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The American Express Platinum Card® is the most expensive card in my wallet, charging an annual fee of $895 (see rates and fees). It’s also one of the cards I receive the most value from, year in and year out.
The Amex Platinum isn’t the kind of card you can let sit in your wallet without giving it a thought. With so many benefits, you have to put in work to get full value.
Here are some ways you may be missing value with your Amex Platinum.
Take advantage of the welcome offer
New Amex Platinum cardmembers can find out their offer and may be eligible for as high as 175,000 bonus points after spending $12,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.
According to TPG’s August 2026 valuations, this bonus is worth up to $3,500. That’s more than three times the Amex Platinum’s $895 annual fee.
With that minimum spending requirement of $12,000 in six months, you’ll want to be sure you shift your spending patterns to earn the bonus. Consider paying for everything — such as utilities, rent and groceries — with your new Amex Platinum card during that period.
I’ve used Membership Rewards points to transfer to Hilton Honors (at a 1:2 ratio). I once topped off my Hilton account with 20,000 Membership Rewards points (which converted to 40,000 Hilton points upon transfer) to book two nights at the Graduate by Hilton hotel in Chapel Hill for a UNC Tar Heels basketball weekend.
I also transferred 40,000 Membership Rewards points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club to book my first business-class flight from New York to London for 39,000 Virgin Atlantic points plus $581 in taxes and fees.
Related: 10 ways to meet the spending requirements and earn the bonus on a new card
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Understand bonus-earning opportunities
Once you’ve met the minimum spending requirement for the Amex Platinum‘s welcome offer, you’ll want to start strategizing when to use it.
The Amex Platinum is one of the best cards for general travel expenses. However, it doesn’t get you the best return on everyday purchases.
The card’s earning rates are as follows:
- 5 points per dollar spent on airfare purchased directly with the airlines or through American Express Travel® (on up to $500,000 of airfare purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar spent)
- 5 points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked with Amex Travel
- 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
This makes the Amex Platinum one of the best cards for booking flights or paying taxes and fees on award tickets. It’s lackluster elsewhere, earning 1 point per dollar spent on most other purchases.
Related: Amex Travel App: How to plan and book trips — and when to use it
Maximize your travel perks
The Amex Platinum is a power card for frequent travelers.
Some of the benefits this card offers include:
This card is an excellent travel companion and provides value on the road or in the skies. The key is to use all the included services.
I love having access to my local airport’s Escape Lounge, the Centurion Lounge in Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) and Delta SkyClubs when I fly on a same-day Delta flight*.
I’ve also made good use of my two hotel statement credits this year. In January, I booked a one-night stay at The Ivey’s Hotel in Charlotte and came out $1 ahead thanks to Fine Hotels + Resorts perks. For the second half of the year, I booked two nights at The Hiatus Clearwater Beach, Curio Collection by Hilton in Florida. The Hiatus is part of The Hotel Collection, and $300 off brought my two-night cost to $277.
*Eligible Platinum cardmembers will receive 10 visits per eligible Platinum Card, per year to the Delta Sky Club or to Grab and Go locations when traveling on a same-day Delta-operated flight (excluding basic economy), unless they spend $75,000 or more on their card to unlock unlimited visits.
Related: How I used my Amex Platinum benefits to save over $500 on a dream stay in Morocco
Access exclusive VIP experiences and ticket presales
Amex Platinum cardmembers receive access to VIP experiences and early access to ticket presales, as well as events with the Premium Events Collection. These can help you get into popular events that are likely to sell out.
The Premium Events Collection is an exclusive benefit for Platinum and The Centurion Card from American Express cardmembers that offers access to year-round, customized, once-in-a-lifetime events plus experiences for “dining, entertainment, fashion and sports,” per the benefit’s website.
The information for the Centurion card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Previous examples of VIP experiences and ticket presales through the Amex Platinum include presale access to Harry Styles’ Together, Together Tour and access to exclusive cardmember lounge space at the US Open.
Related: Who should (and who shouldn’t) get the American Express Platinum?
Use the card for monthly digital entertainment purchases
One of the most underrated benefits of the Amex Platinum is its monthly statement credit for digital entertainment purchases.
With the Amex Platinum, you’ll receive up to $300 per calendar year in digital entertainment statement credits (up to $25 monthly; enrollment required).
The following services are covered with this perk:
- Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ — or a Disney+ Bundle (which includes up to all three services)
- Paramount+
- Peacock (with the exception of bundled subscriptions, add-on subscriptions or subscriptions through a third party)
- The New York Times
- The Wall Street Journal
- YouTube Premium
- YouTube TV
I get $25 off my YouTube TV subscription every month thanks to this benefit, and my parents use this statement credit on their Disney+ Bundle.
It’s likely you’re already using at least one of the services, so if you’re not enrolled and using your Amex Platinum here, you are definitely missing out.
Related: 5 credit cards that save you money on streaming subscriptions
Check in on your Amex Offers
The Amex Platinum provides cardmembers with targeted Amex Offers across multiple merchants, including travel companies, retailers, services and more.
To obtain the most value from the Amex Platinum, you must enroll in the offers you want.
This is a simple process: Log in to your Amex account, and pick your offers.
These targeted offers can provide valuable rebates or bonuses on your purchases throughout the year, but you must add them to your card before making an eligible purchase.
Related: The secret to getting more (and sometimes better) Amex Offers on your card
Don’t assume you receive perks automatically
This is key to maximizing your Amex Platinum. You can’t assume all of your statement credits or benefits will automatically apply. For many of these benefits, you have to enroll through your account.
You have to manually enroll for elite status with car rental partners and hotel elite status programs, the annual Clear+ statement credit and the monthly digital entertainment statement credit, among others.
It’s a huge mistake if you assume you’re automatically enrolled for these benefits when you receive your card. Be sure to double-check before you make relevant purchases.
Related: 10 things to do when you get the Amex Platinum
Bottom line
You need to use the benefits to justify the Amex Platinum card’s hefty $895 annual fee. The best approach is to reach your spending requirement to earn the welcome offer, enroll in the programs that will enhance your travel experience and clearly understand the card’s perks. While it may not be possible to use all of them, try to evaluate which you can use and whether they’re enough to make the annual fee worth it.
Some of the Amex Platinum’s benefits are obvious, like access to airport lounges. Others are more easily overlooked, and some benefits require enrollment before using them. If you understand what your card offers, you shouldn’t miss value from the card going forward.
To learn more, read our full review of the Amex Platinum.
Apply here: American Express Platinum Card
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum, click here.
