Mastercard Black Card vs. Amex Platinum Card [Detailed Comparison]

Frequent travelers often seek out the best travel rewards credit cards for premium benefits such as airport lounge access, elevated rewards-earnings on travel purchases, and flexible options at redemption time.

Premium travel rewards cards also come with travel benefits and shopping protections that can provide elite-level perks, financial savings, and protection for an interrupted or canceled trip.

One of the best premium travel rewards cards available is The Platinum Card^® from American Express — a card we discuss often because of its plethora of benefits and perks. However, unlike typical credit cards, the Amex Platinum card allows you to carry a balance for certain charges, but not all. And, while the card has rightly earned its reputation, there are other cards that vie for the same space.

Today we’re going to discuss one of those competitors, the Mastercard^® Black Card™. On the surface, the card appears to be a premium travel rewards card ready to prove itself as a worthy challenger to the Amex Platinum card.

Our objective with this article is to dig deeper into the benefits of the Mastercard Black card, compare it to the Amex Platinum card, and reveal the actual bottom line value for a cardholder.

Here’s how the cards compare.

Overview

Before we get into the details of how each card works, it can be helpful to look at a summary of the features and benefits offered by each card.

Here’s a high-level overview of how the Mastercard Black card and Amex Platinum card compare overall.

The Value of a Welcome Offer

A credit card welcome offer is an incentive to use your card immediately after card approval to meet minimum spending requirements within a specific period and receive bonus rewards.

While the Mastercard Black card does not have a welcome offer, the Amex Platinum card does come with the opportunity to earn a bonus. We value Membership Rewards points at approximately 2.2 cents each, which would result in the current welcome offer being worth $1,760.

Welcome offers do change so be sure to check for the most current offer before applying for any 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 in's and out's 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.

Learn More(at Amex's secure site)

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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 Bonus Valuation*:

$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 (670-850)

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, 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.
• The American Express Global Lounge Collection^® can provide an escape at the airport. With complimentary access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer on the market. As of 03/2023.
• $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 get out and about and explore their local area with $15 in Uber Cash for US rides each month, plus a bonus $20 in December. That can be up to $200 in annual Uber savings. Simply download the Uber app and add your Platinum Card^® to your Uber account to get started. Available to Basic Card Member only. Effective 11/8/2024, an Amex Card must be selected as the payment method for your Uber or Uber Eats transaction to redeem the Amex Uber Cash benefit.
• $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.¤
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

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

Rewards Center

American Express Membership Rewards

Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a welcome bonus offer of up to 125k (or 150k) points with the Amex Platinum. The current public offer is 80,000 points. (This targeted offer was independently researched and may not be available to all applicants.)

Mastercard Black Card Points vs. Membership Rewards Points

The Mastercard Black card earns Black Card points while the Amex Platinum card earns Membership Rewards points. These points are not created equal, however, as the value of each type of point differs.

Let’s look closer at how rewards are earned and the choices you’ll have at redemption time for each of our featured cards.

Earning Potential

While neither the Mastercard Black card nor the Amex Platinum card have a robust earning structure, if you spend a lot on travel, earning a capped 5x Membership Rewards points on flights with the Amex Platinum card could help you accumulate rewards quickly.

However, earning points is just one-half of the equation. Let’s look next at the potential value you can receive at redemption time with each card.

Hot Tip: Referral bonuses are a good way to earn additional rewards points. Check out our guide on how to earn referral bonuses on some of the most popular credit cards. 

Redemption Options

It’s good to have multiple options when you’re ready to redeem your points. Here’s how you can redeem rewards earned on the Mastercard Black card and Amex Platinum card:

Both the Mastercard Black card and Amex Platinum card earn 1x points on nearly every purchase.

The Amex Platinum card, however, earns the capped 5x points on flights booked directly with the airline or via AmexTravel.com. If you spend a lot on flights, the Amex Platinum card has the edge in earnings.

