The Platinum Card® from American Express Review

The Platinum Card® from American Express is the OG of premium journey playing cards. Since its launch within the Nineteen Eighties, it’s all the time been recognized for its exclusivity, suite of perks, and stellar customer support.

Whereas it does have the very best price within the recreation ($695, See Charges and Charges), it provides a ton of bang in your buck. You’ll greater than come out on prime in case you benefit from all that this premium card has to supply. It unlocks essentially the most complete lounge entry of any card, contains elite lodge standing, has tons of journey perks, and provides hefty assertion credit.

I personally love this card, but it surely’s not for everybody. Right here’s my overview that can assist you resolve if it’s best for you.

What does the cardboard provide?

This card unlocks a ton of lounge entry, elite standing advantages (enrollment required), journey perks, particular lodge reductions, and luxurious items and repair credit. Right here’s a look at simply a few of the advantages:

• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Factors after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases in your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership
• Earn 5x Membership Rewards® factors on flights booked straight with airways or with American Categorical Journey® (on the primary $500,000 spent per calendar yr)
• Earn 5x Membership Rewards® factors on pay as you go lodges booked on American Categorical Journey
• Journey insurance coverage protection together with secondary automotive rental insurance coverage, journey interruption and cancellation, misplaced baggage reimbursement
• Entry to The American Categorical World Lounge Assortment (for eligible Card Members)
• As much as $200 in airline credit score (Legitimate on one qualifying airline that you should select upfront. Legitimate on incidentals solely, not airfare.)
• As much as $200 again in assertion credit annually on pay as you go Nice Resorts + Resorts® or The Lodge Assortment bookings via American Categorical Journey utilizing your Platinum Card®. (The Lodge Assortment requires a minimal two-night keep.)
• As much as $199 annual CLEAR® Plus assertion credit score (covers an annual membership) per calendar yr (topic to auto-renewal)
• Obtain both a $120 assertion credit score each 4 years for a World Entry software price or an announcement credit score as much as $85 each 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (via a TSA official enrollment supplier) software price, when charged to your Platinum Card®. (Card Members accepted for World Entry can even obtain entry to TSA PreCheck at no further price.)

Utilizing Your Membership Rewards Factors

You’ll earn Membership Rewards factors with The Platinum Card® from American Express. These are a few of the most respected transferable factors on the market, because of their spectacular suite of journey companions:

• Aer Lingus AerClub (1:1 ratio)
• Aeromexico Rewards (1:1.6 ratio)
• Air Canada Aeroplan (1:1 ratio)
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue (1:1 ratio)
• ANA Mileage Membership (1:1 ratio)
• Avianca LifeMiles (1:1 ratio)
• British Airways Membership (1:1 ratio)
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (1:1 ratio)
• Alternative Privileges (1:1 ratio)
• Delta SkyMiles (1:1 ratio)
• Emirates Skywards (1:1 ratio)
• Etihad Visitor (1:1 ratio)
• HawaiianMiles (1:1 ratio)
• Hilton Honors (1:2 ratio)
• Iberia Plus (1:1 ratio)
• JetBlue TrueBlue (250:200 ratio)
• Marriott Bonvoy (1:1 ratio)
• Qantas Frequent Flyer (1:1 ratio)
• Qatar Airways Privilege Membership (1:1 ratio)
• Singapore KrisFlyer (1:1 ratio)
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership (1:1 ratio)

It’s also possible to use your Membership Rewards factors to ebook flights and lodges within the Amex Journey portal. (This isn’t the most effective use of your factors. I’d usually advise in opposition to it; it’s all the time finest to switch your factors to journey companions somewhat than utilizing the cardboard’s journey portal.)

Breaking Down the Amex Platinum’s Credit and Advantages

I really like Amex playing cards for his or her perks and advantages, and the Amex Platinum comes with over $1,500 value of them. It’s like slightly coupon ebook. Right here’s what you get with the cardboard:

Perks for a Streamlined Airport Expertise (Lounge Entry, CLEAR Plus, World Entry/TSA PreCheck)
Considered one of my favourite perks of this card is that it provides essentially the most complete lounge entry on the market, and to a few of the finest lounges within the recreation. The Centurion Lounges are stellar, as are the Delta Sky Membership lounges. You’ll additionally get entry to the Precedence Cross community of over 1,700 lounges all over the world.

The Amex Platinum additionally will get you to the lounge faster with assertion credit that cowl providers to expedite airport safety. You’ll stand up to $199 annual CLEAR® Plus assertion credit score (covers an annual membership) per calendar yr (topic to auto-renewal). You’ll additionally obtain both a $120 assertion credit score each 4 years for a World Entry software price or an announcement credit score as much as $85 each 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (via a TSA official enrollment supplier) software price, when charged to your Platinum Card®.

Remember the fact that in case you’re accepted for World Entry, you’ll additionally get entry to TSA PreCheck at no further price. So, in case you’re touring internationally, simply go along with World Entry. The method is a little more concerned (you must go for an in-person interview), but it surely’s value it.

