Why I Paid $195 To Add My Husband to My Amex Platinum Card

I recently added a $195 Additional Platinum Card for my husband on my Platinum Card^® from American Express to save money on annual fees (rates & fees).

It gives him the travel benefits we want while costing hundreds less than a separate premium card, and here’s why it made sense for us.

Why an Additional Cardholder Made Sense

The benefits I get from my Amex Platinum card make family travel easier, especially when we fly. We earn 5x on qualifying airfare purchases, get airport lounge access, use elite hotel and rental car benefits, and get travel protections.

BEST LOUNGE CARD

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

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

Apply Now(at Amex's secure site)

Apply With Confidence

Know if you're approved with no credit score impact

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

Platinum Card^® from American Express

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

Welcome Offer

You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards^® points after you spend $12,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount — all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.

As High as 175,000 Points. Find Out Your Offer.

UP's Offer Valuation*:

Up to $3,850

Annual Fee

$895

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 card application.

Good to Excellent

Why We Like This Card

When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, the Platinum Card^® from American Express is a top choice.

The card offers premium perks like best-in-class airport lounge access, hotel elite status, and several annual card credits. The Amex Platinum card is easily worth the annual fee for frequent travelers who use the lounges and travel credits, and hard to justify for those who won’t.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• The best airport lounge access out of any card (by far): Get access to over 1,550 worldwide lounges, including Amex Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges (enrollment required), Plaza Premium Lounges, and many more!
• 5 points per $1 spent on flights purchased directly with the airline or with AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per year)
• 5 points per $1 spent on prepaid hotels booked with AmexTravel.com

Cons

• $895 annual fee (rates & fees)
• Airline credit does not cover airfare (only incidentals like checked bags).

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards^® points after you spend $12,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
• Get more for your travels with 5X Membership Rewards^® points on all flights and prepaid hotel bookings through American Express Travel^®, including Fine Hotels + Resorts^® and The Hotel Collection bookings. You earn 5X points on flights purchased directly from airlines or through American Express Travel^® on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
• With over 1,550 airport lounges - more than any other credit card company on the market* - enjoy the benefits of the Global Lounge Collection, over $850 of annual value, with access to Centurion Lounges, 10 Delta Sky Club visits (subject to visit limitations) when flying on an eligible Delta flight, Priority Pass™ membership (enrollment required), and other select partner lounges. *As of 01/2026
• $200 Uber Cash + $120 Uber One Credit: With the Platinum Card^® you can receive $15 in Uber Cash each month plus a bonus $20 in December when you add your Platinum Card^® to your Uber account to use on rides and orders in the U.S when you select an Amex Card for your transaction. Plus, when you use the Platinum Card^® to pay for an auto-renewing Uber One membership, you can get up to $120 in statement credits each calendar year. Terms apply.
• $300 Digital Entertainment Credit: Experience the latest shows, news and recipes. Get up to $25 in statement credits each month when you use your Platinum Card^® for eligible purchases on Disney+, a Disney+ bundle, ESPN streaming services, Hulu, The New York Times, Paramount+, Peacock, The Wall Street Journal, YouTube Premium, and YouTube TV when you purchase directly from one or more of the providers. Enrollment required.
• $600 Hotel Credit: Get up to $300 in statement credits semi-annually on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts^® or The Hotel Collection* bookings through American Express Travel^® using the Platinum Card^®. *The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $400 Resy Credit + Platinum Nights™ by Resy: Get up to $100 in statement credits each quarter when you use the Platinum Card^® to pay for eligible purchases with Resy, including dining purchases at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants. Enrollment required. As a Platinum Card^® Member you have special access to reservations on select nights at participating sought after Resy restaurants in select cities through Platinum Nights™ by Resy. Simply add your Platinum Card^® to your Resy profile to book your reservation.
• $219 CLEAR+ Credit: CLEAR+ helps get you to your gate faster by using your face to verify you are you at 55+ airports nationwide. You can cover the cost of a CLEAR+ Membership* with up to $219 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for CLEAR+ with your Platinum Card^®. *Excluding any applicable taxes and fees. Subject to auto-renewal.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees, such as checked bags and in-flight refreshments, are charged by the airline to the Platinum Card^® Account. American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after 8 weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details.
• Start your vacation sooner and keep it going longer. When you book Fine Hotels + Resorts^® through American Express Travel^®, enjoy noon check-in, when available, and guaranteed 4pm late check-out.
• $300 lululemon Credit: Enjoy up to $75 in statement credits each quarter when you use the Platinum Card^® for eligible purchases at U.S. lululemon retail stores (excluding outlets) and lululemon.com. That’s up to $300 in statement credits each calendar year. Enrollment required.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Get up to a $12.95* statement credit back each month after you pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with your Platinum Card^®. *Up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes on one membership fee.
• Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
• $895 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

