Thanks to American Express’ recent Platinum and Business Platinum refresh, we expect that many readers now have a Platinum card of one type or another…or are still getting familiar with the new benefits of the card they already had. Either way, this post offers a checklist of things to do to get great value from your Platinum card.
For more details about Platinum cards, see these posts:
- Platinum Forever Free (After Rebate)
- How to use your Amex Point fortune
- Amex Membership Rewards sweet spots
- Amex Transfer Partners: Which are Best?
- Amex Platinum Complete Guide
- Don’t want to pay that $895 annual fee? Here’s the strategy before you cancel.
And now, back to maximizing value from your Platinum card…
#1 Become elite
Platinum Amex cards offer a number of elite status upgrades, but you have to actively enroll in each one:
- Hilton Honors Gold Status: Hilton Gold members receive free breakfast (or food & beverage credits), room upgrades when available, and other perks at Hilton hotels. To get Gold status, go to the benefit page, find the Hilton Honors Gold benefit, and click “Enroll Now”.
- Marriott Gold Status: Marriott Gold members receive a points welcome gift with each stay, room upgrades when available, 2 pm late checkout, and other perks (details here). To get Gold status, go to the benefit page, find the Marriott Bonvoy Gold benefit, and click “Enroll Now”.
- Leader’s Club Sterling Status: Leader’s Club is the loyalty program for Leading Hotels of the World (LHW), a loose affiliation of over 400 luxury hotels around the world. We were initially excited about this one, but after researching the benefits of Sterling status compared to base-level Club status (found here), it became less exciting. Base-level club status gives you almost all of the same perks (including upgrades and a daily continental breakfast for two). To get Sterling status, go to the benefit page, find the Leader’s Club Sterling benefit, and click “Enroll Now”.
- National Car Rental Executive status: Book midsize cars and select any car from the Executive Aisle for no extra charge. This can be a really valuable perk. Don’t pass this one up. Enroll here.
- Hertz President Circle status: Guaranteed one-class upgrade and the ability to pick any vehicle from the President’s Circle section. Also gives complimentary use of Hertz Valet, a terminal drive-back service at participating locations, up to four times per year. Enroll here.
- Avis Preferred Plus: Complimentary upgrade when available every time you book, and additional Avis Preferred points for every qualifying dollar you spend. Use your Platinum AWD discount code A756900 to receive discounts on your rental. Receive a free 2-day weekend rental coupon after 2 completed qualifying rentals from Avis of 2 or more days each in a 6-month period. Enroll here.
- Uber One: Earn up to $120 in statement credits each calendar year with an auto-renewing Uber One membership in the U.S. This complements the card’s monthly Uber credits.
#2 Enhance your travel experiences
Platinum cards offer many perks that make traveling easier, cheaper, and better…
- Global Entry: Sign up! Platinum cards offer full reimbursement of the Global Entry signup fee once every 4 years. Global Entry includes TSA Pre-Check, so you’ll speed through security on domestic flights, and speed through re-entry to the US thanks to Global Entry. Sign up for Global Entry here. Pay with your Platinum card. Reimbursement should happen automatically. If you already have Global Entry, you can use your card to pay for a friend or family member’s Global Entry instead.
- Access Delta SkyClubs (when flying Delta), Amex Centurion Lounges, Escape Lounges, and Airspace Lounges: Simply bring your Platinum card with you when you travel. Delta SkyClub access is free only for the Platinum cardholder. You can currently bring two free guests with you to the other lounges: Amex Centurion Lounges, Escape Lounges, and Airspace Lounges. Note that access to Delta SkyClubs is limited to 10 SkyClub visit-days per year unless the cardmember has spent $75K in the current or preceding calendar year. See this post for details.
- Airport Lounge Access via Priority Pass Select: This version of Priority Pass Select membership allows you and 2 guests free entrance to participating lounges, but does not include non-lounge Priority Pass benefits (neither Priority Pass participating restaurants nor Be Relax spas are included). You must sign up for Priority Pass Select to get this benefit. Go to the Amex benefit page, look for the “Global Lounge Collection,” and click “Enroll”. You will receive a membership card by mail. Present your Priority Pass card and boarding pass at the lounge entrance. NOTE: If you have one of the very few remaining non-Amex cards that offer free Priority Pass Select membership, which provides access to free meals at participating Priority Pass restaurants and free massages at Be Relax spas, I recommend enrolling through that card instead.
