The Platinum Card® from American Categorical packs lots of punch into its steel shell. That should not come as a lot of a shock, on condition that it is among the many heaviest and most costly of the publicly accessible 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 luxurious perks — together with journey credit, elite standing and lounge entry* — can add a number of hundred {dollars} or extra a yr to its long-term worth, most individuals contemplating the Amex Platinum will fixate on one quantity: the $895 annual price (see charges and charges).
It is easy to make the case that the Amex Platinum pays for itself over time, however that does not essentially imply it is the correct card for you. So, let’s take a look at who ought to — and should not — get the Amex Platinum.
*Enrollment is required for choose advantages.
Key advantages
Proper now, yow will discover 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 affords fluctuate and it’s possible you’ll not bot be eligible for a suggestion.
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 superb return in and of itself.
Regardless of which bonus give you get, all Platinum cardmembers get pleasure from the identical precious perks. To offset the annual price, Amex affords 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 yr on eligible High-quality Lodges + Resorts and The Resort Assortment bookings (as much as $300 semi-annually; minimal two-night keep required for The Resort Assortment)
- As much as $400 each calendar yr (as much as $100 every quarter) for purchases at U.S. Resy eating places. No reservation is required
- As much as $300 per calendar yr (as much as $25 month-to-month) in digital leisure assertion credit for eligible subscriptions
- As much as $200 assertion credit score every calendar yr for airline incidental costs, comparable to seat project, lounge entry and checked bag charges with a choose qualifying airline
- As much as $200 in Uber Money every calendar yr in increments of as much as $15 monthly, plus an as much as $20 bonus in December (for U.S. providers). It’s also possible to use these credit to order meals from Uber Eats. Uber Money will solely be deposited into one Uber account if you add the Amex Platinum as a cost technique and redeem with any Amex card
- As much as a $120 Uber One assertion credit score that absolutely 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 accessible each 4 years after you apply for World Entry or an as much as $85 assertion credit score accessible each 4½ years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck
- As much as $300 every calendar yr (as much as $75 quarterly) Lululemon assertion credit score for U.S. shops (excluding retailers) and on-line
The Amex Platinum additionally affords 5 factors per greenback spent (or a ten% return primarily based on TPG’s valuations) on airfare booked straight with the airline, in addition to on airfare booked by way of American Categorical Journey® (on as much as $500,000 per yr, 1 level per greenback spent thereafter). You will additionally earn 5 factors per greenback spent on pay as you go motels booked by way of Amex Journey (together with pay as you go Amex High-quality Lodges + Resorts bookings).
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That is the perfect return you will get wherever on shopping for airline tickets, in response to our valuations.
Frequent vacationers will even respect that the Platinum affords the most complete lounge entry of any card, together with a Precedence Cross™ Choose membership (enrollment required), Amex’s rising world assortment of Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Golf equipment when flying Delta (restricted to 10 annual visits, limitless visits will be unlocked by spending $75,000 or extra in your card in a calendar yr ), Aspire, Escape and choose Lufthansa lounges. Enrollment could also be required; entry is restricted to eligible cardmembers.
Rounding out the checklist 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, automobile rental insurance coverage*, baggage insurance coverage** and a number of different lesser-known perks.
*Eligibility and profit stage varies by card. Not all car varieties or leases are coated, 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 way of American Categorical Journey Associated Providers Firm, Inc.
**Eligibility and profit stage 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 searching for starter card suggestions, I will virtually at all times counsel both the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked® Card (see charges and charges) or the Chase Freedom Limitless® (see charges and charges).
Chase Final Rewards factors are barely extra precious 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” offers me loads of motive to advocate getting your Chase playing cards first.
In case you aren’t accustomed to this rule, it signifies that candidates who’ve opened 5 or extra playing cards within the final 24 months throughout all issuers will likely be robotically rejected for many Chase playing cards. This is the reason you must often prioritize Chase playing cards as you begin build up your pockets with our greatest rewards bank cards.
Nevertheless, after you max out your 5 Chase slots, what comes subsequent? The Amex Platinum is an ideal reply, and it could possibly even assist you 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 completely different flavors of Amex Platinum — which one is best for you?
Individuals who will use the lounge entry
In case you can absolutely use the assertion credit on the Amex Platinum annually, the out-of-pocket price for the cardboard goes down dramatically.
