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Katie has been in the points and miles game since 2015 and started her own blog in 2016. She’s been freelance writing since then and her work has been featured in publications like Travel + Leisure an...
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The Platinum Card® from American Express is arguably one of today’s premier credit cards. While the annual fee isn’t for the faint of heart, this card has many premium perks and benefits.
If this card is on your radar, you’ll want to apply for the card when the bonus is as high as possible. That’s because American Express only allows you to earn the bonus on a credit card once in your lifetime.
If you’ve been around the world of points and miles for a while, you’ve likely heard of the coveted 100,000- to 150,000-point welcome offer after meeting spending requirements. Earning a big welcome bonus offer on this card is ideal, but it isn’t available to everyone every day.
In this post, you’ll find all the information you need to apply for the Amex Platinum card with a welcome bonus offer of 100,000, 125,000, or 150,000 Membership Rewards points.
Targeted offers are discussed in the article below. Please note that these offers are not available to all applicants. Any information related to targeted offers has been collected independently and not reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Amex Platinum Card Snapshot
Depending on your personal information, you may see one of several different welcome offers for the Amex Platinum card.
The current public offer is: Earn 80,000 points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first 6 months.
No matter the current public offer, you should definitely take a few minutes to see if you’re targeted for an elevated offer.
How To Find the Amex Platinum 100K, 125K, or 150K Welcome Bonus Offer
Historically, the welcome bonus offer for the Amex Platinum card usually ranges between 40,000 to 60,000 Membership Rewards points.
Keep in mind that welcome offers come with a spending requirement. Ensure you can meet any minimum spending requirement before applying for any offer.
Step 1: Check Amex’s Website Directly (Try This First)
As previously highlighted, the current public offer for the Amex Platinum card is: Earn 80,000 points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first 6 months.
However, our team has noticed that American Express has offered a targeted and elevated welcome offer to select applicants. As with all targeted offers, these offers won’t be available to everyone, but here’s an example of a targeted offer we’ve found by applying directly through American Express. This was seen on September 21, 2023.
The offer was captured on September 21, 2023, and may not be available for all applicants and is subject to change. Image Credit: American Express
Our team members have also recently seen offers for 125,000 Membership Rewards points, as shown below. This was captured on June 8, 2023.
Offer captured June 8, 2023, may not be available for all applicants and is subject to change. Image Credit: American Express
Step 2: CardMatch Tool
If you strike out on the American Express website, your next option would beCardMatch.
CardMatch is a web-based form that allows you to see your best credit card offers from partner banks in seconds.
The site completes a soft credit check to see if you’re eligible for any elevated offers. Since it’s not a hard pull, this won’t count against your credit.
Keep in mind the CardMatch tool only shows you offers from affiliated banks; you won’t see every credit card offer available to you. It currently has affiliations with the following banks:
American Express
Bank of America
Capital One
Chase
First PREMIER Bank
Offer captured March 20, 2023, and may not be available for all applicants. Image Credit: CardMatch via BankRate
Targeted Email Offers
If you’re lucky, you might just find an elevated offer for the Amex Platinum card in your mailbox. Just make sure you have opted-in to receive New Card and Credit Offers in your Amex account’s General Marketing Email Preferences.
Reasons You May Not Get a Targeted Bonus Offer
Bad, Poor, or Limited Credit: First, ensure your credit score is as high as possible. You should be using your current credit responsibly and paying off your bill in full and on time each month.
You Already Have an American Express Card: According to crowdsourced data, you may be less likely to get a targeted offer like this if you already have an American Express credit card.
Maximizing the Amex Platinum 100K, 125K, or 150K Welcome Offer
To put the value of Membership Rewards points into perspective, we’ve rounded up some of the best uses of Membership Rewards points below. These are some of the most lucrative Membership Rewards redemptions that show you just how far 100,000 Membership Rewards points really go.
Let’s take a look!
Singapore Suites From New York (JFK) to Frankfurt (FRA)
Singapore Airlines’ new A380 Suites feature a double bed and separate lounge chair, and you can book it with your Membership Rewards points. Image Credit: Greg Stone
Singapore Airlines flies this product on its A380 fifth-freedom route between New York (JFK) and Frankfurt (FRA), making it the most fashionable way to fly between the U.S. and Europe.
Once on board, you’ll be treated to some of the best service in the sky, with top-notch Champagne, complimentary caviar, and all the other bells and whistles you’d expect from one of the world’s best first class products. And if you depart from Frankfurt, you can enjoy Lufthansa’s top-notch Senator Lounge before your flight.
