American Express Platinum Card® Review: Amex’s Premium Travel Mainstay

American Express Platinum Card® Review

The American Express Platinum Card® is Amex’s premium travel personal credit card. The card offers many benefits and perks along with a high annual fee. In our American Express Platinum Card® review, we will look at the welcome offer, earning structure, card benefits and share our overall thoughts on this premium product.

Platinum Card® Benefits

The American Express Platinum Card® offers a lot of benefits and perks. Amex even boasts that the card offers several thousands of dollars in value through its many credits. This may be true, but few cardholders will manage to use every single credit without much work. That said, the Platinum Card® does offer a lot of good benefits that are sure to please many cardholders.

Lululemon Credit ($300)

Up to $75 back each quarter in statement credits for eligible purchases at lululemon stores or lululemon.com in the U.S. when paying with the Platinum Card®. Enrollment required.

Resy Dining Credit + Platinum Nights™ by Resy ($400)

Get up to $100 in statement credits each quarter when you use the Platinum Card® to pay for eligible purchases with Resy, including dining purchases at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants. Enrollment required. As a Platinum Card® Member you have special access to reservations on select nights at participating sought after Resy restaurants through Platinum Nights™ by Resy. Simply add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile to book your reservation.

Uber Cash ($200) + Uber One ($120) Credit

Receive $15 in Uber Cash each month plus a $20 bonus in December when you add your Platinum Card® to your Uber account to use on rides and orders in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction. Plus, when you use the Platinum Card® to pay for an auto-renewing Uber One membership, you can get up to $120 in statement credits each calendar year. Terms apply.

Lounge access:

Like many other premium travel cards, the American Express Platinum Card® has complimentary Priority Pass™ membership. This card also grants you access to the Global Lounge Collection, with access to Centurion Lounges, 10 Delta Sky Club visits when flying on an eligible Delta flight, Priority Pass membership (enrollment required) and other select partner lounges. Enrollment required.

Airline credit ($200):

Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees, such as checked bags and in-flight refreshments, are charged by the airline to The Platinum Card® Account. Note: American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions.

Lodging credit ($600):

• Get up to $300 in statement credits semi-annually on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts®, Airbnb Luxe or The Hotel Collection* bookings through American Express Travel® using the Platinum Card®. *The Hotel Collection and  Airbnb Luxe require a minimum two-night stay. Effective January 1, 2027, Fine Hotels + Resorts® bookings will require a minimum two-night stay to be eligible for the $600 Hotel Credit. 
• Amex has two signature collections of premium hotels that can be booked through Amex Travel™: Fine Hotels + Resorts® is a collection of over 1,900 luxury hotels that are destinations unto themselves, and the Hotel Collection includes over 1,400 upscale hotels in desirable destinations.

CLEAR+ credit ($219):

CLEAR+ helps get you to your gate faster by using your face to verify you are you at 60+ airports nationwide. You can cover the cost of a CLEAR+ Membership* with up to $219 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for CLEAR+ with your Platinum Card®. *Excluding any applicable taxes and fees. Subject to auto-renewal.

Entertainment credit ($300):

Get up to $25 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following:

• Disney+
• Disney+ Bundle
• ESPN Streaming
• Hulu
• The New York Times
• Peacock
• The Wall Street Journal
• Paramount+
• YouTube Premium
• YouTube TV

Enrollment is required for this benefit.

Walmart+ ($155):

Get up to a $12.95* statement credit back each month after you pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with your Platinum Card®. (*Covers up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes on one membership fee.)

Equinox credit ($300):

Get up to $300 back in statement credits per calendar year on an Equinox membership, or an Equinox club membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you pay with your Platinum Card®. Enrollment required.

Global Entry/TSA Pre-Check (Up To $120): 

Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.

Oura Credit ($200)

Up to $200 back each calendar year in statement credits when Card Members use the Platinum Card® to purchase an Oura Ring through Ouraring.com. Enrollment required.

Complimentary Hotel Elite Status:

Cardholders enjoy complimentary Gold status with Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy. Also receive receive complimentary Leaders Club Sterling Status from The Leading Hotels of the World®. Enrollment is required.

ToP Analysis

The Amex Platinum card offers some great benefits for travelers, despite the high $895 annual fee. Most travelers can benefit from credits towards Uber, lululemon, streaming, airline fees, FHR/Hotel Collection and Clear+, along with lounge access. Of course, we all have different travel patterns and preferences. If these credits are of little use to you, then the Platinum Card® may not be a keeper for you. But the card’s consistently high welcome offer makes it worth opening if you are over 5/24, even if just for the first year.

Whether the card is worth keeping after the first year requires you to crunch the numbers and figure out which credits you will actually use. Benefits like the Uber and airline credits are very easy to use. Others require a little more work, like the lodging credit. Meanwhile, benefits like the Equinox and entertainment credits cater to a much smaller subgroup of cardholders. One downside of all these different credits is that many are broken out monthly. Having to remember which credit(s) have been used every month gets quite tiresome. Those who have criticized the American Express Platinum Card® becoming glorified coupon books make a valid point.

As for spending, the American Express Platinum Card®‘s 5x earning on flights booked directly with airlines beats all other major credit cards. But beyond that, the Platinum Card® does not justify getting a lot of spend. Earning 5x on bookings through Amex Travel is similar to what competitors offer but we think portal bookings should be mostly avoided. In sum, the utility of the American Express Platinum Card® comes down to its benefits. Those who derive value from the many credits and travel perks should easily justify the high annual fee.

American Express Platinum Card® Review: ToP Thoughts

The American Express Platinum Card® has plenty of benefits geared towards travelers. Folks should each analyze their own needs to decide whether the card is worth keeping for the benefits. With so many of its perks split into monthly statement credits, cardholders should also consider the effort required to have those credits actually be worth it. What are your thoughts on the American Express Platinum Card®? Which of the card’s benefits most appeal to you? Come join the discussion in our Facebook group!