Amex Platinum Card vs. Goldman Sachs Amex Platinum Card [Detailed Comparison]

The Platinum Card^® from American Express is one of the most popular travel cards on the market today, delivering thousands of dollars in value per year through its airport lounge access perks, strong rewards structure, and luxury benefits like hotel elite status and car rental privileges.

However, did you know that there are several versions of the Amex Platinum card? In this guide, we’ll introduce you to arguably the most exclusive version of Amex Platinum, The Platinum Card^® from American Express Exclusively for Goldman Sachs.

Since the card is closely aligned with the Amex Platinum card in terms of benefits, there aren’t many unique reasons to pursue the Goldman Sachs Amex Platinum card variant instead. For most consumers, the standard Amex Platinum card may be the right move. However, to really get an accurate assessment, we’ll show you everything in this guide!

All information about The Platinum Card^® from American Express Exclusively for Goldman Sachs has been collected independently by Upgraded Points.

Overview

We’ll cut right to the chase: the Amex Platinum card and Goldman Sachs Amex Platinum card are similar in almost every respect. In fact, there may only be 2 features that distinguish the Goldman Sachs Amex Platinum card from the Amex Platinum card:

1. The Goldman Sachs Amex Platinum card can be much more difficult to qualify for than the Amex Platinum card.
2. According to most recent data points, the Goldman Sachs Amex Platinum card also offers bonus points after a certain spending threshold is met.

Here’s an overview of the 2 card products:

Welcome Offer Valuations

The Amex Platinum card consistently offers an outsized welcome offer, and the Goldman Sachs Amex Platinum card generally follows the same welcome offer as the Amex Platinum card.

BEST LOUNGE ACCESS

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

The Platinum Card^® from American Express

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

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Know if you're approved with no credit score impact

If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.

The Platinum Card^® from American Express

The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

Welcome Offer

Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards^® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

80,000 points

UP's Offer Valuation*:

Up to $1,760

Annual Fee

$695

APR

See Pay Over Time APR

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent

Why We Like This Card

When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card out there than The Platinum Card^® from American Express.

Make no mistake — the Amex Platinum card is a premium card with a premium price tag. With amazing benefits like best-in-class airport lounge access, hotel elite status, and tremendous value in annual statement credits, it can easily prove to be one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet year after year.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• The best airport lounge access out of any card (by far) — enjoy access to over 1,400 worldwide lounges, including the luxurious Amex Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges (enrollment required), Plaza Premium Lounges, and many more!
• 5x points per dollar spent on flights purchased directly with the airline or with AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per year)
• 5x points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked with AmexTravel.com

Cons

• $695 annual fee (rates and fees)
• Airline credit does not cover airfare (only incidentals like checked bags)

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• 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.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards^® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards^® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
• $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts^® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card^®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card^® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• With American Express Global Lounge Collection^® you can enjoy access to over 1,400 airport lounges globally, including The Centurion^® Lounge, Unlimited Delta Sky Club^® Access when flying an eligible Delta flight, Escape Lounges, Lufthansa Lounges when flying Lufthansa Group, Plaza Premium, Priority Pass™ Select Lounges, & Additional Global Lounge Collection Partner Lounges subject to visit limitations. Lounges may have their own rules, like additional access rules and guest fees, and for Priority Pass Select, you need to enroll and there are unlimited airport lounge visits for Card Members. With Delta Sky Club Access, Card Members will receive 10 Visits to the Delta Sky Club to be used from February 1 until January 31 of the next calendar year and can unlock Unlimited Delta Sky Club Access by spending $75,000 in eligible purchases on their Card in a calendar year. To find a lounge, visit the membership section in the American Express^® App or visit http://www.americanexpress.com/findalounge#/loungefinder.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Save on eligible delivery fees, shipping, and more with a Walmart+ membership. Use your Platinum Card^® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership and get up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes back on one membership (excluding Plus Ups) each month.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card^®.
• $200 Uber Cash: Platinum Card^® Members can ride or dine in style with $15 in Uber Cash each month, plus a bonus $20 in December after adding their Card to their Uber account. Use your Uber Cash on rides and orders in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
• $199 CLEAR^® Plus Credit: CLEAR^® Plus helps to get you to your gate faster at 50+ airports nationwide and get up to $199 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Card. CLEARLanes are available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues.
• Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck^® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card^®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card^®. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card^® to your Resy profile.
• $695 annual fee.
• Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: See Pay Over Time APR
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

American Express Membership Rewards

You’ll earn a welcome offer denominated in Membership Rewards points, which are worth around 2.2 cents per point by our valuations — however, this valuation is achieved by strategically transferring points to travel partners and booking award travel.

If you’re not interested in that or aren’t savvy enough to find award availability, you can book flights through the AmexTravel.com website for around 1 cent per point. We’ll cover redeeming points in a later section.

Lastly, we’d like to note that welcome offers change from time to time, so be sure to double-check the details before applying for the card.

Application Guidelines

To qualify for the Goldman Sachs Amex Platinum card, you’ll generally need to be a client with at least $10 million in assets under management with Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management (GS PWM).

Comparing Earning Potential

The earning structures for the Amex Platinum card and Goldman Sachs Amex Platinum card are identical. You can expect to earn up to 5x Membership Rewards points on purchases according to this array of categories:

• Earn 5x points on flights booked directly with the airline or AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1x points)
• Earn 5x points on prepaid hotel bookings made through AmexTravel.com
• Earn 1x points on other purchases

Redemption Options

If you’re earning Membership Rewards points, you’re already ahead of the game. That’s because Membership Rewards points are some of the most valuable points you can get your hands on — and both the Amex Platinum card and Goldman Sachs Amex Platinum card earn Membership Rewards points.