Cathay Pacific Business Class Awards to Asia
Fly to Hong Kong and beyond by transferring your Membership Rewards points to Cathay Pacific’s Asia Miles loyalty program. Image Credit: Greg Stone
For example, you can book business class flights from the U.S. East Coast to Hong Kong and beyond for just 85,000 Membership Rewards points transferred to Asia Miles, giving you a chance to try one of the best business class products in the sky.
Hot Tip: Enjoy a free stopover on all Asia Miles award tickets — just perform a multi-city search and enter the city you’d like to stop in. There are no additional points required to take advantage of this benefit.
Even better, you’ll pay minimal award taxes and fees when you book through Asia Miles so that you won’t break the bank in the process. You can also use Asia Miles to book tickets on other Oneworld carriers such as American Airlines, British Airways, Qatar Airways, and more. Check out our full guide to the best Asia Miles redemptions for more info.
Fly ANA Business Class From the U.S. to Tokyo
Just 90,000 Membership Rewards points will get you from the West Coast of the U.S. to Tokyo in business class! Image Credit: All Nippon Airways
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is one of the more overlooked Amex transfer partners, but it has an interesting partnership with Tokyo-based ANA.
Despite not being in the same airline alliance, the 2 airlines have joined forces to let Flying Club members redeem points on ANA flights for an insanely low points cost.
Currently, you can book a round-trip business class award ticket from the U.S. to Tokyo for 90,000 miles from the U.S. West Coast or 95,000 miles from the U.S. Midwest or East Coast.
Fly around the U.S. for free on United Airlines when you transfer your Membership Rewards points to Avianca LifeMiles. Image Credit: United Airlines
Transfer your Membership Rewards points to Avianca LifeMiles, and you can book short-haul United Airlines tickets starting at just 7,500 miles one-way.
Mileage costs vary by route as Avianca splits the U.S. into 3 different award regions. In short, Region 1 is the East Coast, 2 is the Midwest, and 3 is the West Coast.
Hot Tip: Domestic U.S. award tickets booked with Avianca LifeMiles are operated by United Airlines, as both carriers are in the Star Alliance.
Flights within a single region cost 7,500 miles in economy class, moving 1 region over costs 10,000 miles, and a trip spanning 3 regions costs 12,500 miles.
You can book a flight from Chicago (ORD) to Austin (AUS) for 7,500 miles as they’re in the same region. This is by far the cheapest way to book short-haul domestic U.S. award tickets with Amex points.
If you’re someone who likes to travel around the U.S., definitely give LifeMiles transfers a shot. Your 100,000 Membership Reward welcome bonus is enough for 13 short-haul trips within the U.S.!
Amex Platinum Card 100K Upgrade Offer
Another route toward getting 100,000 points or more on the Amex Platinum card is via an upgrade offer. For those currently holding the American Express® Gold Card, Amex has been known to send out targeted offers to entice those cardholders to upgrade to the Amex Platinum card.
In the past, these targeted offers have included a wide variety of points, including 25,000, 40,000, 60,000, and even 100,000 points.
However, if you’ve never had the Amex Platinum card before, we highly recommend applying for the card outright your first time, as these welcome bonuses can reach upwards of 150,000 points.
Plus, those who get the bonus on the Amex Platinum card are still eligible for upgrade offers on their Amex Gold card at a later date, but those who take an upgrade offer to the Amex Platinum card will not be able to apply and receive the bonus on the card later on.
What Is the Highest-ever Amex Platinum Card Welcome Bonus Offer?
The highest welcome bonus we’ve ever seen for the Amex Platinum card was 150,000 points. While other bonuses, like the 100,000 point bonus and 125,000 points bonus, are excellent, we highly recommend taking advantage if you find the 150,000 point bonus.
American Express does not offer a tracking tool to easily view how close you are to completing your minimum spend requirement.
That said, you can still find out how much more you need to spend by asking an Amex representative via that chat feature on the American Express website or by calling the number on the back of your card.
Another option is to head to the membership tab for your Amex Platinum card, click View All Benefits, and then scroll down to Centurion Lounge Complimentary Guest Access.
While this tracker is used to track your progress toward receiving Centurion Lounge guess access by spending $75,000 on the card in a calendar year, you could use it to track your progress toward the welcome bonus offer.
What Is the Amex 1-Bonus-per-Lifetime Rule?
Put simply, the Amex once-per-lifetime rule prevents you from receiving the welcome bonus on a card if you have received it or its family of cards in the past.
