I Asked Amex Platinum Concierge To Plan My Trip to Rome — Here’s What Happened

For years, American Express has touted its concierge service as one of the primary selling points of its premium products, including The Platinum Card^® from American Express. While some cardmembers use the service frequently and to its full potential, many do not.

The Platinum Card Concierge claims to help cardmembers get tables at hard-to-book restaurants or score tickets to a show or sporting event that appears to be sold out. But can the service do more? For example, can it design an itinerary in a foreign city I haven’t visited in years?

I decided to find out in advance of an upcoming weekend in Rome, Italy, later this summer. Before we get to the nitty-gritty, however, let’s quickly look at why the Amex Platinum card remains one of the top picks for travelers.

Amex Platinum Card Overview

The Amex Platinum card is considered by many to be the king of the hill of the premium travel rewards cards, and offers a simple earning structure:

• Earn 5x points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or through AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per calendar year, 1x thereafter)
• Earn 5x points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked through AmexTravel.com
• Earn 1x point per dollar spent on all other purchases

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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

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

$695

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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 1,400 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

• $695 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.
• 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.
• Enjoy the benefits of the Global Lounge Collection, with over $500 of annual value if you visit Centurion Lounges and each of our partner lounges including Delta Sky Club^® lounges when flying an eligible Delta flight (subject to visit limitations) , select Lufthansa lounges when flying Lufthansa, Plaza Premium lounges and Escape Lounges, and enroll in Priority Pass Select. See terms.
• A Walmart+ membership can get you free shipping with no order minimum on eligible items shipped by Walmart. Use your Platinum Card^® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) and receive one statement credit for up to $12.95 (plus applicable taxes. Plus Ups not eligible) each month. Free Shipping excludes most Marketplace items, freight & certain location surcharges. Paramount+ Essential plan only, separate registration required.
• $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^® 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.
• $200 Uber Cash: Platinum Card^® Members can ride or dine in style with $15 in Uber Cash each month, plus a bonus $20 in December after adding their Card to their Uber account. Use your Uber Cash on rides and orders in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
• $199 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. Receive up to $199 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for your CLEAR Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) with the Platinum Card^®.
• 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.
• Use Global Dining Access by Resy to access premium dining experiences. Receive Priority Notify and unlock insider access to some of the world's most sought-after restaurants with Global Dining Access by Resy. Download the Resy iOS app or log into Resy.com and add your Platinum Card^® to your Resy profile to take advantage of your special benefits and discover restaurants near you.
• $695 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

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

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American Express Membership Rewards

However, the card really packs a punch when it comes to its extensive list of travel benefits. Here’s a look at some of the highlights (enrollment required for some):

• Up to $200 prepaid hotel credit: Book a prepaid Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts or Hotel Collection stay with your card to get $200 back in statement credits each year. (The Hotel Collection requires a minimum 2-night stay.)
• Up to $200 airline fee credit: Designate an airline to receive credit for up to $200 per calendar year on incidental expenses, such as baggage fees and seat selection
• Up to $200 Uber Cash credit: Add your card as the payment method in your Uber app and get up to $15 per month in credit and $35 in December, for U.S. Uber Eats orders and Uber rides
• Up to $199 Clear Plus membership: Pay for a Clear Plus membership with your card and get up to $199 back yearly (subject to auto-renewal)
• TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee credit: Every 4 years, get up to a $120 statement credit for a Global Entry application or up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck application
• Worldwide access to 1,400+ airport lounges, including Amex Centurion Lounges
• Access to the Platinum Card Concierge

How Does Platinum Card Concierge Work?

An often overlooked perk of the Amex Platinum card is access to the Platinum Card Concierge, which cardmembers theoretically can use for a variety of travel- and non-travel-related requests, such as arranging tickets to an otherwise sold-out Broadway show (while side-stepping some fees), providing travel recommendations and itineraries for destinations worldwide, sending special gifts to someone, finding specific venues for events, and much more.

Note that the Platinum Card Concierge is not the same as AmexTravel.com. You’ll want to use the latter if you need to book a flight, a hotel, or a rental car, while you’ll use the former to arrange specific requests outside those parameters.

The only way to interact with Platinum Card Concierge is by phone. Email requests are no longer accepted. You can call 800-525-3355 from the U.S. to start a request with the concierge. Finally, you’ll be responsible for the cost of any purchases you make that the Platinum Card Concierge arranges.

Can the Platinum Card Concierge Plan an Entire Trip?

I’m visiting Rome in September as part of a larger trip to Europe. I haven’t been in many years, so I’m excited to see it with fresh (though older) eyes.

However, planning just 3 days in Rome is a daunting task, and I’m not even planning to visit all of the major tourist sites, such as the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.

I’m eager to visit Vatican City thanks to the recent election of Pope Leo XIV, who originally hails from Chicago, where I currently reside. I am not keen, though, to wait in the horrifically long lines that form every day to embark on a tour of the Vatican and its priceless treasures. So, a skip-the-line tour immediately went to the top of my must-have list for my weekend.