- Uber/Uber Eats Credits: Add your consumer Platinum card to your Uber account in order to get $15 in Uber / Uber Eats credits per month and $35 in December. The Uber benefit is not available to Business Platinum cardholders.
- Cruise Benefits: Pay for your cruise with your Platinum card and receive $100 to $300 per stateroom shipboard credit, plus additional amenities unique to each cruise line. Participating cruise lines and other info can be found here.
- Book hotels through Fine Hotels & Resorts or The Hotel Collection: Get elite-like perks and hotel credits by booking through Amex here. Platinum cards also offer a semi-annual $300 rebate for prepaid bookings with Fine Hotels & Resorts® or The Hotel Collection. Find available hotels by destination here. More details about these credits can be found below. MaxFHR can also be a useful tool for finding low-priced properties.
- International Airline Program: Get access to savings on international First, Business, and Premium Economy fares on participating airlines with American Express Travel®. There’s a limit of 8 tickets per booking, and flights have to both originate from the US and return there.
#3 Earn $600 back on prepaid hotel bookings each year
This benefit is available via all consumer and Business Platinum cards. Get $600 back in statement credits each calendar year ($300 Jan-Jun and July-Dec) on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card. Note that most prepaid bookings are fully refundable. One awesome aspect of these bookings is that you can add your hotel chain loyalty number in order to earn hotel points and receive elite benefits. That’s extremely unusual for 3rd party hotel bookings, especially when they are prepaid!
Booking a 2-night or longer stay through The Hotel Collection gives you $100 in hotel credits to spend on qualifying dining, spa, and resort activities; plus a room upgrade when available.
Booking any Fine Hotels & Resorts stay, even a 1-night stay, will give you noon check-in (when available), room upgrade upon arrival (when available), daily breakfast for two, guaranteed 4 pm late check-out, complimentary Wi-Fi, and a special amenity unique to each property. Find participating hotels by destination here.
#4 Earn $200 in Airline Fee Credits each calendar year
Airline fee credits are supposed to be for incidental fees: checked bags, change fees, in-flight snacks, etc. However, in practice, many small purchases (under $200 or so) charged by your selected airline receive the credit. This often includes award booking fees, for example. You must select your preferred airline before these charges hit your account in order to get reimbursed.
- Go to your card’s benefits page and click “Select a Qualifying Airline”.
- Spending up to $200 on airline incidental fees with your chosen airline each calendar year.
#5 Earn up to $209 per calendar year in CLEAR Plus credits
CLEAR Plus is a service that uses your eyes or fingerprints to confirm your identity. This is used at many airports and some stadiums to help you speed through security checks. CLEAR isn’t yet available at all airports in the US, but thanks to partnerships with Delta and United, CLEAR is rapidly expanding.
At supported airports, CLEAR makes it possible to skip the sometimes very long ID check lines (just before security). Instead of waiting to show your ID, you can go to the CLEAR aisle (where available) and simply scan your eyes or fingerprints.
Use your Platinum card to pay for CLEAR to receive up to $209 back each year.
#6 Earn up to $400 per year in rebates dining out at Resy restaurants
This benefit is available with all consumer Platinum cards, but not Business Platinum cards. Earn up to $100 back each quarter after making eligible purchases directly with Resy or for dining purchases at any U.S. Resy restaurant.
It’s important to note that you don’t have to make a reservation through Resy in order to trigger the credit. As long as the restaurant that you’re dining at is on Resy’s platform, purchases made directly should trigger the credit. You can search locations here.
Go to your card’s benefits page and enroll in the “$400 Resy” benefit. Use your consumer Platinum card to make a purchase at a Resy restaurant each quarter (Jan-Mar, Apr-Jun, Jul-Sep, Oct-Dec). In most cases, gift cards purchased in-store will trigger the credit.
