You Can Unlock These Hidden Elite Status Levels With the Amex Platinum — Here’s How

By holding just a single card in your wallet, you can claim elite status with 13 different reward programs, covering hotels, rental cars, and even an airline. No other card on the market can provide the amount of elite status available with the Platinum Card^® from American Express.

You won’t see all of these elite status benefits advertised in your cardholder benefits guide, but starting with the elite perks advertised by American Express can lead to numerous additional status opportunities.

Here’s how it works.

Elite Status Perks on the Amex Platinum Card

The Amex Platinum card directly offers elite status with several hotel and rental car programs upon enrollment. Notice I said “directly,” because you can use these to also get elite status in competitor programs, which we’ll discuss below.

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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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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

You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards^® Points after spending $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.

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

UP's Offer Valuation*:

Up to $3,850

Annual Fee

$895

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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, 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 1,550 worldwide lounges, including the luxurious Amex Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges (enrollment required), 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

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

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Card Highlights

• You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards^® points after you spend $8,000 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.
• More Value! 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 complimentary Delta Sky Club^® visits when flying on an eligible Delta flight (subject to visit limitations), Priority Pass Select membership (enrollment required), and other select partner lounges. * As of 07/2025.
• More Value! $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.
• More Value! $300 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $25 in statement credits each month after you pay for eligible purchases with the Platinum Card^® at participating partners. Enrollment required.
• More Value! $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.
• New! $400 Resy Credit + Platinum Nights by Resy: When you use the Platinum Card^® to pay at U.S. Resy restaurants and to make other eligible purchases through Resy, you can get up to $100 in statement credits each quarter with the $400 Resy Credit benefit. Plus, with Platinum Nights by Resy, you can get special access to reservations on select nights at participating in demand Resy restaurants with the Platinum Card^®. Simply add your eligible Card to your Resy profile to book and discover Platinum Nights reservations near you, enrollment required.
• More Value! $209 CLEAR^® Plus Credit: CLEAR^® Plus helps get you to your gate faster by using unique facial attributes to verify you are you at 50+ airports nationwide. You can cover the cost of a CLEAR Plus Membership* with up to $209 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for CLEAR Plus with the 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 upon arrival, when available, and guaranteed 4PM check-out.
• New! $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: Receive a statement credit* for one monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) after you pay for Walmart+ each month with the Platinum Card^®.*Up to $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Ups not eligible.
• $100 Saks Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue or saks.com on the Platinum Card^®. That’s up to $50 in statement credits from January through June and up to $50 in statement credits from July through December. No minimum purchase required. Enrollment required.
• 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.

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• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

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These are the elite status benefits you can enroll in with the Amex Platinum card:

Once you factor in the other benefits of the Amex Platinum card, they go a long way toward justifying the card’s hefty $895 annual fee (rates & fees), especially for frequent travelers.

Along with the elite status tiers you can claim via enrollment, cardholders can also get special discounts via members-only sales at the hotel programs or discount codes with the car rental programs. However, there’s more than meets the eye here, because you can use these benefits to claim additional perks with competing hotel and rental car programs.

Claiming Even More Elite Status With the Amex Platinum Card

While getting elite status in 5 programs by holding a single card in your wallet is nice, there’s much more available. The Amex Platinum card can provide elite status in even more programs, made possible by first claiming the “direct” benefits listed on the card.

If you aren’t familiar with hotel status matches and rental car status matches, you should be. Loyalty programs are keen to lure customers away from their competitors by offering what’s known as a status match: honoring the status you hold in another program by providing the corresponding status tier in their own program.

Sometimes, the match is just temporary, and you must complete tasks like spending money or staying at the hotel to retain the status for the future. Other times, there’s no effort required. It varies from program to program.

Claim Additional Hotel Status

Using the Marriott and Hilton status provided by the Amex Platinum card, you can claim these additional hotel status levels:

• Best Western Rewards: Diamond status, available here
• Choice Privileges: Platinum status available here (or potentially top-tier Diamond status after staying at a Cambria property and emailing Status_Match@choicehotels.com)
• I Prefer: Email members@iprefer.com to request a match, likely to Gold status
• Sonesta Travel Pass: No specifics on which tiers match to which, but likely Gold status

Additionally, we’ve seen periodic status match offers for World of Hyatt, GHA Discovery, Wyndham Rewards, and IHG One Rewards, though those aren’t available right now. Lastly, if you’re able to match your status to a casino rewards program by visiting Las Vegas or Atlantic City (in person), you can match that status to MGM Rewards or Fontainebleau.

Claim Additional Rental Car Status

For additional rental car elite status, your best bet is to match using your Hertz President’s Circle status, since it’s the top tier in that program, and match to these:

• Avis Preferred: Email profile.update@avisbudget.com to ask for an upgrade to your existing status by way of matching from Hertz
• Enterprise Plus: Apply here for a match, likely to Gold or Platinum
• SIXT: Apply here for a match, likely to Platinum

Claim Airline Status

The benefits don’t end with hotels and rental cars. After enrolling for Marriott Bonvoy elite status with the Amex Platinum card, you can claim status with Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer. This partnership provides a shortcut to KrisFlyer Elite Silver status, attainable by taking just 2 flights with Singapore Airlines within 6 months of linking your accounts here.

And while you can’t claim elite status with Emirates Skywards by holding Marriott Gold Elite status, the Your World Rewards program does offer some additional perks. Marriott Gold Elite members earn 3 Marriott Bonvoy points per $1 spent on eligible Emirates flights — and that’s on top of earnings with Emirates’ own rewards program.

Final Thoughts

If you’re keeping track, there are more than a dozen elite status tiers you can claim with the Amex Platinum card simply by enrolling for the advertised perks and then matching your status from those programs to additional loyalty programs. Getting elite status with 13+ different hotel, rental car, and airline programs through 1 card in your wallet is incredible.

Plus, other offers come and go on a temporary basis, and you may be able to claim elite status with additional programs once you’ve started with the programs covered above.