The Amex Platinum Just Launched an ‘As High as 175K’ Welcome Offer, But Is It Worth It?

Amex is shaking things up with a new approach to welcome offers on The Platinum Card^® from American Express. The issuer now encourages applicants to apply before knowing the exact welcome bonus offer.

New applicants can: Apply and find out if you're eligible for as high as 175,000 points after spending $8,000 in eligible purchases in the first 6 months. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.

Here’s everything you need to know about how this new Amex Platinum card welcome offer works and what to expect during the application process.

Amex Platinum Card: Earn as High as 175K Bonus Points

The Amex Platinum card now features one of its best welcome offers of all time.

NEW OFFER

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

The 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 reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary 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.

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

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 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)

Read Full Review

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

Rewards Center

American Express Membership Rewards

You might be presented with different bonus amounts — such as 80,000, 125,000, or the top offer, 175,000 points. The exact welcome bonus offer will be revealed after you submit your application and upon approval. Regardless of the bonus amount, you’ll still need to meet the minimum spending requirement within the specified time to qualify.

The good news? Upon approval, you can view this personalized welcome offer without affecting your credit score. Amex uses a soft credit check when you apply, factoring in details like your credit score and income to determine your eligibility and the welcome bonus offer amount.

If you’re not satisfied with the welcome bonus offer terms (or decide not to move forward), you can exit the application without any impact on your credit. This is great news, as applying for any new card typically triggers a hard inquiry regardless of the outcome.

If you like the welcome bonus offer and accept the card, a hard inquiry will be made on your credit report to open the account.

This is an example of a targeted 175,000-point welcome bonus offer we’ve found in our research when applying directly through American Express:

Is the Amex Platinum Card Worth It?

Upon accepting the account, new cardholders will sit on a generous pile of American Express Membership Rewards points after meeting the minimum spending requirements.

The Amex Platinum card earns 5x points on flights booked directly with airlines or via AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per calendar year) and prepaid hotels booked through AmexTravel.com. All other eligible purchases on the card earn 1x points. At a bare minimum, you should earn an additional 8,000 points from reaching the spending threshold — and that’s on top of the welcome offer points.

American Express Membership Rewards points are worth 2.2 cents apiece according to our valuations. It boasts the largest number of transfer partners of any credit card program. Here are just a few ways to find maximum value from 175,000 points:

• Book business class flights to London with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club by transferring points at a 1:1 ratio, with one-way tickets starting at just 29,000 points
• Transfer points to Hilton Honors at a 1:2 ratio and score a whopping 350,000 Hilton Honors points, which can be used to book award nights at dozens of hotels and resorts worldwide
• Score flights to Tokyo, Seoul, and beyond in business class by leveraging the 1:1 transfer rate to Air Canada Aeroplan to book tickets with its Star Alliance partners from 75,000 points one-way

Although the Amex Platinum card charges a $695 annual fee (rates & fees), it offers unparalleled lounge access to Centurion Lounges (in the U.S. and abroad), Escape Lounges – The Centurion Studio Partner, Plaza Premium Lounges, Airspace Lounge, Priority Pass lounges (upon enrollment), select Virgin Clubhouses, select Lufthansa lounges when flying with Lufthansa Group the same day, and 10 visits per year to Delta Sky Clubs when flying with Delta the same day – with ability to unlock unlimited visits (rates & fees).

Final Thoughts

If you’re considering the Amex Platinum card, its welcome offer is now variable. You can apply and see the specific bonus you’re eligible for once you’re approved. If you’re offered (and accept) a generous welcome bonus, make sure to meet the spending requirement within the set timeframe to earn points you can put toward your next trip!