How the Amex Platinum Changed My Travel Game: 5 Key Perks of the Card

Premium cards are all about the benefits. The Platinum Card^® from American Express, while not your average card, definitely has a high annual fee, but we fully believe that the benefits can level up your travel game by tenfold.

As long as you can take advantage of them, here’s a closer look at the 5 best benefits of the card that are well worth paying $695 annually (rates & fees).

Amex Platinum Card Overview

The fantastic Membership Rewards program coupled with a long list of benefits has long meant that the high annual fee could easily be eclipsed by the value you would get out of the Amex Platinum card.

Before we get into the details, just know that enrollment is required for many of these noted benefits. Here’s an overview of the card and current welcome bonus offer:

BEST LOUNGE ACCESS

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

The Platinum Card^® from American Express

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The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's 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.

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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 Bonus Valuation*:

$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 (670-850)

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, 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.
• The American Express Global Lounge Collection^® can provide an escape at the airport. With complimentary access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer on the market. As of 03/2023.
• $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 get out and about and explore their local area with $15 in Uber Cash for US rides each month, plus a bonus $20 in December. That can be up to $200 in annual Uber savings. Simply download the Uber app and add your Platinum Card^® to your Uber account to get started. Available to Basic Card Member only. Effective 11/8/2024, an Amex Card must be selected as the payment method for your Uber or Uber Eats transaction to redeem the Amex Uber Cash benefit.
• $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

1. Annual Airline Fee Credit (Up to $200)

One of the easiest ways to get value out of your Amex Platinum card is by using the annual airline fee credit of up to $200.

To be eligible for the airline fee credit, you first need to choose a preferred airline. This can be done online through your card account or over the phone with American Express customer service.

Once you have chosen your airline, the airline fee credit will apply to qualifying purchases of airline incidentals with that airline. Just charge your purchase to your account and the statement credit will automatically appear. American Express states that the credit will appear in 2-4 weeks, but in practice, credits can appear within a few days.

However, there are limits as to what charges will qualify for the credit. Only incidental purchases will count, which includes:

• Checked baggage fees
• Overweight or oversize baggage fees
• Airport lounge day passes and annual memberships
• Seat assignment fees
• Inflight amenities (food, beverages, etc.)
• Inflight entertainment fees (excluding wireless internet)
• Pet fees
• Ticket change fees
• Phone reservation fees

American Express also specifically excludes certain charges from this benefit. Here are some examples of exclusions:

• Airline tickets
• Points purchases
• Points transfer fees
• Gift cards
• Upgrades
• Duty–free purchases
• Award tickets

Your selected airline can be changed once a year in January, just in case your airline preferences change over time. Purchases on additional cardmember cards can also be credited, but only up to a total of $200 per year for all cards on the account.

2. Annual Uber Credit (Up to $200)

The Amex Platinum offers an annual Uber Cash credit, up to $200, for use only in the U.S. The Uber Credit is split up monthly, and you’ll lose any credit not used during each month.

Credits are loaded directly into your Uber account once you have linked your Amex Platinum card to that account as the payment method. You’ll receive a $15 credit each month and an additional $20 credit in December.

To make use of the credit in your Uber account, just select “Change Payment Method” when you are requesting a ride — you should be able to see and select your American Express credit to be used first. It is important that you take this step of selecting the American Express credit for payment. Otherwise, your Amex card will be charged; even though your credits are there, they will never be used.

If you live in an area served by Uber or regularly travel to one, this is a very useful benefit. It works great for trips to and from airports and getting around town. You should be able to get the full $200 in value from the Uber Credit.

Living in an area without frequent Uber service and only traveling a few times a year seriously lowers the value of this benefit. If this applies to you, you probably shouldn’t count on this $200 value as a part of your card. You might use only half or a quarter of it depending on your travel patterns.

Luckily, most of us travel a whole lot — so this $200 Uber Credit will be great! Just remember that this credit is only good for Uber rides in the U.S.

3. 5x Points on Flights and Hotels

One of your favorite things to do is travel, right? So why not earn 5x points when you book the main parts of your trip?

With your Amex Platinum card, you can earn 5x points on either airfare or hotel bookings (technically this is 4 bonus points per dollar plus the 1 point you earn on all spending). It’s important to note that there’s a limit to up to $500,000 on flight purchases per calendar year.

For airfare, you will earn 5x points for any flights booked directly with an airline and paid for with your Amex Platinum Card. In addition, you will earn 5x points for any flights that you book through AmexTravel.com, either online or over the phone. It’s worth noting that charter flights, private jet flights, and flights that are part of a tour package are excluded from this benefit.

For hotels, you must book through AmexTravel.com to earn the 5x points for your booking. To qualify, a hotel reservation must be prepaid and paid for with your Amex Platinum Card. Hotel group bookings, events, and Fine Hotels & Resorts bookings are excluded from this benefit.

If you need to change the reservation, you have to call AmexTravel.com to cancel and rebook the stay. Hotel stays that are booked or altered directly with the hotel will not earn the extra points.

4. Airport Lounge Access

Anything you can do to make air travel days more comfortable will certainly improve your trip experience. The Amex Platinum card helps you out with that by providing a variety of ways for you and your traveling companions to access airport lounges.

With either your card or the complimentary membership to Priority Pass Select that is available to each cardholder (enrollment required), you’ll have access to the following types of lounges:

• American Express Centurion Lounges
• American Express Lounges and Centurion Clubs
• Priority Pass ($399+ value)
• Delta Sky Club ($495 value) on a same-day Delta flight
• Escape Lounges ($40+/$120+ per visit value)

Each lounge type has different rules for access, so be sure to check the specifics of the lounge you want to visit before you go.

Depending on the location and type of lounge, amenities can include comfortable seating, free food and drink, shower rooms, and free spa services. That shower option sure does come in handy after a red-eye flight around the world. You can start your day feeling refreshed and ready to explore!

5. Automatic Hotel Elite Status

As long as you hold the Amex Platinum card, you are eligible to have automatic mid-tier elite status with both Hilton and Marriott. All you need to do is enroll in the benefits, and you will receive an upgrade to Hilton Honors Gold status and Marriott Bonvoy Gold status.

Gold status with Hilton gets you the following benefits:

• 25% bonus on all points earned when staying at a Hilton portfolio hotel
• Fifth night free when booking an award stay of 5 nights or more
• Complimentary in-room internet
• Late checkout upon request
• 2 free bottles of water per stay
• Various benefits specific to the hotel brand you are staying with, including points bonuses and room upgrades

Having Marriott Gold elite status means you have the following benefits:

• 25% bonus on points earned on eligible stays
• Guaranteed lounge access/breakfast at available properties
• Guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout
• Complimentary room upgrade at check-in
• Enhanced internet access

Although none of these are top-tier statuses, the added perks of Gold status with these programs can certainly make your hotel stays (and therefore your overall travel experience) much more pleasant.

Final Thoughts

The Amex Platinum card has been a game-changer for me as a frequent flyer, with exclusive lounge access, travel credits, elite status, and premium customer service. If these benefits weren’t enough, take a look at our post detailing even more valuable benefits of the Amex Platinum card.

Enjoy that relaxing drink in the lounge before your next flight!