#7 Use $200 in Uber credits each calendar year
This benefit is available via all consumer Platinum cards, but not Business Platinum cards. Add your consumer Platinum card as a Payment Method to your Uber account in order to get $15 in Uber credits per month and $35 in December. You don’t have to pay with your Platinum card in order to use this benefit.
Uber Eats: Another great way to use these credits is to order food delivery through Uber Eats. Enter your location on the Uber Eats website to find out if delivery is available in your area. You can also save on delivery fees by placing a pickup order.
Those who ride Uber often, or order through Uber Eats often, will likely have no problem in getting full value from this perk. Alternatively, if someone in the household other than the primary cardholder is a frequent Uber rider or Uber Eats eater, consider adding your card to their Uber account instead of yours.
If you are new to Uber Eats, you can use our code at check-out to get $20 off your first Uber Eats order of $25 or more: eats-uberfrequentmiler
Note that the credits get added as Uber Cash, which is how Uber gift cards get loaded too. Uber will sometimes choose to redeem your non-expiring gift card credits first rather than your expiring Amex Platinum credits, so keep an eye on that.
#8 Get $25 per month back in rebates on select digital entertainment services
This benefit is available via all consumer Platinum cards, but not Business Platinum cards.
Earn up to $25 per month in credits for subscriptions to Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, Paramount+, YouTube Premium, YouTube TV, and The Wall Street Journal. Enroll here and then set up the service to charge your Platinum card monthly. Note that the maximum rebate is $25 altogether — you do not get up to $25 per service.
You can often earn rewards when subscribing to these services after clicking through a shopping portal. Most of these services also offer a discounted subscription in the first year. At the end of that year, you can often chat to them online or over the phone and get a discounted retention offer.
#9 Earn up $300 per year in rebates at lululemon
This benefit is available with all consumer Platinum cards, but not Business Platinum cards. Use your card to shop at lululemon, either in-store or online, and get $75 statement credit for purchases made each calendar quarter. Go to your card’s benefits page and enroll in the “$300 lululemon” benefit. Use your consumer Platinum card to make a purchase at lululemon in-store or online each quarter (Jan-Mar, Apr-Jun, Jul-Sep, Oct-Dec).
#10 Earn up $100 per year in rebates at Saks Fifth Avenue
This benefit is available with all consumer Platinum cards, but not Business Platinum cards. Use your card to shop at Saks Fifth Avenue, either in-store or online, and get $50 statement credit for purchases made from January through June, and another $50 statement credit from July through December.
- Go to your card’s benefits page and enroll in the “Shop Saks with Platinum” benefit.
- January – June:
- Use your consumer Platinum card to make a purchase at Saks Fifth Avenue in-store or online.
- Up to $50 should be credited to your account automatically.
- July – December:
- Use your consumer Platinum card to make a purchase at Saks Fifth Avenue in-store or online.
- Up to $50 should be credited to your account automatically.
We’ve had good luck getting nice $50-ish items twice a year from the saksfifthavenue.com sale section. However, be aware that there’s now a minimum purchase requirement of $300 in order to get free shipping.
Portal Rewards
Before shopping at Saks online, start your shopping on an online shopping portal to earn extra rewards. Cashback Monitor is a great tool for finding the best current reward opportunities.
Many portals offer signup bonuses when you first shop through the portal, as well as miscellaneous spend bonuses throughout the year. Shopping at Saks, even if you don’t want anything, can be a great way to trigger those bonuses.
Rakuten also sometimes gives 10x-20x returns when clicking through from their portal, particularly over the holidays.
#11 Get Walmart+ for Free
This benefit is available with all consumer Platinum cards, but not Business Platinum cards. There is no need to enroll.
Use your consumer Platinum card to pay for a monthly (not annual) Walmart+ membership, and your entire charge will be refunded each month (up to $12.95+tax). Walmart+ offers many perks, including the following:
- Free Paramount+ or Peacock subscription: This can be a very useful benefit if this streaming service has shows you want to watch.
- Black Friday Early access: Shop Black Friday deals 4 hours before everyone else.
- Free shipping: No order minimum. Excludes oversized and Marketplace items.