Although the Mastercard Black card allows you to redeem points for 2 cents each in value for flights, the flexible Membership Rewards points earned on the Amex Platinum card allow you to realize greater value when transferred to travel partners — that is why we value Membership Rewards points at 2.2 cents each. For example, you can transfer 50,000 Membership Rewards points to Virgin Atlantic to fly in Delta Air Lines’ business class from the U.S. to Europe — a flight that normally costs thousands of dollars.

The Mastercard Black card does offer good value when redeeming for cash-back at 1.5 cents per point. The Amex Platinum card does not have this option and only provides 0.6 cents per point in value when redeeming for statement credits.

Bottom Line: The Amex Platinum card has better earning potential than the Mastercard Black card. Membership Rewards points earned on the Amex Platinum card also offer greater potential value at redemption time when transferred to airline and hotel partners. 

Air Travel Advantages

Both the Mastercard Black card and the Amex Platinum card offer these air travel benefits:

• Worldwide Airport Lounge Access — One of the most valuable benefits provided by both of our featured cards is access to airport lounges worldwide. The Mastercard Black card comes with complimentary Priority Pass Select membership while the Amex Platinum card comes with access to an expanded collection of lounges detailed below.
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Fee Credit — Receive a statement credit for reimbursement of up to $120, as of October 1, 2024, when you use your card to pay for your application fee or renewal. The Mastercard Black card reimburses up to $120 once every 5 years while the Amex Platinum card reimburses up to $120 for Global Entry every 4 years or up to $85 for TSA PreCheck every 4.5 years.

Mastercard Black Card

• Airline Credit — Pay for airline tickets, baggage fees, upgrades, and more, with your Mastercard Black card and receive statement credits of up to $100 each calendar year.

Amex Platinum Card

• American Express Global Lounge Collection — Enjoy access to over 1,400 airport lounges, including the prestigious Amex Centurion Lounges, Escape Lounges – The Centurion Studio Partner, Priority Pass lounges (upon enrollment), Plaza Premium Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs (when flying Delta), and more.
• Amex International Airline Program — Enjoy special pricing when using AmexTravel.com to shop for your next first-class, business class, or premium economy international airline ticket.
• Airline Incidentals Statement Credit — Preselect the airline of your choice and receive up to $200 back in statement credits each year for qualifying incidental purchases made with that airline.
• CLEAR Plus Membership Credit — Pay for CLEAR Plus membership with your card to enjoy expedited security clearance and a statement credit of up to $199 for your purchase.

Hotel Program Privileges

Mastercard Black Card

• Luxury Card Travel Benefits — Enjoy an upgraded room at check-in when available, free Wi-Fi, daily breakfast for 2, and a resort credit (or a welcome amenity) at more than 3,000 properties worldwide.

Amex Platinum Card

• Prepaid Hotel Statement Credit — Receive up to $200 back in statement credits when you book a prepaid stay via AmexTravel.com for a Fine Hotels & Resorts or The Hotel Collection stay (must be 2+ nights).
• Hotel Program Elite Status — Enjoy complimentary Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors Gold Elite status that come with room upgrades, late checkout, and more. Enrollment is required.
• Additional Elite-style Hotel Benefits — Make a prepaid booking with your card and/or Membership Rewards points via AmexTravel.com for The Hotel Collection or Fine Hotels & Resorts (2-night minimum stay), and receive benefits such as room upgrades, breakfast, onsite amenities, and more. This benefit can be realized in conjunction with the $200 hotel statement credit.

Car Rental Perks

Both the Mastercard Black card and the Amex Platinum card provide:

Both the Mastercard Black card and Amex Platinum card come with car rental insurance when you reserve and pay for your rental car with your card. Decline the rental agency’s CDW/LDW coverage and receive secondary coverage for damage or theft of the rental car. Secondary coverage means you must first file a claim with any other applicable insurance before car coverage kicks in.

Amex Platinum Card

• Car Rental Program Benefits — Receive discounted rental rates, priority service, and car upgrades with Avis Preferred, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, and National Car Rental Emerald Club.
• Car Rental Elite Status — Receive Hertz President’s Circle status
• Access to Premium Protection Car Rental Insurance — As a card member, you’ll have access to primary Premium Protection for one low price of $12.25 to $24.95, depending on your state of residence, that covers the entire rental period of up to 42 consecutive days.

