The Platinum Card® from American Specific packs quite a lot of punch into its metallic shell. That should not come as a lot of a shock, on condition that it is among the many heaviest and costliest of the publicly obtainable premium playing cards.
Whereas the present welcome provide alone is price as much as $3,500 (primarily based on TPG’s September 2025 valuations) and the posh perks — together with journey credit, elite standing and lounge entry* — can add a number of hundred {dollars} or extra a 12 months to its long-term worth, most individuals contemplating the Amex Platinum will fixate on one quantity: the $895 annual payment (see charges and charges).
It is easy to make the case that the Amex Platinum will pay for itself over time, however that does not essentially imply it is the best card for you. So, let us take a look at who ought to — and should not — get the Amex Platinum.
*Enrollment is required for choose advantages.
Key advantages
Proper now, you’ll find out your provide and see in case you are eligible for as excessive as 175,000 factors after spending $8,000 on purchases on the cardboard in your first six months of card membership. Welcome provides fluctuate and chances are you’ll not bot be eligible for a proposal.
In response to TPG’s valuations, Membership Rewards factors are price 2 cents every, making that bonus price as much as $3,500. That is a wonderful return in and of itself.
Regardless of which bonus give you get, all Platinum cardmembers take pleasure in the identical useful perks. To offset the annual payment, Amex provides a number of assertion credit, with some notable ones together with (enrollment is required for choose advantages):
- As much as $600 resort assertion credit score per calendar 12 months on eligible High-quality Inns + Resorts and The Lodge Assortment bookings (as much as $300 semi-annually; minimal two-night keep required for The Lodge Assortment)
- As much as $400 each calendar 12 months (as much as $100 every quarter) for purchases at U.S. Resy eating places. No reservation is required
- As much as $300 per calendar 12 months (as much as $25 month-to-month) in digital leisure assertion credit for eligible subscriptions
- As much as $200 assertion credit score every calendar 12 months for airline incidental prices, resembling seat task, lounge entry and checked bag charges with a choose qualifying airline
- As much as $200 in Uber Money every calendar 12 months in increments of as much as $15 per thirty days, plus an as much as $20 bonus in December (for U.S. providers). You too can use these credit to order meals from Uber Eats. Uber Money will solely be deposited into one Uber account while you add the Amex Platinum as a fee technique and redeem with any Amex card
- As much as a $120 Uber One assertion credit score that totally covers an auto-renewing $96 annual or $9.99 month-to-month membership
- As much as $100 in Saks Fifth Avenue credit (as much as $50 semi-annually)
- As much as $120 for World Entry/TSA PreCheck: Both a $120 assertion credit score obtainable each 4 years after you apply for World Entry or an as much as $85 assertion credit score obtainable each 4½ years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck
- As much as $300 every calendar 12 months (as much as $75 quarterly) Lululemon assertion credit score for U.S. shops (excluding retailers) and on-line
The Amex Platinum additionally provides 5 factors per greenback spent (or a ten% return primarily based on TPG’s valuations) on airfare booked instantly with the airline, in addition to on airfare booked by means of American Specific Journey® (on as much as $500,000 per 12 months, 1 level per greenback spent thereafter). You may additionally earn 5 factors per greenback spent on pay as you go inns booked by means of Amex Journey (together with pay as you go Amex High-quality Inns + Resorts bookings).
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That is the perfect return you will get wherever on shopping for airline tickets, in keeping with our valuations.
Frequent vacationers will even admire that the Platinum provides probably the most complete lounge entry of any card, together with a Precedence Move™ Choose membership (enrollment required), Amex’s rising international assortment of Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Golf equipment when flying Delta (restricted to 10 annual visits, limitless visits might be unlocked by spending $75,000 or extra in your card in a calendar 12 months ), Aspire, Escape and choose Lufthansa lounges. Enrollment could also be required; entry is proscribed to eligible cardmembers.
