The Amex Platinum Card – Full Review [2023]

Great Card If

• You travel often enough to take advantage of all the travel perks
• You’re able to use the annual credits (airline incidental fees, Saks Fifth Avenue, prepaid hotels) and monthly credits (Uber, Equinox, digital entertainment)
• You want complimentary airport lounge access (globally)
• You want hotel elite status
• You want a luxury card with luxury benefits

Don’t Get If

• You don’t travel often
• You aren’t interested in the perks and annual credits
• You prefer a card with more bonus categories

Amex Platinum Card — Is It Worth It for the Yearly Fee?

The Amex Platinum card is well worth it for frequent travelers who want luxury travel and lifestyle perks, and who can regularly take advantage of the card’s premium benefits.

When you combine best-in-class airport lounge access with 5x earnings on airfare (up to $500,000 per year) and prepaid hotels booked with Amex Travel, Gold elite status with Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors upon enrollment, and access to Amex’s Fine Hotel & Resorts program, you’ve got a package that makes for one of the best travel cards in the industry.

While it’s true that the annual fee might initially give you pause, when you consider the bevy of credits that come with the card, the math starts to come out in your favor.

Virtually every benefit offered with the card is tailored toward enhancing your travel experiences, and it shows, making it a perfect complement to any traveler looking to upgrade their travels.

Personally, while I don’t use every perk of the Amex Platinum card, I find I can easily offset the annual fee every year thanks to the up to $200 airline incidental credit, up to $240 digital entertainment credit, up to $200 in Uber Cash, and up to $189 annual CLEAR credit. Then when you add in perks like airport lounge access, various elite statuses, and travel protections, it is easy to see why the Amex Platinum card has a permanent place in my wallet. Remember to enroll in all your card’s benefits to max out the value you receive back from your card.

If this sounds like the ideal card for you, we suggest checking to see if you may be eligible for the Amex Platinum 150k offer.

Amex Platinum Card Top Benefits

Annual Credits

One of the easiest ways to determine how worthwhile the Amex Platinum card will be to you is to consider how much value you’ll get from the card’s annual credits, and whether or not that figure exceeds the annual fee you pay. These credits include:

• Up to $200 airline incidental credit (good towards items like baggage fees, seat selection fees, etc.)
• Up to $200 Uber Cash credit ($15 per month and $35 in December)
• Up to $240 digital entertainment credit ($20 per month)
• Up to $200 prepaid hotel credit on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings, which require a minimum two-night stay, through American Express Travel
• Up to $155 Walmart+ credit (offers free same-day delivery and free shipping on orders)
• Up to $300 Equinox credit annually
• Up to $100 Saks Fifth Avenue credit ($50 from January to June and $50 from July to December)
• Up to $189 CLEAR Plus credit

Note that some credits require enrollment, so be sure to explore your American Express account to make the most of your card.

Lounge Access

One of the card’s best benefits is the airport lounge access level that it offers via the American Express Global Lounge Collection.

Not only do you get access to Priority Pass lounges upon enrollment that many other premium credit cards offer, but you also get access to swanky Amex Centurion Lounges, International Centurion Lounges, Escape Lounges – The Centurion Studio Partner, Plaza Premium Lounges, Airspace Lounge, select Virgin Clubhouses, select Lufthansa lounges when flying with Lufthansa Group the same day, and Delta Sky Clubs when flying with Delta the same day.

This means that no matter what airport you find yourself in, you’ll almost always have a lounge that you can kick back and relax in thanks to your Amex Platinum card, making it one of the best credit cards with lounge access.

Senior Content Contributor Katie Seemann had this to say about the lounge access offered with the Amex Platinum card:

One of the main reasons I keep the Amex Platinum card in my wallet is for the lounge access. Of course, I love Centurion Lounges, but I value access to Escape Lounges more. That’s because the only lounge at my home airport is an Escape Lounge, so it’s one I use every single time I fly. Knowing I have a quiet place to wait for my fight with complimentary food and drinks is a perk that makes my travel day so much more enjoyable.

Katie Seemann, Senior Content Contributor

I agree with Katie; airport lounge access is easily one of my favorite perks of the Amex Platinum card. Similar to Katie, when I lived in Cincinnati I had just 3 airport lounge options available to me, The Club at CVG, an Escape Lounge, and a Delta SkyClub, all of which I could access thanks to my Amex Platinum card. Now that I live in New York I am spoiled for lounge options and can visit excellent lounges like the Amex Centurion lounge at JFK, LGA, and soon at EWR as well.

Hotel Elite Status

Cardholders get an automatic boost to Hilton Honors Gold status and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status within each program upon enrollment.

Both status levels will earn you extra points on stays, space-available room upgrades, late checkout if available, and much more.

Rental Car Elite Status

If you regularly rent cars during your travels, you’ll love that the Amex Platinum card gets you automatic National Emerald Club Executive status, along with Avis Preferred and Hertz Gold Plus benefits upon enrollment.