- Free delivery from store: Groceries & more delivered as soon as same day. $35 order minimum.
- Rx for less: “Get select prescriptions for as little as $0. Save up to 85% on thousands more”.
- Member prices on fuel: Save 10¢ per gallon on fuel at Exxon, Mobil, Walmart & Murphy stations.
- Scan & go: Scan items as you shop in stores and pay with your phone.
Sign up here for Walmart+ (Note: this is an affiliate link, but it’s not at all clear to me that we will earn anything from this).
#12 Get back up to $300 annually at Equinox Or For A SoulCycle At-Home Bike
This benefit is available with all consumer Platinum cards, but not Business Platinum cards. Primary cardholders and authorized users are eligible to receive up to a total of $300 in statement credits per calendar year on an Equinox+ subscription or an Equinox club membership (subject to auto-renewal). Plus, get $300 back when you purchase a SoulCycle at-home Bike in full, up to 15 bikes per year. Enroll here.
#13 Get back up to $200 annually at Ouraring.com
This benefit is available with all consumer Platinum cards, but not Business Platinum cards. Primary cardholders and authorized users earn up to $200 back each calendar year in statement credits when purchasing an Oura Ring through Ouraring.com. Prior to making your purchase, go to the benefit page, find the Oura Ring benefit, and click “Enroll Now”.
#14 Earn 5x for airfare and prepaid hotels
Consumer Platinum cards earn 5 points per dollar for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel. The Business Platinum card earns 5X only for flights booked with American Express Travel. All Platinum cards earn 5x for prepaid hotels booked at amextravel.com. Note that some prepaid hotels are fully refundable (make sure to check before booking!).
5 points per dollar is an excellent rate of return for travel purchases! With flights, keep in mind that this is in addition to any miles earned from the airline flown. With hotels, you won’t earn hotel points with prepaid bookings except for those booked through Fine Hotels & Resorts or The Hotel Collection.
One caveat: Platinum cards offer good travel insurance, but you may get even better automatic travel insurance with other cards you own. See: Ultra-Premium Credit Card Travel Insurance.
#15 Get good value redeeming points for flights (Business Platinum only)
The Business Platinum card offers 35% points back when paying with points through American Express Travel for a flight with your selected airline. This perk makes your Membership Rewards points worth just over 1.5 cents per point towards paid flights.
Consumer Platinum cards do not get this benefit, so using points to pay for flights results in poor value (1 cent per point).
#16 Use points primarily with transfer partners
The best use of Membership Rewards points, in my opinion, is to hold on to them until you see an opportunity to get great value by transferring to an airline transfer partner such as Aeroplan or ANA for Star Alliance flights (e.g., fly Air Canada, ANA, Turkish, United, etc.). Cathay Pacific, Virgin Atlantic, and other partners also have some excellent sweet spot award opportunities.
See these posts for ideas:
#17 Use your Amex Offers
Amex regularly comes out with awesome offers that can be loaded to your Amex card. See our list of all current Amex Offers that gets updated frequently.
