The Amex Platinum Card – Full Review [2024]
The Amex Platinum card is one of the top travel rewards cards on the market thanks to its combination of rewards, benefits, and protections that it offers to card members. From airport lounge access to 6 different airport lounge networks, complimentary elite status, annual Uber credits, and more, there is plenty to love about the Amex Platinum card.
Amex Platinum Card – Is It Worth it?
Deciding whether the card is worth it will come down to how much you value the Amex Platinum card benefits.
For instance, if you value airport lounge access, then the Amex Platinum card is one of the best cards you can hold since it offers access to American Express Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, Delta Sky Clubs (when flying with Delta), and more. Even for those who fly just a handful of times a year, not only do lounges provide a nicer experience, but can be considerable cost savings compared to purchasing food and drinks in the Terminal.
Beyond that, you’ll also receive perks like hotel and rental car elite status, CLEAR and Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credits, over $1,500 worth of annual credits, and more.
Top Benefits
- A variable welcome bonus that can often get you over $1,000 in travel value
- 5x points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel
- 5x points per $1 on eligible hotels booked on amextravel.com
- Up to $200 annual airline fee credit
- Up to $200 annual Uber Cash credit ($15 per month and $35 in December)
- Up to $200 annual hotel credit
- Up to $240 annual Digital Entertainment credit (toward Audible, Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu, Peacock, and more)
- Up to annual 155 Walmart+ credit
- Up to annual $100 Saks Fifth Avenue credit
- Up to $300 annual Equinox credit
- $189 annual CLEAR credit
- $100 fee credit for Global Entry or an $85 fee credit for TSA PreCheck every 4 years
- Points transfer to 20 airline and hotel partners
- Access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection, which includes Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, and Delta Sky Clubs when flying Delta
- Complimentary Gold elite status at Hilton and Marriott
- Complimentary memberships in Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, Avis Preferred, and National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive
- Access to Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts
- No foreign transaction fees
- Card protections like trip delay insurance, return protection, purchase protection, and more.
Earning and Redeeming
The best way to earn points with your Amex Platinum card is to use it to earn 5x points per dollar on all airfare purchased directly with airlines. That’s one of the best airfare bonus multipliers on any card available and an excellent way to earn lots of Amex Membership Rewards points.
Your Amex Platinum also offers 5x category bonus on hotels — but you’ll need to make them through the Amex Travel portal, and they must be prepaid bookings.
When it comes to redeeming points, Membership Rewards points are one the most useful flexible loyalty currencies thanks to the program’s 20+ airline and hotel transfer partners, which includes at least one useful option in each of the major airline alliances — SkyTeam, Star Alliance, and OneWorld.
Transferring your points to the right airline program is usually the best way to maximize the value of your points. Point transfers are instant to the vast majority of these partners, and even the laggards only take 36 hours at most to transfer.
That means you can transfer the points earned with the Platinum card to Aeroplan and book United Polaris seats between San Francisco and Hong Kong for just 75,000 points one-way without even paying a close-in booking fee. Or transfer the points to ANA and get a round-trip ticket to Asia in business class for 85,000 points.
Final Thoughts
If you like benefits and credits, spend a lot on airfare, and want airport lounge access, then the Amex Platinum Card is arguably the best option for you. Despite its large annual fee, once you maximize the value of all the benefits, you can come out way ahead with the Amex Platinum card.
Featured Image Credit: American Express