For instance, if you had the Amex Platinum card 5 years ago and have since canceled it, it is unlikely that you could receive the welcome bonus again. Alternatively, you would not be able to receive the welcome bonus on another version of the Amex Platinum card like the American Express Platinum Card® for Schwab or The Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley.
Note that this does not apply to cards outside the card family like The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, etc. Additionally, if the stated terms of the welcome offer you are applying for do not include the “once-per-lifetime” language, you may be eligible to receive the welcome bonus offer, even if you have had the card before.
How Do I Know If I Qualify for an Amex Welcome Offer?
If you have forgotten whether or not you’ve had a card or aren’t sure you are eligible to receive the welcome bonus offer on a card, American Express will let you know during the application process.
Those ineligible for any reason will receive a pop-up after they click to submit their application. If you receive the pop-up that states that you are not eligible to receive the welcome bonus offer on the card you are applying for, don’t fret as your application has not been fully submitted yet.
From there, Amex will give you the option of whether you’d like to proceed with the application even though you will not receive the welcome bonus offer or cancel your application. If you decide to cancel your application, no credit inquiry will be made, and there will be no adverse impact to your credit score.
This feature is available on every card that American Express offers, so you’ll always know for sure whether you are eligible for the welcome bonus offer before officially submitting your application.
Final Thoughts
An offer for 100,000 to 150,000 bonus points on an Amex Platinum card is like a 4-leaf clover; it exists, but it can be hard to find.
If you are lucky enough to get an elevated welcome offer, analyze if the Amex Platinum card is worth the annual fee before you apply for the card. We also recommend you look at this fantastic Amex Platinum referral 150k offer.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here. For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here. For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, click here. For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, click here.
Featured Image Credit: Upgraded Points
Frequently Asked Questions
How much are Amex Platinum card points worth?
The value of the Membership Rewards points you earn through your Amex Platinum card varies based on how you use them. If you are booking travel through the Amex Travel portal, you will get 1 cent per point in value. But, if you transfer them to hotel or airline partners they can be worth much more! So, at a minimum, a 100,000 to 150,000 Amex Platinum card bonus would be worth at least $1,000 to $1,500 in travel.
Where can I find an link for Amex Platinum card's 100,000-, 125,000-, or 150,000-point welcome bonus offer?
Finding a link for an Amex Platinum card welcome bonus is easy. First, check our Learn More link in the above table. You need to be targeted for the 125,000- or 150,000-point offer. We also highly recommend checking through the American Express site directly by using the prequalified offer checker. Using the CardMatch tool is also a good way to check to see if can get a higher offer. Finally, make sure you’re signed up to receive credit card offers from Amex. You might get lucky and find this offer waiting for you in your mailbox soon.
Is the Amex Platinum card worth it?
This is a great question, but the answer will vary from person to person. The Amex Platinum card comes with a lot of benefits, but also a steep price tag. If you aren’t sure if this card is right for you, check out our analysis of the perks and benefits to help you determine if the Amex Platinum card is worth it.
Is the Amex Platinum card prestigious?
The Amex Platinum card is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious cards that you can sign up for. This metal card comes with a hefty annual fee but is loaded with travel benefits and perks and a huge welcome bonus valued at anywhere between $2,200 and $3,300.
What's the credit limit on the Amex Platinum card?
There’s actually no preset spending or credit limit for Amex Platinum cardholders. What’s handy, though, is that when you’re logged into your Amex account, you can Check Spending Power which means you can see if an amount will be preapproved to be spent on your card. This is great for making large purchases as you can find out before charging your card whether you’ll be approved for that purchase.
Is the Amex Platinum card 150,000 offer worth it?
Yes, 150,000 points is the highest offer we’ve seen for the Amex Platinum card and is worth $3,300 based on our valuations. If you’re targeted for the 150,000-point offer, we would strongly recommend considering it.
Katie has been in the points and miles game since 2015 and started her own blog in 2016. She’s been freelance writing since then and her work has been featured in publications like Travel + Leisure and Forbes Advisor.
This bonus value is an estimated valuation calculated by UP after analyzing redemption options, transfer partners, award availability and how much UP would pay to buy these points.
![How To Find the Amex Platinum 100K, 125K, or 150K Welcome Bonus Offer [Current Public Offer Is 80K]](https://upgradedpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Amex-Platinum-Upgraded-Points-LLC-01-Large.jpg?auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=1420&height=650&fit=crop)