The Platinum Perk Checklist
Here’s a nearly complete list of Platinum perks. Go through each one to make sure you’re getting the most from your Platinum card…
Perks for all Platinum cards
| Flight & Airport Benefits | Benefit Description |
|---|---|
| 5X through American Express Travel® | Earn 5X points for prepaid hotel and airline bookings via American Express Travel® |
| $200 airline fee credit | Registration required. Amex will automatically reimburse up to $200 per calendar year for airline fees for your selected airline only. Eligible fees include: baggage fees, flight-change fees, in-flight food and beverage purchases, and airport lounge day passes. For tips on using this benefit, please see: Amex airline fee reimbursements. What still works? |
| International Airline Program | Save money when booking select premium cabin international flights originating in the US or Canada. This benefit is also available to Platinum authorized users. |
| Airport Lounge Access: Centurion Lounges | The cardholder is allowed free entry. Guests are charged $50 per adult, or $30 per child aged 2 through 17. After $75K of eligible spend in a calendar year, the cardholder is permitted 2 complimentary guests per visit. This benefit is also available to Platinum authorized users. |
| Airport Lounge Access: Airspace Lounges, Escape Lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges | Cardholder plus two guests are allowed free entry. This benefit is also available to Platinum authorized users. |
| Airport Lounge Access: Delta Sky Clubs | Cardholder is allowed 10 Sky Club visit-days per year. After $75K of eligible spend in a calendar year, the cardholder is permitted unlimited visits through the end of the following calendar year. This benefit is also available to Platinum authorized users. |
| Airport Lounge Access: Priority Pass Lounges | Registration is required to obtain your Priority Pass card. Member plus 2 guests are allowed free entry. This version of Priority Pass does not cover Priority Pass restaurants. This benefit is also available to Platinum authorized users. |
| Airport Lounge Access: select Lufthansa Lounges | Free access to Lufthansa Business Lounges (with confirmed ticket) or to Senator Lounges (with Business Class ticket) in the satellite building of Terminal 2 at Munich Airport and in Terminal 1, Departure Area B, at Frankfurt Airport. Valid only when flying Lufthansa, SWISS or Austrian Airlines. This benefit is also available to Platinum authorized users. |
| CLEAR® Plus credit | Get up to $209 per year reimbursed for CLEAR® Plus subscriptions. See also: 5 ways to get CLEAR® Plus for less. |
| Global Entry or TSA Pre fee credit | Get reimbursed for the cost of Global Entry once every 4 years or TSA Pre once every 4.5 years. This benefit is also available to authorized users. |
| Hotel Benefits | Benefit Description |
| Fine Hotels & Resorts | Book high-end hotels through Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts and get: room upgrade, daily breakfast for 2, 4 pm late checkout, noon check-in, free wifi, and a unique property amenity. Also: Earn 5X Membership Rewards for prepaid bookings. This benefit is also available to Platinum authorized users. |
| $600 Hotel Credit | Up to $300 back in statement credits semi-annually on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings through Amex Travel™. The Hotel Collection bookings require stays of 2 nights or longer. |
| Hilton Honors Gold Status | Registration required. Hilton Gold members receive food & beverage waivers or free breakfast, room upgrades when available, and other perks at Hilton hotels. This benefit is also available to authorized users. |
| Marriott Gold status | Enrollment required. Gold members receive a welcome gift (bonus points) with each stay, room upgrades when available, 2 pm late checkout, and other perks (details here). This benefit is also available to authorized users. |
| Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) Sterling Status | Enrollment required. Enroll to get Leaders Club Sterling Status from The Leading Hotels of the World® |
| Other Travel Benefits | Benefit Description |
| Emergency Medical Transportation Assistance | Call the Premium Global Assist Hotline: 1-800-333-Amex (toll free), or 1-715-343-7977 (direct-dial collect). This benefit is also available to Platinum authorized users. |
| National Car Rental Executive status | Registration required (Enroll here). Book midsize cars and select any car from the Executive Aisle for no extra charge. This benefit is also available to Platinum authorized users. |
| Hertz Rental Car Privileges | Registration required (Details and enrollment form found here). Privileges include President's Circle Status, discounts, plus a four-hour grace period for rental car returns. This benefit is also available to Platinum authorized users. |
| Avis Preferred status | Registration required (Details and enrollment form found here). Preferred status offers priority service at the counter, discounts, and a one-car class upgrade for groups C-E (Intermediate, Standard, and Full size). This benefit is also available to Platinum authorized users. |
| Cruise Benefits | Pay for your cruise with your Platinum card and receive $100 to $300 per stateroom shipboard credit plus additional amenities unique to each cruise line. This benefit is also available to Platinum authorized users. |
| Miscellaneous Other Benefits | Benefit Description |
| Cell Phone Protection | No need to enroll. Pay your cell phone bill with your Platinum card. Max $800 per claim, $50 deductible. This benefit is also available to Platinum authorized users. |
Additional Consumer Platinum Perks
| Benefit | Benefit Description |
|---|---|
| 5X on flights | Earn 5x on flights booked directly with airlines (with Business Platinum cards, you must book through Amex Travel to earn 5x) |
