Traveling? Understand Amex Platinum Card’s International Fees

If you’re about to embark on an international trip, take a moment to consider your credit cards. Some credit cards charge foreign transaction fees when you make a purchase in a foreign currency, which can add up quickly. 

But there’s good news if you’re a cardholder of The Platinum Card^® from American Express: this card doesn’t have a foreign transaction fee (rates & fees) and is an excellent choice for international travel.

Still, it pays to be aware of all the fees you may encounter as you use this card at home or abroad and understand how the Amex Platinum card can be helpful for international travel. Read on to understand international transaction fees with the Amex Platinum card and what you need to know about using your Amex abroad.

Why We Like the Amex Platinum Card for International Travel

You can use your Amex Platinum card overseas, with global Amex acceptance reaching more than 80 million locations. 

In fact, the Amex Platinum card is one of the best travel credit cards, offering rewards and benefits that can make travel more comfortable and save you money. These rewards and benefits can easily offset the card’s $695 annual fee, particularly if you travel often (rates & fees).

BEST LOUNGE ACCESS

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The Platinum Card^® from American Express

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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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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 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
• Annual and monthly statement credits upon enrollment (airline credit, Uber Cash credit, Saks Fifth Avenue credit, streaming credit, prepaid hotel credit on eligible stays, Walmart+ credit, CLEAR credit, and Equinox credit)
• TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit
• Access to American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts
• Access to Amex International Airline Program
• No foreign transaction fees (rates and fees)

Cons

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

Card Highlights

• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards^® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card^®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
• 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 with American Express Travel when you pay with 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.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card^®. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Up Benefits are excluded.
• $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: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Terms Apply.
• $300 Equinox Credit: Get up to $300 back in statement credits per calendar year on an Equinox membership, or an Equinox club membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you pay with your Platinum Card^®. Enrollment required. Visit https://platinum.equinox.com/ to enroll.
• $189 CLEAR^® Plus Credit: Breeze through security with CLEAR Plus at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues nationwide and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card^®. Learn more.
• $100 Global Entry Credit: Receive either a $100 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.
• $300 SoulCycle At-Home Bike Credit: Get a $300 statement credit for the purchase of a SoulCycle at-home bike with your Platinum Card^®. An Equinox+ subscription is required to purchase a SoulCycle at-home bike and access SoulCycle content. Must charge full price of bike in one transaction. Shipping available in the contiguous U.S. only. 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

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Some of the international travel benefits of the Amex Platinum card include:

• No foreign transaction fee
• Membership Rewards points that transfer to major airline and hotel partners
• Up to $200 annual hotel credit on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings when you book through AmexTravel.com using your Amex Platinum card
• Access to the Global Lounge Collection of more than 1,400 airport lounges in 140 countries
• Up to $200 annual airline fee credit 
• Up to $200 annually in Uber Cash
• Up to $189 CLEAR Plus credit, which can help you get through domestic airport security quickly
• International airline program offering lower fares for international seats on up to 8 tickets per booking
• Fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck to expedite your security experience
• Platinum Travel Service offering custom itineraries and recommendations for travel
• Elite status including Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite, Hilton Honors Gold, Avis Preferred, Hertz Gold Plus, and National Car Rental Emerald Club
• Car rental loss and damage insurance
• Travel coverage, including trip cancellation and interruption insurance and trip delay insurance
• Global Assist hotline

Note that some benefits require enrollment through your American Express account.

Whether you’re amassing points to redeem with airline or hotel partners, using travel credits, visiting lounges, taking advantage of elite status, using travel insurance coverage, or making foreign transactions, the Amex Platinum card can come in clutch on your next international trip.

International Transaction Fees

When you travel internationally, there’s always a possibility you’ll have to pay international transaction fees. These can include foreign transaction fees charged by your credit card or dynamic currency conversion fees charged by merchants or ATMs. And if you need to get cash using your credit card, you’ll pay a cash advance fee and APR.

The Amex Platinum card doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee, but it does have a cash advance fee and APR. Although dynamic currency conversion fees don’t originate from the Amex Platinum card, you should also understand how to avoid them.

Foreign Transaction Fees

Many travel rewards cards, including the Amex Platinum card, don’t charge a foreign transaction fee. 

Foreign transaction fees are paid when you buy something in a foreign currency or when a foreign bank processes your transaction. Usually, foreign transaction fees are 3% of your total transaction. When you have to pay a 3% foreign transaction fee, spending $500 quickly turns into $515 just for using your card.

Using an Amex Platinum card with no foreign transaction fees can save you money when you travel internationally.

Dynamic Currency Conversion Fee

Although you can avoid a foreign transaction fee by using the Amex Platinum card, you might be hit with a dynamic currency conversion (DCC) fee when you make an international transaction. Amex doesn’t charge the DCC fee; rather, it’s charged by the ATM or merchant you transact with.

You may encounter a DCC fee if a merchant offers to process your payment in your home currency rather than the local currency, or an ATM in a foreign country may offer to lock in your rate. This might sound like a good idea, but you’ll pay a hefty fee for it. 

Generally, DCC fees range from 2.6% to 18%. It’s best to decline the offer to use your home currency when you travel internationally. Always choose to pay in the local currency.

Cash Advance Fee

You’ll be charged for a cash advance if you use an ATM with your Amex Platinum card.

The Amex Platinum card charges either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater. Cash advances carry a 29.99% APR, which starts accruing the day you make a transaction (rates & fees).

Final Thoughts

Not having a foreign transaction fee is one of the many ways the Amex Platinum card can enhance your international travel plans. With no foreign transaction fee and a long list of travel benefits, you can find savings and travel better with this card. 

But while you can avoid the foreign transaction fee with the Amex Platinum card, beware of cash advances and ATMs and vendors that offer to process your transaction in your home currency — you’ll pay hefty fees for convenience.

For the car rental loss and damage insurance benefit of The Platinum Card^® from American Express, 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. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

For the trip cancellation and interruption insurance benefit of The Platinum Card^® from American Express, 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 trip delay insurance benefit of The Platinum Card^® from American Express, 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.