book a hotel, make sure you use this credit card and book a hotel in the Amex Hotel Collection to get the $200 annual statement credit back = $200
- Uber Cash – $10 monthly. All you have to do is add this credit card to your Uber account. They make it really easy – you’ll see a toggle on your Uber account that says “Amex Credit $10”. Annual money back: $10 x 12 = $120
- 👉 so far we’re already at $155 (walmart) + $200 (hotel) + $120 (Uber) = $475. that wasn’t so bad.
- $20 back each month on select streaming services. $20 x 12 = $240
- GRAND TOTAL: $715!! And we haven’t even covered other benefits such as Lounge Access (usually $40 – $75 per visit), or the TSA precheck credit, or the Resy credit.