American Express Platinum Card Complete Overview
The American Express Platinum Card is one of the most perk-rich premium travel cards available—built for travelers who value airport lounge access, luxury hotel benefits, and statement credits that can offset a high annual fee. In 2025, Amex announced a major refresh to the Platinum lineup that increased the annual fee and expanded the card’s lifestyle-style credits and perks, signaling that the Platinum is as much a “luxury lifestyle” card as it is a travel card. While the card carries a heft annual fee of $895, a plethora of credits and perks can provide outsized value.
Why the Amex Platinum Stands Out
The Platinum Card’s biggest strength is its unmatched travel perks. Cardmembers receive access to an extensive global lounge network, including Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, and Delta Sky Clubs when flying Delta. This alone can dramatically improve the airport experience, especially for international travelers or those who frequently connect through major hubs.
Beyond lounges, the card offers automatic elite status with select hotel programs, allowing cardholders to enjoy room upgrades, late checkout, and bonus points at participating properties. For travelers who value comfort and consistency, these benefits can quickly outweigh the card’s annual fee.
Points Earning & Travel Value
The Amex Platinum earns Membership Rewards® points, one of the most flexible and valuable rewards currencies. Points can be transferred to a wide range of airline and hotel partners, making it easy to book premium cabins like business and first class or luxury hotel stays at outsized value.
This card earns 5x points on airfare and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel.
You can also pair the Platinum Card with other American Express cards to create a power packed duo. For additional points earning, you can also link your Rakuten account with Amex and earn your shopping portal rewards in the form of American Express Points(Highly Recommended)
Key Benefits
1) Airport lounge access
Amex’s Global Lounge Collection is one of the Platinum’s biggest differentiators, with access spanning Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass Select (enrollment required), and Delta Sky Club access when flying an eligible Delta flight( 10 Entries per year). The Centurion Lounge network offers locations at many major hubs in the U.S. such as Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. There are also international locations in Hong Kong and London Heathrow. Centurion Lounges are solid and offer dining options with a local twist.
To Find a Centurion Lounge Near You →Note: Centurion Lounge access is only for the primary card holder. After spending $75,000 in a calendar year, the primary card holder can bring two eligible guest per visit.
2) 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels
The Platinum is strongest when you use it for airfare and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel, earning 5X Membership Rewards on eligible purchases (with caps/terms).
How Strictly Travel readers typically use this:
- Pay cash for a flight → earn 5X → transfer points to airline partners later for premium cabin redemptions
- Book a prepaid hotel stay through Amex Travel when it makes sense (especially when stacking eligible benefits)
- Make sure to use the semi annual credit
3) Hotel programs + Amex Travel luxury collections
Platinum pairs nicely with luxury hotel stays thanks to:
- Access to Amex Travel collections like Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection
- Booking a Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection hotels comes with perks such as property credit, late checkout, and potential room upgrades
- $300 Semi Annual credit for booking a prepaid reservation with Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection
- Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold and Marriot Gold (Middle Tier Status)
This is one of the reasons the Platinum shines for travelers who regularly book premium properties.
4) Statement credits that can offset the annual fee
Amex positions the Platinum as a credits-and-perks card. Benefits change over time, but commonly discussed Platinum credits include:
🏨 Hotel Credit
- Up to $600 per calendar year (split as $300 Jan–Jun and $300 Jul–Dec)
• Applies to prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings made through American Express Travel® and paid with your Platinum Card.
• The Hotel Collection usually requires a two-night minimum.
(Enrollment may be required.)- MaxFHR is a great tool for finding the best properties to use this perk!
🚗 Uber Credits
- $200 Uber Cash annually: $15/month + $20 in December when your Platinum Card is added to your Uber account.
- Up to $120 Uber One Credit annually for an auto-renewing Uber One membership paid with the Platinum Card.
(Enrollment/activation required.)
🎬 Digital Entertainment Credit
- Up to $300 per year (usually $25/month) when you use the Platinum Card for eligible purchases on select digital entertainment services (e.g., Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, The New York Times, YouTube Premium, YouTube TV).
(Enrollment required.) American Express+1
🍽️ Resy Dining Credit
- Up to $400 per year (typically $100 per calendar quarter) on dining at participating U.S. restaurants via the Resy platform when paid with your Platinum Card.
(Enrollment required.) Daily Drop+1
🛍️ Lululemon Credit
- Up to $300 per year ($75 per quarter) for purchases at U.S. lululemon stores or lululemon.com.
(Enrollment required.) Daily Drop
💼 Fashion & Retail Credit
- Up to $100 annually for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue or saks.com (split into two $50 credits each year).
(Enrollment required.)
✈️ Airline Incidental Fee Credit
- Up to $200 per calendar year in statement credits for incidental airline fees (such as baggage fees, seat upgrades, etc.), charged by the airline you choose and paid with your Platinum Card (airline ticket itself typically doesn’t qualify).
(Enrollment required, terms apply.)
🛂 CLEAR® Plus Credit
- Up to $209 per year in statement credits toward a CLEAR Plus membership when you pay with your Platinum Card.
(Enrollment required; taxes/fees may still apply.)
🔬 Oura Ring Credit
- Up to $200 per year in statement credits for eligible purchases of an Oura Ring.
(Enrollment required; hardware purchases only.)
🛒 Walmart Plus Credit
- Up to $180 per year in monthly statement credits for a Walmart Plus membership
My Valuation
Here’s my valuation of these credits:
🏨 Hotel Credit $600 ($480) – I value this at 80% of face value as I do go out of my way to pay for a pricier hotel to utilize this perk
🚗 Uber Credits $200 ($200) – I use Uber a good amount and will take the credit at face value
🎬 Digital Entertainment Credit $300 ($300) – I would pay for streaming even without this credit so I also value this at face value
🍽️ Resy Dining Credit $400 ($300) – Resy Spots tend to be more expensive but perfect for date nights. The only reason I value this credit as 75% is that I wouldn’t visit these upscale restaurants without this credit.
🛍️ Lululemon Credit $300 ($150) – I only value this at 50% as I don’t frequently shop at Lululemon and would shop there without the credit
✈️ Airline Incidental Fee Credit $200 ($200) – I use up the $200 every year with Delta for my parents. I get great value.
🛂 CLEAR® Plus Credit ($0) – I don’t use or need a CLEAR Membership
🔬 Oura Ring Credit ($0) – Oura rings cost upwards of $350 and I wouldn’t buy one for $150 so this credit goes unused.
🛒 Walmart Plus Credit $180 ($180) – I use Walmart a good amount for my small business. I would keep Walmart plus without the credit.
Overall Credits Valuation: $1630
Even with my conservative estimates, I still get roughly $1600 in value annual from these credits.
Who Should Get the Amex Platinum?
The American Express Platinum Card is best suited for:
- Frequent flyers who value airport lounge access
- Travelers who stay at upscale or luxury hotels
- Points enthusiasts looking to book premium cabins
- Those who can maximize statement credits and elite perks
If you travel frequently and can utilize the statement credits and elite perks, this card can be a no brainer.
Final Thoughts
For travelers focused on comfort, convenience, and premium experiences, the American Express Platinum Card remains a gold standard. While it’s not the right fit for everyone, those who travel often and leverage its benefits effectively will find it to be one of the most rewarding cards available especially with periodic offers of 175,000 points.