As an alternative of enthusiastic about this as an annual price you pay to Amex for the privilege of spending cash on its hunk of steel, give it some thought as an annual lounge membership price.
As a reminder, the Amex Platinum comes with a Precedence Cross Choose membership (enrollment required), entry to Amex’s world 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 restricted to eligible cardmembers.
Amex presently operates Centurion lounges in greater than twenty airports, making the cardboard much more price it in case you dwell in or regularly transit by way of a type of places.
Individuals who keep at Hilton, Marriott or choose luxurious motels
The Platinum Card supplies Gold elite standing with Hilton and Marriott to cardmembers, together with approved customers (enrollment required).
If you do not have Gold standing or larger with these manufacturers by way of different bank cards or organically by way of stays, Gold standing with these manufacturers supplies helpful advantages, together with room upgrades, factors bonuses, and welcome presents.
You will additionally obtain Leaders Membership Sterling standing from Main Lodges of the World, a group of luxurious impartial motels.
In case you like to remain at luxurious motels, you will even have entry to the Amex High-quality Lodges + Resorts (FHR) program as an Amex Platinum cardholder or approved consumer. If you e book an FHR keep, you will get elitelike advantages, together with assured 4 p.m. late checkout, every day breakfast for 2 and a novel property amenity valued at $100 or extra.
Who should not get the Amex Platinum?
Folks beneath 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 received 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 effectively over $1,000 by not being eligible for an Ink Enterprise Most well-liked® Credit score Card throughout these early years.
Nevertheless, when you recover from 5/24, it might be laborious to get again beneath, and there is a huge alternative price in doing so. Having a plan and sticking to it is going to serve you effectively in the long run.
The knowledge for the Ink Enterprise Most well-liked 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 e book airfare by way of on-line journey companies
The Platinum Card supplies 5 Membership Rewards factors per greenback spent on flights booked straight with airways or with American Categorical Journey (on as much as $500,000 of spending every calendar yr, then 1 level per greenback spent).
Nevertheless, in case you want to buy airfare by way of on-line journey companies (OTAs) comparable to Orbitz and Expedia, you will solely earn 1 level per greenback spent with the Platinum Card. Because of this, you will do higher with a card just like the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked 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 holding the Amex Platinum long-term is that its varied assertion credit drastically scale back the out-of-pocket price you are actually paying.
If, for some motive, you may’t take full benefit of all of those assertion credit, the maths will get slightly stickier. Uber Money, for instance, can solely be used inside the U.S., so expats like me largely waste it. Enrollment is required for choose advantages.
Perhaps you do not want an additional as much as $200 in airline credit every calendar yr — if in case you have elite standing and all of your journey is roofed by factors or your job, that more money could be wasted on you, particularly given the restrictions across the credit.
Rigorously take into account simply how a lot these credit are price to you; if they supply little to no worth, one other Amex card could 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 non-public card and The Enterprise Platinum Card® from American Categorical. Principally, they share the identical perks and advantages, however small variations may lead you to select one or the opposite.
For instance, the Enterprise Platinum additionally has an annual price of $895 (see charges and charges), however it would not provide the identical as much as $200 Uber Money every calendar yr as the non-public 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 yr, then 1 level per greenback).
The Enterprise Platinum additionally supplies as much as $1,150 in assertion credit per calendar yr for U.S. Dell purchases: as much as $150 every calendar yr and an extra $1,000 assertion credit score after spending $5,000 on Dell purchases with the identical card every calendar yr (enrollment required).
It’s also possible to entry the Pay with Factors redemption possibility on the Enterprise Platinum card, which will get you a 35% bonus for eligible flights along with your chosen airline utilizing your Amex factors (as much as 1 million factors again per calendar yr). That is notably not accessible on the non-public Amex Platinum.
Backside line
The Amex Platinum Card from American Categorical recurrently makes the reduce as one in every of TPG’s greatest journey card suggestions due to the outsize worth it could possibly present, from the preliminary welcome provide to the continued luxurious perks it affords.
Nevertheless, even when a card is efficacious, it won’t be your most suitable option. It’s a must to take into account how this software components 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, not less than sufficient to recoup the hefty annual price.
The Amex Platinum can simply pay for itself by way of its precious advantages and redemption choices, however provided that you are capable of simply and naturally use them.
To study extra, take a look at our full overview of the Amex Platinum.
Apply right here: The Platinum Card from American Categorical
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.
