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Earn as High as 175K Points With Targeted Amex Platinum Card Welcome Offer in 2026
Stella Shon
Stella Shon
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With a degree in media and journalism, Stella has been in the points and miles game for more than 6 years. She most recently worked as a Corporate Communications Analyst for JetBlue. Find her work in ...
Nick’s passion for points began as a hobby and became a career. He worked for over 5 years at The Points Guy and has contributed to Business Insider and CNN. He has 14 credit cards and continues to le...
Michael Y. Park is a journalist living in New York City. He’s traveled through Afghanistan disguised as a Hazara Shi’ite, slept with polar bears on the Canadian tundra, picnicked with the king and que...
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The Platinum Card® from American Express is currently offering one of its best new welcome bonus offers.
The current public offer is: Apply and find out if you're eligible for as high as 175,000 points after spending $12,000 in eligible purchases in the first 6 months. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
Here’s how you can earn as high as 175,000 bonus points from a single welcome offer, where to find it, and great ideas on how to redeem this hoard of points.
Please note that these offers are not available to all applicants.
How To Find a Welcome Offer for as High as 175,000 Points
By checking directly with American Express first, you can earn as high as 175,000 bonus points.
Offer captured on January 17, 2026, and may not be available to all applicants. Image Credit: American Express
After clicking the tab that says “Apply Now,” provide some basic information to determine your specific offer. There’s no hard inquiry on your credit report at this point.
Offer captured on January 17, 2026, and may not be available to all applicants. Image Credit: American Express
The exact number of points you qualify for is revealed after you submit your application and upon approval. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.
Typically, applying for a new credit card triggers a hard inquiry, which can affect your credit score. However, approved applicants should be able to see their welcome offer without any credit score impact. The hard inquiry on your credit report occurs only after you accept the offer and decide to open an account.
Here’s an example of a targeted 175,000-point welcome offer we’ve found in our research when applying directly through American Express:
Offer captured on June 17, 2025, and may not be available to all applicants. Image Credit: American Express
If you don’t move forward, your credit score will remain unaffected. However, if you accept the card and your personalized welcome offer, your credit score may be affected.
Option 2: Check CardMatch
If you don’t like what you see on Amex’s site, the next place to look is CardMatch, a web-based form that allows you to see your best credit card welcome offers from partner banks in seconds. The site conducts a soft credit check to see if you’re eligible for any elevated or targeted offers. CardMatch doesn’t work with every bank and issuer, though it does have a partnership with American Express.
Option 3. Targeted Email Offers
Another way to find better welcome offers is through targeted emails or mailers. If you want to receive these targeted offers, opt in to receive new card and credit offers in your Amex account’s general marketing email preferences.
If you already have an Amex account, log in and follow these steps to turn on notifications for offers. First, click on the tab that says “Account Services” in the top menu, then choose the option that says “Alerts and Communications.” In this section, click on the tab that says “Marketing Email Preferences ” to ensure you’re opted in for communications about targeted offers.
There’s one more factor to consider when thinking about applying for an American Express card. The issuer’s once-per-lifetime application rule could prevent you from receiving the welcome offer on a card if you have received it in the past.
For instance, if you had the Amex Platinum card 3 years ago and have since canceled it, it is unlikely you would be eligible for the welcome offer again. In addition, you would not qualify for the welcome offer on cards like the American Express Platinum Card® for Schwab or The Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley.
In any case, you’ll be notified during the application process if you’re not eligible for the welcome offer.
What Are 175,000 Amex Points Worth?
The Amex Platinum card’s annual fee is $895 (rates & fees), but 175,000 points can be worth more than 4 times the cost of the annual fee if redeemed strategically.
American Express offers more than 20 airline and hotel transfer partners, with most transfers occurring at a 1:1 ratio. One notable exception is its partnership with Hilton Honors, which allows points to transfer at a favorable 1:2 ratio, so every 1 Amex point becomes 2 Hilton points.
While the value of Amex points ultimately depends on how you redeem them, strategic transfers can unlock outsize value, including business- or first-class flights worth 3 to 7 cents per point or more, as we’ll demonstrate below.
However, this welcome offer valuation doesn’t even account for the card’s extensive benefits, nor does it consider that you can extract far more value from your points than our average of 2.2 cents when you transfer points to any number of Amex’s plentiful airline and hotel partners.
The Amex Platinum card can be a staple for someone who wants a lifestyle card without sacrificing the ability to earn valuable rewards.
Sound personal finance decisions should always come before splurging on luxurious travel. But if you can afford it, earn a generous welcome offer without overspending, and take advantage of most of the benefits, it may be worth applying for this card, especially with welcome offers as high as 175,000 points.
