From Application to First Class: How To Fly to Japan With Amex Platinum in 90 Days

The Platinum Card^® from American Express has long been considered the premier travel rewards card. It comes with a laundry list of benefits and credits that, when enrolled in and utilized effectively, can make the card a no-brainer to carry.

This card also comes with a highly valuable welcome bonus offer that, when redeemed strategically, could be worth thousands of dollars. It’s much easier to do so than most people think.

Here’s an in-depth look at the Amex Platinum card and how I used its massive welcome bonus offer to fly to Japan in first class on one of the best airlines in the world.

Amex Platinum Card Overview

The Amex Platinum card is unrivaled in travel benefits and routinely makes our list of the best travel cards available.

It provides cardholders the most comprehensive airport lounge access (of any card), elite status with major hotel chains, including the Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy hotel loyalty programs, rental car elite status, and top-notch travel and purchase protections (enrollment is required in some benefits).

The Amex Platinum card also earns highly valuable Amex Membership Rewards points. It earns a whopping 5x points for flights booked directly with airlines or AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per calendar year, then 1x) and 5x points on prepaid hotels booked with AmexTravel.com.

As you’d expect of a premium travel rewards card, the Amex Platinum card has a substantial $695 annual fee (rates & fees) to provide all this value.

However, it also provides numerous annual statement credits (enrollment required) to help offset the annual fee. This includes up to $240 digital entertainment credit, up to $200 Uber Cash credit, and up to $200 prepaid hotel credit.

Earning the Amex Platinum Card Welcome Bonus Offer

While the Amex Platinum card offers numerous benefits, its defining factor is its welcome bonus offer: Earn 80,000 points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchase in your first 6 months.

BEST LOUNGE ACCESS

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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 Offer Valuation*:

Up to $1,760

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)

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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.
• With American Express Global Lounge Collection^® you can enjoy access to over 1,400 airport lounges globally, including The Centurion^® Lounge, Unlimited Delta Sky Club^® Access when flying an eligible Delta flight, Escape Lounges, Lufthansa Lounges when flying Lufthansa Group, Plaza Premium, Priority Pass™ Select Lounges, & Additional Global Lounge Collection Partner Lounges subject to visit limitations. Lounges may have their own rules, like additional access rules and guest fees, and for Priority Pass Select, you need to enroll and there are unlimited airport lounge visits for Card Members. With Delta Sky Club Access, Card Members will receive 10 Visits to the Delta Sky Club to be used from February 1 until January 31 of the next calendar year and can unlock Unlimited Delta Sky Club Access by spending $75,000 in eligible purchases on their Card in a calendar year. To find a lounge, visit the membership section in the American Express^® App or visit http://www.americanexpress.com/findalounge#/loungefinder.
• $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 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 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.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

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

Rewards Center

American Express Membership Rewards

However, earning a higher Amex Platinum card welcome bonus offer is possible. For example, you can find a targeted welcome offer of 125k or 150k bonus points, all with the same minimum spending requirements.

Please note that these offers are not available to all applicants. Any information related to targeted offers has been collected independently and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

What Are Amex Membership Rewards Points Worth?

We value Amex Membership Rewards points at 2.2 cents apiece, the highest value of any rewards currency, making finding elevated welcome bonus offers even more important. Of course, depending on how you redeem these points, you can get much more (or much less) value from them.

Generally speaking, the best way to redeem Amex Membership Rewards points is by transferring them to travel partners. Fortunately, Amex has a long list of hotel and airline partners.

Amex Platinum Card: Application to First Class in 90 Days

Here’s a practical timeline for applying for the Amex Platinum card and having your points ready for an amazing redemption to Japan.

Days 1 to 3: Card Approval and Initial Use

Credit card issuers typically start welcome bonus offer periods from “account opening,” the day your account is approved. Once your account is approved, you can begin spending to meet the minimum spending requirement to get your welcome bonus offer points.

Generally speaking, credit card issuers send out new cards in the mail quickly. Typically, you can expect to have your card in the mail within 3 to 5 business days.

However, many credit card issuers provide priority shipping when requested (sometimes for a fee). For example, you can request priority overnight delivery for more premium cards like the Amex Platinum card.

Days 4 to 10: Card Arrival and Strategic Spending

You can expect to have your card within a few days of approval. Once you have your physical card, you can begin spending on your new Amex Platinum card to attain the welcome bonus offer.

This is generally the best time to charge large purchases to your card, as the initial larger spending tends to make meeting the spending requirements much easier and faster.

One recommendation we have is to prepay bills that accept credit cards. This includes your cell phone, cable, utilities, or internet. By prepaying bills, you can get ahead on meeting the spending requirement for routine expenses.

Some charges, such as balance transfers, cash equivalent transactions (like cash advances), and interest fees, do not count towards the minimum spending requirement total.

Days 11 to 60: Progress Tracking and Ramping Up Spend

The next period is incredibly important as it encompasses most of the time you have to meet the minimum spending requirement. This is where cardholders generally spend the bulk of money to reach the thresholds. Tracking your spending progress is equally as important as it will determine how much you have left to spend.

A smart strategy for meeting spending requirements is to use bill payment services to cover expenses — like rent — even if they charge an additional fee. In most cases, the rewards you earn can make the cost worthwhile and help you hit your spending goal more easily.

Days 61 to 90: Making Final Purchases and Bonus Confirmation

Once you have met the minimum spending requirements, you can pay off your balance and wait for your bonus points to arrive!

While the timeline varies across different banks, in most cases, the bonus points should be in your account about 8 to 12 weeks after you meet the minimum spending requirement. However, it’s often much quicker than this — sometimes immediately after making a minimum payment.

Day 90+: Redeem Your Points

Once your bonus points are posted to your account, you can redeem them for travel. American Express Membership Rewards points for first-class flights to Japan are an excellent way to do so, as illustrated below.

How To Fly to Japan in First Class With Amex Points

There are numerous ways to fly to Japan using points and miles. Some of the best methods involve using Membership Rewards points, and one of the best Amex transfer partners is Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

Virgin Atlantic’s loyalty program, Flying Club, provides excellent value, particularly for award redemptions between the U.S. and Japan. Although Virgin Atlantic itself does not offer these flights, it has a non-alliance partnership with All Nippon Airways (ANA), one of Japan’s biggest carriers. Thanks to the partnership, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points can be redeemed for travel on ANA.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club has a zone-based award chart for flights on ANA. Here is the one-way award pricing for flights between the U.S. and Japan on ANA:

In other words, You can book a round-trip first class flight between the U.S. and Japan using just one welcome offer — starting at 145,000 points from the West Coast. If you’re flying from the Midwest or East Coast, the rate is slightly higher at 170,000 points, though business class tickets are also an option for even fewer points altogether.

In fact, I recently flew ANA First Class from Chicago (ORD) to Tokyo (HND) using this exact redemption strategy. (However, I made the deal even better by taking advantage of a limited-time transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic—an extra boost when moving over your Amex points!).

Unfortunately, you cannot search for Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points redemptions for ANA award flights on Virgin Atlantic’s website. Instead, you must look for award space on ANA’s Star Alliance partners like United Airlines and Air Canada. After finding award space, you can contact Virgin Atlantic over the phone to complete the booking.

Final Thoughts

With a targeted welcome bonus offer on the Amex Platinum card, you can fly round-trip between the U.S. and Japan in first class on one of the best airlines in the world. This is a fantastic redemption as round-trip cash prices routinely exceed $15,000!