Perks from each company include, but aren’t limited to, vehicle upgrades, discounts, expedited pickup lanes, and convenient dropoff locations.

Travel Protections

If anything goes wrong during your travels, your Amex Platinum card keeps you covered with the following travel insurance benefits:

• Trip Delay Insurance — Get reimbursed for up to $500 per ticket in covered expenses if your flight is delayed by 6 hours or requires an overnight stay. This includes items like lodging, food, etc.
• Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance — If you need to cancel a trip due to a covered cause, like severe weather, you’ll receive a reimbursement of up to $10,000 per trip, and $20,000 per year, towards non-refundable travel expenses if you need to cancel your trip or end it early.
• Rental Car Insurance — Your card gives you secondary rental car insurance, which covers up to $75,000 towards accidental damage or theft of the vehicle.
• Baggage Insurance — If your baggage is lost or damaged while in transit with the carrier, you’re covered for up to $2,000 towards checked baggage and $3,000 towards carry-on baggage.

Consumer Protections

The Amex Platinum doesn’t just offer travel protections, though. You’re also covered with the following consumer protections:

• Cell Phone Insurance — Receive coverage for accidental damage caused to your cell phone, with up to $800 in coverage, up to 2 times per year, with a $50 deductible.
• Purchase Protection — If an item you’ve purchased gets stolen, accidentally damaged, or lost within 90 days of purchase, you’re covered for up to $10,000 per item and $50,000 per year.
• Return Protection — If you try to return an item within 90 days of purchase, and the merchant won’t accept it, you can be refunded by Amex for up to $300 per item, and up to $1,000 per year.
• Extended Warranty Coverage — This protection adds 1 year of extended warranty coverage to standard warranties that are 5 years or less.

Hot Tip:

Purchase Protection recently came in handy for me when one of my Airpod Pro earbuds stopped working. The replacement was going to set me back $89, but since I’d purchased the Airpods with my Amex Platinum card, I simply submitted a claim to Amex and the full $89 was refunded back to me as a statement credit.

Best Ways To Earn and Redeem Your Amex Points

Naturally, aside from using your card for your daily purchases, you’ll want to learn how you can earn as many Amex points as possible. Fortunately, we have a comprehensive guide covering all the best ways to earn Amex Membership Rewards points.

From there, you’ll want to learn about all the best ways to redeem your Amex points. This will help you start traveling like a pro while getting huge value out of your hard-earned points.

Some of our favorite ways to redeem our Amex Membership Rewards points include utilizing select Amex travel transfer partners to book business and first class tickets for a mere fraction of the typical cash price!

In fact, team members at Upgraded Points have used their Amex Membership Rewards points to book some incredible products like Lufthansa First Class, Virgin Atlantic Upper Class, ANA “The Suite” First Class, Cathay Pacific Business Class, and more.

If this sounds like the right credit card for you, take a look at this fantastic Amex Platinum offer, and be sure to read our guide to find out all you need to know about making an American Express credit card application.

Alternative Cards to the Amex Platinum Card

Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers 3x points per $1 spent on all travel and dining purchases, with the travel definition being extended to include airfare, hotels, Airbnb, Uber/Lyft, and more.

Combine that with a $300 travel credit and a Priority Pass membership, and it makes for a compelling option.

While the Chase Sapphire Reserve card doesn’t feature nearly the level of elite benefits that the Amex Platinum card does, this could be a good option for you if you’re after a more well-rounded travel card.

Check out our head-to-head comparison of the Amex Platinum card vs. the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

If you prefer a premium rewards card that offers airport lounge access at a lower annual fee, then the Capital One Venture X card could be a perfect option.

With its annual fee, you’ll get complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network, a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus at your first anniversary, up to $300 annual travel credit, and much more (rates and fees).

The card earns 10x miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5x miles per $1 on flights booked through Capital One Travel, and 2x miles per $1 on all other purchases.

Which card is right for you? See our detailed comparison of the Amex Platinum card vs. the Capital One Venture X card.

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We’ve also compared the Amex Platinum card to several other popular cards:

• Amex Platinum card vs. The Business Platinum Card ^® from American Express
• Amex Platinum card vs. American Express^® Gold Card
• Amex Platinum card vs. Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card
• Amex Platinum card vs. Citi Prestige^® Card
• Amex Platinum card vs. Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card
• Amex Platinum card vs. Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express
• Amex Platinum card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card
• Amex Platinum card vs. Mastercard^® Black Card™
• Amex Platinum card vs. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
• Amex Platinum card vs. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card

If you currently own the Amex Gold card, but you’re interested in the Amex Platinum, we recommend you take a look at this Amex Platinum upgrade offer.

The information regarding the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information for the Citi Prestige^® Card has been collected independently by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Mastercard^® Black Card™ was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card^® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express^® Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® card, click here.