Rounding out the listing of advantages are Gold elite standing with Hilton and Marriott and Leaders Membership Sterling standing (enrollment is required), entry to a premium concierge service, journey protections, automotive rental insurance coverage*, baggage insurance coverage** and a bunch of different lesser-known perks.
*Eligibility and profit degree varies by card. Not all automobile varieties or leases are lined, and geographic restrictions apply. Phrases, circumstances and limitations apply. Go to americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for particulars. Insurance policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Firm. Protection is obtainable by means of American Specific Journey Associated Providers Firm, Inc.
**Eligibility and profit degree varies by card. Phrases, circumstances and limitations apply. Go to americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for particulars. Insurance policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Firm.
Who ought to get the Amex Platinum?
People who find themselves over Chase’s 5/24 rule
When folks come to me on the lookout for starter card suggestions, I will nearly at all times counsel both the Chase Sapphire Most popular® Card (see charges and charges) or the Chase Freedom Limitless® (see charges and charges).
Chase Final Rewards factors are barely extra useful than Amex Membership Rewards factors — TPG’s September 2025 valuations peg Final Rewards at 2.05 cents and Membership Rewards factors at 2 cents — and Chase’s “5/24 rule” provides me loads of cause to advocate getting your Chase playing cards first.
In case you aren’t accustomed to this rule, it implies that candidates who’ve opened 5 or extra playing cards within the final 24 months throughout all issuers will likely be routinely rejected for many Chase playing cards. Because of this it’s best to normally prioritize Chase playing cards as you begin build up your pockets with our greatest rewards bank cards.
Nonetheless, after you max out your 5 Chase slots, what comes subsequent? The Amex Platinum is an ideal reply, and it might even show you how to get extra worth out of your Chase factors.
The opposite advantages of the Amex Platinum can even complement a rewards technique that began with Chase. In contrast to the Platinum card, Chase playing cards do not provide Uber Money or as many choices for airport lounge entry.
Associated: 4 totally different flavors of Amex Platinum — which one is best for you?
Individuals who will use the lounge entry
In case you can totally use the assertion credit on the Amex Platinum annually, the out-of-pocket price for the cardboard goes down dramatically.
As an alternative of fascinated about this as an annual payment you pay to Amex for the privilege of spending cash on its hunk of metallic, give it some thought as an annual lounge membership payment.
As a reminder, the Amex Platinum comes with a Precedence Move Choose membership (enrollment required), entry to Amex’s international Centurion Lounges and entry to Delta Sky Golf equipment (however solely when flying same-day Delta flights; restricted to 10 annual visits, until you spend $75,000 to unlock limitless visits). Lounge entry is proscribed to eligible cardmembers.
Amex at present operates Centurion lounges in additional than twenty airports, making the cardboard much more price it when you stay in or incessantly transit by means of a type of places.
Individuals who keep at Hilton, Marriott or choose luxurious inns
The Platinum Card supplies Gold elite standing with Hilton and Marriott to cardmembers, together with licensed customers (enrollment required).
If you do not have Gold standing or increased with these manufacturers by means of different bank cards or organically by means of stays, Gold standing with these manufacturers supplies helpful advantages, together with room upgrades, factors bonuses, and welcome presents.
You may additionally obtain Leaders Membership Sterling standing from Main Inns of the World, a set of luxurious impartial inns.
In case you like to remain at luxurious inns, you will even have entry to the Amex High-quality Inns + Resorts (FHR) program as an Amex Platinum cardholder or licensed person. Once you ebook an FHR keep, you will get elitelike advantages, together with assured 4 p.m. late checkout, day by day breakfast for 2 and a novel property amenity valued at $100 or extra.
Who should not get the Amex Platinum?
Individuals underneath 5/24
Many individuals simply beginning within the factors world underestimate the stringency of Chase’s 5/24 rule. I bear in mind after I bought my first bank card, I could not think about opening 5 or extra playing cards in two years — but I ended up opening 17 in that time-frame. I estimate I misplaced nicely over $1,000 by not being eligible for an Ink Enterprise Most popular® Credit score Card throughout these early years.
