Benefits of the American Express Platinum card

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The Platinum® Card from American Express is one of our favorite cards for frequent travelers and ranks among our best travel cards and top American Express cards. It has an excellent welcome bonus of 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.  

In addition to a massive bonus, the Amex Platinum comes with a ton of perks, including top-tier benefits like airport lounge access (including the incredible Centurion Lounges), airline fee credits and complimentary hotel elite status. (enrollment required).

Let’s dive into the Amex Platinum’s features and see and why savvy travelers keep this rewards credit card in their wallet despite the high annual fee. (see rates and fees)

Amex Platinum benefits and perks

With the Amex Platinum card you’ll earn Amex points at the following rates (terms apply):

• 5x Amex Membership Rewards points on airfare (booked either directly with the airline or through Amex travel portal). Starting Jan. 1, 2021, earn 5x points on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. 
• 5x Amex Membership Rewards points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel
• 1x Amex Membership Rewards point on everything else

Credits galore

The annual credits alone make this card worth holding onto. You get:

• Up to $200 annual credit for incidental fees on your selected airline
• Up to $200 in Uber credit per year ($15 per month and $35 in December)
• Up to $100 credit for Saks Fifth Avenue (up to $50 from January to June, and up to $50 from July to December)
• Statement credit every four to four-and-a-half years for Global Entry ($100) or TSA PreCheck ($85)
• Terms apply

The up to $200 airline-fee credit resets every calendar year (January to December). So in your first cardholder year, you could get the credit twice. In the first year, you can get a total of up to $700 in credits ($200 airline credit x 2 + $200 Uber credit + $100 Saks Fifth Avenue).

You can earn a credit for the application fee for either Global Entry ($100 once every four years) or TSA PreCheck ($85 once every four-and-a-half years).

Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts

Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts offers competitive rates for paid luxury hotel stays. But it’s the extra benefits that make this program valuable. When you book an Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts stay, you receive perks like early check-in when available, room upgrades, free breakfast for two and unique amenities (depending on the hotel), like free parking or food and beverage credits.

You’ll also get guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout and there are can be limited-time offers at certain hotels for complimentary nights with a paid stay. Cardholders will also have access to The Hotel Collection, which offers room upgrades and up to $100 in hotel credits. You must stay two or more nights and can book your stay through American Express Travel at amextravel.com or by phone at 800-297-2977.

Airport lounge access

With the Amex Platinum card, you’ll get unlimited airport lounge access including Priority Pass, Centurion, Delta Sky Club, Escape Lounges and Airspace Lounges around the world. Check the guest policy if you travel with a partner or family. Enrollment required for select benefits.

Of note is the unlimited access to Centurion Lounges, where you can enjoy a full meal, drinks and sometimes even a spa treatment – for free. It’s exclusive to Amex Platinum and Centurion cardholders. And you can bring up to two guests for free.

I travel out of Boston about five times per year and save on food and drink by visiting Logan Airport’s Priority Pass lounges. I figure I’m saving ~$40 per visit ($200 a year) by avoiding overpriced airport food and drinks. I also get free Wi-Fi, showers and more comfortable seating. Enrollment required for select benefits.

Elite status with Hilton and Marriott

Your Amex Platinum card also comes with complimentary Gold elite status with Hilton and Marriott. This is a huge benefit that, depending on where you stay, includes:

• Free breakfast (Hilton hotels only)
• Upgrades to bigger rooms where available
• Late checkout
• Better rooms (views, higher floors, etc.)
• More points for paid stays

Team member Jasmin received big perks with Hilton Honors Gold status on her stay at the Conrad Tokyo. She was able to get free breakfast with her kids (worth $140) and a complimentary room upgrade. The free breakfast that comes with Hilton Gold status can save you hundreds of dollars if you stay at Hilton hotels frequently. Perks like room upgrades and late checkout can make your travel much more civilized. Enrollment required for select benefits.

Car rental elite status

As an Amex Platinum cardholder, you’re eligible for:

• Hertz Gold Plus Rewards
• National Executive Club
• Avis Preferred

Elite status provides free upgrades when available, grace periods for late returns, discounts and more. For example, National offers a product called the Executive Aisle where you can pick any car from the aisle and you only pay the midsize rental rate.

Travel insurance, purchase protection and Platinum Concierge

You’ll get a whole suite of protections with your Amex card membership:

• Car rental loss and damage insurance
• Extended warranty
• Purchase protection
• Return protection
• Baggage insurance plan
• Premium Global Assist hotline (includes medical evacuation insurance)
• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance
• Trip delay coverage

Although you may never need these benefits, they can be lifesavers. It’s great that the Amex Platinum now has trip delay insurance and trip cancellation/interruption insurance, which can be lifesavers.

Another convenient (and time-saving) perk is access to the Amex Platinum Concierge, which can help you book hard-to-get restaurant reservations or concert tickets, or assist with requests like finding the right venue for a meeting.

Amex Offers

With Amex Offers, you’ll get discounts and bonuses on everyday purchases when you enroll your card. Because these are applied as statement credits after your purchase, you can also take advantage of discounts offered at shopping portals or promotional codes and coupons.

This means you can stack deals and save some serious cash.

Some offers are targeted, which means you have to add them to your card before you make a qualifying purchase.

ShopRunner membership

A ShopRunner membership, which is like Amazon Prime for more than 100 retail stores, comes with this card. You get free two-day shipping and free returns with your online orders through participating retailers. An annual membership for ShopRunner normally costs $79. Enrollment required for select benefits.

Overall value

The Amex travel portal lets you redeem your points for airfare at a rate of one cent per point. So the welcome bonus is worth at least $600 and potentially much more, if you transfer it to one of the Amex transfer partners.

There’s a $695 annual fee (see rates and fees). If you can make the most of these incredible perks, you’ll offset the annual fee and possibly come out ahead. Here’s our full review of the American Express Platinum.

Bottom line

The Amex Platinum card comes with a generous welcome bonus of 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. The intro bonus alone is enough to justify paying the $695 annual fee which is not waived for the first year.

But remember, the excellent benefits and perks are why many people keep this card in their wallet. You’ll get up to $500 in credits annually (up to $200 for airline incidentals, up to $200 credit for Uber and up to $100 for Saks Fifth Avenue), which effectively reduces the annual fee to $50 per year. And you’ll get even more value from the other benefits of this card:

• Free food and drinks and a comfortable place to relax at airport lounges
• Room upgrades and food credits through Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts
• Discounts with Amex Offers
• Gold Elite status with Hilton and Marriott
• Complimentary travel protections and purchase protections

You can apply for the Amex Platinum here.

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