Here’s a look at the rest of my ideal weekend in Rome that I would eventually ask the Platinum Card Concierge to help me with:

• Boutique hotel recommendations (I could do this myself, of course, but I was eager to see what the concierge would come up with)
• Restaurants that aren’t tourist traps (ideally, I’d love restaurants that are popular among real Romans that serve real Roman food in various neighborhoods of the city)
• Some sort of special shopping experience (when in Rome, I suppose)
• A half-day walking tour
• Inventive cocktail bars and perhaps a rooftop bar with panoramic views of the Eternal City

I called up the Platinum Card Concierge (well, actually, I was connected first with an agent at AmexTravel.com and had to be transferred to the concierge line) and was met with a message that there were longer-than-usual waits for agents and that I could receive a call back within 10 minutes.

After a brief identity verification, the agent I spoke with began asking me how he could help. I gave him the context of my 3 days in Rome and what, generally, I was seeking out while there, telling him that really the only touristy thing I want to do is visit Vatican City, but otherwise want to experience Rome like a Roman.

Where Platinum Concierge Fell Flat

Let’s get the disappointments out of the way first. Right off the bat, I inquired about a skip-the-line tour of Vatican City, and he very kindly explained that the Platinum Card Concierge isn’t able to book tours like this and that I should look to GetYourGuide to select a tour that would work for me.

I got the same answer when I inquired about a walking tour of the city.

Next, I asked if he could suggest any hotels that I should look into. I asked for boutique-style properties in less-touristy but trendier areas of town, such as the Trastevere neighborhood. That inquiry resulted in him telling me to turn to his colleagues at AmexTravel.com for help.

Next, I asked if he or the team could recommend a special shopping experience, fashion-related exhibit, or pop-up that others in my party are keen on finding. Here, he told me that he wasn’t going to be much help other than giving me a rundown of some shopping malls, telling me that the Trastevere neighborhood is known for its secondhand shopping scene, and suggesting GetYourGuide again as the trip drew nearer to see whether there would be any interesting exhibits or pop-up experiences happening.

To be fair, he was very upfront with me about the limitations of the services and did offer to do some on-the-spot research for me into a couple of my requests, but I was very quickly getting the sense that the Platinum Card Concierge isn’t equipped to act as a one-stop shop for trip planning.

Platinum Card Concierge Excels in Food and Drink Recommendations

Once we got to the eating and drinking part of the itinerary, things got better. I explained that I was seeking out largely casual (i.e., not Michelin-starred or fine dining) establishments that serve authentic Italian cuisine and that aren’t mobbed by tourists.

He then asked me several specific questions, including the number of people in my party, an ideal reservation time for each night (and a range of earliest and latest acceptable times), dietary restrictions and allergies, and whether I was seeking out Italian cuisine for all 3 nights of my stay.

We moved on to bars, for which I requested a selection of “cool,” inventive cocktail bars, some local watering holes, and a rooftop bar or 2 where we could go to take in sweeping vistas while enjoying a classic Italian aperitivo. He noted all of my preferences and assured me they would return several great suggestions.

Finally, I was told that they would get to work on my requests and return my results in about a week, which I found to be a lengthy wait for information I ostensibly could find online in maybe a couple of hours, maximum. However, that was moot, as I received an email from the Platinum Card Concierge the next morning with recommendations (along with descriptions, hours, and more pertinent information) for 4 restaurants and 4 bars:

• Benso
• Terrazza Les Etoiles
• La Terrazza
• Masa Rooftop
• Diana’s Place
• Drink Kong
• Argot Speakeasy
• Jerry Thomas Speakeasy

What I Learned About Platinum Card Concierge

In short, I learned that the Platinum Card Concierge probably shouldn’t be where you go if you want a full-service, travel-agent-like experience. To be fair, I wouldn’t expect it to provide that level of service. .That’s what travel agents are for, after all.

However, I was disappointed that the Platinum Card Concierge couldn’t even recommend hotels in one of the world’s most popular cities, and could do nothing more than recommend I visit GetYourGuide to find tours that are certainly requested frequently.

However, I understand that I called with basically nothing planned other than a train ticket from Naples. I believe that once I book some more elements of the trip, such as my hotel, the Platinum Card Concierge could come through if I requested anything special for one of my traveling companions’ birthdays, for example.

Similarly, if I found a particular show or sporting event that was going on that weekend but was sold out, I think the Platinum Card Concierge could at least make a valiant attempt to get me and my companions access.

I believe that the Platinum Card Concierge works best as a “last mile” sort of service. You can ask for extras at restaurants or hotels, for access to special events with hard-to-score tickets, and for them to get you a table at hot restaurants. But, you have to be willing to put the large elements of your trip in place first before you can ask them to sweeten the deal wherever possible.

Final Thoughts

After attempting to plan a trip to Rome with the Platinum Card Concierge, I’ve realized that perhaps I set my expectations too high. The service is not equipped to build an itinerary from stem to stern.

However, American Express has long-established relationships with restaurants, hotels, event venues, and other on-the-ground vendors in cities worldwide, so if you can build the “skeleton” of your trip yourself, there’s no reason to believe the Platinum Card Concierge couldn’t fill in the blanks to add extra perks and access to hotel stays, events, meals, and entertainment to take your trip to the next level.

Knowing this, I’ll be able to adequately use the concierge perk on my Amex Platinum card in the future.