Amex Platinum authorized user benefits guide

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The Platinum Card® from American Express is perhaps the most prestigious consumer credit card available to laypeople like you and me. And because of the super generous Amex Platinum benefits, it’s hands-down one of the best American Express cards.

But did you know that you can extend those benefits to others by adding them as an authorized user? If you’ve got friends or family that travel often, you can add them as additional cardmembers and save them a ton of money!

Granted, your authorized user won’t earn the card’s current increased welcome bonus of 100,000 Amex points after spending $6,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership.

But getting a new premium card doesn’t make sense for everyone. So here are the pros and cons of adding an authorized user to the Amex Platinum Card.

What benefits do Amex Platinum authorized users get?

Comprehensive airport lounge access

Additional cardmembers on your Amex Platinum will receive identical airport lounge access to well over 1,000 lounges worldwide. You can enter:

• Amex Centurion Lounges (widely considered to be the best domestic airport lounges)
• Priority Pass lounges (enrollment required).
• Delta Sky Club
• Escape Lounges in the U.S.
• Airspace lounges
• Plaza Premium lounges
• Lufthansa lounges
• Amex Centurion lounges internationally

There are various rules to getting into each lounge, so be sure to check out the Amex Global Lounge Collection page for all the details.

Access to these lounges is worth hundreds and hundreds of dollars. You can enter the lounges as many times as you want, and you can even bring two guests into the lounge with you in most cases.

If you travel with a large family, you may find it worth adding a spouse as an authorized user just to get an extra two free guests into a lounge. Day passes can cost up to $60 per person!

Access to Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts

Authorized users can take advantage of Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts as often as they want. This program will give you a handful of benefits at luxury hotels, such as early check-in, late checkout, a room upgrade when available, free breakfast, $100 spa credit, etc. The exact suite of benefits you’ll receive depends on the hotel.

The catch is that you have to actually purchase the room through Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts to get the benefits. In other words, you can’t use it for award stays you book with hotel points.

TSA PreCheck/Global Entry credit

TSA PreCheck and Global Entry speed up the security process at the airport. TSA PreCheck allows you to keep your shoes, belt, and light jacket on during domestic security checkpoints (you can even keep your laptop in your bag!). Global Entry lets you skip airport immigration when returning to the U.S. from abroad.

Read our post on TSA PreCheck vs Global Entry for all the details. The Amex Platinum gives you a statement credit to receive both — a value of $100.

Hotel elite status

Both Marriott and Hilton partner with American Express to provide gold elite status to Amex Platinum cardholders and authorized users.

You can earn Gold Elite status by holding certain hotel credit cards as well (you should in fact have these cards — read our post on the best hotel credit cards if you don’t). This translates into bonus hotel points, potential room upgrades, even free breakfast in many hotels.

Check our guides to Hilton elite status and Marriott elite status to see all the benefits of having gold elite status.

Rental car elite status

Amex Platinum authorized users will also be extended rental car elite status from:

• Avis
• National
• Hertz

These come with various upgrades (when available), bonus points for your rental, and a few other underwhelming benefits.

What benefits don’t pass over to Amex Platinum authorized users?

Statement credits

The Amex Platinum comes with several hundred dollars in statement credits each year:

• Up to $200 annual airline credit for incidental expenses on your selected airline
• Up to $200 in U.S. Uber credits per calendar year ($15 per month, except December which brings a $35 credit)
• Up to $100 in credit for Saks Fifth Avenue ($50 every six months)
• Up to a $200 statement credit on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings made through Amex Travel with your Platinum Card (minimum two night stay required)
• Terms Apply

Enrollment required for select benefits.

None of these apply to an Amex Platinum authorized user. Read our full Amex Platinum review.

Welcome bonus

The Amex Platinum comes with 100,000 Amex Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 within the first six months of account opening. We estimate that Amex points value dances around 1.8 cents each, making this bonus worth $1,800 (though it can be worth much more than that if you know the best ways to use Amex points). The card has a $695 annual fee (see rates and fees).

Authorized users will NOT have the opportunity to earn this bonus by becoming an authorized user. They’ll have to apply themselves if they want it!

What’s the cost to add authorized users to the Amex Platinum Card?

You are eligible to add up to three authorized users (or additional cards) for a total annual fee of $175 (see rates and fees). If you exceed three cardholders, the annual fee is bumped to $175 per additional card (see rates and fees).

How to add authorized users to your Amex Platinum

Step 1. Navigate to “Account Services” in your Amex account

Log onto your American Express online account. From the home page, you’ll see an “Account Services” tab right under the American Express logo at the top. Click that.

Step 2. Click “Add Someone to Your Account”

You should now be at a page that lists your name with multiple options. When you click the “Add Someone to Your Account” tile, you’ll need to fill out a basic form for the new authorized user. Just note that you will need to provide your authorized user’s Social Security number at some point, whether it’s at form completion time or once the card is received by your authorized user. If you don’t add it within 60 days, Amex will cancel your authorized user’s card.

Step 3. Add 2+ authorized users

If you wish to add another authorized user, click the “Add a new Card Member to your account” near the bottom of the form. Note that Amex only allows you to add up to four authorized users at that particular moment. If you wish to add more, you can at a later time. 

Once you have completed entering all the necessary information, click “Agree & Submit” at the bottom of the form! The new cards will be issued and shipped to your authorized user within five business days.

American Express Platinum Card authorized user FAQ

Is good credit needed to be an authorized user of an Amex Platinum?

Your credit score is completely irrelevant if you’re an authorized user. You may have heard stories of parents adding their kids to their credit cards to establish their credit before they’ve even got a credit score. Anyone can be an authorized user — but the primary cardholder will have to trust you enough to let you be on their account — THEY are the ones responsible for the bill, after all.

What’s the limit of authorized users for the Amex Platinum?

I am not aware of any limit to the number of authorized users you can add to your card. You can likely add more than you’d care to.

How couples can use authorized users to maximize Amex Membership Rewards

The more authorized users you have, the more points you can theoretically earn from spending. When an authorized user swipes their card, the points they earn are deposited into the primary cardholder’s account. The more swipes with the card, the more points you get.

However, if a couple is trying to earn as many points as possible, we recommend BOTH individuals open their own Amex Platinum card and get the giant welcome bonuses!

Bottom line

You can add up to three authorized users to your Amex Platinum card for just $175 total. That amounts to less than $59 per card if you add three additional cardholders! Well worth it for the value that your friends or family will get — such as airport lounge access and TSA PreCheck.

Let us know if you’ve taken advantage of Amex Platinum authorized users! And subscribe to our newsletter for more information like this delivered to your inbox once per day.

For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, click here.