Over the weekend, a reader commented on our Amex Platinum card page with a hot tip: some Equinox gyms offer spa services. I had no idea that it is possible to get things like a massage or facial at some Equinox gyms — and that could potentially be great info for Platinum cardholders who live near an Equinox gym.
The consumer Amex Platinum card has garnered a reputation as a “coupon book” with its various monthly, semi-annual, and annual credits for various types of charges. One of the “coupons” that I’ve never even tried to use is an annual credit for an Equinox membership. The Platinum card offers “up to $300 in statement credits each year when you pay for an Equinox+ digital subscription with live and on-demand classes, or an Equinox club membership (subject to auto-renewal)” with your Amex Platinum card.
I haven’t been interested in using this credit because I don’t live near an Equinox gym and I’m not interested in a paid workout app (I do need to work out more, but a workout app doesn’t interest me).
However, a reader commented on our Amex Platinum card page to say that they have gone to Equinox for a massage a couple of times (including both last year and again this year) and as a non-member, they received a statement credit for the cost of the massage (which was less than $300). That could be awesome.
I had no idea that some Equinox locations offer both “body” (massage) and “skin care” services. I looked up one location and saw that a 50-minute, 80-minute or even a 110-minute massage fell well below the annual statement credit threshold (though with gratuity I suppose the 110-minute massage may go just above or below the threshold depending on your generosity and of course keep in mind that I only checked pricing at one suburban location, so YMMV as prices probably vary).
Keep in mind that the terms of the statement credit do not mention services purchased at an Equinox gym as being qualifying. Still, since the cost of an annual membership is covered and Equinox surely wants an in-club charge for that membership to trigger the credit (since the idea of the partnership is to get you in the door), I’m not surprised to hear that any charge at the desk in the fitness club might trigger the annual credit.
This isn’t something you can necessarily rely on working since it is certainly possible that it won’t work forever or won’t work everywhere, but it certainly may be worth giving this a shot if you have an Equinox gym in your vicinity. I’ll probably gamble on this at some point as it would make the Platinum card far easier for me to justify keeping since my wife gets regular massages anyway and our travels will almost surely bring us within range of an Equinox spa several times per year.
Find locations near you here: https://equinox-spa.com/locationsList
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Wondering if once you activate it on the card, any charges at the location will be reimbursed. If they allow returns, I will try this at the shop (but not for a few months). Also, I noticed that there’s a 7-day free trial for the Equinox+ membership.
I can verify that this works. I got a massage at the flatiron location on Saturday. It costed $174 tips included. This morning I saw the credit.
I have no membership. But you do need to activate it on the card.
Easy breezy shoulder squeezy.
How do you activate it on the card without having a membership? When I tried to activate it, it took me to Equinox website where I had to select a membership.
My credit has not yet posted.
I don’t have an equinox membership nor have I ever joined one online.
Question: Even though you’re taken to the equinox website if you do nothing and go back to your Amex credentials does it say you’re enrolled?
You could also try chatting with Amex to ask them whether you need to join.
You shouldn’t have to sign up. Since the credit is suppose to work for soul cycle as well.
It does not show that I’m enrolled.
Okay I remember what I did. It just hit me.
Here’s what you do: Sign up for a free trial to Equinox+. It’s a 7 day free trial. After that you should be able to enroll on Amex. Then cancel before the trial ends.
Now you’re enrolled.
Enjoy!
I tried that but get an error when I enroll my Platinum card. I even chatted and was told to remove my card from the membership, but I didn’t provide a card for the trial.
I think I used my card to enroll. But cancelled before the end of the trial. Who did you chat with?
Did the free 7 day trial of Equinox+ Tried again to enroll and Equinox disappeared completely from my benefits list! So I chatted, and the agent gave me the link to enroll. Tried to enroll. First time seemed to work, but Agent said I was still not enrolled. Tried a second time, and this time got an error saying can’t enroll that Platinum card. Agent said wait 24 hours.
Tried again this morning. Membership in Equinox+ shows as active, but still getting an error trying to enroll my Platinum card: “Unable to enroll the given Platinum Card number.” And Amex says I’m still not enrolled.
I made an appt for this Friday so I will test this out.
Can’t wait to hear what happens
OP claims the refund came the same day so we should have another DP soon!
Still showing as a pending charge as of today. Will report back.
Any updates! P2 would love to use this benefit!
Going today at 4p to test this too.
I did NOT register my card with Equinox. Got massage on 4/27 and charge showed up pending the same day. However it didn’t post fully until 5/1 (shows a 5/1 date). Still no credit.
No credit yet. Just a posted charge.
Are there any actual DPs for this working?
I think you must have missed this paragraph and the link to the reader report found within it:
You need to activate the benefit, and the benefit can only be activated if you have an active membership with Equinox.
Sounds like the DP says you don’t have to be a member. I’ll probably try for Mother Day and report back.
What if you sign up for the digital subscription to link and activate the benefit, and then go into the Spa service to use up the remaiing $200+ credit? HMMMM
I am not an Equinox member. Is this why when I try to activate the benefit on the Equinox website it doesn’t recognize my Platinum # nor Player 2?
Perhaps I’ll try calling the Amex platinum #
If you call Amex, a phone rep will surely tell you that you need to join Equinox with a membership to enroll / get the credit. I wouldn’t bother calling to ask. This is a situation where a reader has reported it working not once but twice as a non-member. You just have to decide whether you want to give it a shot as a non-member or not. It’s reasonable to be on either side of that.
Something to note that, statement credit might not come automatically and you might need to chat. Therefore you do need to activate membership and have it active at the time of the chat otherwise amex agents will not be able to apply credits. Do not ask me how I know 🙂
But you do NOT need to have membership in that particular gym you are getting massage at, digital membership will do just fine. So the play is to buy the cheapest digital membership and use the rest of the statement credit for the massage. Or use one of your cards for digital membership and the other for massage, if you have two.
With 2 cards and using one for the digital membership and the other for a massage, how would that work? Don’t you need the benefit activated on the card that you’re getting the massage with, and don’t you need the digital membership to activate the benefit?
Again, I think you guys are over-thinking it. See the data point.
you will be able to activate on both cards once you set up your membership
Ah I see what you mean. Using the same membership to enroll both cards in the benefit. Thanks!