Nonetheless, when you recover from 5/24, it might be onerous to get again underneath, and there is a large alternative price in doing so. Having a plan and sticking to it is going to serve you nicely in the long run.
The knowledge for the Ink Enterprise Most popular has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.
Individuals who ebook airfare by means of on-line journey businesses
The Platinum Card supplies 5 Membership Rewards factors per greenback spent on flights booked instantly with airways or with American Specific Journey (on as much as $500,000 of spending every calendar 12 months, then 1 level per greenback spent).
Nonetheless, when you favor to buy airfare by means of on-line journey businesses (OTAs) resembling Orbitz and Expedia, you will solely earn 1 level per greenback spent with the Platinum Card. Consequently, you will do higher with a card just like the Chase Sapphire Most popular or the Citi Strata Premier® Card (see charges and charges), which supplies bonus earnings on air journey purchases with OTAs.
Individuals who cannot maximize the Platinum’s assertion credit
One of many predominant arguments in favor of retaining the Amex Platinum long-term is that its numerous assertion credit drastically scale back the out-of-pocket price you are actually paying.
If, for some cause, you’ll be able to’t take full benefit of all of those assertion credit, the mathematics will get slightly stickier. Uber Money, for instance, can solely be used throughout the U.S., so expats like me largely waste it. Enrollment is required for choose advantages.
Possibly you do not want an additional as much as $200 in airline credit every calendar 12 months — in case you have elite standing and all of your journey is roofed by factors or your job, that extra cash is likely to be wasted on you, particularly given the restrictions across the credit.
Fastidiously contemplate simply how a lot these credit are price to you; if they supply little to no worth, one other Amex card is likely to be a greater match.
Individuals who’d be higher off with the Amex Enterprise Platinum Card
A number of variations of the Platinum card exist, together with the private card and The Enterprise Platinum Card® from American Specific. Principally, they share the identical perks and advantages, however small variations would possibly lead you to choose one or the opposite.
For instance, the Enterprise Platinum additionally has an annual payment of $895 (see charges and charges), but it surely would not provide the identical as much as $200 Uber Money every calendar 12 months as the private model.
It provides one other bonus class, although — 2 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases in choose enterprise classes and eligible purchases of $5,000 or extra (on as much as $2 million of those purchases per calendar 12 months, then 1 level per greenback).
The Enterprise Platinum additionally supplies as much as $1,150 in assertion credit per calendar 12 months for U.S. Dell purchases: as much as $150 every calendar 12 months and a further $1,000 assertion credit score after spending $5,000 on Dell purchases with the identical card every calendar 12 months (enrollment required).
You too can entry the Pay with Factors redemption possibility on the Enterprise Platinum card, which will get you a 35% bonus for eligible flights together with your chosen airline utilizing your Amex factors (as much as 1 million factors again per calendar 12 months). That is notably not obtainable on the private Amex Platinum.
Backside line
The Amex Platinum Card from American Specific recurrently makes the lower as one in all TPG’s finest journey card suggestions due to the outsize worth it might present, from the preliminary welcome provide to the continuing luxurious perks it provides.
Nonetheless, even when a card is efficacious, it won’t be your most suitable option. You need to contemplate how this software elements into your long-term plans, particularly because it pertains to different issuers. You even have to make sure you can maximize the advantages in your life, a minimum of sufficient to recoup the hefty annual payment.
The Amex Platinum can simply pay for itself by means of its useful advantages and redemption choices, however provided that you are capable of simply and naturally use them.
To be taught extra, try our full evaluate of the Amex Platinum.
Apply right here: The Platinum Card from American Specific
For charges and charges of the Amex Platinum Card, click on right here.
For charges and charges of the Amex Enterprise Platinum Card, click on right here.
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