| $400 Resy Dining Credit | Enrollment required. Earn up to $100 back each quarter after making eligible purchases directly with Resy or for dining purchases at any U.S. Resy restaurant. |
| $120 Uber One Membership Credit | Earn up to $120 in statement credits each calendar year with an auto-renewing Uber One membership in the U.S. |
| $200 in Uber / Uber Eats Credits | Get $15 in Uber credits per month ($35 in December) simply by adding your Platinum card number to your Uber account as a payment method. This benefit also includes Uber VIP status. Important: when requesting a ride, select Uber Cash for payment to use your credits. |
| $300 Digital Entertainment Credit | Enrollment required. Earn up to $25 back each month after paying for select digital subscriptions: Paramount+, YouTube Premium, YouTube TV, Disney+, a Disney+ bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, The Wall Street Journal. |
| Free Walmart+ Subscription | Get back the full cost, including taxes, for a Walmart+ monthly subscription. In addition to its standard benefits, Walmart+ also includes your choice of Paramount+ Essential or Peacock Premium streaming, at no extra cost. |
| $300 lululemon Credit | Enrollment required. Earn up to $75 back each quarter in statement credits for eligible purchases at Lululemon stores or Lululemon.com in the U.S. Enrollment required. |
| $100 Saks Fifth Avenue Credits | Enrollment required. Earn up to $50 back each January through June, and July through December for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue online or at locations in the US and US Territories. |
| $300 Equinox Credit | Enrollment required. Earn up to $300 back per year in statement credits for a digital or club membership at Equinox. |
| $300 SoulCycle Credit | Must join Equinox first. Charge the full price of a SoulCycle at-home bike and get $300 back in statement credits. |
| $200 Oura Credit | Enrollment required. Earn up to $200 back each calendar year in statement credits when purchasing an Oura Ring through Ouraring.com |
| Active Military Fee Waiver | Amex will waive consumer card fees (including annual fees) for US active military personnel. Call the number of the back of your card and tell them you are serving on active duty military and had heard that AMEX offers to handle your account in accordance with the Military Lending Act (MLA). This may work to waive authorized user fees too. |
Additional Morgan Stanley Platinum Perks
| Benefit | Benefit Description |
|---|---|
| First authorized user free | Add one Platinum authorized user for free. |
| Invest with rewards | Liquidate Membership Rewards points for 1 cent each when deposited to your Morgan Stanley brokerage account. |
| $500 anniversary spend award | Spend $100K in a cardmember year to get $500. If you spend exactly $100K per year, that amounts to a bonus of half of 1 cent per dollar spent. |
| Annual Engagement Bonus | Platinum CashPlus clients can get an Annual Engagement Bonus equal to the Platinum card's annual fee. |
Additional Schwab Platinum Perks
| Benefit | Benefit Description |
|---|---|
| Invest with Rewards | Liquidate Membership Rewards points for 1.1 cents each when deposited to your eligible Schwab account. |
| $100 to $1,000 statement credit | Receive a statement credit each year based on your qualifying Schwab holdings: $250,000 invested = $100 statement credit; $1,000,000 invested = $200 statement credit; $10,000,000 invested = $1,000 statement credit |
Additional Business Platinum Perks
| Benefit | Benefit Description |
|---|---|
| 2X Membership Rewards® | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on eligible purchases in key business categories, as well as on eligible purchases of $5,000 or more. Details: Earn 2X on up to two million dollars of eligible purchases per calendar year, made in any of the following categories: (1) U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers, (2) U.S. electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, (3) at U.S. shipping providers, or (4) eligible purchases of $5,000 or more. |
| 35% Airline Bonus | Get 35% points back after using Pay with Points for flights booked through Amex Travel with your selected airline, up to 1,000,000 points back per calendar year. |
| Redeem points for 1 cent per point | Requires an American Express business checking account. |
| $120 Wireless Credits | Enrollment required. Earn up to $10 back per month when you use your card to pay for wireless telephone service. |
| $200 Hilton Credits | Enrollment required. Earn up to $50 back per quarter when you use your card directly with a Hilton property. |
| $1,150 in Dell Credits | Enrollment required. Earn up to $150 in credits each calendar year for all purchases at Dell.com, plus an additional $1,000 back when spending $5,000 in a calendar year. |
| $360 Indeed Credit | Enrollment required. Earn up to $90 back per quarter for purchases with Indeed |
| $250 Adobe Credit | Enrollment required. Earn up to $250 back per year on $600+ of U.S. purchases with Adobe |
| $1,200 Flight Credit | After spending $250,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year, unlock up to $1,200 in statement credits for use in the next calendar year on flights booked on AmexTravel.com. |
| $2,400 One AP® Statement Credit | After spending $250,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year, unlock up to $2,400 in statement credits for use in the next calendar year on monthly fees for American Express One AP®, American Express’ digital accounts payable product that automates supplier payments on one platform. |
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Under #2: “You can currently bring two free guests with you to the other lounges: Amex Centurion Lounges”
I think that’s not true anymore, need to spend $75k for the guests.