Here are the main ways you can use Membership Rewards points:

• Transfers to airline and hotel partners (recommended for maximum redemption value)
• Book travel using Pay With Points via AmexTravel.com
• Purchase gift cards, online shopping, statement credits, make charitable donations

When redeeming your points with airline and hotel partners, you can truly get the best possible value — on a per-cent basis — from your points. For example, if you live in New York and want to book a British Airways flight in business class to London, you might notice flight prices are around $3,000 one-way and up to $8,000 round-trip. If there is award availability, you could transfer your points to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles where the same round-trip business class flight costs 122,000 points + ~$600 in taxes and fees, netting you a redemption value of 6.1 cents per point!

Travel Protection and Benefits Comparison

The Amex Platinum card is famous for offering exclusive luxury travel benefits, and the Goldman Sachs Amex Platinum card’s suite of travel benefits and protections is the same as the standard Amex Platinum card. Here is a breakdown of what you should expect from these 2 cards:

• Access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection (1,400 airport lounges around the world), which includes Centurion Lounges, 10 visits to Delta Sky Clubs (when flying on a same-day Delta flight) with the ability to unlock unlimited visits through spend, and Priority Pass Lounges (upon enrollment)
• Access to Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection benefits such as 4 p.m. late checkout, complimentary breakfast, and room upgrades when available
• Hotel and rental car elite status with Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, National Emerald Club, and Avis Preferred
• Annual statement credits, including up to $200 in airline incidentals; up to $200 in prepaid hotel credits; up to $200 in Uber Cash; up to $199 for CLEAR Plus
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credits
• Fantastic travel insurance, including trip interruption and cancellation insurance, trip delay insurance, and baggage insurance plan
• No foreign transaction fees (rates & fees)

Notable Shopping Benefits and Protections

When you hold the Amex Platinum card and the Goldman Sachs Amex Platinum card, you’ll enjoy a series of fantastic shopping benefits and protections even outside of travel.

Here’s a taste of what we’re talking about:

• Annual statement credits: Up to $240 for digital entertainment, up to $100 in Saks credits, up to $155 for Walmart+
• Global Dining Access by Resy
• Cell phone protection, which reimburses up to $800 per claim for covered damage and theft with up to 2 approved claims every rolling 12 months ($50 deductible per claim)
• Purchase protection, which covers eligible purchases that are lost, damaged, or stolen within the first 90 days after the purchase date (up to $10,000 per item and up to $50,000 per calendar year)
• Extended warranty, which covers eligible items that have an original manufacturer’s warranty of 5 years or less and extends the warranty by 1 additional year (up to $10,000 per item in coverage and up to $50,000 per calendar year)
• Return protection, which covers up to $300 per item and up to $1,000 per calendar year against eligible returns that are denied by the original merchant

Additional terms and conditions may apply for each of these benefits.

Annual Fees and Authorized Users

Annual Fee

The 2 cards have the same annual fees:

• Amex Platinum card: $695 annual fee
• Goldman Sachs Amex Platinum card: $695 annual fee

Authorized Users

Both the Amex Platinum card and Goldman Sachs Amex Platinum card allow you add authorized users for $195 per card.

However, you can add basic Gold cards and basic Green cards for both of these cards for no additional cost.

The basic Gold card will not have any airport lounge access benefits or other major benefits besides the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit.

Final Thoughts

Even though the Goldman Sachs Amex Platinum card is so much harder to qualify for, the Amex Platinum card is almost identical. One major exception is a potential additional bonus for those who meet spending requirement on the Goldman Sachs Amex Platinum card.

Because the Amex Platinum card is available to the general public for applications, we recommend you apply for this version to get around the strict requirements for the Goldman Sachs Amex Platinum card.

We’d only recommend you apply for the Goldman Sachs Amex Platinum card if you already have $10 million in assets invested with Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management. Otherwise, it’s not necessarily worth pursuing.

We hope that this guide has been helpful in discerning the differences between the 2 card products.

For the trip delay insurance benefit of the Amex Platinum card, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

For the return protection benefit of the Amex Platinum card, with return protection, you may return eligible purchases to American Express if the seller won’t take them back up to 90 days from the date of purchase. American Express may refund the full purchase price excluding shipping and handling, up to $300 per item, up to a maximum of $1,000 per calendar year per Card account, if you purchased it entirely with your eligible American Express^® Card. Purchases must be made in the U.S. or its territories. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.

For the purchase protection benefit of the Amex Platinum card, purchase protection is an embedded benefit of your card membership and requires no enrollment. It can help protect covered purchases made on your eligible card when they’re accidentally damaged, stolen, or lost, for up to 90 days from the covered purchase date. The coverage is limited up to $10,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per card member account per calendar year. Coverage limits apply. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the extended warranty benefit of the Amex Platinum card, when an American Express^® card member charges a covered purchase to an eligible card, extended warranty can provide up to one extra year added to the original manufacturer’s warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per card member account per calendar year. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the cell phone protection benefit of the Amex Platinum card, coverage for a stolen or damaged eligible cellular wireless telephone is subject to the terms, conditions, exclusions and limits of liability of this benefit. The maximum liability is $800, per claim, per eligible card account. Each claim is subject to a $50 deductible. Coverage is limited to two (2) claims per eligible card account per 12 month period. Eligibility and benefit level varies by Card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

For the baggage insurance plan benefit of the Amex Platinum card, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.