Other Travel Benefits

Both the Mastercard Black card and the Amex Platinum card offer:

• Travel Concierge Services — Knowledgeable experts can help you 24/7 to elevate your travel, dining, and entertainment experiences or assist with everyday challenges such as getting flowers delivered for that special birthday you remembered last minute. The Mastercard Black card comes with the Luxury Card Concierge while the Amex Platinum card has the Platinum Card Concierge.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees — Both the Mastercard Black card and Amex Platinum card work well when traveling as neither card charges foreign transaction fees.

Mastercard Black Card

• Luxury Card VIP Services and Discounts — Receive discounts and perks on streaming services, online shopping, medical evacuations, golf experiences, wellness experiences, cellular phone protection, gift purchases, online classes, and more.

Travel Insurance and Protection Benefits

As you’d expect, premium travel rewards credit cards also have premium protections. Here are some of the travel protections and benefits you’ll find on both the Mastercard Black card and the Amex Platinum card:

• Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption Insurance — The Mastercard Black card comes with coverage of up to $5,000 per covered person for reimbursement of eligible non-refundable expenses when a round trip is paid for with the card. With the Amex Platinum card, the maximum amount of coverage is $10,000 per trip and $20,000 per eligible card account per 12-month period. The terms and conditions for each policy are spelled out in each card’s Guide to Benefits.
• Baggage Insurance — If your baggage is delayed more than 4 hours, the Mastercard Black card could reimburse you for incidentals up to $100 per day for 3 days. The Amex Platinum card does not have baggage delay coverage but does offer coverage for baggage theft or damage up to $3,000 per person, per trip.
• Travel and Emergency Assistance Services — The Mastercard Black card provides emergency assistance services during your travels via its MasterAssist Travel Assistance Services. The Amex Platinum card comes with the Premium Global Assist Hotline. Both cards offer referral services for emergency transport, lost passport, legal or medical referrals, emergency funds, translation services, and more.

You’ll find these additional travel benefits and protections unique to each card:

Mastercard Black Card

• Travel Accident Insurance — The card comes with a benefit of up to $250,000 for accidental death or dismemberment when your trip is paid for with your card.

Amex Platinum Card

• Emergency Evacuation — Have peace of mind that if you need emergency evacuation during your trip, you’ll have access to coverage via your card.
• Trip Delay Insurance — The Amex Platinum card provides up to $500 per covered trip for eligible additional expenses if your trip is delayed more than 6 hours for a covered reason. There is a limit of 2 claims per consecutive 12-month period.

Please keep in mind that we abbreviate the benefits and protection descriptions and do not include every benefit/protection available on each card. You’ll want to review each card’s Guide to Benefits for terms, conditions, and full descriptions.

Bottom Line: The lists of travel benefits and protections that come with the Mastercard Black card and Amex Platinum card are significant. The Amex Platinum card does have the edge in this category, however, as it has more benefits, many of which are in the form of statement credits that can help offset the annual fee on the card. 

Shopping Benefits and Protections

Shopping benefits can save you money and provide coverage should something happen to an eligible purchase. Both the Mastercard Black card and Amex Platinum card come with several valuable shopping benefits and protections.

Let’s start with a key protection you’ll find on both featured cards:

Cell Phone Protection — Pay for your entire cell phone bill with your card and receive coverage for damage and theft. The Mastercard Black card and Amex Platinum card each provide cell phone coverage for up to $800 per claim with a maximum of 2 claims per account per 12-month period. Each claim is subject to a $50 deductible. The Mastercard Black card has a coverage limit of $1,000 per card per 12-month period.

In addition to cell phone protection, here are the additional shopping benefits and protections you’ll find on each featured card.

Mastercard Black Card

• Mastercard Shopping Benefits — Receive statement credits or discounts when using your card for Lyft rides, a Peacock subscription, or Priceless Golf reservations. Plus, enjoy free 2-day shipping and free returns with your complimentary ShopRunner membership.

