If you already have one of American Express’ top-tier cards — or are considering applying — the real value comes from how consistently you use its built-in statement credits.

As the end of the quarter approaches, it’s worth making sure you’ve used your Q3 statement credits before Sept. 30, alongside any monthly statement credits that reset soon.

This guide shows how to make the most of these benefits.

Why this matters

With a mix of monthly, quarterly and biannual statement credits, both the $895 annual fee American Express Platinum Card® and $895 annual fee The Business Platinum Card® from American Express can deliver hundreds of dollars in value each year (see rates and fees for the Amex Platinum; see rates and fees for the Amex Business Platinum).

But that’s only if you stay organized and use them before they expire.

The consumer Platinum Card offers up to $75 in statement credits for purchases at U.S. Lululemon retail stores (excluding outlets) and online each quarter and up to $100 in statement credits for U.S. Resy-affiliated restaurants each quarter (enrollment required for both benefits).

Similarly, the business version of the Platinum Card comes with a suite of ongoing statement credits that can deliver consistent value throughout the year.

Advice for Platinum Card members

With the up to $75 quarterly Lululemon statement credits and up to $100 quarterly U.S. Resy statement credits, Platinum Card members can extract up to $175 in value from their card’s quarterly statement credits.

It’s essential that both new and existing cardmembers activate their Lululemon and Resy benefits in their Amex account before making any purchases to ensure these perks trigger correctly.

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Once you activate these benefits, use your card to spend:

If you want to combine this quarter’s statement credit with a future quarter’s statement credit, a useful workaround is to identify a participating restaurant where you can purchase a gift card online.

In practice, this allows you to “carry forward” value. You could purchase a gift card during this quarter to trigger the statement credit, then add more to the same gift card next quarter to use up the next statement credit. When you eventually dine at the restaurant, you can redeem the combined balance.

This approach can be especially helpful if you don’t plan to dine at a participating restaurant before your current quarter’s statement credit expires but want to maximize the overall value across multiple quarters.

Advice for Business Platinum Card members

This is also a good reminder for both new and existing Business Platinum Card members to get up to $140 in value from the following statement credits before the end of the quarter (enrollment required):

• Up to a $90 quarterly Indeed statement credit: Use this statement credit for U.S. purchases with Indeed.
• Up to a $50 quarterly statement credit on eligible purchases with Hilton: First, make sure to enroll in the Hilton for Business program (for free). Then, use your card to pay for room rates and incidental charges at a Hilton property.

Data points suggest you may also be able to receive the Hilton statement credit when dining at a restaurant or purchasing a product from a gift store located within a Hilton property, even if you’re not staying at the hotel.

I used my Q3 credit to cover $50 of the $59 cost of a high tea for a friend and me at the Urso Hotel & Spa in Madrid — even though we weren’t staying at the property.

Again, make sure you enroll in these perks first so your purchases trigger these benefits.

A note on the semiannual hotel statement credit

Both the Platinum Card and the Business Platinum provide an up to $300 semiannual hotel statement credit (up to $600 per calendar year).

You’ll receive the statement credit on prepaid American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings made through American Express Travel® when you pay with your eligible Platinum Card. (The Hotel Collection stays require a two-night minimum.)

Dec. 30 is the deadline to use the second semiannual hotel statement credit (up to $300). If you haven’t already used your up to $300 statement credit for the July-to-December period, now is a good time to do so. If you don’t have immediate travel planned, you can use the current semiannual statement credit to book a prepaid stay into 2027.

I’ve used my second statement credit for the year to book a stay in Melbourne, Australia, during the holidays.

New cardmember? Get an instant card number

If you want to pick up the Amex Platinum, you can apply online and get an instant card number for online purchases. You can add it to your digital wallet to use while you wait up to seven business days for your physical card to arrive in the mail.

When you apply, you can find out your offer and see if you are 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.)

Then, you can immediately enroll in the statement credits that you can maximize before the end of the quarter.

New Amex Business Platinum Card members can find out their offer and see if they are eligible for as high as 300,000 bonus points after spending $20,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership. (Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.)

Like consumer Amex Platinum Card members, Business Platinum Card members can receive an instant card number upon approval and start maximizing their quarterly statement credits immediately.

An important note on contactless payments

The terms and conditions for most Amex statement credits say something like this:

“The transaction may not be eligible if the merchant uses a third-party to process or submit the transaction to American Express (e.g. using mobile or wireless card readers).”

In practice, this means it’s not guaranteed that every eligible purchase will trigger a statement credit, depending on how the transaction is processed.

I ran into this issue twice when using the semiannual up to $50 Resy statement credits at U.S. Resy restaurants on my (now canceled) American Express® Gold Card — neither transaction posted within the standard eight- to 10-week time frame (enrollment required).

After waiting 10 weeks, I contacted Amex via chat and had the statement credits manually applied.

Because of this, it’s worth keeping an eye on your account. If a statement credit doesn’t appear within 10 weeks, reach out to Amex to have it reviewed.

And before dining, you may also want to check that the restaurant can process your payment directly (for example, via the card terminal) or ask staff to manually input your card details.

Bottom line

By being strategic about timing, those with the Amex Platinum or the Business Platinum can take advantage of their statement credits before the end of the quarter.

Remember to enroll in benefits before making purchases, track your statement credits throughout the year and follow up if any don’t post within several weeks.

Finally, I encourage new cardmembers to apply now, jot down their instant card number and immediately add it to their digital wallet.

To learn more, read our full reviews of the American Express Platinum and the American Express Business Platinum.

Apply now: American Express Platinum Card
Apply now: The Business Platinum Card from American Express

For rates and fees of the American Express Platinum, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express Business Platinum, click here.