Are You Using This Little-Known Benefit of Your AMEX Gold or Platinum Card?

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Did you know you can get a $75 hotel credit toward dining, spa services, and resort activities at certain hotels if you have the Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express, The Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN, AMEX Platinum personal card, Mercedes-Benz card or small business card?

You’ll also get 2 AMEX Membership Rewards points per $1 spent on your stay, and other benefits.  This can make your card more valuable!

I’ll explain how this perk works.  And what’s included!

What’s the Deal?

Link:   Premier Rewards Gold Card From American Express

Link:   The Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN

Link:   My Review of the Changes to the Premier Rewards Gold Card From American Express

Link:   The Platinum Card® from American Express

AMEX has a hotel benefit for folks with the AMEX Premier Rewards Gold card or The Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN.  And the AMEX Platinum personal card, Mercedes-Benz card or small business card have this perk, too!

When you book your stay through the AMEX Hotel Collection website, Platinum Travel Service, Business Platinum Travel Service, Centurion Travel Service, amextravel.com or any American Express Travel location, you’ll get:

• $75 in hotel credit toward qualifying dining, spa treatments, or resort activities
• 2X AMEX Membership Rewards points for your booking
• A room upgrade, when available

When you apply for the AMEX Premier Rewards Gold card, you’ll earn 25,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $2,000 on purchases within 1st 3 months of account opening.  The $195 annual fee is waived the 1st year.

The hotel credit is part of the AMEX Premier Rewards Gold card benefits, which also include:

• 3 AMEX Membership Rewards points per $1 you spend on airfare purchased directly from airlines
• 2 AMEX Membership Rewards points per $1 you spend at US gas stations, US supermarkets, and US restaurants
• 1 AMEX Membership Rewards point per $1 you spend on everything else
• $100 per calendar year in airline incidental fee credits with an airline you choose (baggage fees, change fees, etc.)
• NO foreign transaction fees
• Transfer points to participating frequent traveler programs
• Terms and limitations apply

Another strong feature of this card is its excellent purchase protection of up to $50,000 per year.  So it’s worth keeping if you have big-ticket purchases coming up!

How to Book

Link:   The Hotel Collection (Log-In Required)

To get the $75 credit, you must book through AMEX and stay at least 2 consecutive nights.

You can book up to 3 rooms, but you must stay in 1 of them.

The perks you receive vary with each hotel, so be sure to read what’s included when you book.  And keep in mind upgrades are not guaranteed.

You can get the $75 credit each time you book through AMEX – there is no limit to how many times you can receive it, as long as you follow the other rules.  The $75 credit is applied when you check out.

Is This a Good Deal?

It absolutely can be.

The annual fee on the AMEX Premier Rewards Gold card is waived for the 1st year.  And you get other great benefits like up to $100 toward airline incidentals, and 3 AMEX Membership Rewards points per $1 spent on airfare booked directly with the airlines.

So having a $75 hotel credit is a nice addition to an already strong card.

For example, I found a great rate at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch in Arizona for ~$106 a night this summer.

AMEX is also offering a 3rd night free discount at this hotel, so the price is the same for 2 or 3 nights.  After taxes and resort fees, it’s ~$362 for a 3-night stay, which averages to ~$121 per night.

Hyatt shows the same price for the dates.  And they also have the same 3rd night free promotion.  So it won’t cost you any extra to book through AMEX.

When you book through AMEX and pay with your qualifying AMEX card, you’ll get a $75 hotel credit, which is like getting over 20% of your total room rate back toward a meal or spa service that you’ll enjoy!  Plus, the price is already very reasonable to start.

I also checked Orbitz.  They matched the room’s base rate, but NOT the 3rd night free promotion.  And again, there’s NO $75 hotel credit.  So for this example, AMEX is matching (or beating!) the best available prices.

As always, check to make sure you’re getting the best price before you book.

This can be a great deal if you can find a cheap room rate and then combine it with the $75 credit offer.

And keep in mind folks with an AMEX Platinum Card (regular, small business, or Mercedes-Benz card) also have access to the Fine Hotels & Resorts program, which can help you save even more money!

Are There Drawbacks?

When you book through AMEX, you may NOT have your elite status recognized, and you might not earn elite stay credit.  So if hotel elite status is important to you, this benefit might not be useful.

And you’ll get the most value from this perk if you can find a low room rate.  Though even on a more expensive room, it would still be nice to get a $75 credit!

You also must stay 2 consecutive nights to get the credit.  So if you often have 1-night stays, you wouldn’t get much use from this.

But if you want to stay at a boutique hotel, or if you aren’t trying to earn elite status with a particular hotel chain, this is an excellent benefit!

Bottom Line

Folks with certain AMEX cards, including the AMEX Premier Rewards Gold card, The Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN, AMEX Platinum personal card, Mercedes-Benz personal or small business card, have a benefit they might not know about.

You’ll get a $75 hotel credit when you book through AMEX, pay with your AMEX card, and stay at a hotel in their Hotel Collection.  You must stay at least 2 consecutive nights.  And you can use the credit for qualifying dining, spa services, or resort activities.

The benefit is unique to each hotel, so be sure to check what’s included!

You’ll also get a room upgrade when it’s available.  And you’ll get 2 AMEX Membership Rewards points per $1 spent for your stay.

The only downside is you most likely won’t get elite status credit or have your elite status recognized when you book through AMEX.  But this is an excellent benefit at independent hotels.  Or if you aren’t trying to earn hotel elite status.