Amex Platinum Card

• Saks Fifth Avenue Credit — Receive up to $100 in statement credits each year — $50 January through June, and $50 July through December — for purchases made with your card.
• Uber Cash — Add your Amex Platinum card to your Uber account to receive VIP status plus $15 in Uber Cash deposited into your account each month from January through November. In December you will receive $35 for a total of $200 in Uber Cash each calendar year. Uber Cash can be used for rides or for Uber Eats in the U.S.
  • Effective 11/8/2024, an Amex Card must be selected as the payment method for your Uber or Uber Eats transaction to redeem the Amex Uber Cash benefit.
• Walmart+ Credit — Use your Amex Platinum card to pay for your monthly Walmart+ membership and receive up to $12.95 each month as a statement credit, up to $155 each year.
• Digital Entertainment Credit — Receive up to $20 each month for purchases made with Disney+, The Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal, up to $240 each year.
• Equinox Credit — Receive up to $300 in credits each year when you use your card for Equinox or Equinox+ memberships.
• Amex Offers — Login to your online Amex Platinum card account, scroll down to the bottom of the page and select from up to 100 offers for bonus points or cash-back for shopping at retailers and service providers.
• Purchase Protection — Use your card to purchase an eligible item and receive coverage for damage or theft for up to 90 days from the date of purchase, up to $10,000 per purchase, and $50,000 per card account.
• Extended Warranty — Eligible items purchased with your card that have manufacturer’s warranties of 5 years or less will receive 1 additional warranty year.
• Return Protection — If a merchant will not accept a return of an eligible item purchased with your card within 90 days from the date of purchase you could receive up to $300 per item, up to $1,000 per card account per calendar year.

Bottom Line: While the Mastercard Black card and Amex Platinum card both come with cell phone protection, the Amex Platinum card is loaded with far more additional shopping benefits, credits, and protections.

Annual Fees and Adding Authorized Users

The Mastercard Black card charges an annual fee of $495 while the Amex Platinum card charges $695.

You’ll pay an annual charge of $195 each year for every authorized user you add to the Mastercard Black card.

The Amex Platinum card charges $195 per authorized user. You can add Gold card authorized users for no additional fee.

Everything Else You Need To Know

Card Design

Both the Mastercard Black card and Amex Platinum card are made with metal. According to the Luxury Card website, however, the Mastercard Black card wins the title of the heaviest of the 2 credit cards at a full 22 grams. The card also has 83 patents issued globally.

Introductory 0% APR — Mastercard Black Card

The Mastercard Black card comes with a nice introductory 0% APR period for balance transfers. If you have high-interest credit cards with balances you wish to pay back over time, the 0% APR period, which begins after card approval and continues for 15 billing cycles, may save you money on interest charges. To get the 0% introductory APR, your balance transfer must post to your account within 45 days of account opening. There’s a fee of $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.

Card Requirements

Both the Mastercard Black card and Amex Platinum card require that the card applicant be 18 years of age or older and have a good to excellent credit score, generally 670 or above, but you are more likely to be approved with a score of 700 or better.

The Mastercard Black card requires that you are a U.S. resident while the Amex Platinum card requires a U.S. address. Both cards require an ITIN or Social Security number.

The Mastercard Black card is issued by Barclays Bank while the Amex Platinum card is issued by American Express.

Final Thoughts

It doesn’t take an extensive analysis to determine which card offers the better value for a frequent traveler. Let’s just start with the fact that the Mastercard Black card does not offer a welcome bonus, earns just 1x points on all spending, and its points have limited redemption options. The Amex Platinum card, in contrast, has a generous welcome offer, earns 5x points on select flights, and earns flexible points that can be transferred to travel partners for greater potential value.

The Mastercard Black card charges a hefty annual fee yet offers few benefits to offset that fee. While the Amex Platinum card has a steep annual fee, you could easily offset it by utilizing just a few of the extensive statement credits or perks. The value of access to its worldwide lounge network, for example, nearly accomplishes that alone.

If we just compare annual fees, $495 for the Mastercard Black card and $695 for the Amex Platinum card, it’s clear the Amex Platinum card could provide value that far exceeds the $200 difference.