Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
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.
Get $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings, which requires a minimum two-night stay, through American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card®. And if you fly, you can receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year after you select a qualifying airline and incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card®.
$240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Audible, Disney+, The Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, Peacock, SiriusXM, and The New York Times. Enrollment required.
$155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Ups are excluded.
American Express has expanded The Centurion® Network to include 40+ Centurion Lounge and Studio locations worldwide. There are even more places your Platinum Card® can get you complimentary entry and exclusive perks.
$200 Airline Fee Credit: Get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year in baggage fees and more at one select qualifying airline.
$200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only.
$300 Equinox Credit: Get up to $25 back each month on the Equinox+ digital fitness app, or eligible Equinox club memberships when you pay with your Platinum Card®. Enrollment required.
$189 CLEAR® Credit: Use your Card and get up to $189 back per year on your CLEAR® membership. CLEAR® is available at select airports and stadiums.
$695 annual fee.
Terms Apply.
The Platinum Card® from American Express Review
November 30, 2021
In this article, we’ll be reviewing The Platinum Card®, from one of our partners, American Express. We’ll look at who the card is for, its credit score requirements, benefits, rewards rate, key characteristics, and more.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com for more information.
This American Express Platinum Card Review Contains:
(Click on a link to jump to the specific section)
- Who is the American Express Platinum Card for?
- American Express Platinum Card Benefits
- American Express Platinum Card Rewards Rate
- Amex Platinum Credit Score Requirements
- American Express Platinum Card Fees
- Key Characteristics of The Platinum Card from American Express
- Alternatives to The Platinum Card from American Express
Let’s begin with this American Express Platinum Card review.
Who is the Amex Platinum Card For?
The Platinum Card® has a reputation for being an elite travel rewards card. It isn’t just a status symbol, it comes with a long list of travel, entertainment, wellness, and retail benefits.
Platinum card members gain access to the American Express Membership Rewards® Program. Membership Rewards points can be redeemed in exchange for exclusive airline and hotel purchases. Cardholders can also utilize points at checkouts on various online and retail outlets such as Apple, Sephora, Saks Fifth Avenue, and more.
What truly sets the Platinum Card apart is the plethora of travel benefits. The card facilitates the user to and from the airport with amazing perks like complimentary access to The Centurion® Network's 40+ Lounge and Studio locations worldwide plus, annual airline fee, CLEAR®, and Uber credit. If you’re someone who spends time hopping from one airport to the next, The Platinum Card may be the perfect American Express card for you.
American Express Platinum Card Benefits
As an elite travel rewards card, The Platinum from Amex offers a range of perks cardholders can benefit from:
- Welcome offer of 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points
Platinum cardholders earn 100,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 or more on eligible purchases within the first six months of their card membership.
The bonus points earned are credited to users' Membership Rewards® account within 8-12 weeks after meeting the threshold amount through eligible combined purchases. - $200 Hotel Credit
Amex Platinum card members can receive up to a total of $200 as a statement credit each year when they use their card on eligible, prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings, which requires a minimum two night stay.
Amex card members can earn this statement credit by making their bookings through American Express Travel. This includes booking through amextravel.com, the American Express® App, or by calling the phone number on the back of their Amex Platinum Card.
Note that Platinum card members may receive up to a total of $200 as a statement credit each calendar year across all cards on the Amex account. - $200 Airline Fee Credit
Amex Platinum cardholders can select one qualifying airline through their American Express Online Account and receive up to $200 as an airline fee statement credit for incidental purchases each calendar year. This includes reimbursement for fees like baggage fees or in-flight refreshments.
Qualifying airlines include JetBlue Airways, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines. - Trip Cancellation & Interruption Insurance
The maximum benefit amount for Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance is $10,000 per Covered Trip and $20,000 per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period.
- Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply.
- Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.
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Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
- Access to The Global Lounge Collection℠
Amex Platinum cardmembers enjoy access to The American Express Global Lounge Collection® - a network of over 1,300 airport lounges spread across 140 countries. This includes The Centurion℠ Lounges, Delta Sky Club®, Escape Lounges, and more. - $189 CLEAR® Credit
Cardholders can earn up to $189 in statement credits per year by paying for their CLEAR® membership with their Platinum Card.
CLEAR is a secure identity-verifying platform that uses biometrics to assign you a touchless ID and conduct a contactless check. This allows you to move faster through security at select airports and stadiums across the U.S. - $200 Uber Cash
Basic Card Members receive $15 per month (plus a $20 bonus in December) in Uber Cash for Uber rides and Eats orders in the U.S. In addition, they also get Uber VIP status wherever available in the U.S. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Members only. - Premium Global Assist Hotline
You can rely on Global Assist Hotline 24 hours a day / 7 days a week for medical, legal, financial or other select emergency coordination and assistance services while traveling more than 100 miles away from your home. Third-party service costs may be your responsibility.
- Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply.
- Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.
- Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.
- Global Entry or TSA Pre✓® Fee Credit
Eligible Platinum cardmembers can earn a statement credit of up to $100 (available every 4 years) when charging their Global Entry application to the card. Alternatively, eligible cardholders can earn a statement credit of up to $85 (available every 4.5 years) when applying for a five-year TSA Pre✓ membership with their card.
Note that if you’re approved for Global Entry you also receive access to the TSA Pre✓ program for no additional cost. To top it off, additional cards on eligible card accounts can also take advantage of this benefit. - Car Rental Insurance Coverage
You can use your Platinum Card to get insurance coverage for car rentals. Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance can provide coverage up to $75,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible Card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the Commercial Car Rental Company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply.
- Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply.
- Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.
- Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
- $240 Annual Digital Entertainment Credit
Amex Platinum cardholders can receive up to $20 as a statement credit per month, for a total of $240 per calendar year toward eligible subscriptions for Peacock, Audible, SiriusXM, and The New York Times. This perk is only valid for transactions completed in the U.S. and U.S. Territories. - $155 Walmart+ Credit
Amex Platinum cardholders can receive a statement credit for their Walmart+ membership ($12.95 + taxes per month) for a total of $155 per calendar year. - $300 Equinox Credit
Cardholders can also get up to $25 back each month on the Equinox+ digital fitness app, or eligible Equinox club memberships when paying with their Platinum Card®. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
American Express Platinum Card Rewards Rate
The Amex Platinum Card has a robust Membership Rewards® Program. Similar to Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, Membership Rewards points are of high value and are very flexible.
Here’s a breakdown of how Platinum cardmembers can earn bonus points with the Amex Membership Rewards Program:
Cardholders earn 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 in combined purchases per calendar year. Prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel also earn 5X Membership Rewards points.
Points can be redeemed in a variety of ways - gift cards, hotel bookings and upgrades, flight bookings and upgrades, shopping, entertainment. You can even transfer your points to Amex partner programs such as Delta SkyMiles®, Iberia Plus, Marriott Bonvoy™, Etihad Guest, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, and more.
American Express Platinum Card Credit Score Requirements
To qualify for the Amex Platinum Card, you’ll need a credit score within the Good - Excellent range.
What’s that?
A VantageScore or FICO® score of 670 or more, falls in the Good credit score range. A credit score over 800 is considered excellent.
Having a qualifying credit score largely impacts your approval odds. Apart from the credit score, the card issuer may also consider your income, existing debts, and other pertinent information.
American Express Platinum Card Fees
The annual fee for the Platinum Card is $695 (See Rates and Fees). The annual fee for additional cards is $175 for up to 3 additional cards on one Amex card account (See Rates and Fees).
$695 is a lot of money to be paying annually for a credit card, but the card offers an array of benefits that can easily offset the annual fee.
The Amex Platinum Card doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees (See Rates and Fees) which makes it an ideal card for the globetrotter.
Like just about every other credit card in the market, Amex Platinum has additional fees such as a cash advance fee, a late payment fee, etc.
The Platinum Card has a cash advance fee of either $10 or 5% of the cash amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater (See Rates and Fees).
The credit card company can also charge Platinum cardholders a late payment fee of up to $40 and a returned payment fee of up to $40 (See Rates and Fees).
Next, let’s take a look at some of the key characteristics of this credit card.
Key Characteristics of The Platinum Card from American Express
- Premium Card Design
The Platinum Card has a sleek design and is made from unconventional materials such as stainless steel. It is easily one of the most recognizable cards out there.
- No Preset Spending Limit
This credit card has no preset card spending limit, which means your spending limit is flexible. The card differs from a traditional credit card with a set limit. With Amex Platinum, the amount you can spend adapts based on factors such as your purchase, payment, and credit history.
- Access to The Centurion® Network
American Express has expanded The Centurion® Network to include 40+ Centurion airport lounges and Studio partner locations worldwide. You can use your Platinum Card to get complimentary lounge access to these airport lounges and get exclusive perks like complimentary food and drinks. - High Annual Fee
This credit card carries a steep annual fee of $695. But the long list of benefits and statement credits can offset that price tag if properly utilized.
Alternatives to The Platinum Card from American Express
Wrapping Up
The Platinum Card from American Express is a top-tier travel rewards card and a symbol of elite status. While it may come with a high annual fee of $695, the card comes with a great welcome offer, tons of benefits, including unmatched Amex travel benefits.
Earning 5x Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel purchases and flights booked through American Express travel services is a perk unparalleled in the industry. This card is seen as the successor of the American Express® Gold Card and may not be for everyone. But if you’re willing to invest in the annual fee, you can drastically upgrade your traveling experience.
You can apply for this card here.
Rates and fees for The Platinum Card from American Express can be found here.
Rates and fees for the American Express Gold Card can be found here.
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