Isn’t #15 on the Business Plat 35% rebate obsolete now?
Not entirely. You used to be able to use the benefit for your selected airline, as well as for business and first class flights with any airline. The ability to get the rebate on the latter has ended, but you can still get the 35% rebate for flights booked on your selected airline (the one you select for airline fee credits).
Not exactly. It’s now only usable for the airline you choose for your $200 credit.
The Avis Preferred Plus enrollment link is broken
[…] When it comes to the American Express Platinum Card, I’d have to describe our relationship status as “complicated.” While I can get a decent return on the $695 annual fee, it requires taking advantage of the plethora of statement credits. This is why some refer to the AMEX Platinum Card as one of the most expensive coupon books available. […]
The schwab $1000 annual statement credit is missing from the page. Offered for 10M+
IMO, the best approach for the average person is sign up, get SUB, close after one year. The amount of work involved to obtain said credits is not worth th minuscule gain after paying the ripoff $695 AF.
$240 digital entertainment credit — set and forget
$72 Paramount+ — via Walmart+ — set and forget
One Trip to Vegas, Baby!
$200 airline credit — if you know how to do it, one flight and you’re done
$200 hotel credit — single two-night stay
$100 hotel amenity — same stay
$150 breakfast credit — same stay
Not included are any other credits or the value of lounge access and food.
I’m not certain where the difficulty comes in for the average person. Any help would be appreciated.
While in Vegas, stop by Saks and claim a $50 gift card. Or if your visit happens to straddle the end of June and beginning of July (not recommended weatherwise), you can claim two!
That reminds me of the almost totally useless Saks benefit! I personally (yes, Lee I am talking abouy MYSELF) place a negative value on this benefit since Saks.com is a scam.
Booking through FHR is extra work and the amenities are worth half those values. My Hyatt Globalist and IC RA benefits are better and automatic. Using the (Delta add-collect) $200 credit is extra work. Keeping track of whether I have used many of these items yet each year is extra work. Dealing with the NYTimes changing my subscription price every few months is extra work. Dealing with AMEX replacing entertainment credit vendors (eg Sirius XM) is extra work. I have better things to do with my time. That said, I keep the card for the 5x on airfare because I spend tens of thousands on airfare, BUT I resent AMEX wasting my time to attain these other “benefits”.
Fiannl6y, lounge food isn’t good/makes you fat and lounges are no longer a respite from the terminal.
Ah, you are talking about YOURSELF. In your original comment, you referred to the average person. I was simply responding regarding the average person. What was I thinking ?
Regarding your circumstances, sounds rough. It’s hard to imagine someone having it that rough. I guess I’ve been lucky. All the best.
Going to Vegas once a year sounds horrific, especially staying at a hotel where $200 covers two nights. It’s like living in an ashtray for two days.
You appear to be digging in your heels. And, again, you are talking about YOURSELF. To the average person, Las Vegas might not be so bad. Nick goes there enough. I don’t think Nick would tolerate staying in an ashtray. However, it doesn’t need to be Las Vegas and a person is free to pick whatever destination suits them.
Lee, I am glad you enjoy Las Vegas. However, my initial advice stands — take the SUB and run unless you spend a lot on airfare.