Airline and Lodge Credit
The Platinum Card additionally provides as much as $200 in airline credit score, which sounds nice at face worth however is usually a little bit of a ache to make use of. The credit score can solely be used on one airline, which you should pre-select, and you may solely use it for incidentals, not airfare. Nonetheless, in case you usually examine a bag (and don’t have already got an airline bank card that gives free baggage as a perk), you’ll burn up that $200 very quickly. (It’s also possible to apply it to issues like paid seat choice and in-flight meals and beverage.)

The cardboard additionally provides as much as $200 again in assertion credit on pay as you go Nice Resorts + Resorts® or The Lodge Assortment bookings via American Categorical Journey utilizing your Platinum Card®. These are normally fairly luxurious properties, so that you gained’t be getting any free lodge stays with this profit alone. However in case you’re trying to splash out with a high-end lodge or resort keep, $200 off is fairly good.

Plus, the Amex Platinum provides complimentary Marriott Bonvoy® Gold Elite and Hilton Honors™ Gold Standing, which provide additional perks and advantages when staying at these properties.

Life-style Assertion Credit
The “life-style” assertion credit are the place this card is usually a bit much less helpful relying in your spending habits. My favourite of those is the $200 Uber Money profit. It’s distributed as $15 in Uber Money every month, plus you’ll get a bonus of $20 in December after including your Card to your Uber account.

That stated, I do discover it a bit annoying which you can solely use your Uber Money on rides and orders within the U.S. (when you choose an Amex Card in your transaction), since I’m typically in a foreign country.

(To obtain this profit, you should have downloaded the newest model of the Uber App and your eligible American Categorical Platinum Card have to be a technique of cost in your Uber account. The Amex Profit could solely be utilized in the US.)

Different life-style credit embody as much as $50 biannual Saks Fifth Avenue credit score and as much as $155 Walmart+ Credit score if you use your Platinum Card to pay for a month-to-month Walmart+ membership.

You’ll additionally obtain as much as $240 Digital Leisure Credit score through as much as $20 again in assertion credit every month on eligible purchases made along with your Platinum Card on a number of of the next: Disney+, a Disney+ Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Occasions, Peacock, and The Wall Avenue Journal. (That is a simple set and neglect in case you subscribe to any of those.)

Amex Affords
Along with all these assertion credit, you’ll get entry to Amex Affords. With these, it can save you cash or earn bonus factors with choose retailers. The provides are ever-changing and focused, which means you gained’t have the identical provides as one other cardholder. Nearly all of these provides are “spend X, get Y quantity again.”

The Amex Platinum’s Journey Insurance coverage
Final however not least, you’ll get nice journey insurance coverage with this card. Irrespective of the place you’re going, journey insurance coverage is crucial factor to get in your journey. Hopefully, you gained’t want to make use of it, however I do know from expertise that in case you do, you’ll be glad to have it. I’ve had to make use of it all over the world, from Argentina to South Africa to Italy. Every time one thing has gone unsuitable on the street, journey insurance coverage has helped me recoup my prices.
Whereas I all the time advocate buying a standalone journey insurance coverage coverage, many journey playing cards provide journey insurance coverage as a perk for no further price (aside from the cardboard’s annual price). Whereas I wouldn’t solely depend on the cardboard’s journey insurance coverage, it’s a pleasant profit.

Listed here are the journey protections that the Platinum provides:

• Journey cancellation and interruption protection of $10,000 per particular person, per journey (on round-trip tickets solely, $20,000 per 12 consecutive month interval)
• Journey delay protection as much as $500 if the delay is six hours or extra (on round-trip tickets solely, two claims per 12 consecutive-month interval)
• Emergency evacuation and medical transport protection: no restrict; have to be coordinated through the Premium World Help Hotline
• Cellular phone safety as much as $800 minus a $50 deductible (two accepted claims per 12-month interval, and you should have paid your cellphone invoice along with your card)
• Misplaced baggage protection as much as $3,000 per particular person
• Secondary automotive rental protection
• Remember the fact that to be eligible for these protections, you must pay in your journey (or cellphone invoice) along with your Amex Platinum. Additionally, all the time make sure to all the time learn the effective print so that you simply perceive precisely what’s coated!

Eligibility and Profit degree varies by Card. Phrases, Circumstances, and Limitations Apply. Please go to americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for extra particulars. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Firm.

Who’s the Amex Platinum for?

The Amex Platinum is finest for frequent vacationers who’ll use the premium perks, like simpler airport experiences and elite standing at lodges. If you can too benefit from just a few life-style credit, it’s a stable deal. I’d say simply run the numbers and see if the worth provides up for you. (And browse my put up on choosing a journey card in case you want extra assist.)

As with every rewards card, you shouldn’t get this card in case you’re already carrying a stability or plan to hold a stability. Rates of interest for journey playing cards are notoriously excessive and the factors simply aren’t value it in case you’re paying curiosity every month.

This card can also be not for anybody with poor credit score, as you want glorious credit score to qualify. (If that’s you, take a look at the most effective bank cards for very bad credit so you can begin enhancing your rating right now.)

Cease paying full worth for journey!

Obtain my free information to factors and miles and discover ways to use factors and miles without cost journey! It is how all the professionals journey a lot! On this information, I will present you:

• Easy methods to Decide a Credit score Card
• Easy methods to Earn As much as 10x Miles on Your Spending
• Easy methods to Redeem Your Factors
• And a Ton of Different Cash Saving Suggestions!