2025 Wishlist: 5 Improvements I’d Like to See on the Amex Platinum Card

It has been over 3 years since the last refresh of The Platinum Card^® from American Express, so it’s not unreasonable to expect some changes or new perks in the near future.

While I have no idea what any changes to the Amex Platinum card might look like — or even if there will be any — that won’t stop me from putting my wish list out into the universe in hopes that I manifest the perfect card. Let’s dive into the Amex Platinum card changes I’d love to see coming down the pipeline in 2025.

Amex Platinum 2025 Wish List

The Amex Platinum card is one of the most popular travel cards in the points and miles universe with a giant list of benefits — in exchange for a $695 annual fee (rates & fees).

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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 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

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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)

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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.
• Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
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Financial Snapshot

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• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

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While I wouldn’t be surprised to see changes to the Amex Platinum card in 2025, I don’t have high hopes for my wish list. I don’t actually think any of these things are likely to happen — at least not without another dreaded annual fee hike. But a girl can dream, right?

1. New Bonus Spending Categories

There’s something missing on the Amex Platinum card: valuable bonus spending categories. Outside of earning 5 points per dollar on flights booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel (up to $500,000 per year) or prepaid hotels booked through AmexTravel.com, this card only earns 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. That’s not a compelling reason to use it in your day-to-day life.

I would love to see a valuable new bonus category like supermarkets, dining, or travel added to make this card a points-earning powerhouse — just imagine earning 2, 3, or (gasp) 4 points per $1 on everyday expenses with this card.

Chances of this change happening: 2/10

2. Change Airline Incidental Fee Credit to a Travel Credit

The up-to-$200 airline incidental fee credit offered on the Amex Platinum card can be valuable — if you use it correctly. First, you have to enroll in the benefit and choose an airline, and then you can only use it for very specific purchases like baggage fees or seat selection fees on your chosen airline.

For some people, that’s great. For others, it can feel too complicated.

I’d love to see this credit be expanded so it’s more broadly valuable. Ideally, it would be able to be applied to any travel expense, like on the $300 annual travel credit on the Chase Sapphire Reserve^®. Or, perhaps it could be applied to airfare or incidental charges on any airline, rather than the one you choose at the beginning of the year.

Chances of this change happening: 2/10

3. More Options for the Digital Entertainment Credit

A change to the Amex digital entertainment credit (enrollment required) is the thing I think is most likely to come to fruition. In a perfect world, this credit could be used for a wider variety of digital entertainment, perhaps including Netflix, YouTube Premium, and Apple News.

What is more likely to happen — because it’s happened previously with the loss of SiriusXM and Audible — is that the options for the digital entertainment credit will change but not expand by much. I would also love to see this credit applied annually instead of monthly.

Chances of this change happening: 5/10

4. Allow Kids as Complimentary Guests in Centurion Lounges

Between my husband and me, we have 3 cards that include Centurion Lounge access (2 Amex Platinum cards and The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express). Yet we still have to pay to bring our 11-year-old daughter to a Centurion Lounge with us. That’s incredibly frustrating.

In 2025, I would love to see each cardholder be able to bring in a minor to any Centurion Lounge free of charge.

Do I think this is a realistic change? Not at all. Centurion Lounges still have an overcrowding problem even though complimentary guest access was taken away in early 2023 (you can still unlock guest access after spending $75,000 in a year), so I don’t think there’s any chance of this policy changing.

Chances of this change happening: 0/10

5. Increase Marriott Elite Status to Platinum

The Amex Platinum card comes with complimentary Hilton Honors Gold and Marriott Bonvoy Gold statuses (enrollment required). Hilton Honors Gold is a valuable status, as it comes with free breakfast or a food and beverage credit, depending on the hotel. Marriott Gold isn’t as valuable because there’s no breakfast benefit until you reach Marriott Platinum Elite status.

I would love to see the Marriott status bumped up to Platinum so having an Amex Platinum card would get you 2 valuable hotel elite statuses that come with some form of complimentary breakfast perk.

Chances of this change happening: 1/10

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, this is all just wild speculation. I won’t be surprised if we see adjustments to the Amex Platinum card benefits in 2025, but I have little hope that those will match my wish list.

Whatever changes may happen in the coming year, Upgraded Points will be there to share them with you — with actual facts instead of an improbable wish list. Regardless of what happens, my Amex Platinum card will stay in my wallet.