Which hotel offers $100 hotel credit and $150 breakfast credit? Usually it’s $100 hotel credit and free breakfast for two.
You’re valuing all these at face value. I don’t care about some of the coupons and value others at a discount. Walmart+ means nothing to me and the $100 credit on a limited number of options at pricey hotels just to use up some coupons don’t move the needle much for me either. I’ll do a deeper dive to verify my valuations but I’m not sure the card is worth it for me.
I believe Fine Hotels and Resorts do not apply to Business Platinum. Thank you!
There is no $200 annual credit but you can still book FHR stays with a Bus Plat card.
Understand. Without the credit, not much of benefits to use the card.
Some people will have *either* the personal Platinum or the Business Platinum. And, they will regularly use the one they have. And, in spite of the BP not having the $200 annual hotel credit, some find the BP has greater overall value to their specific circumstances. For me, the BP is the most valuable card in my wallet.
Let’s not forget the Goldman Sachs version of the personal Platinum. 🙂
This is lacking a bit when some articles(more?) are from 2021, and outdated. An update to those articles would be great (e.g.- Qatar included in “sweet spots”)
Appreciating the amount of work that goes into such articles, we will patiently wait for those updates and will be grateful for this great article (which is FREE).
But, since you bring it up, the “family” SUB rules need to be added to the older articles. Also, regarding the Morgan Stanley version, the “entry-level” brokerage account is no longer a player for the annual fee credit. Also, the Cash Plus account required for the annual fee credit is paying 0.1 percent interest. On the required $25k balance, a person is losing roughly 5 percent compared to prevailing interest rates — which is $1250. In rough terms, prevailing interest rates need to be below 2.75 percent for the strategy to be cash flow positive. Fed Chairman Powell might say it will be a while before that happens.
Greg, if my annual fee is due January 9th, would I still be able to take advantage of the perks those first 9 days of the month and then downgrade my card? Can’t justify the AF but hoping to double dip into 2023. Thinking of airline credit, Saks, hotel credit.
Yes. In fact you have thirty more days before you can get the full annual fee back if you cancel or downgrade (fyi there is no fee free downgrade path so you’ll get back the difference in annual fees)
Thanks so much!! Going to get some good value out of it in January.
Greg, very much enjoy reading your informative posts! QQ on Hilton Honors Gold Status and Marriott Gold Status, with a situation here. I have two Biz Platinum cards, but P2 has zero. Can I use one card for my Hilton account / Marriott account, and use another card for P2’s Hilton account / Marriott account? Do Hilton / Marriott check names — if so, then it is a moot question. Thanks!
That might work but I’m not sure. OTOH, readers have reported success doing this with free Green AU cards. In other words, add P2 as an employee with a free business Green card and then have P2 sign up for Hilton and Marriott status.
The Equionx credit with platinum is $300 per year starting in 2023. Is it possible to get that credit on my Plat card and then switch to pay with P2 plat card to get the remainder of the total Equinox yearly cost?
I expect that would work if Equinox lets you split the payment that way.
We have gone from 6 Platinum cards during COVID and will be down to one (last AF just hit on my other Platinum-will PC to gold for upgrade bonus).
For many it no longer pays to have multiple Plats (FH&R consecutive stay language) Digital credits, changes to CL on arrival and no free guest.
The CL benefit has been disappointing over the past 18-24 months (with limited hours, overcrowding, no showers, Grab and Go, can’t visit Escape/CL same day (i.e. PHX if you have a long layover or delayed flight, etc).
We did use the Plaza Premium in CUN & LHR (before VenX offered it) so that was nice as few PP options at the terminals we flew from).
Will probably play the UG/DG bonus game with our Gold2Plat (the AF are about 6 months apart)
@Greg
Also The Platinum offers access to Plaza Premium (no longer included with Priorty pass – but it is also offered with VenX).
Greg, you might mention a benefit within a benefit: with WalMart+, one receives Paramount+.
For us, between the Platinum Card, Amazon, and T-Mobile we have:
Disney+ (with Hulu and ESPN)
Paramount+
Amazon Prime
Netflix
Who needs cable TV?