This Amex Card Unlocks Elite Status With 5 Different Rental Car Companies

I rent cars every few months when I’m on the road, but I’ve never felt a sense of loyalty to any one rental car company. I usually rent with whichever company offers the cheapest rates — unless I want to rent a specific type of car, which I can only reserve with a specific company.

That said, I have elite status with 5 major rental car companies, despite only renting from each of them 1 or 2 times per year. I wouldn’t have status with any of them under standard qualification requirements. So what’s the trick up my sleeve? Carrying The Platinum Card^® from American Express.

Let’s look at which rental car status is included with the Amex Platinum card, and how you can leverage it to earn status with other rental car companies that aren’t included.

Amex Platinum Card Overview

Let’s take a high-level look at the Amex Platinum card first. This card is among the highest-end travel cards on the market, offering extensive airport lounge access, travel-friendly statement credits, and complimentary elite status with several hotels and rental car companies (some benefits require prior enrollment).

These benefits help justify the card’s $695 annual fee (rates & fees). The card can also help you quickly increase your American Express Membership Rewards points balance.

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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

APR

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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 cardapplication.

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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Rental Car Status Included With the Amex Platinum Card

Upon enrollment, the Amex Platinum card includes benefits with 3 rental car companies out of the box: Avis, Hertz, and National. These are the rental car companies I use the most, and while the benefits are limited at best, the limited upgrades and bonus points I’ve earned from elite status are nice.

On the Avis side, you can enroll in Preferred Plus status, the second-highest tier of Avis elite status. This provides limited benefits, like a one-class car upgrade and a 25% bonus on points earned (1.25 points per $1). Skipping the line and going directly to my rental car has saved me hours at the airport.

The Amex Platinum card also includes Hertz President’s Circle status, the highest tier of Hertz elite status. Like Avis, the benefits are limited, with the only notable benefits being a guaranteed 1-class upgrade, 50% bonus points on all rentals, and a dedicated phone support line. That said, I’ve gotten a handful of upgrades with Hertz. For example, I got a brand-new Volvo in Milwaukee last year. But the majority of my cars have been standard small SUVs or sedans.

Finally, the Amex Platinum card offers National Emerald Club Executive status, National’s mid-tier elite level. National is my favorite rental car company as they tend to give me the best cars. This tier includes complimentary guaranteed vehicle upgrades and a dedicated phone support line. I tend to get the best upgrades with National, and they’ve worked with me when I’ve been an hour or 2 late returning a rental car.

The Amex Platinum card also gives discount codes when booking rental cars with these partners. These generally include a 10% to 20% discount, but I rarely use them as my university alumni code tends to offer better deals. You can find these in your Amex Platinum card’s benefits page online.

Status Match to Sixt and Enterprise

Elite status with 3 of the largest rental car companies is already a nice Amex Platinum card perk, but you can leverage it to status match with other rental car companies, too.

You can do this by taking advantage of status match opportunities from other rental car companies. While other opportunities exist, I’ve matched the Amex Platinum card’s included Hertz President’s Circle status to Sixt and Enterprise.

Sixt has become one of my favorite rental car companies this year. I like being able to rent the exact car I want, and they tend to have good deals. For example, I rented a Toyota Camry in Fort Lauderdale for 3 days for under $150 earlier this year, and a BMW 4-series convertible in Los Angeles for well under $300 over a long weekend in July.

I matched Hertz President’s Circle to Sixt Advantage Circle Platinum status. Benefits at this elite level are slim, with upgrades offered when available, up to a 15% discount on rentals, and priority reservations over the phone. Since I’m not eligible for any Sixt corporate rates, having the Platinum discount is nice when I need to rent with Sixt. Plus, they have dedicated pick-up lines for Platinum members at most rental locations, which has saved me a few minutes per rental. You can match your status to Sixt on this landing page.

I also matched to Enterprise Plus Platinum status, which gives 20% bonus points and 4 upgrade certificates per year. I haven’t used this status yet, but it’s nice to know that I’ll have the benefits available if I need to rent from Enterprise in the near future. Enterprise will match from most rental car companies — you can request a match on this landing page.

Final Thoughts

The Amex Platinum card offers many travel benefits, but a lesser-known feature is complimentary rental car status with Avis, Hertz, and National. These statuses can help you score an upgrade, earn more points, and have a better experience on the road.

Plus, you can match these status tiers to other rental car companies like Enterprise and Sixt. This gives you even more options on the road, so you can enjoy elite benefits with whichever rental car company you choose.