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

Rewards Center

American Express Membership Rewards

Those benefits are valuable, but they don’t all cover our whole family. With a family of 2 adults and 3 kids, we can’t all get into lounges on my Amex Platinum card alone. Adding the Additional Platinum Card makes that possible. It also gives my husband a set of benefits he can use when he travels without me, including lounge access and elite hotel and rental car status.

With an Additional Platinum Cardholder on my account, my husband gets the following benefits:

• Global Lounge Collection access, including Centurion and Priority Pass™ lounges upon enrollment
• Hotel elite status with Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, and Leaders Club Sterling upon enrollment
• Rental car elite status
• A Global Entry or TSA PreCheck statement credit every 4 years

Airport Lounge Access Helps Justify the Fee

One of the benefits I value most from my Amex Platinum card is airport lounge access. It saves me money when I travel because I can relax before a flight, and usually avoid paying for a $20 airport sandwich. When we travel as a family, that $20 airport sandwich quickly becomes a $100 lunch — but not if we can visit a lounge instead.

My home airport, George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), has a Centurion Lounge, and my husband and I visit together when we travel without the kids. Bringing him as a guest would cost $50 per visit because I don’t meet the $75,000 annual spending threshold that grants guest access. If we visit 4 times in a year (and we usually do), that alone saves us $200 in guest fees — more than the $195 I paid to add his Additional Platinum Card.

But getting into airport lounges is more complicated when traveling with kids, and that’s how we usually travel. It’s also where we save the most with airport lounge access.

A single card doesn’t cover our entire family. Most lounges, including Priority Pass and Escape lounges, allow cardholders to bring in up to 2 guests. My Amex Platinum card gets 3 of us in, but we still need 2 more. With an Additional Platinum Card, my husband can add himself and another kid, so we’re all covered.

Other Benefits Add Value

As an Additional Platinum Cardholder, he gets a credit for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee every 4 years. That means we can go through the same security line with the kids and all move quickly through the checkpoint.

Hotel and rental car elite status aren’t worth $195 on their own, but it’s nice to have. Having Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy in his own name means he can receive potential room upgrades and food-and-beverage credits. Similarly, elite status with rental car companies can help him get vehicle upgrades and other benefits.

While we mostly added an Additional Platinum Card so my husband can access benefits when we travel together and with our kids, it also matters when he travels without me. With his own benefits, his travel experience isn’t dependent on traveling with me.

Why We Didn’t Add Another Premium Card

I added my husband as an Additional Platinum Cardholder after we canceled The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express that he had. We decided that an up cc_id=”1614″ name=”amex-business-platinum-annual-fee-number”] annual fee (rates & fees) was too much when lounge access was the main reason we wanted it — and we could get that for $195 with the Additional Platinum Card.

We also considered getting him his own Amex Platinum card, which could earn him a welcome offer and give him access to all of the card’s credits and benefits, but that would be another $895 each year (rates & fees). We would use the credits, but we don’t really need to double them.

Other premium cards could give him Priority Pass access and other benefits, but wouldn’t provide access to the Centurion Lounge or the same elite hotel status.

The Additional Platinum card gave us what we wanted to replace for $195 instead of $895, and reaching the $195 break-even point was easy. If we visit the Centurion Lounge 4 times together, that’s $200. We also value his Priority Pass access, access to other lounges for our family, and independent lounge access and elite hotel status when he travels without me.

Final Thoughts

We canceled the Amex Business Platinum card because we didn’t need another premium card in our household, but we still wanted premium travel benefits. We got those for $195 — $700 less than a separate Amex Platinum card. It adds lounge access, and it gives my husband benefits he can use when he travels without me.